Review of Toy Story (1995) by Joe C — 10 Jun 2015

In 1937, Walt Disney Pictures turned conventional wisdom on its head by proving that animation could be successfully utilized to tell a full-length story starring realistic human characters. That film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, charted the path the studio, followed for almost six decades, until Pixar came long and changed everything again with Toy Story.

Like Snow White before it, Toy Story was an eye-popping technical marvel with a heart to match its stunning visuals, and it kick-started the growth of a studio whose unprecedented success would redefine an art form.

The point wasn't just art-by-computer, but a storytelling of wit and humanity that translated to seemingly everyone alive. Subsequent Pixar releases have deepened and refined the technology and storytelling approach seen here, but unlike pretty much anything else considered cutting-edge in 1995, it still seems almost as fresh as it did on the day it was released.