Quick note before we get started, sorry this blog post is so late... I've been pretty busy, but hopefully these posts for these movies will be up by the end of the week!
Oh, and one more thing, this review will be split into 3 parts: Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and all together. So let's do this!
Toy Story (1995)
, 9 out of 10: Must see!Director: John Lasseter
Stars: Tom Hanks and Tim Allen
Toy Story, the first Pixar film, is a classic tale of jealousy and innocence as told by the toys in a boy named Andy's room. Woody (Tom Hanks) is a talking cowboy doll that Andy loves dearly. All of a sudden, he is tossed to the side by the new space toy Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and as jealousy takes over Woody, the two must work together to make it back to Andy's house.
Warning: the following contains spoilers for this movie... if you haven't seen it, I suggest you don't read below here
Okay. So, where to begin with Toy Story? Well, first of all, I would like to mention that I saw Toy Story in theaters back in 1995, however I barely remember that experience because, well, I was only 3 or 4 years old. But what's important about this is that I've grown up with this movie... like most kids, this was one of my very first movie-gong experiences and I am proud to say that I still love it... even if it is over 10 years old.
So when I went to see it in 3D with it's sequel, I was ready and willing to watch it again.
What makes this movie so wonderful? First off, most kids have dreamed about their toys coming to life. We've all played games (whether it was Barbies or GI Joes, Legos or dollhouses) and we have put our toys into situations that would have been wonderfully improved if they were alive. So the initial idea that while kids are away, toys come to life, is such a wonderful thought.
On a personal note, I'm a cowboy doll fanatic. I really love that old, vintage-y looking cowboy stuff.... and seeing the main character as an old, vintage-y looking cowboy just made me so happy. I wanted a Woody doll for years (and I got one... it was a barbie doll version of him and Bo Peep. Loved it to death). Buzz Lightyear was always lovable (especially when he really believes that he is a space man), but I could never get over how much I adored Woody.
Looking back now, however, I really realized how mean Woody is. He freaking knocks Buzz out the window! I mean, yeah, they are just toys... easily fixed and all, but shit! I mean seriously! I knew he was kind of an a-hole but not that much!
Anyways, the story is adorable. Woody is Andy's favorite toy until Andy's birthday, where he receives a Buzz Lightyear action figure as a present. Woody is soon lost to the world of unwanted toys as Andy begins to transform from a cowboy to a spaceman. In a fit of jealous rage (a few days before Andy, his single mother, and his sister are supposed to move), Woody knocks Buzz out of the window and they become lost at a pizza fun-house (much like Chuck E. Cheese).... but they are soon captured by the evil next door neighbor Sid... who destroys toys by blowing them up, disfiguring them, and transforming them to look like creepy dolls (one specifically scary one is a dismembered baby doll's head... it has all its hair cut off and is missing an eye... and it is attached to a clamp on the bottom. Scary as shit!). Buzz realizes he's not a real spaceman, but just a toy, and Woody finally has to realize that Buzz is not a threat, just a confused toy. The two work together to escape Sid's vicious house and plans (in one of the most terrifying moments in kids movie history) and finally arrive at the new house where Andy waits to love them.
Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are both fantastic in this movie. I mean, Tom Hanks' voice continues to play in my head as Woody whenever I hear him speak... even in other movies. And Tim Allen, his signature voice also continues to remind me that he is Buzz Lightyear, not any other character. The fact that these have stuck with me all these years is pretty shocking, but this movie has seriously changed my childhood more than, I think, any other Disney movie.
I was a little bit shocked to hear the amount of adult-type things lodged into the movie. For example, right when we first meet Buzz Lightyear, Woody is starting to get upset with all the other toy's fascination by the new stranger, so he purposely says Buzz's name wrong... he eventually calls him "Buzz Light-beer".... Yeah, okay, that's not as bad as horrible fart and toilet jokes in kids movies, but still... for a movie that I thought was so innocent back in the day, it really shocked me.
The other thing that really surprised me was how I never got scared of the scene where they escape Sid's house... I mean, all these really creepy-ass toys start to wander towards Sid, and Woody begins to say things directed right at Sid. At one point, Woody says "We see eeeeeeeveryyyythinnnng" and his head spins around like the exorcist! I mean wow! That's freaking terrifying. I don't know if it scared other kids, but for me... nothing. Guess that means I was a weird kid (go figure).
Overall this movie is a HUGE step in movie technology. Not only was the idea simple and pure, but it was the start of a huge craze: CGI animation. Of course, Pixar is known for making these heart-felt comedies and things, but it goes further than that. This movie is a pioneer for other movies coming in the future, and it is still wonderful, even after 10 years. I will always want a Woody doll, I will always think of Buzz Lightyear when I hear Tim Allen, and I will always love this movie.
