Toy Story (1995)

To infinity and beyond!

Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, John Morris, Erik von Detten, Laurie Metcalf, R. Lee Ermey, Sarah Freeman, Penn Jillette, Jack Angel, Spencer Aste

Director: John Lasseter

Running Time: 81 minutes

US MPAA rating: N/A
UK BBFC rating: U
Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy

On DVD

On DVD

Forget 'Snow White' - it's for losers. THIS is Disney's finest hour-and-a-half. Not only does 'Toy Story' represent the birth of top quality wholly computer-generated cinema, it's also one helluva funny 'toon.

It takes a simple, familiar idea - that kiddies' playthings spring to life when nobody's peeking - and develops it into a wise-crack-packed adventure story to rival any adventure story. I'm yet to meet anyone - young or old - who doesn't quite literally love this movie. And I'm pretty sure I don't want to, either. For such people are clearly fools.

Tom Hanks provides the voice of Woody, the floppy cowboy doll who takes pride of place among the toy collection of a young sprog named Andy. But there's trouble in paradise when Andy's birthday produces a brand new toy - shiny laser-lighted space ranger Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen). Suddenly, jealousy reigns supreme in Andy's toy chest.

What really gets under Woody's Stetson is having to bite the bullet and work with Buzz as a team when the pair of them get lost in the big city, before ending up in the evil clutches of a local bully prone to performing Dr Phibes-style ops on innocent toys.

There are some cracking jokes along the way, more often than not related to Buzz's insistence that he's a REAL space ranger, and not just an action figure. In fact, this is worth buying just for the scene where the cold truth suddenly dawns on Buzz and he becomes 'Mrs Nesbitt'. But there's much, much more in here worthy of a guffaw or three. Whatever your age, this is an all-time classic that's a must for your DVD collection.

DVD Extras: 'Tin Toy' (an animated short from Pixar), 'The Making of Toy Story', and a sneak trailer for 'Monsters Inc.' Extras: 6 out of 10

It's Got: Some marvellous support characters, most notably Mr Potato Head, Rex the dinosaur and Hamm the piggy bank.

It Needs: For all of those toy stores to have ordered more Buzz Lightyear dolls for Chrimbo '95. There were a lot of miserable ankle-biters out there.

Alternatives: Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo

Summary: With stunning animation and a fantastic script, this is quite possibly the finest feature-length 'toon ever made. Worth watching over and over again. Overall Score: 10 out of 10

Review by Gary Panton
Review Date: 9th August 2003