toy story
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/ 1995 / 90 Minutes / Rated G
Street Date: December 31, 1969  Alright, I'll get it out of the way right up front: I hate Disney movies. Even when I was a kid, their relentless happiness and good cheer felt like a sales pitch to me. They just never connected to any of the real experiences I had or emotions I felt as a child. To me, the world of Disney was one of exclusion; when I was young I never possessed that eternal sense of optimism others had that everything would be okay. Because of that, I could only ever relate to the "bad guys," the melancholy or dark characters whose feelings are so often vilified in Disney films. Real life was never black and white, so even in the deceptively simple morality plays Disney made famous, I just couldn't connect with "the magic'. Admittedly, I didn't have the best of childhoods, so I probably am not a good example of the average viewer. But for whatever reason, I don't like Disney, and Disney probably doesn't like me... So it is the highest of praise from me when I say I absolutely love the world of Toy Story. But I suppose it isn't fair to call Toy Story a Disney film; after all, the creative force behind it is actually a brilliant little company Pixar. Once just a startup computer animation company (co-founded by Apple's Steve Jobs), after a series of groundbreaking shorts Pixar created the first fully computer-animated feature film with Toy Story, and the rest as they say is history. Along with 1998's A Bug's Life and now Toy Story 2, Pixar is surely batting three for three. On paper, a computer-animated film about a collection of toys might seem like nothing more than a marketing masterstroke, an excuse to revel in crass commercialism. While I'm sure there are various theories as to why the Toy Story films have been so successful with both critics and audiences alike, I think one reason is because they are really adult stories told with childlike enthusiasm. The first Toy Story is essentially a buddy movie, the second a road movie. The emotional trials and tribulations Woody and Buzz, and newer characters like Jessie and Prospector Pete, with are universal yet complex. Children can relate, but adults will find deeper meanings and added poignancy. Lasseter and Pixar have been able to humanize their creations, to create a universe that is not only enhanced by computer animation, but perhaps could only exist because of computer animation. And these characters! How could even the most hardhearted cynic not respond to Woody, Buzz, Slinky Dog or Rex? And how can you not help but laugh when one of those cute little green aliens goes "Ooooh, the claw!"? And how about that sad little penguin who has lost his voice, Wheezy? I can't help but just tear up thinking about him (pathetic for a grown man, I know.) And it has to be some kind of special achievement to bestow Mr. Potato Head and a Barbie doll with such humanity and humor! So with so many big-budget animated houses funded by major studios closing shop, it is not a coincidence that Pixar continues to soar, and in the eyes of many does Disney better than Disney themselves. One need look no further to the by-the-numbers, made-by-committee product known as last spring's Dinosaur to see what others do wrong that Pixar does right. With Buzz, Woody, Hamm, Rex, Zurg and the rest of the Toy Story characters, Pixar has taken classic archetypes and well-known brand names but made them human. Both highly personal yet appealing to a mass audience, I think the world of Toy Story is timeless. But in the end, like the best kinds of wonder and magic, it is best not to think about it too much, just appreciate it.
Over the past two or three years of reviewing DVDs, I must say I've seen my share of both the good and the bad when it comes to transfers, and at this point it takes a lot to either impress or depress me. But once every so often, a transfer will come along that sets a new standard, or shows me something I've never seen before. Both these new Toy Story and Toy Story 2 transfers do just that. Boasting "100% digital" transfers, both discs are reference quality, and just may be the very definition of the word "pristine." Both have been newly remastered directly from their digital sources under the auspices of THX. Since both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were created entirely in the digital realm, the step of transferring the original digital masters to film has been eliminated (however, previous Toy Story video versions were done the more traditional way, transferring to film and then to video.) Theoretically, a direct digital master presentation stands to greatly benefit from no loss in quality that might ordinarily occur from the digital-to-analog-to-digital process. And this release certainly proves that theory to be correct! Quite frankly, I've never seen a more clear, three-dimensional image on DVD before - it almost seems unreal (well, okay, I guess they aren't.) Similar to Pixar's last superior DVD release, A Bug's Life, the sense of depth, the sharpness, of these transfers is unrivaled. There is no grain, no "print" defects to mar the image, no intrusive edge enhancement nor soft focus shots or faded blacks. Colors are vibrant, sparkling, beautiful. In fact, they are so striking I kept squinting to try to detect some hint of smearing or bleeding, but couldn't. And, thankfully, Disney has done their job on both the 2-Pack collection as well as The Ultimate Toy Box. Though both contain different features (and thus had to be compressed and authored separately), there are no noticeable artifacts on either one. Pause any frame off the DVDs of Toy Story or Toy Story 2, and it is like looking at a perfect picture on your wall. I suppose I am risking ridicule admitting this, but I nearly shed a few tears at how gorgeous these images are. Flawless!
