Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3-D Movie Review
Disney Re-releases John Lasseter's Pixar Films Starring Tom Hanks
Oct 1, 2009
With Toy Story 3 coming to theatres in the summer of 2010, Disney/Pixar decided this was the perfect time to offer a limited engagement of the first two movies in a classic double-bill.
And now that 3-D fever is officially sweeping the animation nation – thanks in part to films like DreamWorks Animation's Monsters vs. Aliens, Focus Features' Coraline and Disney/Pixar's own Up – what better excuse did the Mouse House need to give these Chrétien-era flicks the 3-D treatment?
While watching the first two movies shows how far computer-generated animation has come since 1995, it also shows how much Pixar got right with these movies, especially when it came to the script and voice cast.
John Lasseter Directs Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, Annie Potts and Don Rickles in Disney/Pixar's Toy Story and Toy Story 2
By now everyone knows the story of cowboy Woody (Tom Hanks) and space ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and how they go from being bitter rivals to best friends. What's remarkable is how well this story holds up 14 years later. Even though the images are clearly a product of the 1990's, director John Lasseter and his scriptwriters crafted a smart, funny plot that doesn't feel dated in the least.
Another obvious element is the undeniable crudity of the CGI images in the original Toy Story. While this film was cutting-edge back in 1995, Pixar hadn't gotten a handle on animating certain characters. Sid's pitbull Scud is the most obvious: his body is all angles, his hair is non-existent and he doesn't move naturally on screen. This isn't a criticism, but an indication of how far the state of the art in CGI has come since Toy Story's initial release.
Toy Story 2 is Rare Sequel that's Better than the First Movie
Toy Story 2 is that rare sequel that tops the original, both storywise and in the animation. One can almost see the wink co-directors Lasseter and Lee Unkrich – who takes over the reins for Toy Story 3 – offer the audience when they show off Lucky the puppy in Toy Story 2: Lucky's more natural-looking hair and movements showed how much Pixar's animators were working to improve their game.
The plot, featuring Woody being kidnapped by an unscrupulous toy collector, was a significant step up as well. It introduced several darker elements – such as the idea that Andy will one day throw out these lovable toys – while keeping the one-liners coming thick and fast ("I'm a married spud, I'm a married spud!"). And you gotta love the classic battle between the two Buzz Lightyears, one of whom still believes that he's an actual space ranger ("I can't believe I was so deluded!").
Finally, major kudos to Lasseter and team for resisting the temptation to clean up some of the rougher animated elements in these two films. Are you listening, George Lucas?
The Final Analysis
Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are genuine movie classics, offering wonderful stories filled with compelling characters. While the CGI animation looks crude and unrefined compared to what Disney/Pixar, DreamWorks Animation and even Sony Pictures Animation is offering these days, the Toy Story movies still cast a spell over audiences young and old, thanks to the inspired script and brilliant voice cast.
Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3-D gets a 10/10.
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