A Look Back at 1995: Pixar Family Favorite “Toy Story” Turns 30 This Year

Since I will be checking out the latest from Pixar Animation, “Elio,” soon, I wanted to check out a previous Pixar film. This ended up being difficult due to the fact that Pixar has some really great films on their roster. Then I decided to do a quick review on Pixar’s first full length feature that (believe it or not) turns 30 later this year - “Toy Story.”

Woody, a good-hearted cowboy doll who belongs to a young boy named Andy, sees his position as Andy’s favorite toy jeopardized when his mother buys him a Buzz Lightyear action figure. Even worse, the arrogant Buzz thinks he’s a real spaceman on a mission to return to his home planet. 

When Andy’s family moves to a new house, Woody and Buzz must escape the clutches of maladjusted neighbor Sid Phillips and reunite with their boy.

The Disney/Pixar classic “Toy Story” is one of those films that the whole family can watch over and over again and still enjoy themselves. The groundbreaking animation that was used for this film still looks really great.

This enduring animated classic does an astounding job blending humor, heart and even a bit of exciting action (especially when Woody and Buzz have to get out of Sid’s house). Some more action occurs while Woody and Buzz end up at Pizza Planet, which includes the claw machine (that Buzz thinks is a spaceship) and the scene-stealing three-eyed green aliens.

“Toy Story,” after all these years, can still make audiences laugh. The moments where all the toys are interacting with one another when they’re trying to solve problems and most of Woody’s attempts to regain control after being replaced by Buzz can still give you a good laugh. Even the Green Men Army and the little green aliens (“Oooh! The claw!”) have their own moments.

This Pixar 1995 classic can still be a little heart-felt as well. The story plot point between

Woody and Buzz ends on a heart-felt note in this film as they both work together to get to the moving van. There’s plenty more emotional moments throughout this Pixar family favorite to choose from.

“Toy Story” (along with its sequels) has remained popular over the years. Its themes of friendship, loyalty and overcoming challenges continue to resonate with audiences of all ages.

Trivia: “Toy Story” was the first animated film nominated for the Oscar for Best Screenplay - Original or Adapted. The animation team perfected the movement of the toy soldiers by mailing a pair of sneakers to a sheet of wood and trying to walk around with them on.

Randy Newman wrote the film’s signature tune “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” in just one day. Tom Hanks recorded his dialogue during the breaks of “Sleepless in Seattle” and “A League of Their Own.” He didn’t want to record his dialogue during the breaks of “Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump” because he felt he shouldn’t do comedic roles in between playing serious roles.

“Toy Story” is rated G   (runtime 81 minutes)

You can currently stream the entire “Toy Story” franchise on Disney Plus. You can also find some more trivia bits about this movie on my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews page on Facebook.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-PjgYDrg70

• Sid Phillips is said to be inspired by a former Pixar Animation Studios employee of the same last name who was known to disassemble toys and use the parts to build bizarre creations.

• This was the first animated film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted.

• Billy Crystal was originally offered the chance to voice Buzz Lightyear, but declined. After seeing the finished film, he said the decision was the biggest mistake of his career. Upon learning this, John Lasseter telephoned Billy's house to offer him the role of Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc. (2001). Billy's wife answered the telephone and said "John Lasseter wants to speak to you". Billy took the telephone from his wife and said "Yes".

• The carpet in Sid's house has the same hexagonal pattern as the carpet in the Overlook Hotel from The Shining (1980).

• When Sarge looks through his binoculars to spy on guests while he and the other army men investigate the birthday party, you'll notice that Andy's friends are actually the same character model of Andy, just with different skin tones, clothes, and accessories.

• What attracted Tom Hanks to the role of Woody was the fact that, during his childhood, he would always wonder if his toys were alive and moved around when nobody was in his room. What attracted Tim Allen to the role of Buzz Lightyear was the fact that, before him, they offered the role to his biggest influence, Chevy Chase, who turned it down.

• The toolbox on top of the milk crate that Woody is trapped in is a Binford, the same tool brand that Tim Allen used on his television show Home Improvement (1991).

• Wheezy the Penguin was originally going to be in this film but was cut during the first draft of the script. He was later brought back in Toy Story 2 (1999).

• Disney pushed hard for the film to be a musical (like most animated features of the time) but John Lasseter was against the idea.

• John Lasseter knew he had a hit on his hands when he heard adult sobs coming from the preview audience when Buzz lies apparently broken.