1995 was a seminal year for Disney for it was the year that the immortal Toy Story was released. Following in the groove that "Tron" had so neatly eked out, Toy Story went where no movie had gone before. It was the first completely computer generated animation feature film with spectacular ... Read review
Featuring two, fully articulated Woody and Buzz action figures, this pack allows you to ... more
recreate action-packed scenes from the movie. Their rocket features lights, sounds and key talking phrases to bring scenes to life - so you can launch your very own rocket escape, time and again.Requires 3xButton batteries (included).Recommended for children aged 4 years and over.Comes with a 1 year manufacturer's guarantee.
Postage & Packaging:£3.95 Availability:In stock. 3 working days
Take Buzz and Woody out of this world with this exciting, radio-controlled Space Ship. It ... more
features full functions for forward and reverse drive, left and right turns, as well as lights, sound and SFX effects. Press a button and a hidden shooter on the front of the ship will fire an arrow. Fold the Spaceship's wings, then press a button, and unfold the wings. Both the remote control and the Spaceship have flexible, safety aerials.Recommended for children aged 3 years and over. Batteries not included.
Postage & Packaging:£3.95 Availability:Out of stock
Production Year: 1995 - Family - Director: John Lasseter - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Tom Hanks, Annie Potts, Tim Allen, Jim Varney, John Morris, John Ratzenberger, Don Rickles
Family - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Fireman Sam, Pingu, Bob The Builder, Thomas The Tank Engine, Barney The Dinosaur, Angelina Ballerina
Advantages: Just one of THE great films Disadvantages: You may hate cowboys
...the year that the immortal Toy Story was released. Following in the groove that "Tron" had so neatly eked out, Toy Story went where no movie had gone before. It was the first completely computer generated animation feature film with spectacular results!
Now part of Disney folklore, Toy Story was a co-production of Disney and Pixar studios and released with an element of trepidation. Tron had not been the hit anticipated and ... ...doll that's been the favourite toy for some time. The toys get together and Woody slips in the news that the moving house date has been brought forward to tomorrow. The problem is that each toy has to have a "moving buddy" in place ready for the move. The toys are upset at this and the pace quickens when the plastic toy soldiers report that the guests have arrived for Andy's birthday party and the presents are being opened. The toy community ... more
1995 was a seminal year for Disney for it was the year that the immortal Toy Story was released. Following in the groove that "Tron" had so neatly eked out, Toy Story went where no movie had gone before. It was the first completely computer generated animation feature film with spectacular results!
Now part of Disney folklore, Toy Story was a co-production of Disney and Pixar studios and released with an element of trepidation. Tron had not been the hit anticipated and the creators worried that Toy Story might fail in a similar fashion. They needn't have worried.
TS is all about the premise of what would happen if a child's toys really did come to life when nobody was around. Initially set in Andy's bedroom (Andy is a typical, middle class, All-American kid) the opening scene is of Andy playing joyfully with his toys. Cut to Andy being called away by his mom and the toys get together for a meeting chaired by Woody the cowboy. Oh, hang on, I'd better introduce you to the cast:
Woody the cowboy voiced by Tom Hanks *Buzz Lightyear ~ Tim Allen Hamm the pig ~ John Ratzenberger Mr Potato Head ~ Don Rickles Slinky Dog ~ Jim Varney Rex the dinosaur ~ Wallace Shawn Bo Peep ~ Annie Potts
Woody is one of the two main characters in the film and is a beat up, old cowboy doll that's been the favourite toy for some time. The toys get together and Woody slips in the news that the moving house date has been brought forward to tomorrow. The problem is that each toy has to have a "moving buddy" in place ready for the move. The toys are upset at this and the pace quickens when the plastic toy soldiers report that the guests have arrived for Andy's birthday party and the presents are being opened. The toy community generally feels apprehensive at the thought of new toys arriving although, for some, it's seen as an opportunity. For example, Mr Potato Head craves the arrival of a Mrs Potato Head (for reasons of conjugality?)
