Toy Story (1995)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

John Lasseter

Writers:

John Lasseter (story) &
Pete Docter (story) ...

Release Date:

22 November 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

"Oooh...3-D" (USA 2009 re-release)

Plot:

A cowboy toy is profoundly threatened and jealous when a fancy spaceman toy supplants him as top toy in a boy's room.

Plot Keywords:

Toy | Spaceman | Cowboy | Spaceman Toy | Jealousy

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Woody (voice)
Tim Allen	...	Buzz Lightyear (voice)
Don Rickles	...	Mr. Potato Head (voice)
Jim Varney	...	Slinky Dog (voice)
Wallace Shawn	...	Rex (voice)
John Ratzenberger	...	Hamm (voice)
Annie Potts	...	Bo Peep (voice)
John Morris	...	Andy (voice)
Erik von Detten	...	Sid (voice)
Laurie Metcalf	...	Andy's Mom (voice)
R. Lee Ermey	...	Sergeant (voice)
Sarah Freeman	...	Hannah (voice)
Penn Jillette	...	TV Announcer (voice)
Jack Angel	...	Additional Voice (voice)
Spencer Aste	...	Additional Voice (voice)

Also Known As:

Toy Story in 3-D (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

81 min | Turkey:74 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Ireland:G | Iceland:L | New Zealand:G | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Belgium:KT | Chile:TE | Denmark:7 | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:o.Al. (w) | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:G | South Korea:All | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:G | Greece:K | Brazil:Livre

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

Early scripts for the film featured a Barbie Doll in a prominent role as Woody's love interest. The original ending sequence, in which Buzz and Woody chase the moving truck, was scripted to have Barbie drive her Corvette off the truck and rescue Woody and Buzz from Sid's dog, a-la Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Mattel, the company that owns the Barbie character, declined on the basis that they thought the film would be a failure and that they didn't want Barbie to have a defined personality, preferring to let children imagine Barbie's personality traits on their own. Thus, Barbie was dropped from the script, and her character was reworked into that of Bo-Peep. When the film proved a huge success, Mattel did allow Barbie to appear in Toy Story 2 (1999).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Buzz's wings should have been caught on the car track loop when he demonstrates how he flies.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Andy: [Andy is playing with his toys and mimicing the voices of his toys and holding Mr Potato Head] Alright, everyone. This is a stick-up. Don't anyone move.
[empties Hamm]
Andy: Oooh, money, money, money.
[mimicing Bo Beep]
Andy: No, no. Stop it you mean potato.
[as Mr. potato Head]
Andy: Quiet, Bo Beep. Or your sheep will get it.
[as Bo Beep]
Andy: Oh no, not my sheep, somebody do something.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pulse (2006/I)

Soundtrack:

Strange Things

Technically impressive with great script and sharp wit

Andy's toys live a reasonable life of fun and peace, their only worries are birthdays and Christmases, when new toys could easily replace those already there. One such birthday Andy's top toy, Woody the cowboy, finds himself in direct competition with Andy's new Buzz Lightyear doll. When rivalries boil over Woody tries to hide Buzz down the side of the bed but accidentally pushes him out the window, the other tops expel Woody, and he leaves with no choice but to find Buzz and return him to the house. But with only two days before Andy moves house, time is of the essence.

Given how often the same mix of animation, wit, jokes and kids humour has been used since Toy Story (Ice Age, Monsters Inc, Bugs Life) it is easy to forget how refreshing it was when it first came out. I have just watched it again and it is dating a little in comparison to more recent twists on the formula. It seems each one has to be sharper and have more references etc in the background. However it is still very funny and deserves praise for being the first of a successful formula.

The plot is simple but effective and actually has genuine drama and excitement to it. The main story is fun but the degree of character development is what really shores it up. The conflict between Buzz and Woody is taken deeper than this and, when confronted by the truth of his status as a toy, Buzz's turmoil is very real as opposed to him being a cartoon character and nothing more. Despite the two strong leads there is a real depth in the support cast. They may not actually have that many lines, but they have all the funniest lines. Most of the `adult' wit comes from the Potato Head, dinosaur, the pig and slinky dog. They are funny and are very well used. In fact the majority of this humour and plot will go right over kids heads.

Looking back on it, I do feel a cynical edge on it in so much as this film must really have helped sales of the toy companies in the film. It's hard not to see the marketing department standing behind this film rubbing their hands. However the actual product is so wonderfully fun that I forgot this quickly. The voice work is excellent and the characters match the actors. Hanks is good as Woody and Allen has a good B-movie type voice for Buzz. Varney, Ratzenberger, Ermey (doing his usual), Rickles and others are all really good in the support roles and, probably, come out as the favourite characters for adults.

Overall this is a classic film that will appeal to adults as much as to kids (if not more). A good plot and a really sharp script make the already short running time fly by. The only downside is that your kids will want you to go out and buy the damn things!