Toy Story

Rating: 10/10 (11 December 2011)

Toy Story is a 1995 film written and directed by John Lasseter. The film was the first feature film by Pixar and created solely by CGI. Toy Story is a film about a six year old boy named Andy, and his love of toys. Unbeknownst to Andy, his toys actually talk and communicate with each other.
Woody, who is voiced by Tom Hanks, is a cowboy doll with a pull string that allows him to speak a few select phrases. He considers himself to be the leader of all the other toys and Andy's favorite. When Andy has a birthday, he is given a new toy-a Buzz Lightyear action figure-that makes Woody feel very threatened. Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Tim Allen, is Andy's new toy and this makes Woody very fearful of ending up in the garage sale box with all the other old and broken toys. A series of mishaps occur between Buzz and Woody throughout the film causing even more tension and frustration between them. When they are captured by a little boy named Sid, who likes to torture and destroy toys, Buzz and Woody have to put aside their differences with each other and work together to be reunited with Andy.
I believe this film's main theme is about coming together despite our differences and working alongside of each other rather than against each other. Despite Woody's jealousy and insecurities he starts to form a bond with Buzz the more he really gets to know him. By forming this bond, it unites all the toys thus making them strong enough to accomplish great feats they normally wouldn't be able to do on their own. This theme is even more apparent with Buzz Lightyear's infamous saying "To infinity and beyond!" which implies that nothing is impossible when you have the help of friends. Ultimately, Buzz and Woody realize that nothing is as bad as it seems as long as they have each other.
Through the use of CGI, there is a realness factor that before the use of CGI, most animated films could not produce. The realistic graphics transport the viewer into the movie making them feel like a part of each characters' journey. There are lighting effects to emphasize certain emotions the director wants the viewer to feel. While the toys are united in Andy's bedroom everything is bright and colorful. When the toys are divided or separated from each other and Andy, the scenes are dim and dull. The amount of detail that went into each character's facial expressions was flawless. There is plenty of action, to keep young viewers entertained and there is wonderful dialog between the characters to keep the older viewers nostalgic by the wonderfully written story.
Toy Story is a revolutionary film in its own right. It set the path for the way audiences watch animated films. Toy Story is a heartwarming family film with a wonderful story about acceptance, teamwork, determination, and how powerful the love from a child can be. I highly recommend watching this film.