Where Pixar's legacy begins

Rating: 9/10 (11 June 2009)

Before they became the trailblazers of computer animation, Pixar eked out a meagre existence as a small, independent company, forced to provide computer visual effects for other studios just to pay the bills. Although it seems impossible now, there was a time when Pixar hinged on the brink of bankruptcy on a daily basis. And the idea of creating a fully, computer animated feature film seemed a far off, distant fantasy.
After producing several highly acclaimed short films, Pixar's dream of making a full proper feature came to fruition when they entered into a partnership with Disney that still continues today. Thanks to some generous investors, a real team effort and a wing and a prayer, Pixar got the go-ahead on their debut feature, Toy Story.
Toy Story is where the Pixar legacy begins. It was the first of its kind and a huge success. Despite all of the doubts and preconceptions, they had pulled it out of the bag and Pixar's name was made. They created an entire revolution in animation. One that had never been seen before.
But it took a lot to go through to get there. Toy Story had a tumultuous history before it even made it to the big screen. According to the excellent documentary The Pixar Story, the script went through numerous rewrites, particularly with Woody's character. In Pixar's own words, Woody was becoming "the most repellent thing you've ever seen". The film just wasn't working. It was cynical. Sarcastic. It wasn't funny at all. And it wasn't the film John Lasseter imagined when he originated it.
With all that in mind, its all the more surprising how good it turned out to be. Toy Story has all of the qualities we've come to expect from the best of Pixar's work. Its confident. Its witty. It moves at a gallop and its intelligent too. Its one thing to make a whole new kind of film. Its another to make it work well.
The plot is a quite familiar one - toys that come to life when no-one's around. But Pixar put some fascinating spins on that one sentence synopsis thanks to some well etched characters, a fabulous script penned by a great team of writers, a charming musical score and fluid animation. Woody and Buzz Lightyear have become two of Pixar's much beloved creations. With Woody being such a jerk in the early days of Toy Story's conception, it may explain why Pixar brought in Hollywood's Nicest Guy Tom Hanks to voice him.
Some of Woody's character flaws have still made it into the film. But that may be one of the reasons why people were so drawn to it. Because he's not so squeaky clean compared with Disney heroes. A pull-string cowboy doll, the king of his mountain, when his owner Andy gets Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger action figure, and winds up cast aside, he goes mad with envy. He's as flawed as any flesh and blood person. A little selfish too. But not so much that he's irredeemable (which he almost wound up as in the early drafts).
But Buzz Lightyear is an even better character. He's a true original. Because unlike all the other toys around him, he doesn't know he is one. He believes he's a real space ranger. And the film is clever the way it wittily plays into Buzz's delusions about himself. He's so convinced of what he is that its a genuinely crushing moment when Buzz finds out the truth (a nicely played scene when he watches a Buzz Lightyear TV commercial).
Pixar always have a knack for matching the right actors to their characters. And Tim Allen is a perfect Buzz Lightyear. He captures the right blend of cocky bravado and self-righteous intent that the character so desperately needs to endear. Unlike all the other companies quick to jump on the CGI animation bandwagon, Pixar don't pick big name actors to ensure box-office success. They choose the right people to bring their characters to life.
The animation in Toy Story could seem primitive now when compared to the dazzling backdrops of Finding Nemo or Wall-E. The backgrounds are not as detailed and even the climax is not that lavish (Pixar didn't yet have a limitless budget to command) but they don't really need to be because its story is enough of a hook to enthrall us.
One thing they could have done without though is showing us the faces of the human characters. They tend to look too unreal when computer animated. Pixar hadn't quite got the hang yet of making a human face look natural. Not until The Incredibles anyway.
But these are only minor quibbles. In all other regards, Toy Story is a delight. Even at this early stage, Pixar has the formula down perfectly that gets them through each and every one of their films. Great characters, shrewd intelligence, genuine heart and a real sense of fun and adventure. Toy Story 2 is even better. It ups all the good things about this by a quantum factor. A great start for a superb studio.
To Infinity and Beyond!