99 Toy Story

Brief Synopsis (from Netflix)
Cowboy-toy Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) feels threatened when overblown space ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) arrives with a suitcase full of bells and whistles. But both dolls are lost when the family moves -- and finding their way home is only half the adventure. Director John Lasseter won a special Academy Award for this groundbreaking, computer-animated film that also earned Oscar nods for its music and screenplay.

Jason
 
Mrs. Potato Head, Mrs. Potato Head, Mrs. Potato Head... hey, I can dream, can't I?

We watched Toy Story last night and it was the first time that I have seen it or it's sequel in about 10 years, and like I remember it was awesome. Disney/Pixar has been able to do something over and over again and it amazes me every time. It can create a film that is both funny and enjoyable for kids, but is also just as funny and maybe even more enjoyable for adults.

I was going to write that all the characters are great, but I don't think that really does it justice. The main characters, Woody and Buzz, were voiced perfectly by two people whom I am a big fan, but I think they are only a small piece of the pie that makes this movie so good. The characters like Mr. Potato Head (my favorite), Rex and Hamm, to name a few, are hilarious. A support cast can make or break a movie and in this case, for me, they make it a smash hit.

I don't think you can talk about Toy Story with out talking about what it was able to do for the movie industry. This being the first full length computer animated movie it paved the way for lots of great films. Think about it, with out this movie there would be no Shrek, no Wall-E and no Incredibles.

Final Thoughts- Do I believe this movie should be in the top 100, well since I've been praising this movie for the last few paragraphs some people might believe that I do, unfortunately I do not. When the original AFI list was made in 1997 this movie definitely should have been on the list, but so many computer animated movies have come out since, and they have not only been able to replicate what Toy Story did so well, but were actually able to do it better. Don't get me wrong Toy Story is a great movie, just not one of the 100 greatest.

Bryan

You’ve Got a Friend in Me!

Toy Story is a solid movie. This is the first movie (of a surprisingly small number) that all four of us had seen before. But Toy Story isn’t just a film we’ve seen, it is one that permeated the culture we grew up in. I could quote “To Infinity, and BEYOND!” and people just about anywhere across America would know exactly what I am talking about. In fact, I remember my younger brother yelling that as he jumped off the couch, pretending to be Buzz the way I pretended to be Superman.

Part of what we are trying to do in this blog is to find what metric should be used to judge top movies; what components of a movie are necessary to earn a spot on the top list. What should we look for when comparing 2 movies that are vying for a spot? (I almost used the word rubric, and decided I’d rather shoot myself)
My point is I think that the cultural importance of a movie should be an aspect that needs to be considered. Any movie that actually shapes the culture is powerful. The fact that this movie was so readily accepted into the American lexicon speaks very well of it. We tend to live in a post-modern world where people will quote things without havng any idea where they come from. People say “Go ahead, make my day,” and have never seen a Dirty Harry movie, or say “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse” and have never seen the Godfather. I think this is a shame, and contributes to our shallowness as a society.

It has been mentioned that one of the reasons that Toy Story appears on the list is that it changed the movie industry. By being the first full-length computer animated feature, it was a bellwether of what was to come.
I am not sure I agree that this should be enough to nudge Toy Story onto the list. Disney has movies that are much better, and Jay has already commented that the field of computer animated films has examples that would trump this. I don’t think that simply being the first of its kind earns it a spot on the list; especially if the second or third or forth of its kind trumps it. There is no quota- I’m not going to set a number of animated films that belong on the list and just fill them in, because that is too simplistic. But when considering a movie, its quality in its genre should be looked at before comparing it with all other movies. Toy Story simply does not top any of my lists- not because of any failing in Toy Story, but because of the strength of its competitors.

Final Thoughts- I like Toy Story quite a bit, but I don’t think it quite makes it onto the top 100. It may be bumped up if, as we screen the rest of the 98 films there are some real stinkers that need to be dropped and some room is made. However, Toy Story doesn’t get to cut in front of better animated films that deserve a spot more than it does.

Angel

To Infinity and Beyond!!!

Toy Story, the first full feature CGI film ever, and in my opinion probably the best way to kick a genre off that millions of people world will come to love.

The story of a group of toys led by Sheriff Woody voiced by Tom Hanks, and newcomer Buzz Lightyear voiced by Tim Allen, and the hijinks that occur between the birthday of a young boy Andy and his family’s move to a new home.

I enjoyed pretty much every aspect of the film. The fist time that I saw this film it was close to if not more than ten years ago, but when the credits played there was sense of nostalgia and there was a slight smile of remembrance

The animation of the film still holds up even though it was created in 1992. The voice acting, progression of the film, even the damn jokes work perfectly in the film. My favorite part of the film was the fact that while it is most defiantly a kids movie there were nods and jokes that only parents would get. In fact there was one point where Woody was trapped in a crate with a Binford toolbox on top. (Binford was the name of the company that Tim Allen worked for in his popular TV show “Home Improvement” for those not smart enough to watch the show) These nods and references to the then contemporary, now past, shows let my childhood flourish, while I was still able to enjoy the more adult jokes that were laced in.

Final Thought-While I very much enjoyed the film, I don’t really think that it should be in the top 100 films of all time.It may have been well done and the first film to be completely in CGI, but fun and innovation does not make it one of the best ever.I feel it is due a lot of credit for being a “first of its kind”.But unfortunately it is enough to give Toy Story a free pass to being one of the greats.

Alfredo

The word I'm searching for I can't say because there's pre-school toys present.

It’s been nearly a decade since I last saw Toy Story and it was just as more entertaining than I remembered it. This movie is Pixar’s baby. The first full length feature film to be done entirely in CGI. I can’t say I’m writing this without a biased opinion. As far as Disney films go this is one of my favorites.

I think the biggest selling point with this movie is the fact that I can sit down with my ten year old cousin and we can both watch this film and laugh. Largely for different reasons of course but regardless we’re both entertained. That’s just something Disney’s always been able to accomplish.

The night we saw this film we saw it with a couple of other people and I honestly think it’s the first time all of us have been in a room and laughed at a movie at the same time for the same reason.

Final thoughts: The CGI in this film is fantastic and there’s no way anyone could argue that it didn’t change the medium. That alone though shouldn’t be enough of a reason to warrant it a place on this list. It’s not the CGI, however, that makes everyone laugh. It’s not the CGI that enables me, even after not having seen the film in ten years, to recite nearly every one liner. The movie is just… I’ll say it. Funtastic! It deserves its spot on the list.