Toy Story
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| Toy Story | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for Toy Story |
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| Directed by | John Lasseter |
| Produced by | Bonnie Arnold Ralph Guggenheim Ed Catmull Steve Jobs |
| Written by | Story: John Lasseter Pete Docter Andrew Stanton Joe Ranft Screenplay: Joss Whedon Andrew Stanton Joel Cohen & Alec Sokolow |
| Starring | Tom Hanks Tim Allen Don Rickles Jim Varney Wallace Shawn John Ratzenberger Annie Potts John Morris Erik von Detten |
| Music by | Randy Newman |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
| Release date(s) | November 22, 1995 |
| Running time | 80 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million |
| Gross revenue | Domestic: $191,773,049 Worldwide: $354,300,000 |
| Followed by | Toy Story 2 |
| Official website | |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Toy Story is a 1995 CGI animated feature film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution It grossed $191,773,049 in the United States and it took in a grand total of $354,300,000 worldwide. It is the first film by Pixar.
The primary characters are toys in the room of a six year-old boy, Andy, and the film is mostly told from the toys' point of view. Andy, his baby sister Molly, and his mother have smaller roles, along with the neighbor boy Sid, his dog named Scud, and his sister Hannah.
In 2003, the Online Film Critics Society ranked the film as the greatest animated film of all time.[1] In 2005 the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry one of three films to do so it in its first year of eligibility[citation needed]. In 2007, the film was ranked #99 on the American Film Institute's 10th Anniversary Edition of the 100 greatest American films of all time, one of only two animated films on the list, the other being Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
The film is set for re-release in 3D on October 2, 2009, leading up to the long-awaited release of Toy Story 3 on June 18, 2010.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The story begins with a boy named Andy who is playing with his toys, such as a Mr. Potato Head, Rex, and his favorite toy, Woody. He takes Woody into the living room and plays with him some more, where he learns Andy has planned his birthday a few days early, as himself, his mother, and his sister Molly will be moving. Woody gets put back in the room, and when Andy leaves, he's revealed to be the leader of the toys, and orders them to be prepared for the party. All the toys work together, aware that new toys could mean the replacement of current ones, but Woody keeps them calm. After Andy goes through all his presents, he's surprised by one last present from his mother. The present is revealed to be a new must-have Buzz Lightyear toy.
They all return to their places as Andy and his friends come running up to Andy's room. When they all run out, the toys approach the Buzz Lightyear action figure. Buzz does not seem to be aware that he is a toy, which becomes apparent after he sees the package he came in (a space ship shaped box) to be his damaged ship. He believes himself to be a space ranger on a mission to save the universe from "the evil Emperor Zurg." The other toys take to him immediately, being impressed by his many features. Only Woody is unconvinced, showing jealousy towards Buzz. As time moves on, Andy clearly shows to have high regard of Buzz, seemingly forgetting about Woody, as with the other toys who Buzz spends a lot of time with. By the end of the day, Andy sleeps with Buzz in his arms and confirms he has a new favourite toy. Eventually, Woody confronts Buzz while he is repairing his "ship" where he finally realizes that Buzz actually believe himself to be the real space ranger, and not toy model of the character.
Later that evening, Andy is given a surprise trip to his favorite restaurant: Pizza Planet. However, he can take only one toy with him. Knowing this, Woody assumes he'll take Buzz so he tries to shove him behind Andy's dresser, but instead inadvertently knocks him out the window. When the other toys learn of Woody's actions, they think he has turned into a killer. They try to attack him without even giving him a chance to explain, but he is saved when Andy come into the room to look for Buzz. Unable to find Buzz, Andy takes Woody on the trip instead. At a gas stop, Woody finds that Buzz grabbed a hold of the family's minivan and is with them. Woody tries to apologize but Buzz won't listen, and starts a fight which knocks both out of the minivan that causes them to be left behind.
Buzz claims he is trying to make his way back to Star Command to destroy a weapon Emperor Zurg is building that is able to destroy an entire planet. Woody, who can't convince him that he's a toy, decides to trick Buzz into going with him (in fear of going back to the other toys without him) when he spots a Pizza Planet delivery truck pull into the gas station. They eventually make their way into Pizza Planet, but as Woody plans to return to Andy, Buzz spots a toy crane game, thinking it is a spaceship that will take him to his nemesis' location. Woody goes in after him are greeted by a bunch of three eyed green alien squeek toys. Sid, a young child around Andy's age, notorious for his pleasure in destroying toys and who happens to be Andy's neighbour, appears and plays the crane game. He succeeds in capturing an alien squeek toy, as well as Buzz and Woody.