Perhaps, by now, you're getting a feel for where the film's going. Needless to say, a toy does arrive that threatens the equilibrium of the group. Buzz Lightyear is a Space Ranger, a member of the elite Universe Protection Unit, sworn to defend the galaxy against the Evil Emperor Zurg. He's equipped with a laser, retractable jet wings, and a microchip processor. He thinks he is on a real mission to save the universe from the evil Emperor Zurg and is introduced to the story when Andy leaves him lying on his bed. Following an hilarious exchange during which Buzz is convinced that he's on an alien planet, it soon becomes apparent that Woody feels threatened by Buzz and resents his presence.
This film works because it operates on at least 2 levels. Firstly, kids just love it. Toys coming to life; exciting sets like Pizza Planet and Andy's bedroom and the introduction of the horrible Sid the toy killer from next door all percolate into a heady mix of action and adventure. The second level is more adult with a witty, stylish John Lassetter inspired script that parents and even those without kids can laugh out loud to.
The pivotal moment in the film is where Woody accidentally sets in motion a sequence of events that leads to Buzz falling out of the bedroom window. The toys see this as deliberate and Woody sets out to go and find Buzz to recover the situation and his reputation.
The tension in the film comes from Sid's role as a toy's worst nightmare. He routinely dismembers toys and enjoys fusing strange combinations together in a teeny version of Frankenstein. Via a circuitous route, Buzz ends up in the clutches of the evil Sid and it's left to our hero to ultimately rescue him and catch up with the family before they drive off into the sunset forever.
There are just so many wonderful scenes in Toy Story that it's hard to capture them all in a review like this. One of the best is where Woody and Buzz end up in a grabber arcade game inside pizza planet (you know, there's hundreds of 'em all along the sea front in amusements when you go on holiday). Amazingly, the filmmakers manage to create a microcosm of a community together with its own belief system. The little green men are the prizes but believe that when one of them is won they go to a better place. The grabber is referred to as "The Claw" and chooses who will become the chosen one. It's a parallel of religion where "The Claw" represents God and being chosen and taken away represents going to heaven.
One of my personal favourites is where Buzz is in Sid's house but has been commandeered by Sid's sister. He's forced to endure a doll's party and gets intoxicated on an over-generous supply of tea. I laughed out loud as Woody tried to drag Buzz away at an opportune moment only for Buzz to complain in a slur "..but I'm Miss - us N - e - s - bitt!".
There are some touching moments too like when Buzz discovers that he is just a toy after all when he catches an advert for a Buzz Lightyear sponsored by Al's Toy Barn on the TV. His realisation is handled with subtlety and is typical of the thought that went into the overall production.
The musical score is outstanding with a great musical set by Randy Newman. He belts out, among others, "You've got a friend in me" and "Strange things are happening" which compliment the film superbly.
If for some strange reason you are one of the few that have yet to see this movie then the video and DVD are easy to come by.
The Toy Story DVD can also be purchased through Disney.com and has bonus footage including 1988 Academy Award -winning animated short "Tin Toy" "You've Got a Friend in Me" music video as featured on the hit "Toy Story" soundtrack and Behind-the-scenes making of "Toy Story".
Amazon are selling the DVD on it's own (as opposed to packaged with Toy Story 2 etc) at £18.99.
The double DVD has the following: Academy award-nominated short "Luxo Jr", outtakes and a sneak preview of Monsters.Inc. Technical spec:
Choice of viewing presentation: Widescreen (1.77:1) enhanced for 16x9 televisions Full-frame (1.33:1) Dolby Digital Surround EX THX-certified includes THX Optimode.
You can't help but love this film.
As ever, thanks for reading.
Marandina
*Buzz Lightyear started life as "Lunar Larry" but the original name wasn't felt to be grandiose enough and later changed to it's present incarnation.
An Academy Award for Special Achievement was presented to the makers of Toy Story in 1995.
Advantages: Innovative, good film Disadvantages: A bit twee
...Tron, but it was with Toy Story in 1995 that the computer generated film came of age, with the whole thing created by beige boxes and the only human thing being those wonderful voiceovers from Tom Hanks and Tim Allen and the score from Randy Newman. But for a synthetic piece of art, the whole thing was surprisingly humanitarian and moving, capturing the wonder of childhood in a truly remarkable way.
