Toy Story (Special Edition) (DVD)

...cowboy, has been the favourite toy of young Andy, and with this honour comes the respect of all Andy's other toys as they look up to him and treat him as a leader. But when Andy receives Buzz Lightyear, an all singing and all dancing modern action figure, as a present, Woody's world comes crashing down.

As Woody is discarded in favour of Buzz, he becomes jealous of the new toy and after letting it get the better of him, he finds himself ...
...is something about the original Toy Story which I love. It is by no means the animations, as I am still a champion of old fashioned cartoons, but in the case of Toy Story, it is the story itself, as it taps into the fantasy that maybe your toys, which you have played with through childhood, may have a secret life of their own.

● The Story

If you look at the film as a whole, the story line isn't really much as it ... more

Synopsis
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For years Woody, the cowboy, has been the favourite toy of young Andy, and with this honour comes the respect of all Andy's other toys as they look up to him and treat him as a leader. But when Andy receives Buzz Lightyear, an all singing and all dancing modern action figure, as a present, Woody's world comes crashing down.

As Woody is discarded in favour of Buzz, he becomes jealous of the new toy and after letting it get the better of him, he finds himself and Buzz in the clutches of Andy's neighbour, Sid, who enjoys sadistically mutilating toys. As Woody and Buzz have no choice to work together to try and escape, they realise that maybe they need each other.

Opinion
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No matter how much I dislike the trend for modern CGI animations; there is something about the original Toy Story which I love. It is by no means the animations, as I am still a champion of old fashioned cartoons, but in the case of Toy Story, it is the story itself, as it taps into the fantasy that maybe your toys, which you have played with through childhood, may have a secret life of their own.

● The Story

If you look at the film as a whole, the story line isn't really much as it could be seen as an escape movie featuring toys, which in reality would not be enough to keep many peoples attentions, especially those of the adults who enjoy this movie. In reality it has two further threads which are the main emphasis of the story and the escape is purely a vehicle for carrying these threads. The first thread being the jealousy and humility which Woody suffers as he has to deal with being demoted to the realms of the other toys which once looked up to him and the second thread deals with Woody and Buzz learning that they need to work as a team and get over their differences.

What is particularly good about Toy Story, and these two threads, is that they are teaching us life lessons without us really realising it, whilst managing to keep the entertainment level as high as possible. I remember hearing my sister use the second thread of toy story as way of explaining to my nieces why they should work together, and it did sink in.

What I also find enjoyable, is that although Toy Story is predominantly aimed at a young market, there is enough content in there to keep adults amused. Unlike some modern animations, which seem to drop innuendo in for no apparent reason, Toy Story manages to use enough adult references with out detracting from the story and which works on both an adult and child level.

● Characters and Voices

The creators of Toy Story have doe a truly magnificent job of creating characters for the individual toys and it really felt like they tapped into my own childhood as certain toys took on very similar personas to those which I had for my toys.

The best part of the characters has to be the voices, and with the likes of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles and John Ratzenberger providing the voices for many of the principle characters, I have to say they were very good. For me the best part of it, was the fact that the voices did fit the characters perfectly and after about 10 minutes of watching I forgot that I was listening to the likes of Hanks and Allen.

● Animation and Artwork

It's weird watching Toy Story now, as the CGI animation looks poor compared to some of the modern films, but then you have to remember that Toy Story was released back in 1995 and the world of CGI has moved on greatly since then. Even so, the animations are still pretty enjoyable and to watch toys come to life in a semi-realistic manner is a joy to watch.

● Sound track

In all honesty the sound track to the movie paled into insignificance, mainly due to the fact I was actually engrossed in the film, but the one song which does stick in my head, and I must admit this is now annoying me is "You've Got a Friend in Me" by Randy Newman and Lyle Lovett.

DVD - Bonus Features and quality
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● Bonus Features

To say there is a lot of Bonus material on the DVD would be an understatement, far too much to discuss in a review. As you would expect with a two disc set, the second disc contains the majority of the features but there are also a few on the first disc. In general the features are of a really solid quality, and provides so many insights into how the film was developed right through to its cinematic launch, I cannot fault them. For me the most enjoyable feature is the audio commentary as this really goes into depth as to how the film was made and any difficulties they had with the animations. Also on the discs are "Easter Eggs" no not chocolate ones, but you can get extra features like the complete advert for the Buzz Lightyear toy. There are enough bonus features for all ages that young and old will definitely enjoy watching them.

Disc One
• Audio Commentary with Director John Lasseter, Producers Ralph Guggenheim and Bonnie Arnold, Co-writer Andrew Stanton, Supervising Animator Pete Docter, Supervising Technical Director Bill Reeves, and Art Designer Ralph Eggleston
• Introduction from John Lasseter
• "The Legacy" Featurette
• Sneak Peeks
• Easter Egg
• THX Optimizer

Disc Two
• "Making Toy Story" Documentary
• "Filmmakers Reflect" Documentary
• Deleted Scenes
• "Designing Toy Story" Featurette
• Design Galleries
• 3D Turnarounds
• Story Pitch
• Storyreels
• Storyboard Comparison
• Production Tour
• Multi-Angle Progression
• Layout Tricks Featurette
• Animation Tour
• Multi-Language Reel
• Music Video
• "Designing Sound" Featurette
• Randy Newman Demos
• Character Interview
• Trailers
• TV Spots
• Posters
• Toys & Stuff
• Easter Eggs

● Picture Quality

The picture quality is brilliant, with all the colours being vibrant and sharp, but then I would imagine that this is because it came from the original computer data, rather than the digitizing of a film print.

● Sound Quality

The same can be said of the sound quality, and listening to it through a home cinema set up is a joy, with great usage of all the speakers.

Summary
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So as someone who is not over keen on CGI animations, I do admit to having a fondness for Toy Story, but this is mainly down to the enjoyable and educational story, as well as the fact it taps into your imagination that maybe your toys have a secret life. Compared to some modern CGI animations, Toy Story may seem like a relic with its much simpler animation, but for me this actually adds to its charm, as the enjoyment remains in the story not in the animation. On top of this you have the brilliant characters and great voices which make the whole film so believable.

What can I say about the DVD package, other than purely exceptional. Firstly the quality of the film and the sound is truly first class and I cannot fault it. But on top of that you have a two disc package which is absolutely crammed full of fun and interesting features which not only keep your children entertained but also yourselves as you learn so much about how the film was made.

For me this is a must for anyone who remembers and enjoyed Toy Story on its initial release back in 1995, but it will also captivate newer younger audiences who have never seen it before.

Price & Availability
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Amazon.co.uk: £11.47
Play.com: £15.99

Technical Details
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Certificate: PG
Duration: 81ins
Year of Release: 1995
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy

Director(s): John Lasseter
Producer(s): Bonnie Arnold, Ralph Guggenheim
Writer(s): John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, Joe Ranft

Cast (voices): Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, John Ratzenberger, John Morris, Erik von Detten, Laurie Metcalf, R. Lee Ermey

© Christianfilmcritic June 2006
 

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