When Sid gets home, Woody and Buzz come upon a group of mis-matched toys, the results of Sid's many experiments, and assume they're cannibals. The next day, Woody and Buzz try to escape but get held up by the mutant toys, then eventually run into Scud (Sid's dog). They try to quietly sneak around the sleeping dog, but the dog becomes aware of them. Woody and Buzz split up, leading Buzz to a television where he sees a commercial for the Buzz Lightyear line of toys. Watching it, he realizes that he could be a toy. In one last attempt to prove he is not a toy, Buzz attempts to fly out of a window, only to fall to the floor, breaking off his left arm in the process. Eventually they end up in Sid's room, where the mutant toys return and surprisingly repair him. Before Woody can make friends with them, Sid returns with his new acquisition: a firework rocket, which he decides to blow up Buzz with it. Overnight, Woody and Buzz make amends as Woody helps Buzz come to terms with being a toy.
The following morning comes and a moving truck stops in front of Andy's house. The two try to escape again but Sid wakes up in their progress, and takes Buzz out to blow him up. Woody calls for the mutant toys asking for their help to save Buzz. He formulates a rescue plan, and decides to break the toy rule and show that toys are living. They make their way to the back yard and frighten Sid as his mutant creations surround him. Woody explains that toys do not like being abused, freaking Sid out and he runs screaming into the house. Now freed from Sid, Woody and Buzz attempt to catch Andy's moving van just as it's pulling away from the house. Woody and Buzz grab the truck's door pull down strap and try to get on board, but Scud appears, grabbing Woody pulling him off the strap. Buzz jumps on Scuds nose and attacks the dog, causing Scud to let go. Woody opens the truck door and looks for R/C, Andy's remote controlled race car, then proceeds to push it out of the truck to help Buzz get back. The other toys think Woody is trying to kill R/C and so they attack him. They push him out of the truck, only to realise their error when they see he was trying to bring back Buzz. Eventually, Woody and Buzz make their way back to Andy, who becomes jovial at finding them.
At Christmas, we see a scene similar to the birthday party, with the toys less worried about the new ones, save a slightly nervous Buzz. Mr. Potato Head is pleased to learn that Andy's baby sister has been given a Mrs. Potato Head. When discussing being replaced by a new toy, like Woody was almost replaced by Buzz, Woody poses the question to Buzz, "What could Andy possibly get that is worse than you?" The answer comes in the form of Andy's first present, when a puppy's bark is heard.
[edit] Development
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Toy Story began its life as an extension of Pixar's short Tin Toy, which featured Tinny, a mechanical drummer who tries to find his way in a baby's play room. The original plot called for Tinny to butt heads with a ventriloquist's dummy. Ultimately, Tinny was found to be too immobile for the storyline and he was developed as a "space toy", first named Lunar Larry, but eventually becoming Buzz Lightyear. Meanwhile, the original ventriloquist's dummy was designed to be sneaky, mean and borderline evil. When tests proved that the character was too unsympathetic, his character was gradually modified until he became the Woody of the film.
During the time of production Robin Williams was in a heated battle against Disney (for more details see Aladdin) and agents everywhere were advising their clients not to do the film.
Other changes the film underwent during development include:
- Billy Crystal was originally offered the role of Buzz, but turned it down. However, he later accepted the offer of voicing Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc., another Pixar film.
- Bill Murray was considered for the role of Buzz but lost the producer's number. Murray states he would have accepted the role and he deeply regrets losing the number, believing that had he done the movie it would have been him inducted into the Disney Hall Of Fame and not Tim Allen.
- The part of Woody's girlfriend was originally intended to be filled by a Barbie doll, but Mattel refused to consent to her use. However, when Playskool's Mr. Potato Head sales went through the roof after the first film, Barbie dolls made an appearance in the sequel Toy Story 2.
- Jim Carrey and Paul Newman were originally supposed to voice Woody and Buzz Lightyear respectively, but the budget wasn't big enough to employ them and the offer was accepted by Tim Allen and Tom Hanks. Newman would eventually play Doc Hudson in Cars
- Disney required several re-workings of the film, even going so far as to threaten to shut the production down.
- Scenes of Woody having a nightmare over losing his position as "favorite toy" was cut for time, but later incorporated into Toy Story 2 and briefly referenced in the video game adaptation.
