Toys (1992 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Toys
Toys DVD cover
Directed by	Barry Levinson
Produced by	Mark Johnson Barry Levinson
Written by	Valerie Curtin & Barry Levinson
Starring	Robin Williams Michael Gambon Joan Cusack Robin Wright LL Cool J Donald O'Connor Arthur Malet Jamie Foxx Jack Warden Debi Mazar
Music by	Hans Zimmer Trevor Horn
Cinematography	Adam Greenberg
Editing by	Stu Linder
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	December 18, 1992 (USA)
Running time	118 min
Language	English
Budget	Unknown
Gross revenue	$21,452,082 (USA)
IMDb profile

Toys is a 1992 surreal black comedy film directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robin Williams, Michael Gambon, Joan Cusack, and Robin Wright. The film failed at the box office at the time of its release, despite its impressive cast and lavish filmmaking. Levinson was criticized for a lack of plot focus. Levinson was consequently nominated for, but did not win, a Razzie award for worst director, such was the magnitude of perceived directorial failure. Interestingly enough, the costume and art direction in set design led to it receiving nominations for the Oscars in those categories.

Despite its lack of success in theaters, Toys eventually gained somewhat of a cult following over the years that followed after its release to video and heavy television play, at least in part, due to its unique storyline and the many surreal aspects of the film, including the heavy use of Magritte-inspired imagery.^{[citation needed]}

Magritte's art, particularly The Son of Man is obvious in its influence on the set design, and in part the costume design, of the film. The poster for the film distributed to movie theaters features Robin Williams in a red bowler hat against a blue, cloud-lined background. Golconda is also featured during a sequence where Robin Williams and Joan Cusack's characters perform in a music video sequence rife with surreal imagery, much of it Magritte-inspired.

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Soundtrack
4 Trailer
5 Video Game
6 External links

[edit] Plot

Kenneth Zevo (Donald O'Connor) has created a surrealistic toy company, where he, his two children, Leslie (Robin Williams) and Alsatia (Joan Cusack), and the factory's employees are more than happy to live and work. When Kenneth dies, however, he leaves Zevo Toys to his military fanatic brother Lt. General Leland Zevo (Michael Gambon), to his family's surprise. Leland has no love for toys and is embittered by having never fought in any "great war." In time, with the aid of adopted son Patrick (LL Cool J), he converts the factory to a militaristic operation, losing the trust of Kenneth's children. Leland begins to manufacture military equipment disguised as toys, for which he brings in children to remotely pilot. It is clear the general has gotten out of hand, even causing his son to switch sides. Led by Patrick, Leslie, Alsatia, Kenneth's trusted assistant Owen Owens (Arthur Malet), and Leslie's new girlfriend Gwen (Robin Wright Penn) a resistance rises against General Leland. They infiltrate the facility and pit an army of Zevo's original wind-up tin toys -- pacifists, but fiercely loyal -- against Leland's missile-launching metal monsters. Alsatia is shot during the battle, whereupon it is revealed that she is, in fact, a gynoid, a robot manufactured by Kenneth to give Leslie a sister after his mother's death. In the aftermath of tumultuous toy warfare, General Leland is injured by one of his own weapons. Leslie, now fully prepared for the duty, inherits the factory, where he will be aided by Gwen and a repaired Alsatia.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Soundtrack

"Winter Reveries" (Excerpt from Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 1")
- Conducted by Shirley Walker
"The Closing of the Year" (Main Theme)
- Performed by the Musical Cast of Toys featuring Wendy & Lisa
- Written by Trevor Horn and Hans Zimmer
- Prior to its release received minor radio airplay as a winter holiday song
"Ebudae"
- Performed by Enya
- Written by Enya and Roma Ryan
"The Happy Worker"
- Performed by Tori Amos
- Written by Trevor Horn and Bruce Woolley
"Alsatia's Lullaby"
- Performed by Julia Migenes and Hans Zimmer
- Written by Hans Zimmer
"Workers"
- Performed by The Musical Cast of Toys
- Written by Trevor Horn and Bruce Wooley
- Alternate version of "The Happy Worker"
"Let Joy & Innocence Prevail" (Instrumental)
- Performed by Pat Metheny
- Written by Hans Zimmer and Trevor Horn
"The General"
- Film dialogue performed by Michael Gambon
- Written and performed by Hans Zimmer
"The Mirror Song"
- Performed by Thomas Dolby
- Featuring dialogue from the film by Robin Williams and Joan Cusack as well as backing vocals by Bruce Woolley
- Written by Trevor Horn and Bruce Woolley
"Battle Introduction"
- Film dialogue performed by Robin Williams
- Written and performed by Hans Zimmer
"Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Into Battle Mix)
- Performed by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- Written by Peter Gill/Holly Johnson/Brian Nash/Mark O'Toole
- Into Battle Mix by Trevor Horn, Robin Hancock, and Tim Weidner
"Let Joy & Innocence Prevail"
- Performed by Grace Jones
- Written by Hans Zimmer and Trevor Horn
"The Closing of the Year/ Happy Worker (Reprise)"
- Performed by The Musical Cast of Toys, Wendy & Lisa, and Seal
- Written by Trevor Horn and Bruce Woolley
- Little Boy Jack Levinson

[edit] Trailer

The film was publicized with a very innovative and memorable trailer, which featured Williams walking through a large undulating field of very green grass and breaking the fourth wall, talking to the audience. This trailer was parodied in on the TV show The Simpsons in the episode Burns' Heir, substituting Mr. Burns for Williams.

[edit] Video Game

Character	Actor
Leslie Zevo	Robin Williams
Lt. General Leland Zevo	Michael Gambon
Alsatia Zevo	Joan Cusack
Gwen Tyler	Robin Wright
Capt. Patrick Zevo	LL Cool J
Kenneth Zevo	Donald O'Connor
Owen Owens	Arthur Malet
Baker	Jamie Foxx
Old General Zevo	Jack Warden
Nurse Debbie	Debi Mazar
Little Boy	Jack Levinson

	This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

A video game based on the movie, Toys: Let the Toy Wars Begin!, was released in 1993 for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis systems by Absolute Entertainment. The game is played from an overhead perspective, and involves you, as Leslie Zevo, attempting to destroy the elephant-head security cameras in the factory, cafeteria, and warehouse levels in order to shut down those defenses. Once you get to the Manhattan model, the game switches to a side-scrolling Gradius-style level, where you must fly all the way to the General's control center, shut down the production of the war toys, and save the good name of Zevo Toys.