Toy Story (10th Anniversary Edition) 1995 Buena Vista Home Entertainment Official Website Buy It Now

Toy Story certainly didn't go back into the Disney vaults for very long went it went into moratorium status last year. Had any of us really thought about it, we would have realized that the tenth anniversary was coming very quickly, and there was certainly a method to the madness. Toy Story as well as Toy Story 2 though have become sought after DVD's, something that does tend to happen as soon as the announcement comes that they are heading back into the vaults. Disney has been up front about the fact that their releases are for a limited time, most of them at least, so those that didn't get down with the toys the first time are going to have another chance with the tenth anniversary edition, but this isn't simply a release to make more money, and Disney had in fact added new features onto the discs.

After ten years time, just about everyone knows this story, but let's do a bit of a recap just in case. Toy Story was actually one of the first fully computer animated films to hit theaters, but it wasn't like anything else that has the Disney name associated with it. Pixar tells Toy Story from the toys point of view. Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) is the "dominant toy," a sheriff with that old fashion pull string action to allow him to speak . . . . . except for when the humans aren't around, or his owner Andy. The toys all have a life of their own and can walk and talk, and things are going pretty well in their world until the new toy arrives; Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen.) Buzz is a state of the art action figure with flashing lights, king-fu action, and just about everything that a boy could want, and Woody finds himself by the wayside.

Then comes the faithful day when Woody tries to sidetrack Buzz when Andy has to chose one to out to pizza with, but Buzz ends up getting knocked out the window. The two end up in the car together however, but the situation gets worse. These two toys are anything but friends and get separated from Andy, not to mention that Woody is highly annoyed by Buzz's belief that he really is Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. The two end up at their destination, but the worse possible scenario happens; they end up in the hands of Sid, the next door neighbor who enjoys blowing his toys up. Now they have to escape Sid's house and get back to Andy, but time is quickly passing them by as Andy will be moving very soon, and the two rivals are going to have to work together if they want to be reunited with him.

At first, I was really trying to compare Toy Story with other computer-animated features over the last ten years. I kept thinking how things looked better in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, not a great film in terms of plot but beyond cutting edge where computer animation is concerned. Then there's the case the new Appleseed, a Japanese anime classic that has been redone with full CG, but then, I soon found myself lost in the movie, forgetting about other movies and just taking Toy Story for what it was at face value, and that's an entertaining film.

Pixar takes the movie beyond the usual Disney song and dance number that is so much a part of their other films, and using toys is really a stroke of genius. I think everyone remembers when they were little and they had that secret belief that their toys came to life when they weren't around, and not only does the film give us new toys created just for the movie, but there are many favorites here as well that are timeless classics. Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles) can be found here as well as the classic plastic army men led by a drill sergeant voiced by none other than R. Lee Ermey, and his is a voice that should be very familiar to some movie fans, though I really doubt younger viewers have seen the movie that made him famous. Even your piggy bank is here, Hamm, voiced by John Ratzenberger, a man who will be known forever as Cliff from Cheers, though I still remember him from his brief appeared in The Empire Strikes Back.

Toy Story though is more than just a movie about what toys might do when we're not around, and it does more than just make brilliant use of them. I'm particularly fond of the army men using the walkie talkies to communicate to the other toys what new gifts Andy has received or Slinky be used for a number of different things. Toy Story in some ways shows the differences that are a part of society and how they can be overcame. You might think that Buzz and Woody are just toys, but they have a rivalry from the start, but eventually the movie becomes something of a buddy movie with Woody and Buzz having to work together. Buzz does come to the realization thanks to a television ad that he's not really from Star Command but instead; he's just a toy, something that Woody and everyone else have come to terms with long ago.

If you're looking for more information on Toy Story, I would highly suggest taking a look at Aaron's review for the original release of the movie. He knows his Disney like no one else and has more tidbits about the movie than you could ever want to have. If you're wondering just why it is that Aaron isn't doing this review though, we've had something of an unspoken rule since we started the site and that is when you're dealing with multiple releases of a movie, it's really pointless for the same person to review it a second or third time, and the tenth anniversary edition of Toy Story should be a review not just about the movie, but about what the special features are and how it sets itself apart from the other release.

There have been a number of re-issues in the past few months of movies. Part of it ends up being a means to give away passes to other films from the studio or as a way to give the fans a little tease of an upcoming sequel, but that's not the case here. This edition of Toy Story boasts the first ever DTS 5.1 audio track from Disney and Pixar, meaning that if you have an expensive home theater system set up, you're going to get more than your money's worth out of this disc, though I wish there was a way to remove the Randy Newman songs, the man seriously bugs me. The sound fest continues however, and you will also find a remastered Dolby 5.1 EX audio track, and the film itself has just a bit more enhancement, such as a higher bit rating. What does this mean? Simple, Toy Story looks better than it ever has, so not only will the audio floor you, but the video itself is breathtaking.

That's just the disc enhancements though, and the DVD has quite a few features, some of which can be found on the original release, but some that are completely new. The Legacy of Toy Story has interview with a number of people including Leonard Maltin, who does a number of Disney appearance on various releases, the Disney Treasures being a perfect example, but there are some that come as being unexpected. George Lucas gives his two cents worth as does Peter Jackson, who is looking quite a bit more trim these days, and even the legendary anime director Hayao Miyazaki. The Filmmakers Reflect segment is just what you might think that it is, and this has those involved remembering things back when the original concept for the film came about and so on. The Making of section looks at just how Toy Story was made, something that certainly wasn't an easy project ten years ago, and while the technology has improved quite a bit, it still isn't something that anyone can just jump into to. If you like games by the way, you will find that this release of Toy Story has an all-new feature, a game with THE CLAW! Ohhhhh. You must decide who goes and who stays, and I know that there are a lot of people that absolutely love the aliens in Toy Story (I'm one of them) though I also would have enjoyed seeing a game with the "erector set" doll (another character I really like in the film.) The DVD also has a collection of deleted scenes, a Behind the Scenes feature and even a hidden feature or two, all you need to do is reach for the stars . . . . or maybe change that channel.

I have to give Disney and Pixar a lot of credit here with actually releasing a DVD that goes beyond just one extra thing and there is a lot here that will have those owing the original wanting to add this version into their collection, plus if you missed it the first time around, now is your chance to have it for your very own. Remember though, as with any Disney release, Toy Story will only be around for a limited time before it goes back into the vault again for ten years . . . . or until BluRay hits. But, the toys are out to play again, and this time, don't neglect them.

-mike-