Toy Story/Toy Story 2 (Box Set) (DVD)

...lost my previous release of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 3 disc box set i was happy to find this new 4 disc release in the dvd charts for £19.96 in Tesco. This is a special edition so i'm guessing it won't be available after a short while.
I appologise for the lengthy review but there are many excellent features i feel they deserve a mention!

#History

Disney is a well established company but very little is known ...
...really hard to believe that Toy Story is 10 years old. First released in 1995 it was the first fully computerised animation to hit the big screens and was the highest grossing film of 1995 raking in $362 million worldwide.
It won 2 Golden Globe awards and was eventually released on video in 1996.
There was nothing like this film at the time but other sucessfull films quickly followed, such as "Bugs Life" and "Monster's ... more

Having lost my previous release of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 3 disc box set i was happy to find this new 4 disc release in the dvd charts for £19.96 in Tesco. This is a special edition so i'm guessing it won't be available after a short while.
I appologise for the lengthy review but there are many excellent features i feel they deserve a mention!

#History

Disney is a well established company but very little is known about Pixar. It started in 1984 when a Disney animator leaves and joins with George Lucas's special effects company group. The company, later bought by Steve Jobs became Pixar.
Without realising, Pixar have been all over our screens over the years and have produced many commercials including several for Listerine mouth wash and the fruit flavoured Polos.

Its really hard to believe that Toy Story is 10 years old. First released in 1995 it was the first fully computerised animation to hit the big screens and was the highest grossing film of 1995 raking in $362 million worldwide.
It won 2 Golden Globe awards and was eventually released on video in 1996.
There was nothing like this film at the time but other sucessfull films quickly followed, such as "Bugs Life" and "Monster's Inc". Other companies jumped on the computer animation band wagon and "Dreamworks" were fast catching upto the originals Pixar, producing their own computer films.
Like Toy Story the much anticipated second release was a box office smash and broke records in 1999 for the highest grossing animation that year.

To find out more:
www.Pixar.com
www.Disney.com
www.disneydvds.co.uk
www.THX.com (the sound)

#Toy Story

The first disc is the film disc plus bonus material. The film is rated PG and runs approximately 77 minutes.

As well as the usual set up, scene selection and commentary choice there is an introduction with an animator for 2 minutes, and a 10 minute "Legacy" which is a nice explaination of the film with the directors, animators and the actors Tom Hanks and Tim allen. There is also a sneak peak at Pixars new release "Cars" a forthcoming title of 2006.

~The Story and The main characters:

Woody - our hero, played by Tom Hanks.
Buzz Lightyear - played by Tim Allen.
Toys in the Playroom include Mr Potato Head Man, a dinosaur called Rex, a Slinky Dog, an EtchaSketch, a Bo Peep dolly, Hamm the piggy Bank and a Remote control Car.

We open with Andy (a human boy) in his cowboy themed bedroom acting out a rescue scene with his toys and his favourite doll friend Woody (our main character).
The toys in the playroom come alive once humans are out of sight and quickly gather for a meeting to discuss their new dilema! Its Andy's birthday party and the toys are worried that they will be replaced. A group of plastic army soldiers report the "All Clear" and there are no new toys.

However, after Andy's friends rush up to the playroom a strange box is left on Andy's bed. The box is a spaceship and contains, much to Woody's disbelief, a Space Ranger doll complete with laser and plastic wings.
The other toys are relieved but Woody is angry and jealous of this newcomer, and slowly Andy's room changes its Western Cowboy decor to a Space and Galaxy theme. Woody is not the favourite toy anymore.

Two days before Andy's family are moving house, they decide to take Andy to a Pizza Restaurant but jealous Woody makes sure that he is the only doll that Andy takes.
Having been thrown out of the playroom window, Buzz Lightyear manages to follow the family car and seek revenge on Woody.
After a fight they loose the family car but manage to hitch a ride on a pizza delivery van taking the toys to "Pizza Planet" where Buzz is convinced he must save the galaxy from the evil Zurg.

After much confussion they end up in a machine and are picked by the evil boy next door to Andy, Sid.
Sid tortures, pulls parts off and blows up his toys for fun and it is here Buzz realises he is not a space man and gives up any hope and has a nervous breakdown.
Its up to Woody to save the day and get both of them back to Andy safely. (And a little help from the other playroom toys along the way).

~My verdict?

An excellent fun film! A very clever film that kids will love due to the colour and action, the characters are unforgetable and they resemble toys that the children probably have and play with.
Adults will love this film for the clever underlying jokes that fly unnoticed over a childs head, and there are hilarious moments that many adults can relate to.
This film has an excellent adult appeal and various emotions are featured on the toys (who are actually adults in their own right) and there are several references to other films throughout.

Funniest moments are when Woody and Buzz are fighting at the petrol station and arguing. Buzz is rambling on about how he must get back to his far away galaxy to destroy Zurg's masterplan of destruction and Woody loses his patience with him and shouts "You are a Toy, a childs plaything, an action figure" in a patronising tone to which Buzz calmly replies "you are a sad strange little man!"
A character i love is Mr Potato head (played by Don Rickles). Hes full of sarcasm and every present opening occasion (christmas / birthday) he wishfully chants "Mrs Potato head man".