[edit] Full voice cast
[edit] Toys
- Tom Hanks as Woody: He belongs to Andy, and has been his long-time favourite toy. He is also looked to by the other toys as the leader.
- Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear: The latest toy to be released, and becomes a favourite toy to Andy and the other toys alike, to Woody's dismay.
- Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head: A cynical toy, based on the popular Mr. Potato Head toy line.
- Jim Varney as Slinky Dog: One of Woody's closest friends and his slightly brown-nosed second in command; based on the slinky toy line.
- Wallace Shawn as Rex: An inept, insecure tyrannosaurus-modelled toy.
- John Ratzenberger as Hamm: A wise-cracking piggy bank toy which gets involved in all toy affairs.
- Annie Potts as Bo Peep: Woody's love interest, she's a porcelain figure who is also the voice of reason.
- R. Lee Ermey as Sarge: The head of the small green army soldiers, that obey every word given to military precision.
- Jeff Pidgeon as Aliens: Squeeky, three-eyed toys.
[edit] People
- John Morris as Andy Davis: The child who owns most of the toys seen in the film.
- Laurie Metcalf as Mrs. Davis: Andy's mother.
- Erik von Detten as Sid Phillips: A youth who lives next door to Andy and destroys toys for fun.
- Sarah Freeman as Hannah Phillips: Sid's younger sister whose toys often fall victim to Sid's 'toy experiments'.
[edit] Additional voices
These were performed by: Jack Angel, Spencer Aste, Greg Berg, Lisa Bradley, Kendall Cunningham, Debi Derryberry (as Troll, a voice on intercom at Pizza Planet), Cody Dorkin, Bill Farmer, Craig Good, Gregory Grudt, Penn Jillette (as a TV announcer), Danielle Judovits, Sam Lasseter, Brittany Levenbrown, Sherry Lynn, Scott McAfee, Mickie McGowan, Ryan O'Donohue, Patrick Pinney, Phil Proctor, Jan Rabson, Joe Ranft, Andrew Stanton, and Shane Sweet.
[edit] Toy Story in popular culture
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- This movie was referenced five times on Tim Allen's sitcom Home Improvement. The first time, two trick-or-treaters come to the door of Tim's house, one dressed as Simba from The Lion King, and the other dressed as Buzz Lightyear. Randy answers the door, and gives the Simba more candy than the Buzz. Note :Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who plays Randy, voiced young Simba in The Lion King. The second time, Tim's niece Gracie plays with a Buzz Lightyear action figure. Another reference occurs in one of the outtakes during the credits, where Tim repeats Buzz's built-in phrases. Another reference is in one episode when Tim says to his brother Marty I'll love you for infinity and beyond. The last reference is in an argument between Tim and his brother Marty when Tim says I'm not talking to you "infinity and beyond".
- Conversely, Toy Story makes at least one reference to Tim Allen's sitcom. Sid's tool box, which Buzz and Woody struggle to remove from the milk crate which imprisoned Woody, was adorned with the Binford Tools logo on its side, alluding to the fictional tool manufacturer that sponsored the Tool Time program on Home Improvement.
- There are several Toy Story references in the 2006 Disney/Pixar film Cars.
- In the film, Lightning McQueen seeks the sponsorship of Dinoco, which is the name of the gas station at which Woody and Buzz get lost.
- Lightning uses "Lightyear Buzzard" tires, a reference to Buzz Lightyear and a parody of Goodyear Eagle tires.
- Lightning's racing number is "95", a reference to the year Toy Story came out, which was 1995.
- During the end credits, scenes from Toy Story are reenacted by toy car versions of Buzz, Woody and Hamm.
- The Pizza Planet truck, an old yellow Toyota pickup makes an appearance in every other Pixar film.
- Debian (a Linux distribution) releases are named after characters from this movie. (Sid, Buzz, Rex, Bo, Hamm, Slink, Potato, Woody, Sarge, Etch, Lenny).
- This movie has coined the (oxymoronical) phrase, "To Infinity and Beyond!" (though the term "Beyond the Infinite" was prominently used in 2001: A Space Odyssey of 1968). The phrase has been used in particular by set theoreticians, especially those who study large cardinals.
- The Star Command salute displayed by Buzz closely resembles the Vulcan salute introduced by Leonard Nimoy during his portrayal of Mr. Spock in the original Star Trek TV series.
- In the ReBoot episode "Firewall", the characters enter into a game that is a parody of Wacky Races, but the level resembles Andy's room.
