Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated film, the first Disney/Pixar film to be made, as well as the first feature film to be made entirely with CGI. Directed by John Lasseter and featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, the film was co-produced by Ralph Guggenheim and Bonnie Arnold and was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It was written by Lasseter, Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow, and featured music by Randy Newman. Toy Story follows a group of toys who pretend to be lifeless whenever humans are present, and focuses on Woody, a pull-string cowboy doll (Hanks), and Buzz Lightyear, an astronaut action figure (Allen).
The top-grossing film on its opening weekend,[2] Toy Story went on to earn over $191 million in the United States and Canada during its initial theatrical release and took in more than $361 million worldwide.[3] Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, praising both the technical innovation of the animation and the wit and sophistication of the screenplay.[4][5] Although the film was a huge box office success, the film is currently Pixar's lowest grossing film while the film's second sequel Toy Story 3 is their highest grossing film earning over $1 billion worldwide.
In addition to DVD releases, Toy Story-inspired material has run the gamut from toys, video games, theme park attractions, spin-offs, and merchandise. View-Master released a three-reel set in 3D in 1995 prior to release of 3D films. The film was so successful it prompted a sequel released in 1999, Toy Story 2. Eleven years later, on June 18, 2010, an additional film, Toy Story 3, was also released. Both sequels were instant hits and garnered critical acclaim similar to the first. Leading up to the third film's premiere, as part of its promotion, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were also re-released as a double feature in Disney Digital 3-D on October 2, 2009.[6]
The film was selected into the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2005, its first year of eligibility.
Woody, a pull-string cowboy doll is the leader of a group of toys that belong to a boy named Andy and come to life whenever humans are not around. With his family moving to a new home and one week before his birthday, the toys stage a reconnaissance mission to discover Andy's new presents. Andy receives a space ranger Buzz Lightyear action figure, whose impressive features soon see him replacing Woody as Andy's favorite toy. Woody is disappointed and resentful at his replacement, while Buzz does not understand that he is a toy, believing himself to be a real space ranger, and sees Woody as an interference in his mission to return to his "home planet". Andy's next door neighbor (until his family moved) Sid Phillips has been kicked out of summer camp earlier and Woody explains to Buzz that Sid is a person who tortures and destroys toys just for fun.
Andy prepares to go to a family outing at the space themed Pizza Planet restaurant with Buzz. Woody attempts to have Buzz misplaced, but ends up knocking him out the window, causing the other toys to think that Woody tried to get rid of him. With Buzz missing, Andy takes Woody with him to Pizza Planet instead. Buzz, however, climbs aboard the car and confronts Woody as they stop at a gas station. The two toys fight and accidentally land outside the car, which drives off and leaves them stranded. Woody spots a truck bound for Pizza Planet and plans to rendezvous with Andy there, convincing Buzz to come with him by telling him it will take him to his home planet. Once at Pizza Planet, Buzz makes his way into a claw game machine shaped like a spaceship, thinking it to be the ship Woody promised him. While Woody clambers in to try and rescue him, they happen to get captured by Sid.
At Sid's house, the two desperately attempt to escape before Andy's family's moving day, encountering nightmarish mutant toys as well as Sid's vicious dog Scud. Buzz sees a commercial for Buzz Lightyear action figures just like himself and realizes that he is a toy, becoming too depressed to participate in Woody's escape plan. Sid prepares to destroy Buzz by strapping him to a rocket, but is delayed by a thunderstorm. Woody convinces Buzz that life is worth living even if he is not a space ranger because of the joy he can bring to children. Buzz regains his spirit, but Sid takes him to his backyard. Cooperating with Sid's mutant toys, Woody stages a rescue of Buzz and scares Sid off by coming to life, telling him to play nice. However, the two miss Andy's car as it drives away to his new house.
Running out on the road, they manage to climb onto the moving truck but Scud chases them and Buzz tackles the dog to save Woody. Woody attempts to rescue Buzz with Andy's RC but the other toys, who still distrust him, toss him off onto the road. However, spotting Woody driving RC back with Buzz alive, they realize their mistake and try to help them into the truck. When RC's batteries become depleted, Woody ignites the rocket on Buzz's back and manages to throw RC into the moving truck just as the duo go soaring into the air. Buzz then opens his wings to cut himself free of the rocket moments before it explodes, and he and Woody drop safely through the car's open roof into a box on the rear seat. Andy looks in the box and is elated to find Buzz and Woody, who he assumes must have been there the whole time he thought they were lost.