I think this film is really funny and is an excellent movie to watch when your feeling down as its got some great pick-me-ups and fun. There is only a slight caution in this film where you meet Sid's toys. These toys can be quite creepy for little ones to view the first time.

~Disc 2

The second disc is purely full of features. There is a lengthy "making Toy Story", "Behind the scenes" and "Reflection" which all feature directors, writers and animators showing the history of their first Pixar short story to how they develop the ideas onto the computer. It is fascinating to learn how they make the film but im afraid once you've seen one set of features on an animated picture, you've seen them all and does seem quite tedius.
There are Deleted scenes and an excellent explaination to why they were deleted. And a delightful "The Claw" game which you can play on your dvd remote it features a grabbing machine where you must pick an alien. In the background to all the menus there are sketches of the characters.

#Toy Story 2

The film is rated U and runs for 88 minutes. There is a sneak peak into "Cars" new release and the usual set up, commentary and scene select.

~The Story

The characters are the same as the first film with an additional 3 new members:
Jessie - a plucky excited cowgirl played by Joan Cusack.
Stinky Pete - a prospector toy still in his box, by Kelsey Grammer.
Al (a human) toy collector played by Wayne Knight.

We start with a Buzz Lightyear adventure which turns out to be Rex and Buzz playing on a games console. Andy's getting ready to go to a summer cowboy camp but Andy comes to play just before and Woody is torn by accident. Left on the top shelf in the playroom Woody feels hurt and he meets Wheezer, a squeaky penquin whos lost his squeak.

Andy's mum holds a clearance sale out in the garden and poor Wheezer is picked to be sold - Woody must save him. During the rescue attempt Woody is left behind and picked up by accident by a serious toy collector. Woody, being a really old doll is worth a lot of money with the whole collection so the collector steals Woody. The collector later turns out to be a toy shop owner of Al's Toy Barn who dresses in a chicken suit for commercials.

Stuck in the collectors home across the road from the shop Woody descovers Jessie, Stinky Pete and Bullseye a hyperactive horse. Here Woody is shown films, tv commercials, merchandise all of himself, something Woody had never dreamed.
To shatter Woodys dream of once being a popular toy Pete announces that they are to be sold to a museum. This is Petes dream and being as hes never been out of his box, doesn't know any different, but this means to Woody that he will never be played with again. Woody refuses and the others are angry as they will be put back in storage out of sight.
Woody learns that Jessie was once loved by a child as well and we get to see a sad side of this usually hyperactive character.

Meanwhile, back in the playroom, the toys set out on a rescue attempt to retrieve Woody. They see an advert for Al's toy Barn and work out this is the thief so find their way over to the shop.

A hilarious part in the film is when the toys are in the shop and drive a remote car pass the Barbie aisle. Here the dolls are having a swimwear party and again there are several referances to other films. Buzz Lightyear is lost in an aisle full of Buzz dolls and is mixed up with a shop doll.

Al leaves the shop with the playroom toys sneaked inside his bag- including the new Buzz. The toys climb through air vents to where the cowboy collection are kept and try and persuade them all to leave. Unfortunately for the New Buzz, the evil Zurg doll is on the loose after he was knocked out of his box when the Real Buzz escapes from the shop on his own. A fight breaks out on top of the elevator whilst the real Buzz attempts to follow Al in a stolen car with the playroom toys.
They manage to track Al to the airport where the cowboy toys are packed and put on the luggage belt ready for boarding the plane to Japan. Pete's true personality emerges and he is taught a lesson.
Its upto Buzz and the trusty steed Bullseye to rescue Jessie and Woody from the plane and return all of the toys to Andy.

~My verdict?

I liked this film more than the first as there's more character variety and the stories are geared more around Woody rather than Buzz so it makes a nice change.
The outtakes are hilarious and you certainly get a better feel for the characters than in the first film.
Again like the first, there is certainly a lot of adult appeal and humour as well as excellent kid viewing!

~Disc 2

Again a feature disc, there is a delightfull "Toy Box" option where you can look at hilarious outtakes, a funny "Whos the coolest toy?" where all the actors whos voice talents are featured explain why their toy is the best. A "which toy are you?" game where you answer a series of silly questions to find out as the title suggests! This is fun the first time around and another game in the form of paper scissors stone.
As with Toy Story, you have "behind the scenes", "making Toy Story" and deleted scenes with their explainations.

*In both dvd cases there is no book or leaflet and the special features do have subtitles but are only available in French and the Dutch. Both are available in Dolby sound and there is an audio description available on both films as well as English and a bonus sounds effects mix under the set up page. (This option is good if you have dolby or a small cinema system and some of the thumps and sounds are really dramatic)

#Overall

A truly great gift box set of two excellent films that pioneered the computerised animation era. Great for adults or kids this box set will be watched over and over and is interesting to know how the films are made. A good gift for special feature dvd nuts and fanatics!

I hope this has helped? Thank you for reading. 

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