The film was an absolute masterpiece, directed ... ...with some wonderful scenes with toy soldiers, many of whom get wounded in action (by Andy's Mum's trampling) and all goes well, i.e. we have nothing remotely memorable to worry Mr Potato Head, Bo Peep, Rex the Dinosaur, Woody or Slinky, until the very last surprise present ...
Suddenly all hell breaks loose, because this last present is a very worrying and powerful one, the one and only, Buzz Lightyear, 'To Infinity and Beyond', a Space Ranger who ...
dave27 27.12.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Toy Story (DVD)
Advantages: A fantastic family film filled with comedy Disadvantages: None
...popularity, however I disagree. Toy Story incorporates comedy, light hearted drama, suspense and fantastic characterisation into 81 minutes.
Woody belongs to Andy, this is evident, his name is written with permanent marker on his cowboy boots which are finished with sparking spears. Woody derives from the Wild west, his mission is to defeat all the bad and support the good. He knows that Andy is his favourite, he takes him everywhere, even tucks ... ...all live together in the toy box; Mr and Mrs Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Etcher Sketcher, and a plastic dinosaur. These toys live their own lives in a community which even holds meetings.
The first meeting was called by Woody, it was coming up to Andy’s birthday, it was important for the toys to meet and try to discover what Andy’s new present will be. The toys dreaded this day, many of them had once been favourite; however been disgracefully ...
Honey_Bee 20.03.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Toy Story (DVD)
Advantages: humourous,inventive,great for children Disadvantages: your kids might like it TOO much!
Can you believe Toy Story is 9 years old this year? I remember going to watch it when it was released in the autumn of 1995 and being completely blown away by the bright colours,cute characters and the amazingly witty script. Now you may be wondering why I now choose to write an op on this film well I'll tell you why. About a month ago my sister lent her Toy Story video to my daughter. We have watched little else for the past month! So this is just ... ...for the thousandth time!
Toy Story is (as the name suggests) a story about a group of toys belonging to a six year old boy called Andy. In the first scene you see Andy playing with his toys but as soon as he leaves the room the toys come to life and begin to play and interact together.
We are introduced to many of the main characters at this point. WOODY is a cowboy doll,he has a pull string and says several phrases"I've got a snake in my boot" ...
VickyVickster 23.01.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Toy Story (DVD)
Advantages: Fun,modern and great characters Disadvantages: None
...The story:
We follow toy Woody, a cowboy figure toy that belongs to child owner Andy. Woody and Andy's other toys including dog Slinky, Mr Potato Head, Rex the Dinosaur, the green army men and little Bo Peep, all live in Andy's room happy together until one day for Andy's birthday he receives a new, more modern toy in the form of Buzz Lightyear - a space ranger and more technical toy than Woody could ever be. Gradually Andy plays with Woody less ... ...The making of Toy story
A preview for the next Disney/Pixar Film that was released - 'Monsters Inc'
Tin Toy - Pixar animated feature
By far the best thing is the Pixar feature which is a short cartoon that is quite amusing although you can tell it was made a lot earlier or the beginnings of Pixar's work as the graphics aren't quite as good as that of Toy Story.
I also thought that 'The making of Toy Story' was interesting especially when you ...
frankiecesca 07.09.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Toy Story (DVD)
Considering Toy Story on its own you have the best childrens film I can recall. It was made by Pixar Productions which is an innovative company which Walt Disney bought. The techniques used in the making of the film were groundbreaking but in the end it is not the technical excellence that will stay with you, good though it is. No what will stay with you is the sheer exuberant fun in the film.
It does also have a moral and a message which is… ... ...come to life. Andy’s favourite toy at the start of the film was his Woody, a now somewhat out of date cowboy. The danger is that a more modern toy will replace Woody in Andy’s affections and this happens when Andy gets a Buzz Lightyear toy. Woody is a limp piece of wood and fabric compared to Buzz because Buzz has lots of lights and extras and, most of all, can talk.