On Christmas Eve at their new house, Buzz and Woody become good friends and stage another reconnaissance mission to prepare for the new toy arrivals, one of the new toys being a Mrs. Potato Head. As Woody jokingly asks what might be worse than Buzz, the two share a worried smile as they discover Andy's new gift to be a puppy.
John Lasseter's first experience with computer animation was during his work as an animator at Disney, when two of his friends showed him the lightcycle scene from Tron. It was an eye-opening experience which awakened Lasseter to the possibilities offered by the new medium of computer-generated animation.[7] Lasseter went on to work at Lucasfilm and later as a founding member of Pixar.[8]
Pixar's Oscar-winning short film Tin Toy (directed by Lasseter) and its CAPS project were among works that gained Disney's attention and, after meetings in 1990 with Jeffrey Katzenberg, Pixar pitched a television special called A Tin Toy Christmas. By July 1991, Disney and Pixar signed an agreement to work on a film, based on the Tin Toy characters, called Toy Story.[9] The deal gave Pixar a three-film deal (with Toy Story being the first) as well as 10% of the films' profits.[10][11]
Toy Story's script was strongly influenced by the ideas of screenwriter Robert McKee. The script went through many changes before the final version. Lasseter decided Tinny was "too antiquated", and the character was changed to a military action figure, and then given a space theme. Tinny's name changed to Lunar Larry, then Tempus from Morph, and eventually Buzz Lightyear (after astronaut Buzz Aldrin).[12] Lightyear's design was modeled on the suits worn by Apollo astronauts as well as G.I. Joe action figures.[13][14] A second character, originally a ventriloquist's dummy, was changed to a stuffed cowboy doll with a pull-string, and named Woody for Western actor Woody Strode. The difference between the old and new toy led to a conflict between their personalities.[12] Lasseter wanted the film to not be a musical, but a buddy film, with the story department drawing inspiration from films such as 48 Hrs. and The Defiant Ones.[12] Joss Whedon claimed "It would have been a really bad musical, because it's a buddy movie. It's about people who won't admit what they want, much less sing about it. ... Buddy movies are about sublimating, punching an arm, 'I hate you.' It's not about open emotion."[15] Disney also appointed Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow and, later, Whedon to help develop the script.[12] In addition, Disney wanted the film to appeal to both children and adults, and asked for adult references to be added to the film.[15] Disney gave approval for the film on January 19, 1993, at which point voice casting could begin.[15]
Lasseter always wanted Tom Hanks to play the character of Woody. Lasseter claimed Hanks "... has the ability to take emotions and make them appealing. Even if the character, like the one in A League of Their Own, is down-and-out and despicable."[15] Early test footage, using Hanks' voice from Turner & Hooch, convinced Hanks to sign on to the film.[15][16] Billy Crystal was approached to play Buzz, but turned down the role, which he later regretted, although he would voice Mike Wazowski in Pixar's later success, Monsters, Inc.[17][18] Katzenberg took the role to Tim Allen, who was appearing in Disney's Home Improvement, and he accepted.[12] Toy Story was both Hanks and Allen's first animated film role.[19]
Pixar presented an early draft of the film to Disney on November 19, 1993.[15] The result was disastrous. It presented Woody as a "sarcastic jerk" because Katzenberg kept sending notes that he wanted more edge. Katzenberg took Schneider in the hall during the screening and asked him why it was so bad. Schneider responded that it "wasn't their's [sic] anymore."[20] Walt Disney Feature Animation president Peter Schneider immediately shut down production pending a new script approved by Disney. Pixar survived the shutdown by falling back on its existing television commercial business while the script was rewritten.[15] The new script made Woody a more likable character, instead of the "sarcastic jerk" he had been. Katzenberg restarted production in February 1994.[12] The voice actors returned in March to record their new lines.
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