Toy Story 2 (1999)
, 9 out of 10: Must See!Director: John Lasseter and Ash Brannon
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, and Kelsey Grammer
Toy Story 2, the sequel to the popular Toy Story, continues kind of where the last one left off. Woody and Buzz Lightyear (two toys in a boy named Andy's room) are best of friends after their adventures together in the original one, until one day, w
hen Woody is trying to save a toy from getting sold at a garage sale, he is stolen by a crazy toy store owner. He meets with newcomers Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl (Joan Cusack) and Bullseye, as well as the dasterdly Prospector (Kelsey Grammer), and struggles with the idea of becoming an icon or staying a kids toy forever.
Warning: The following also contains spoilers... please do not read if you haven't seen the movie.
I would like to start us off on this one with mentioning that this movie has completely contradicted the popular notion that all sequels (unless part of like a trilogy) are complete wastes of time. Toy Story 2 is probably one of the best kids movies of all time. Period. This movie, almost more than the first movie, has captured the innocence, pride, and happiness that toys bring to children. Plus, the characters they added in this movie completely help that plot reach home...
Let me give you a little more detailed synopsis of the movie.
So basically the movie starts with Woody trying to find his hat before Andy goes to Cowboy Camp with him. We see that Woody and Buzz Lightyear, who were enemies in the first movie, have grown to be best friends, and all the other toys have their friendships and things with each other (now there's Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, who are hilarious!). Andy decides to play with his toys before he leaves, and he accidently rips Woody's arm. All of a sudden, Woody is on the "top shelf," which is the equivalent of rock bottom. When he finds an old friend (Wheezy, the squeeky penguin that lost his squeeker) getting sold at a garage sale, he makes a rescue plan and accidentally gets stolen by this creepy toy store owner. Arriving back at the guy's apartment, Woody meets Jessie, a cowgirl doll that yodels and says things when you pull he sting, Bullseye, a cute little plush horse, and Stinky Pete the Prospector, who's never been out of his box. Soon, Woody realizes that he was a toy based off of a popular show (seemingly from the 50s) called "Woody's Roundup" and all of the others were also from the show. They are being sold to a museum in Japan, but wouldn't be there unless Woody came along too. So Woody has to choose to stay and go to the museum or go home to Andy and family. He decides to go home first and then finds out that Jessie used to be a little girl's favorite toy until she was abandoned. Woody then decides to go to the museum so he can be with his new friends and provide them with the love that they need until Buzz Lightyear intervenes with other toys from Andy's room. Woody decides to invite Jessie and Bullseye back to Andy's with them, but trouble ensues as the Prospector goes nuts and forces Woody onto a plane to go to Japan. Of course they escape in the nick of time and Jessie, Bullseye, Woody, and Buzz end up back in Andy's room, loved like always.
This movie, although a little more emotional than the first one, truly speaks to the heart of every man woman and child. Jessie's song in the middle (about her past) has pretty much made me cry everytime I heard it. But I endure this because the movie is just so wonderful. Going back to what I said above about my love for vintage-y looking cowboy things, this movie is fantastic! At one point, Woody is looking at all the "Woody's Roundup" memorabilia, in all of its vintage glory, and just reminds me how much the 50s and 60s rocked for that type of media.
But going back to the first part, this movie has put other sequels to shame. The new characters were lovable (I begged for two years for a jessie doll, and I finally got one. Decided that I would never give her away), the old ones were just as lovable as before, and the topic was heartbreaking and funny. Almost more than the other one, this movie was innocent... there were little to no adult-oriented jokes, and the humor was kid-ish but cute! I think my dad laughed the hardest when Slinky-dog goes up to the Rock em' Sock em' robots and asks them if they've seen Woody.... and both of them think that slinky is talking to exclusively them... so they battle. It's stupid. But it's funny.
Honestly, I cannot tell you which one I love more... I mean, Toy Story was the start of something fantastic! It was heartfelt and cute and original... but this one just tugs on my heartstrings... To be honest, I've seen Toy Story 2 more times than the first one; it makes sense though, I mean, one of the main characters is a girl, for once... and she is just so cute!
With the new Buzz and his obliviousness to his identity, and the barbie tour guide, and ZURG.... this movie just wins.
Overall, I adore this movie. it is sad, it is happ
y, it is sweet, it is stupid. There are so many things to describe this movie, and I can't help but love it... even after 10 years.
THREE DEEEEEEEE Toy Story(s)
Overall Score: 9.5 out of 10: Must See!
Now, let me just say that this group of movies is fantastic all together, and the 3D is really fantastic. There really isn't any "IN YO FACE" type 3D things, but the depth of field is beautiful. Specifically the first one has fantastic visual effects in the 3D field and the second, not so much...
The real winner were the cute little images before and during the intermission. Very vintage-y, these cute little pictures of the toys just made me happy.
The movies themselves are wonderful, and I feel that the 3D didn't hurt at all. So be sure to go while you can, because it is worth every penny.
1 comments:
i did not get the chance to see the first one in theaters but i remember clearly going to the store to buy it with my mom the week it came out and going home to watch it immediately. i recall seeing toy story 2 though and the huge excitement of that.
anyhoo, off track. i dug the review holmes. i can't wait for the where the wild things are review. get on it!
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