No other film could possibly bring me as much joy and nostalgia as Disney-Pixar's classic Toy Story. Okay, except for maybe its sequel, which I wore out on VHS after watching nearly every day for years straight. This film truly brings me back to a much, MUCH simpler time and rewatching it, I have noticed so much that I never have before. The incredible story, the relationships developed between the characters, and the complex, clever levels of humor absolutely blow me away every time. Disney-Pixar were truly at the top of their game with this film and there is not a single thing I would change about it.
Tom Hanks and Tim Allen lead the voice cast of this film, as the two already legendary actors have become solidified in history as these two characters. There is simply no other pair of actors that I could ever imagine voicing these lovable enemy-turned-friends and they bring so much life to their respective roles. The life that they bring can also be seen in a lot of the development of the characters and their evolving relationships throughout. While Tom Hanks' Woody stays quite constant throughout, Tim Allen's Buzz Lightyear will forever be one of the greatest vocal performances. The range he is able to show throughout the film in different scenes from his initial introduction to the Mrs. Nesbitt tea party is hilarious to watch unfold. I will always enjoy how these characters react and learn from each other. The obvious theme of this film is learning friendship in spite of jealousy but there is so much more that these plastic toys learn from their experience together.
The humor utilized in the writing throughout this movie is absolutely perfect. It blends excellently well together with the drama and emotional aspects of the story. While there is the humorous slapstick and fighting that children love to see, there are so many more levels of comedy that adults can plainly see. Even now, after watching this film for such a long time, I am catching small gags or one-liners that I have never figured out before; such as the "kiss-ass" joke that Mr. Potato Head makes as Slinky is addressing Woody or the Marie Antoinette joke that Buzz mutters after one too many cups of Darjeeling tea. The complex levels that different age groups understand is what makes these animated films, especially of this time period, so entertaining. My favorite aspect about this film, though, that was partially abandoned in the two sequels, is that it only takes place in very limited locations on a very small scale. While this would seem obvious, as all of the main characters are small, plastic, toys, there are only three main locations in this entire film: Andy's house, Sid's house, and Pizza Planet. While this is very small to humans, from the perspectives of toys, this seems like a boundless universe. The entire production of this film and having the main characters be six inches tall is the best part in creating this sandbox for the characters to adventure around in.
Toy Story is an absolute gem of a film and I am glad that the AFI decided to include animation on their list because this is absolutely worthy. Nothing defines my cinematic childhood as much as this film and it is always such a treat to revisit Andy's favorite toys and the creative adventures that John Lasseter takes them on.
My Rating: ★★★★★
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