Woody becomes very jealous of Buzz and wishes he would go. He finds ...
polydeuces 20.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Toy Story (DVD)
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Advantages: Great animation and great humour! Disadvantages: None at all
After months of people telling me to see both the ToyStory films, I finally went out and bought the DVD boxset and what a buy it was!.
I'm not sure how much it's selling for in the UK, but I got both movies for £19.99 (futureent.com) imported on Region 1 DVD. There are two sets you can buy - the one I got which gives you a few extra features, such as out takes. And the second which comes with a 3rd disk filled with extra's, which I believe is £35 altogether.
I'm indifferent as to which is the better film, as I enjoyed both immensely. The animation is superb, and the humour is excellent. If you're one of these people who think cartoons are just for kids, then you'd be very wrong. Think Simpsons & Futurama humour and you'll know that much of their humour isn't really understood by kids.
CHARACTERS:
Probably the greatest ...
seteo 20.01.2001 (29.01.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Toy Story 2 (DVD)
Advantages: great animation Disadvantages: can see how improved animation is over the years
I somewhat went the incorrect way, I watched toystory 2 at the cinema then watched toystory on DVD. My cousins really wanted to see the second after loving the first so I agreed to take them and then borrowed the first one off of them as I enjoyed it so much.
ToyStory is about a Cowboy doll called Woody who is Andy's favorite toy. Woody is the leader of all the toys as in this animation all the toys come to life. Unfortunately Andy gets a new toy fir his birthday and like most children with new toys Woody is scared of being replaced for the Buzz Lightyear action figure.
Buzz Lightyear unfortunately does not think he is a toy he really thinks he is Buzz Lightyear. Unfortunately the two get lost a few days before Andy moves house and the two have to work together to get themselves home, will they be able to do as they both have ...
Advantages: Highly entertaining! Disadvantages: Has to be watched repeatedly by the young un's!
The product I will now review is "TOYSTORY THE ULTIMATE TOY BOX", I have been a fan of these films for ages, but never thought about reviewing them until my daughter prompted me recently due to the fact we have to now watch them twice daily! (I have a three year old son who is obsessed with the cowboy toy!)
~~~~~~ THE DVD CASE ~~~~~~
I know it seems a little ridiculous to start a review on a dvd case, but it's so beautifully decorated and bright I feel it needs a mention.
The dvd's are held in a four layer fold out case, on the outside of this is of course pictures of the main characters Woody and Buzz Lightyear. On the inside of the case are pictures of some characters featured in ToyStory 2, including Jesse and Bullseye the horse. On top of these pictures are the dvd's themselves all with picture tops, but I will get to those ...
A full-length computer-animated feature which follows the story of a group of toys who fall out with each other when a space ranger threatens the leadership of an old wooden cowboy.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
WALT DISNEY HOME VIDEO; WALT DISNEY STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINM
Release date
06/11/2000
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
D 888125
Barcode
5017188881258
Languages
Main Language
English
Dubbed Language
Danish, Greek, Hebrew, Norwegian
Subtitle Language
Danish, English, Greek, Norwegian
Hearing Impaired Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Tin Toy Pixar Animated Feature, The Making Of Toy Story Featurette, Sneak Peek Of Monsters Inc
Aspect Ratio
1.77 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English Norwegian Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Greek Hebrew
Animated
Animated
DVD Description
Young Andy's playthings, including the sardonic Mr. Potatohead, a Slinky Dog with a southern drawl, an anxiety-ridden dinosaur, and some very gung-ho toy soldiers, are led by Woody, a pull-string cowboy doll whom Andy adores. But on his birthday, Andy receives a self-possessed, gadget-laden spaceman action figure named Buzz Lightyear, who quickly becomes Andy's favorite. Soon the overlooked Woody becomes very jealous. However, when a turn of events leaves Buzz and Woody lost in the "outside world," they have to get along in order to find their way home. And they'd better do it quickly, because the lad and his family are moving tomorrow! However, their trek is interrupted by Sid, Andy's cruel, malicious neighbor--who loves to destroy toys. Pixar studios revolutionized animated features with this technically spectacular and hugely enjoyable film about what children's toys do when no one else is around.
