Deep Dive Pixar: Wes Looks at Toy Story

Ladies, gentlemen and others, put on your cowboy hats, prime your space lasers, check your boots for snakes and get ready to go to infinity and beyond because today, Deep Dive Disney becomes Deep Dive Pixar as we look at one of, if not the most ground breaking films in the history of animation. I speak, of course, of Toy Story. I mean it, as the first ever fully computer animated feature film, one cannot understate the significance and impact this film has had on the world of animation even now, more than twenty-five years after the fact. More than that though, it’s a great movie in its own right. I fondly remember seeing this movie in theatres and later recording it when it finally premiered on TV. My recording even had a making of featurette as well as a very weird Pizza Hut commercial featuring Ringo Starr of The Beatles. I even dressed up as Buzz Lightyear for Halloween when I was eight years old. Needless to say, I have a lot of love for this movie and I hope I can do it justice. So, here’s what we’re looking at. Set in a world where toys come to life when humans leave the room, the film primarily focuses on toys belonging to a young boy named Andy. Woody, an old cowboy doll, feels pretty secure in his position as Andy’s favorite toy, a title that grants him respect and admiration amongst his peers. However, that changes when on his birthday, Andy receives a brand-new Buzz Lightyear space ranger action figure who seems to be the new favorite both with Andy and amongst the other Toys. To make matters worse, Buzz seems unaware that he’s a child’s plaything and is under the impression that he is the actual Buzz Lightyear, irritating Woody to no end. Naturally, jealousy sets in and Woody grows desperate to remain Andy’s favorite, leading him to accidentally knock Buzz out the window. Buzz finds Woody and through a series of circumstances, they both end up far away from Andy’s house. Worse yet, they’re found by Sid, Andy’s neighbor with a penchant for torturing Toys and need to get home in one piece before Andy’s family moves and they’re separated from him forever. It’s a classic in every sense of the word and I cannot wait to get into it. Let’s dive right in and look at, Toy Story.

Main Character:

I’ve decided to give the main character spot to both Woody and Buzz since both have strong arcs throughout the film. Before we get too deep into things, let me just give as much praise as possible to Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. While I was very much familiar with both actors prior to seeing the film and despite the fact that both have very distinct voices, I don’t hear either of them during this or any of the subsequent films. I just hear Woody and Buzz. Great job gentlemen.

We may as well start with Woody. Woody, as I said, is comfortable in a position of respect and admiration as Andy’s favorite toy. He doesn’t exactly let it go to his head or anything and seems to be a genuinely nice guy who’s well-liked by his peers. In fact, it’s the other toys who seem worried about being replaced at the beginning of the film while Woody is the one who tries to keep everyone calm. It seems to simply not occur to Woody that any of the Toys would be replaced, never mind himself. So, naturally, when Buzz comes along, he’s not prepared for it and he can’t help but become jealous. I’ll admit, some of Woody’s actions in the film, while amusing, do not show Woody in the most positive light. He actually comes across as a bit of an ass for most of the film. I think that the Woody we see at the beginning has long forgotten the deeper meaning of his own words, “It Doesn’t Matter How Much We’re Played With, What Matters is that We’re Here for Andy.” Woody’s ordeal with Buzz and extended separation from his owner helps him to realize just what those words really mean. It doesn’t matter who’s the favorite, Andy needs both him and Buzz in equal measure.

While Buzz’s arc is not quite as prominent as Woody’s, I think it is still incredibly strong. Remember, Buzz spends the majority of the film believing himself to be the “real” Buzz Lightyear. When confronted with the truth that everything he believes is a lie and that he’s actually little more than a plastic effigy of a fictional character, Buzz naturally doesn’t take it well. He went from intergalactic hero to well… just a toy. What Buzz learns is that sure, he may not be saving the galaxy, but to one little kid, he is the greatest, and there’s no greater feeling in the world than to be loved by a child, something one can argue ties into the greater overall themes of the franchise.

Villain:

Sid Phillips, Andy’s nasty neighbor is something I like to call a perspective determinant antagonist, meaning someone who’s only really evil from the point of view of our main characters. Another example would be the chef from The Little Mermaid. Sure, as far as Sebastian was concerned, the man was a sadistic butcher but to anyone unaware that sea life in this universe are capable of complex human thought, emotion and speech he was just an overzealous seafood chef who maybe loved his job a bit too much. Likewise, to the toys may see Sid as Hannibal Lecter, Josef Mengele and Victor Frankenstein rolled into one but to us humans he’s little more than a troubled child. Now, I’m not saying that Sid is any kind of saint. He’s a bully towards his sister, clearly has some anger issues he needs to work through and is in all likelihood a little shit to most everyone he meets but that does not necessarily an evil person make. Sid is unaware that the toys he’s torturing are anything more than inanimate objects and once he learns that they are alive he’s traumatized by the implication. However, one can theorize that the toys scaring the hell out of him may have been the best thing for him and may have served as the kick he needed to find healthier outlets for his anger issues. After all, when we see Sid in the third movie (yes, the writers have confirmed that that was indeed him) he seems happy and well-adjusted and has found a decent job as a garbage man. There’s some evidence within the film that Sid is the victim of an abusive father and while said evidence isn’t enough to accept this as canon, especially considering that the subject of abuse is one I take very seriously, however, it would explain why Sid feels the need to assert power over things that can’t hit back and would make him something of a sympathetic character in hindsight.

