Rating: G
Genre:
Fantasy
Release Date: 03/20/2001
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English/French/Espanol
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time: 81 min
Distributor/Studio: Walt Disney Video
Toy Story was the first feature-length film animated entirely by computer. If this seems to be a sterile, mechanical means of moviemaking, be assured that the film is as chock-full of heart and warmth as any
Disney cartoon feature. The star of the proceedings is
Woody, a pull-string cowboy toy belonging to a wide-eyed youngster named
Andy. Whenever
Andy's out of the room,
Woody revels in his status as the boy's number one toy. His supremacy is challenged by a high-tech, space-ranger action figure named
Buzz Lightyear, who, unlike
Woody and his pals, believes that he is real and not merely a plaything. The rivalry between
Woody and
Buzz hilariously intensifies during the first half of the film, but when the well-being of
Andy's toys is threatened by a nasty next-door neighbor kid named
Sid -- whose idea of fun is feeding stuffed dolls to his snarling dog and reconstructing his own toys into hideous mutants --
Woody and
Buzz join forces to save the day. Superb though the computer animation may be, what really heightens
Toy Story are the voice-over performances by such celebrities as
Tom Hanks (as
Woody),
Tim Allen (as
Buzz), and
Don Rickles (as an appropriately acerbic
Mr. Potato Head). Director
John Lasseter earned a special achievement Academy Award, while
Randy Newman landed an Oscar nomination for his evocative musical score.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide