Ryan Voelker

Mrs. Lodge

APLAC

12 February 2012

             A classic is an original movie that appeals to emotions and intrigues an audience uniquely.  A classic effortlessly teaches or enforces life’s valuable lessons through a developed plot and characters with vivid personalities.  Released in 1995, Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story revolutionizes the viewing experience of animated films.  Toy Story is a clever, warm-hearted comedy that is enjoyed by all audiences.  By using a distinct plot, universal themes and new movie technologies, the producers of Toy Story create a genuine twentieth-century classic. 

            Disney and Pixar’s use of an original storyline entertains movie fans by developing ideas untouched by animated films in the past.  In Toy Story, cowboy doll Woody (Tom Hanks) questions his importance in the life of owner Andy Davis (John Morris) after Andy receives a spaceman action figure as a birthday gift (IMDb).  Although he quickly becomes the center of Andy’s new life, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) believes that his spaceship crashed into Andy’s room by mistake, and is determined to return to his home planet.  As the story continues, Woody grows jealous of and attempts to purposely inflict harm upon Buzz, hoping that he can remove the new toy from Andy’s life.  Eventually, however, the two are forced to put their differences aside and work as a team when they are held hostage by Andy’s neighbor Sid Phillips (Erik von Detten), a bully who enjoys transforming toys into hideous mutants (Christian Answers).  The relationship between Buzz and Woody grows into a friendship as they escape from Sid’s sinister clutches and return home to Andy.  The ideas behind Toy Story are original in that toys are given human qualities and interact with one another as humans do.  The chemistry between actors Hanks and Allen realistically portray interactions between rivals and friends, which ultimately engages the audience.  This guides the unique plot of the movie as it unfolds, making Toy Story worthy of the title classic.
            While Disney and Pixar’s original plot provides the audience with creative thinking on a young topic, the themes incorporated by the producers invokes the viewers’ emotions and allows them to connect to the story.  One of these main themes is the significance of replacing something and moving on to a bigger, better thing.  This is clearly illustrated in the story when Andy’s room theme changes from a western one with cowboys to one with spaceships, planets and aliens (Christian Answers).  Woody is heartbroken when Andy knocks him off his bed and replaces him with Buzz Lightyear, a toy that is newer and more technologically developed than he is.  Woody’s lack of interesting features newly recognized by Andy is symbolic to something that no longer functions and that will be discarded.  All people have replaced things with the hope of reaching a better, more enjoyable experience, and can identify this as a main topic of the story.  A theme that is universal to all people further appeals to the interest of the viewer and provides insight on the journey of life.  By doing this, Disney and Pixar blend together multiple filmmaking techniques seamlessly, earning Toy Story recognition as a movie classic.
            While the incorporation of universal themes reflects the skills of the movie producers, the introduction of new movie technologies denotes the high quality of the film.  Toy Story imprints its mark into film history as it is the first fully computer-generated picture ever to be released in theaters (Rotten Tomatoes).  The excellence of three-dimensional computer animation complimented by vivid colors is appreciated by a large audience (Berardinelli).  Other special effects such as crystal clear audio and smooth transitions between scenes contribute to the identity of Toy Story as a unique and flawless film.  This motion picture has forever changed the art of animation and has influenced the production of other films.  Within a decade of the release of Toy Story, the movie’s success motivated Disney and Pixar to produce more computer-animated films, including A Bug’s Life (1998), Monster’s Inc. (2001) and Finding Nemo (2003) (Rotten Tomatoes).  It is unquestionable that these technological innovations appeal to a broad audience and demonstrate Toy Story’s individuality as a film.  Through these processes, the producers prove that their work of art is worthy of being recognized as a classic.
            Toy Story is truly a distinct film that cleverly combines multiple filmmaking techniques to produce an enjoyable story to viewers of all ages.  Through the use of an original plot, universal themes and innovative technologies, Disney and Pixar produce a film that intrigues the emotions of viewers and that conveys important life messages.  Therefore, Toy Story deserves recognition as a movie classic.
 

Works Cited:

 Berardinelli, James “Toy Story: A Film Review”  1995 http://www.reelviews.net/movies/t/toy_story.html

 
ChristianAnswers.net “Movie Review: Toy Story” Accessed 12 February 2012  http://christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/pre2000/rvu-toy.html?zoom_highlight=toy+story

 IMDb “Synopsis for Toy Story” 2012 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114709/synopsis

 Rotten Tomatoes “Toy Story” Accessed 12 February 2012  http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/toy_story/