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Toy Story is famed not only for being the first all-CGI feature film, but also for its carefully crafted narrative. John Lasseter took the helm for this "charming, funny, and well-realised" adventure, helped along by the vocal talents of Tom Hanks, and launched Pixar into the big league of Hollywood animation houses.
Play Time
Ten years after its initial release this two-disc edition comes jam-packed with behind-the-scenes goodies. Making Toy Story pays tribute to the forward thinking of Pixar who were keen to "advance the tools of animation". Bizarrely, Lasseter cites 80s sci-fi Tron as a key influence and even pays homage to the creepy Casper doll he used to play with as a kid - and still owns! Ultimately the film was pitched simply as "a buddy movie with two toys" and Hanks reveals that he signed up after seeing test reels looped with dialogue from his canine cop movie Turner & Hooch (1989). Of course we get to see that footage too.
In Filmmakers Reflect, Lasseter and his writing team (including Finding Nemo's Andrew Stanton) recall the arduous development phase. They were so keen to please Disney execs that they slavishly followed all of their script notes, which criticised them for being "too juvenile". In the end, they turned in a lousy rough cut of the film, but it marked a turning point at which the guys finally realised they had to stay true to their original vision.
Story development gets a more detailed focus in the massive Behind-The-Scenes section. Here, The Green Army sequence is pitched to directors using storyboards and bags of enthusiasm and there's an up-close look at design, right down to the "Phillips Head rivets" in Buzz Lightyear's spacesuit. All these designs are showcased in a generous batch of concept galleries, set tours and 3D turnarounds.
Animators talk us through their creative process in a Production menu. Essentially this involves videotaping human movement for replication in the CG world and then choreographing the action within this artificial environment. At the end of the production line, music and sound is dealt with in numerous effects and song demos. Of course Randy Newman's You've Got A Friend In Me music video is thrown in too.
To Infinity And Beyond!
Eight deleted scenes are presented as a mixture of finished animation and storyreel footage with introductions by the filmmakers. Among them, bully Sid tortures Woody with wild abandon, but this was later judged too distressing for younger viewers. No doubt kids will relish seeing Sid get his comeuppance and the sly humour of Lasseter and co is neatly conveyed in two alternative intros for Woody and Buzz, placing them in their respective sci-fi and Old West settings.
Peppered throughout disc two are 10 Easter eggs. Basically, wherever you see a sheriff's star, click on it and you'll find the toys enjoying a little downtime, eg channel surfing, making shadow puppets, and playing Go Fish. Elsewhere, The Claw is a lucky dip-style game bolstered with great new animated snippets.
On disc one the folks at Pixar along with Hanks, co-star Tim Allen and grownup fans including George Lucas, reflect on The Legacy of Toy Story; "I wasn't prepared for how deep it was," says The Big T. Naturally these complex building blocks are deconstructed by Lasseter and his crew in a jovial audio commentary. Finally, the director hosts a sneak peek at upcoming tooner CARS.
With so much behind-the-scenes access and cheeky animations thrown in, this Special Edition DVD offers plenty to play with for kids and grownups alike.
EXTRA FEATURES
