(Toy Story) Ultimate Pixar Tribute- Movie #1: Toy Story

by Nick DeVito

Plot: What if toys lived lives of their own once you weren’t around? A young boy named Andy gets a brand new Buzz Lightyear action figure (Tim Allen) for his birthday, which makes his favorite toy Woody (a cowboy doll voiced by Tom Hanks) jealous.

Over time Andy starts to play with Buzz more, so when Woody accidentally knocks him out of the house and in to the yard of the “toy serial-killer”, Sid, they have to work together to get back to Andy before he moves. The only problem is that Buzz thinks that he is the real space-hero he’s built to look like.

So as Buzz must learn what it means to be a toy, Woody must learn how to accept a new friend. Do I really need to explain anymore? You already know what happens, since you’ve already seen this movie a million times.

Well... What can you say about Toy Story that hasn’t been said before? Everybody has seen this movie at some point in their life, and everyone has different feelings about it. It was the first computer-animated movie, it was nominated for a bunch of Academy Awards, and it influenced kids worldwide for generations to come.

No film has done anything like this since Star Wars, ironic that Lucasfilm originally owned Pixar. Long story short, if you’ve never seen Toy Story, than you’ve never seen any other Pixar film (and therefore are not a human being).

I’m also completely ignoring the unbelievable spectacle of the film’s visuals, as this was the first ever computer animated feature film, but that is because the movie is so strong on its own, that you often forget about its revolutionary presentation. My favorite line would have to be: “To infinity, and beyond”, while my favorite character is Woody.

Easter-eggs:
• John Ratzenberger: the voice of Hamm the piggy-bank.
• Pizza Planet truck: The first appearance of the now iconic Pizza Planet truck. is what drives Woody and Buzz to the Pizza Planet restaurant. It’s not hidden here like in most other Pixar movies.
• A113: Andy’s Mom’s license plate number on her car.
• The baby’s excessive drooling is obviously inspired by the baby in Tin Toy.
• A Luxo lamp painted red is in Andy’s room.
• The Adventures of André and Wally B., Luxo Jr., Red’s Dream, Tin Toy, and Knick Knack are all titles of books in Andy’s room (when Woody makes the birthday party announcement).
• Andy has the ball from Luxo Jr. in his room.
• Andy also has a Mickey Mouse clock on his bedroom wall.
• When Buzz Lightyear falls out of Andy’s window he does the “Wilhelm-scream”.
• The hideous carpet in Sid’s house is the same carpet from “The Shining” (probably because it is editor Lee Unkrich’s favorite movie).
• During the Buzz Lightyear commercial, the sound effect made by a TIE-Fighter’s blaster is heard (Star Wars was made by Lucasfilm).
• Sid’s toolbox says “Binford Tools” (Binford was from Tim Allen’s “Home Improvement” TV show).
• Ducky’s head may have originated from the look of Howard the Duck (also a Lucasfilm movie).
• “Hakuna-Matata” from “The Lion King” is heard in Andy’s Mom’s car.

Final Thoughts: Like I've said, everybody has seen this movie at one point in their life; you can ask anyone, and they’ll all say it’s great. Toy Story went on to become the biggest movie of 1995, and it achieved both commercial and critical success.

It was funny, smart, and at times epic; a landmark in the film industry. I was born in 1995, so I obviously didn’t see it until I was about two or three, but Toy Story is arguably the most iconic movie of my lifetime, and of the lifetimes of children worldwide. I give Toy Story four hockey pucks out of four. ****