At first glance at the AFI list I
was kinda surprised to see this film on there and I was particularly not amused
by its superior ranking above one the best films ever made, I mean it’s a kids
film, a solid kid’s film yes, but still it is what it is but that’s what also makes
it canon worthy. Toy Story (Lasseter, 1995) is the first
of its kind, a feature length CGI film that revolutionized animation and
special effects everywhere. Imagine
Transformers (Bay, 2007), Avatar
(Cameron, 2009) or hell even The
Matrix (Wachowski, 1999) without the vivid animation of completely or in
part digitally choreographed action scenes…impossible? Yeah, pretty much. Not to say the technology used at the
time wasn’t doing well, there was…ummm…well…you know other stuff but this “kid’s
film” changed the game and of course that honor goes to the innovators at Pixar
who continue to produce mind blowing technical artistry with a good plot to
this day. And that makes a world
of difference.
In
Toy Story we follow a group of toys
owned by a little boy named Andy, and they all adore him. Woody (Tom Hanks) is Andy’s favorite
and thus has a coveted position above the other toys which lets face it, he
kind of abuses. He’s mean, rude
and arrogant, this self-elected leader and so its plain to see that something’s
gotta change. Not to ruin anything
(for the three people who’ve never seen this film) but its clear that Woody is
in desperate need of being knocked off his high-horse and so it comes in the
form of a new toy, Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) who’s the perfect
traditional hero to Woody’s borderline villain. I’ll tell you jealousy can make a toy do crazy things, which
is a great moral the film covers.
To make a not so long story even shorter, the two find themselves at
odds but through a series of stressful yet soul-exposing events, they come to
understand themselves a little clearer and thus begin to except one another and
work together when it counts. And
that’s what’s enjoyable about this story, though it did put me to sleep briefly
during two separate viewings, the message still held strong on both accounts (with
a little rewinding) that when circumstances change we inevitably change too,
hopefully for the better, and perhaps with the support of a friend. A trend Pixar holds dear, showing up in
well basically all of their films but it remains a good lesson to learn for
kids and to be reminded of as adults.
It
also gets props for its somewhat untraditional setting of events. Andy lives with his single mom, no dad
in the great Disney tradition, and baby sister and though I might be reaching
on this one, the thought crossed my mind that Andy’s mom may play a bigger than
meets the eye. I dare say she is
responsible for this whole adventure in the first place. She’s the one that buys Buzz as a
Birthday present for Andy’s and according to Toy Story lore, she is also the bestower (no not a word) of Woody
from, possibly, her days as a Jessie fanatic (Jessie being Woody’s female
counterpart in the succeeding films), and with a pro-lady writer on the writing
team ala Joss Whedon, I don’t’ think the idea of a woman setting interesting
things into motion is that far off.
This idea I like and so it stays.
Honorable mention also goes to the incorporation of people of color,
albeit in the background in one scene, but seeing as how there are barely any
other humans in the story, I appreciate this thoughtful approach to detail in
creating a well-rounded world, job well done Pixar.
So, though I may disagree with Toy Story being ranked above Ben-Hur on the AFI list, it still is
worthy of its rank and admittedly is still a relevant piece of American art to
behold for long while to come.
The next film coming up is #98 Yankee Doodle Dandy (Curtiz, 1942)…wish me luck…
Note: Check out The Pixar Story (Iwerks, 2007) a pretty engaging documentary on how Pixar and this
film came to be.
Resources: Movies
That Changed the World: Toy Story, Matt Schumann for RiceStandard.org.
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