- In Tim Allen's 2006 The Shaggy Dog film, when he's in dog form and he jumps onto the back of the truck in the movie, he speaks the line "To Infinity and Beyond!" while in mid-air.
- In The Santa Clause 2, when Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) attacks the Santa clone he says "You are a sad, strange little man" which is what Buzz says at the gas station to Woody.
- A 2008 ad for the Pixar film WALL-E features Buzz and Woody talking about the film as they see an ad for it on television.
- A Buzz Lightyear toy can be seen resting in the waiting area of the doctor's office in Pixar's Finding Nemo.
[edit] Home video releases
- Toy Story was released on VHS and LaserDisc on October 15, 1996. It contained no bonus material.
- In January, 2000, it was released in a "Special Edition" VHS with the bonus short, Tin Toy.
- Its first DVD release was in October of 2000, in a two-pack with Toy Story 2. This release was later available individually.
- Also in October, 2000, a 3-disc "Ultimate Toy Box" set was released, featuring Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and a third disc of bonus materials.
- In September, 2005, a 2-disc "10th Anniversary Edition" was released featuring much of the bonus material from the "Ultimate Toy Box", plus new features.
- At that same time, a bare-bones UMD of Toy Story was released for the Sony PlayStation Portable.
[edit] Soundtrack listing
A soundtrack album was released on Disney Records in November 1995. All of the music was composed by Randy Newman; he also performed the first three songs. Tracks 4-15 are from the film's score.
- "You've Got a Friend in Me"
- "Strange Things"
- "I Will Go Sailing No More"
- "Andy's Birthday"
- "Soldier's Mission"
- "Presents"
- "Buzz Lightyear"
- "Sid"
- "Woody And Buzz"
- "Mutants"
- "Woody's Gone"
- "The Big One"
- "Home Together"
- "On The Move"
- "To Infinity And Beyond!"
- "You've Got a Friend in Me" (Duet - Randy Newman & Lyle Lovett)
[edit] Video game releases
There were several video games based on Toy Story, including:
- Toy Story for the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy and PC.
- Toy Story Racer for the Sony PlayStation (also contains elements from Toy Story 2)
There were also some "activity" titles released by Disney for the PC and Mac:
- Disney's Animated Storybook: Toy Story
- Disney's Activity Center: Toy Story
All these titles are significant, because Pixar created original animations for all of them, including fully animated sequences for the PC titles.
[edit] Critical Response
The film has 100% fresh rating at rottentomatoes.com. All 43 reviews on the site were positive. It had an average score of 8.8/10. The film's successor Toy Story 2 also has a 100% fresh rating.
[edit] Awards
[edit] Academy Awards
Won:
- John Lasseter received an Academy Special Achievement Award in 1996 "for the development and inspired application of techniques that have made possible the first feature-length computer-animated film."
Nominated:
- Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score, Randy Newman
- Best Music, Original Song, Randy Newman for "You've Got a Friend in Me".
- Best Writing, Screenplay Written for the Screen: Joel Cohen, Pete Docter, John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, Alec Sokolow, Andrew Stanton & Joss Whedon
[edit] Annie Awards
Won:
- Best Animated Feature
- Best Individual Achievement: Animation, Pete Docter
- Best Individual Achievement: Directing, John Lasseter
- Best Individual Achievement: Music, Randy Newman
- Best Individual Achievement: Producing, Bonnie Arnold & Ralph Guggenheim
- Best Individual Achievement: Production Design, Ralph Eggleston
- Best Individual Achievement: Technical Achievement
- Best Individual Achievement: Writing, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow, Andrew Stanton and Joss Whedon.
[edit] Golden Globes
Nominated:
- Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
- Best Original Song - Motion Picture, Randy Newman for "You've Got a Friend in Me".
[edit] Saturn Awards
Nominated:
- Best Family Film
- Best Writing: Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow, Andrew Stanton & Joss Whedon
[edit] Sequels
- Toy Story 2 was released in 1999
- Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (2-D animated spin-off movie to Toy Story)
- Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2-D animated spin-off TV show)
- Toy Story 3 is scheduled for release in 2010.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Top 100 Animated Features of All Time at the Online Film Critics Society website.
[edit] External links
- Pixar's official homepage for Toy Story
- Toy Story at the Internet Movie Database
- Toy Story at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Toy Story at Rotten Tomatoes
- Toy Story at Metacritic
- Toy Story at Box Office Mojo
| Preceded by Knick Knack |
Pixar Animation Studios animated films 1995 |
Succeeded by Geri's Game |
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