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| [voices
of] Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Wallace Shawn, Don Rickles |
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Anamorphic
widescreen |
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Dolby Digital
5.1 |
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DTS |
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Trailer(s) |
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Featurette(s) |
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Documentary |
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Audio commentary
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Deleted scenes
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Concept art
/ storyboards |
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Multi-angle
feature |
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Woody:
Look, we're all very impressed with Andy's new toy.
Buzz: Toy?
Woody: T-O-Y, toy.
Buzz: Excuse me, I think the word you're searching for is "space
ranger".
Woody: The word I'm searching for, I can't say, because there's
preschool toys present.
A
new space toy poses a threat to the former favorite.
 The
first digitally animated feature film managed to set both the technical
as well as the screenplay standard by which all subsequent digital animation
would be judged. So far, none but the sequel to this film was able to
match up to this original. The incredible amount of detail and magnificent
overall technical accomplishment hasn't dated one bit, but the most
impressive element of the film is still the strong characters and screenplay.
Just a few minutes into the film, you already start to forget that all
these characters are computer-generated. As in all the best classical
animation, the technical accomplishment is subservient to good storytelling.
If there's one small quibble one might have with the film, it's that
it's a little too frenetic at times with so much yelling and high-speed
pursuits that it sometimes is in danger of outyelling itself. Also,
as good as the story is, the narrative does drag in a few places, most
notably where Randy Newman's rather whiny songs kick in. But these small
matters aside, this has already proved itself to be a formidable classic
in the history of animation, one whose characters will endure for years
to come and whose release on DVD will delight many. |
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Toy
Story
is available in Region 2 in a 2-disc set together with Toy Story
2. An identical set is available in Region 1, where it is also available
as a separate release and as part of a feature-packed 3-disc set called
'The Ultimate Toy Box'. This review refers to the version available
as part of the 2-disc set.
The
anamorphic widescreen image is framed at 1.85:1. Taken
straight from the digital master, this is one of the cleanest and best
transfers ever to make it onto DVD. There isn't the slightest hint of
visual noise or artifacting and the picture looks breathtakingly clear
throughout.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix provides a broad and dynamic soundstage for
the excellent and highly active sound design. The movie takes full advantage
of the surround sound field with uncanny directional effects adding
strongly to the illusion of realism.
There
are only two extras on this release, but both are excellent and offer
good value. 'The Making of Toy Story' is an accessible and entertaining
look at the digital animation process used to create Toy Story.
It's a fascinating featurette that covers a lot of ground in a less
than 30 minutes.
The other extra is the 1988 short 'Tin Toy', a humorous and touching
5-minute precursor to Toy Story about a cute little tin toy afraid
of being bashed to pieces by a somehow monstrous baby. It's an early
display of Lasseter's unique skill at combining fantastic state-of-the-art
computer animation with a heart-felt story that makes you forget about
the technical aspects of it. The
menu screens are completely static without any sound or animation. This
is a missed opportunity for a movie like this that would have benefitted
from some nice little animations.
Dan
Hassler-Forest
Reviewed: 2001
Click
here for IMDB info on Toy
Story .
Click here
to return to the front page.
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