To Infinity and Beyond!

Rating: 9/10 (22 July 2015)

It was May of 1991, and Disney were on the brink of the Animation Renaissance which would bring about a treasure-trove of beautifully drawn and designed 2D films. Only a few months later would the first and very elegant Beauty and The Beast be released. But behind the scenes, they negotiated a deal with a small animation studio named Pixar, previously only animating shorts to demonstrate the capabilities of their computers. John Lasseter would serve as director after being fired from Disney as he pitched the revolutionary idea of the first ever fully computer animated full length feature film. And so Toy Story was born. It was a long and complicated production process full of worries about budget, and the infamous Black Friday reveal which prompted a production shut-down and a full script revamp. It's sequel would later nearly undergo a disaster of similar scale. But after an arduous process Toy Story became a ground breaking film in animation history and set the first benchmark for 3D animation.
Toy Story is a beautifully rendered film for its time and eye poppingly gorgeous. Pixar's revolutionary animation process created a living breathing world with every tiny detail lovingly crafted - blades of grass, hairs on head, scuffs on floorboards. The character movement is smooth and seamless, the use of light and shadow realistic. Being Pixar's first ever feature film and under close scrutiny from Disney executives and given a small budget, short cuts like ponytails and short hair were used, and the textures of the background and minor characters are less visually impressive, but Tory Story still holds up remarkably well decades later. It's all wrapped in a stirring score by Randy Newman which easily accompanies the film's movement; lifting for Buzz's first take-off, eerily tip-toeing at the Spaceport Arcade. The main song You've Got a Friend in Me is heartfelt at the start of the film but even more-so at the end, Newman duetting with Lyle Lovett to symbolise the new partnership of Buzz and Woody.
The story is a simple but universal one, with an original twist. What happens when toys are alive, and furthermore, what happens when they are replaced by newer, cooler models? The titular characters of Buzz and Woody are stunningly brought to life through fantastic character design and voice-acting. Woody is your classic Western cowboy with a pull string that spouts recorded catchphrases while Buzz Lightyear is a futuristic Space Ranger who has pop-out wings and a laser. Who can compete with that? Tom Hanks and Tim Allen provide a great deal of emotion and character through their respective portrayals; in particular Woody's charm and leadership is a thin veneer for his insecurity and ego which is displayed when Andy gets a newer toy. Terry Gilliam singles out a great shot at the height of Buzz's personality as a Space Ranger, where he discover he is actually just a toy, and where the camera zooms out and the big bravado he was only a moment earlier is now a tiny figure. But apart from them you have a whole cast of iconic characters each with their quirks, personalities and traits; Mr Potato Head, Re the dinosaur, Slinky Dog, Hamm the piggy bank, Bo Peep, the plastic toy soldiers...We get the sense that these toys have been in the Andy household forever, and have formed a tight knit family and well-oiled hierarchy. the sequel 4 years later gives them additional screen-time which comes with more laughs (including the addition of Mr Potato Head's wife).
Toy Story set the first benchmark for computer animation and heralded a period of critical and box office success for Pixar. The 2 sequels are also crafted with as much detail and care as the first, but nothing can match the first gasps of wonder and amazement at the movement and freedom of the 3D world when it first hit cinemas in 1995.