Toy Story

Voices of: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Annie Potts, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, John Morris, Erik von Detten, Laurie Metcalf, R. Lee Ermey, Penn Jillette
Directed by: John Lasseter
Rating: G
Genre: Animated
1995

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: Toy cowboy Woody (Tom Hanks) is stricken with jealousy when space ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) seemingly replaces him as the toy of choice in a small boy's bedroom.

Review:

Tim: I just love this movie. The best animated movies don't just appeal to children, but entertain viewers of all ages, transcend time, and make adults feel like kids again (longing for the simpler times of their youth). This movie does this better than any film I have ever seen. I should also mention that at the conclusion of this film, I am overwhelmed by a desire for more. At the end of this adventure, I just want the fun to continue and never end- that is the mark of an entertaining movie. It's rare for me to watch a movie, see it end and just wish it would continue.

One of the great movie wishes of my life is for Tom Hanks to star in a Western. That may never happen, but at least I get to see him as a cowboy (even if it is an animated, toy one). Hanks is just excellent as Sheriff Woody. He has such a distinct voice, and does an amazing job here. Tim Allen is also tremendous, his deeper voice perfect for Buzz Lightyear. The two actors (and characters) interact extremely well and are so fun to see (and hear) together. The supporting voice cast is great, too. Don Rickles brings his iconic voice to Mr. Potato Head. Wallace Shawn's unique voice offered a nice contrast to some of the other ones. Annie Potts and the rest of the cast works well.

Toy Story is so appealing because it draws on the magic dream every child has- that his or her toys are actually alive, and have great adventures when no one else is around. This is so great because there are literally countless adventures these toys could have. The only limit is imagination, and I would love Toy Story 33 as much as this original one.

This is an extremely important movie, not just because it is fantastic, but because it featured revolutionary computer animation and serves as a landmark animation film. It's amazing to me that this was the first feature film to be completely computer animated. It has a tremendous script written by a number of brilliant people (Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow!). It was nominated for 3 Academy Awards. The only reason it didn't win "Best Animated Feature" is because that category hadn't been invented yet. This is one of the all time classic animated films.

* Update- it was fascinating to watch this movie years later, with my four year-old son. He was probably a bit too young for the film (he was a bit disturbed by the scenes with Sid). Watching this as a parent was very different than watching it as a teenager, as I did during my first viewing. As an adult, you catch more of the great humor, especially the jokes that only mature viewers would get. The animation looks a bit dated by modern standards, but it's easy to remember how revolutionary and cutting edge it was in 1995. I also watched this film knowing how the trilogy ended (and eagerly awaiting the upcoming fourth film). Knowing the arc of these characters, it was interesting to revisit their beginnings. Woody especially doesn't come off great in this film. He spends most of it fighting with Buzz and his friends. Subsequent films would resolve this, but it still felt odd watching that here. I will say that my biggest takeaway is that this movie absolutely holds up and it's truly brilliant. The story of Woody and Buzz feels just as powerful and timely today as it did 24 years ago when I first watched this movie. Toy Story remains a truly great film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Toy Story 2, The Polar Express