Review of Toy Story (1995) by Trevor R — 22 Nov 2014

In terms of pure storytelling, I'm not sure Pixar has ever surpassed the casual brilliance on display in their first feature. "Toy Story" contains one of the most immaculate screenplays I can recall, and it's a wonder how Lasseter and his team were able to build such a propulsive, moving, thrilling, hilarious story around such a magically simple idea (What if toys were alive?) that resonates with young children just as easily and profoundly as it does for adults.

One of the most interesting and even boldest decisions (and one that establishes "Toy Story" and indeed Pixar's storytelling in contrast to the staunch, and often rote, Disney tradition) is the lack of any sort of villainous figure-- the closest we get is Sid, who really is more of a force of nature than anything; the toy equivalent of a hurricane-- and instead makes Woody both the protagonist and the antagonist of his own story.

That our hero is so incredibly, deeply flawed, and can act out in such a petty, desperate manner that results in the majority of his own personal crises is not only a testament to the deep character work on a scripting level (especially in regards to a perfect ending in which his redemption and reconciliation with Buzz Lightyear could not feel more earned), but also an example of what a knockout performance Hanks delivers, walking a tightrope of carefully crafted moments that could easily spill into being too mean, too silly, or too saccharine at a moment's notice. Tim Allen's Buzz is equally excellent, with each scene working to reveal or build something about their relationship, effortlessly weaving through the story with jealousies and lies and confessions and shifting emotions galore.

The film's only real flaw is that to a modern eye, the limiting CGI technology can feel overly apparent-- that Pixar hadn't yet mastered the art of atmospheric depth creates a lot of flat compositions, and the human characters look just as plastic as their toy counterparts (particularly Andy's sister, who looks infinitely more terrifying than any of the Frankenstein-monstrosities in Sid's bedroom)-- but these are minor issues. The fact that a young studio in setting out to make the first fully computer-animated film went ahead and delivered a flat-out masterpiece like "Toy Story" on their first try is nothing short of miraculous.