Side Characters:

The toys in Andy’s room are prominently featured, but there’s not as much to say about them as one may think.

Mr. Potato Head is voiced by famed insult comedian Don Rickles whose excellent timing remains intact. It’s worth noting that he’s the one who rallies the toys when they think Woody killed Buzz, making him something of a secondary antagonist. Don’t worry, he’ll become much less of a reactionary jerk once he gets married in the next movie.

Ham, the piggy bank voiced by John Ratzenberger of Cheers fame, is a bit calmer than potato head and has some solid sarcasm throughout the film.

Slinky Dog, voiced by the late Jim Varney, is a pretty cool character. It’s made clear that he and Woody have a friendship that goes a bit beyond what he shares with the others and I appreciate how he’s the longest holdout for believing that Woody killed Buzz and seems genuinely devastated when the evidence looks overwhelming.

Bo Peep is Woody’s love interest and brilliantly voiced by Annie Potts aka Janine from Ghostbusters (making me feel bad for assuming it was Jennifer Tilly all these years.) I appreciate that she’s the only one who doesn’t lose faith in Woody.

Finally, there’s Rex, voiced by the inconceivable Wallace Shawn. I actually love the idea of a neurotic T-Rex who is worried that he’s not fearsome enough.

Songs:

The only song worth mentioning in this movie is the classic You Got a Friend in Me. I’m not normally a Randy Newman fan, but I do like this song and how it speaks to the unconditional friendship between a child and their favorite toy. It has a staying power to it that other songs in the film simply don’t possess, hence why it’s been revisited in so many of the subsequent sequels.

Memorable Scenes:

There are actually Two Scenes I’d like to discuss here. First there’s the scene where Buzz catches up to Woody at a gas station after having been knocked out the window. Buzz informs Woody that revenge is not something they promote on his planet before hilariously reminding him that they’re not on his planet and tackling him out of the car. A pretty fun brawl ensues that later became a boss fight in the Toy Story video game. By the way, fuck that game for its vague ass instructions for that boss fight. The hint before the fight says to “tire him out.” How the hell is anyone supposed to guess that that means to hit Buzz with a tire. Anywho, this of course leads to Woody and Buzz to be left behind at the gas station and Woody freaking out about being separated from Andy. Buzz goes off on some rant about how the evil Emperor Zurg or something and Woody finally snaps, going on an angry tirade about how Buzz is just a child’s plaything. This of course leads to the immortal “You are a Sad, Strange Little Man” line as Buzz walks away. The whole scene cracks me up. Something about seeing a character completely lose his shit always gets a laugh out of me. Tom Hanks has always had excellent comedic timing and he brought his A-game to the role of Woody.

The next scene I’d like to discuss is later in the film. As I said, when Buzz finds out that the life he thought he lead was little more than a fiction to sell action figures of which he is one, he doesn’t take it well and starts to go through an existential crisis. For whatever reason, this causes Buzz to act like he’s drunk. Something about Buzz, wearing a woman’s hat and apron, slurring his words and having a complete breakdown while demanding Woody refer to him an “Mrs. Nesbitt” makes me laugh my ass off every time. Tim Allen’s delivery in this scene is the perfect mix of hilarious and sad, which is exactly what the scene calls for. I love it.

Story:

I do believe that there is a greater story being told over the course of this film series but that’s a discussion I’d prefer to save for when we eventually get to Toy Story 3. I would like to point out the symbolism of a cowboy doll being replaced by a space man action figure, a clear metaphor for the westerns falling out of vogue in favor of the rise of science fiction, a theme that will become far more overt in the next film.

The obvious theme of this movie specifically is the evils of jealousy. Buzz comes along, Woody feels his position is threatened and it drives him to do terrible things. Once he realizes that Andy loves both him and Buzz equally, he learns his lesson. It’s actually pretty straight forward. One might almost compare it to becoming an older brother. You might feel jealous that you’re not getting the same level of attention, but eventually you learn to love the new arrival as much as your parents do. It’s a good message, especially for young children, and it’s presented competently and from a very unique perspective.

The Dark Disney Factor:

While we’ve established that Sid may not be as evil as he appears, his room does look like a nightmare for our heroes as do the Mutant toys that dwell in it. To apply real world perspective to all this, imagine being hunted by a roving gang of cannibals who also happen to be freaky science experiments with all kinds of mismatched body parts sewn together, and you have an idea of how Woody and Buzz must feel. I honestly love the designs for these guys, they’re all equal parts terrifying and creative. Honestly, the world of Toy Story is surprisingly unsettling if you really think about it. These toys that we treat as inanimate objects and throw in the trash if they become broken are actually alive!? That’s really fucked up! For that matter, how do they know to go limp when humans are around? Do they just assume the position, or is it something that kicks in when observed like the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who? Frankly, I don’t blame Sid for freaking out when he learned he’d been torturing sentient beings all along, I’d hate to see the poor kid’s therapy bills. This is kind of a twisted world. It’s one of those films that just works better if you don’t think about it too much, otherwise you end up creeping yourself out.

Final Thoughts: This is a hell of a movie with both animation and a story that still hold up twenty-five years later. It's one that I fondly remember from my childhood that find myself revisiting often as an adult. I'm glad to have gotten the opportunity to relive it for this Retrospective. Next time, we're Deep Dive Disney once again as we return to the Disney Renaissance with a film that I think comes dangerously close to being a true masterpiece. Join us next time as we look at The Hunchback of Notre Dame.