An affectionate love letter to toys and film

Rating: 10/10 (22 September 2015)

This was Pixar's first feature-length film, the first full-length computer-animated feature film and the first film in the Toy Story series. There will be spoilers ahead:
I could just say that this is a phenomenal film, a ground-breaking film and a must watch if you love film in general and/or animation in particular and leave it at that, but this comment would be rather thin if I did so, so I'll do a bit more here.
I don't really need to discuss the plot, because, chances are, if you're reading this, you've probably seen this already. I'll do a brief sketch: this concerns a boy named Andy and his toys. Lifeless when humans are around, the toys come to life when none are in the room. Woody is the leader of the toys, but his place is threatened by a new toy, Buzz Lightyear. Andy and family are preparing to move. Through a series of mishaps, Woody and Buzz wind up being lost and must make their way back before the family leaves or be separated from Andy forever. After a series of adventures, they make it back and get on board before the family is gone.
That's a simple story. The parts of the film are each so excellently crafted that it takes a simple story and creates gold. The animation still holds up, even after 20 years, which is an eternity in computer animation. The script is marvelous and the writers clearly show that they possess a love for both toys and film. The toys showing up in here are a mix of new (Woody and Buzz) and classic (Mr. Potatohead, Etch-a-Sketch and green army soldiers). There are gags referencing films as diverse as Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Wizard of Oz. Pixar also references the various shorts they'd made up to that point and TV shows like Star Trek and The Simpsons.
The voice casting is spot on. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen nailed their parts. Don Rickles and Jim Varney were inspired casting choices and John Ratzenberger began an association with Pixar which continues today. The score and songs by Randy Newman are perfect, particularly the song, "You've Got a Friend In Me", which goes to the heart of the film. It's just an exceptional film.
The attention to detail is incredible. Even minor characters turn out to have a significant influence on things, like the mutant toys in Sid's bedroom (Sid and his dog Scud are the villains here, Sid being a rather twisted kid next door). The look of everything is astonishing, though it has aged in 20 years.
This film is available on DVD/Blu-Ray is is well worth getting. Most highly recommended.