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Regardless, 1995 was quite the year for computer animation.
But one film was about to make all the others very, very obsolete...just like your 12" G.I. Joes (you remember them being cool from when you were a kid, but no dressed up Ken doll is cooler than Destro and The Baroness!). That film was Toy Story and promptly placed the folks at Pixar Animation on the cinematic map as well as demonstrated that Disney films were officially safe for parents to attend again as well!
Originally it was to be the story of the star of Tin Toy, a small, tin one-man-band toy that is forgotten in lieu of newer, more modern toys. He eventually finds himself in a "nirvana" of sorts; a pre-school, where the kids are always the same age and he can have fun playing forever. But there were two problems with this direction; first, that no one this film was marketed towards remembers the fact that all toys used to be either dolls or made of tin, and second, that it needed to be a buddy movie. There needed to be a new character.
Woody was originally planned to be in the same boat as Tinny, discarded and forgotten and forced to find a new home. But soon it was decided that he should trade places with Tinny and an entirely new character be brought in to be the flashy "new toy". Enter Lunar Larry, a space-man action figure with all the latest gadgets, blips, bleeps, bells and whistles. Thus, both of the original problems were solved and it was off to write a movie. After a few minor character design changes and a name change for Lunar Larry to Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story was underway.
Told from the viewpoint of the toys, Toy Story is a fantastical look into how it "could really be" inside each and every toy box. Every toy has its own personality and social hierarchy, with the coveted role being, of course, the favorite. Woody must come to terms with the fact that he was destined not to be the favorite forever, all the while trying to win a tug of war for Andy's attention. But through a hilarious set of events, Woody finds that his petty jealousy and loathing for Buzz have caused him to be driven from the toy box by the other toys...but not before endangering Buzz at the hands of the evil boy next door, Sid, and his menacing fireworks, matches, magnifying glasses, and other means of toy destruction.
Woody tries hard to put things right again, but it will be slow going convincing the other toys to pay any attention to him again after they become infatuated with Buzz's spring-action wings and LED "laser" light. But as the toys pay more and more attention to their own troubles, they just may get left behind when it comes time for Andy's family to move away!
But the voice talent merely starts with the perfect casting of the two leads. There is also John Ratzenberger (Cliff from Cheers) as a stuffy piggy-bank, Jim Varney (Ernest - as in Goes To Camp) as Slinky Dog, Wallace Shawn (from Princess Bride) as a Tyrannosaurus Rex toy with "short arm" syndrome, Annie Potts (Janine in Ghostbusters) as Bo Peep, the cute shepard-girl who has a thing for Woody, and the hilarious funny-man, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head. Cast for their prowess as comedian actors, it is a very pleasant surprise to find that they are all very capable voice-actors to boot.
After the actors showed up to set and did their jobs, there was much still to be done. Nearly four years in the making from start to finish, Toy Story was leaps and bounds beyond any other computer animation projects being attempted. So far advanced in fact, that new software was written just to allow the scale of animation being attempted. Over 2,000 computer 3-D models were created for Toy Story and each of these models had its own avars (hinged points of movements) which could be individually moved. Woody's face alone had over 100 avars. Imagine the undertaking that would simply be making those 100 points move into a smile, then imagine all 2,000 models and all of their hundreds of movement points being controlled and scripted by talented computer artists and you may have some idea of how grand the scale of Toy Story really is. Lets just say that it took 117 computers (87 of which were dual-CPUed) 800,000 hours to process the animation. And mine won't even go a day without crashing; guess they weren't using Windows!
All this work paid off in the end however; not only through a fantastic movie made for the whole family, but also in accolades and recognition. Nominated for three Acadamy Awards (including two for Randy Newman's amazing score and original song), Toy Story went on to win more than 15 films awards. The filmmakers inspirations were not only thanked in the many acceptance speeches however, as most of them were honored through "hidden" references, quotes and scenarios in the film itself. Next time you are viewing Toy Story, keep a sharp eye out for references to Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Shining, Home Improvement, Star Trek and many previous Pixar productions, just to name a few!
It is obvious that the talented folks at Pixar are film fans, and film fans everywhere will love Toy Story. If you have somehow managed to miss seeing Toy Story, don't worry, the animation is advanced enough that it has yet to look dated. But beyond the CG, there is an equally magical tale of friendship, trust, security and vulnerability that is a wonderful experience for any age.
With the included extras on this disc, which unlock much of the mysteries behind Toy Story's creation, the DVD is a great buy whether you have seen the film or not. A great movie, great talent, and great extras. This is why DVDs were made.
-aaron-
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It
all started with a short film entitled Tin Toy which tells
the tale of a small, wind-up, musical toy and the horror that is caused
by its infant owner. With the exception of a flawed human baby,
the short was a wonderful example of the possibilities of CG and of
the larger creative possibilities that computers can aid in.
Suddenly, CG was being considered to tell stories all its own instead
of merely aiding in live action outings. The short was SO well
received in fact that it won an Oscar in 1989 and took the top spot
in the same years World Animation Celebration. But more than
just further possibility in the world of CG began with that short;
inspiration began as well. Inspiration for the world's first
full-length, computer animated, feature film; the inspiration for
Toy Story.
Andy
is a normal kid, with a normal healthy imagination. He plays
out fantastic situations with his toys and loves each and every one
of them. Like most normal boys though, he has a favorite; in
this case, Woody, an aging hand-me-down cowboy doll with a pull-string
activated voice. But unfortunately, most normal boys also find
themselves attracted to the newest and shiniest toys, and Andy is
no exception. When he receives a brand new, Buzz Lightyear:
Space Ranger toy for his birthday, Woody quickly becomes old news.
A
heartwarming story of accepting the flaws in others, as well as accepting
ones own flaws, Toy Story embodies everything that Disney films
have stood for in the past: moral value, self-discovery and the importance
of friendship. But it takes more than a feel-good story to make
a feature film work, and like any film, it is all about the casting.
Disney and Pixar could not have done a better job than they did with
Toy Story. Woody is played to perfection by Tom Hanks,
and every bit of his smart-alleck wit comes through in Woody's one-liner
approach to those around him and his under-the-breath comments about
Buzz. Speaking of Buzz, an over-confident braggart who seems
to have over-estimated his own abilities, who better than the voice
of Tim "The Toolman" Taylor from Home Improvement, Tim
Allen? It is hard to believe that such chemistry could be
shared by two actors and so easily conveyed to the audience without
being able to truly see the pair on screen.