Toy Story

An animated film about the life toys have among themselves. There is an order in Andy's room. When there are no people the toys move, hold meetings and discuss the news that they are moving house. Woody is a cowboy doll and runs the room. He has authority because he is Andy's favourite. A new toy arrives on a birthday. Buzz Lightyear has lights and sound and genuinely believes he is a space ranger. Woody loses his place. Jealousy leads to an accident and both of them end up outside the house. From there the film is a journey home. A petrol station, a toy shop, the house next door, and the toys there that have been taken apart and rebuilt. What the narrative is interested in is not friendship but identity: Buzz sees himself in a television advertisement and understands he is a toy, and that break is the best scene in the film. Woody is not likeable to start with either. In the first half he is jealous, calculating, and at one point genuinely cruel. It is the first feature made entirely with computers. The crew had to solve every surface, light and texture from nothing, and the running time was held to seventy-seven minutes. The production was nearly stopped once. At an internal screening Woody was found too harsh and the studio suspended the project; work resumed after the script was rewritten. The music and songs are by Randy Newman. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles and Wallace Shawn are among the voices. John Lasseter directed. Who it is for: any age; the film is still short and fast. Who it is not for: anyone expecting the imagery to compete with animation now; the human faces and fabrics show their age.