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound? Not content with merely standard-setting video, the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround tracks on both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are also winners. In fact, if you have a Dolby Surround EX-capable setup, you'll enjoy even more enveloping sound, as these tracks are Surround EX-encoded to produce a rear center surround channel for enhanced envelopment (I am not currently EX-enabled, alas, so watch for an updated look at these EX tracks soon.) Both 5.1 mixes are what you'd expect with an Academy Award-winning sound designer like Gary Rydstrom at the helm...excellent. The overall balance of the mix between the six channels seems effortless, and the surround action is aggressive but not overwhelming. The sense of envelopment and imaging among all channels is very wide, though if I were to nitpick, I'd say that on just a few occasions did I find the pans from front to back to be a bit obvious. Since there really is no such thing as "on set" sound recording for an animated film, these soundtracks are a combination of entirely studio-recorded dialogue, music and created effects. Thus, the dynamic range and fidelity of the sounds is superior. Clean, clear and perfectly balanced, these are expertly produced tracks. Bass is quite strong, especially during the more dramatic sequences, but what is perhaps most impressive is how well Rydstrom is able to contrast loud and quiet sounds, allowing dialogue to remain intelligible and not be drowned out by the effects and music. These are great mixes (and too bad there are no DTS versions provided, nor separate English 2.0 surround mixes...) Alternate French and Spanish 5.1 surround tracks are included on the standalone and 2-Pack Toy Story discs only, while English Closed Captions, and English, French and Spanish subtitles are also available on all the discs.
Perhaps a bit confusingly, both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are being released in multiple configurations for each film. Both are available separately or in the Toy Story 2-Pack, though are relatively extras-free. But the real treasure trove for supplement hunters is The Ultimate Toy Box (pictured to your right) a three-disc set that not only includes a third disc packed with extras, but different versions of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 with even more supplements than the 2-pack and stand-alone versions. Sound confusing? It is, but let's figure it out... The Toy Story and Toy Story 2 standalone discs, and the Toy Story 2-Pack, are relatively bare in terms of supplements. Both discs feature two acclaimed Pixar short films, "Tin Toy" on the first disc, and "Luxo, Jr." on the second. Toy Story 2 also includes some very amusing outtakes (presented after the main features in full frame, unlike during the theatrical run, where they were edited into the end credits) as well as a sneak peek at the upcoming Disney release, "Monsters, Inc." The 2-Pack is also more plain in terms of packaging, with nothing more than an insert with chapter stops and straightforward design. If you really want the goodies, you have to go with The Ultimate Toy Box. Costing just $30 more than the 2-Pack, there are so many more features in it that unless you only care about the movies, there isn't much of a choice, is there? The first noticeable difference between the 2-Pack and the Toy Box are the menus. While the 2-Pack's screens are fine and easy to navigate, the Toy Box's menus are much more elaborate, fully-animated and feature nice little music cues throughout. The Toy Box also comes with a nice foldout insert with some new production notes specifically on the DVD (and a very nice plug for the format from John Lasseter and crew!), and an extensive "Navigational Overview" of all the supplements on the third disc, which is very helpful and a thoughtful inclusion by Disney and Pixar.
First up are the Toy Story and Toy Story 2 discs. In addition to the content available in the Toy Story 2-Pack, there is the roughly 40-odd minute documentary The Making Of Toy Story. This is a very nice, very comprehensive documentary that covers the production of the film from conception to final execution. Obviously, since Toy Story was the first motion picture created entirely on computer, that is a major focus of the piece, But so is the story, as is the artistry of the voice talent in bringing the characters to life. All the Pixar crew are there, too, and like the rest of the supplements, their enthusiasm is contagious! This is a good introduction to start with if you are new to the Toy Story universe, and will help put the wealth of supplements on the third disc into perspective. Each disc also contains a screen-specific audio commentary with the creative team of John Lasseter, Ash Brannon and Lee Unkrich and Writer Andrew Stanton. I don't know, if ever there seemed like an ideal place to work, it must be Pixar. The enthusiasm of these guys is so infectious, so joyous, you can't help but want to send off an application right now. They obviously love the characters and world of Toy Story, and it shows in the commentary. Listening to so many DVDs all the time, I suppose I have become jaded. So it was a breath of fresh air to hear two such animated commentaries. With four participants, there is never a dull moment, but despite their sense of humor, due respect is paid to the material and this doesn't turn into a yuk-fest. The development of the films, the characters and the stories are all elaborated on in detail, and my favorite aspect of these tracks is how each participant (especially Lasseter) is able to personalize their contributions to the film. These are two great tracks.
Finally, there are a few more goodies on the first two discs as well, including the full Buzz Lightyear commercial seen in the first film, which is a riot, as well as some Toy Story Treats, which are fun little "interstitials" featuring Toy Story characters. Combined with the commentaries, the documentary, the outtakes, the short films and the isolated music and effects tracks, you could spend hours going through the first two discs just by themselves. (And again, note that most of these features are not available in the 2-Pack, just The Ultimate Toy Box.) Now, on to the third disc, which houses extensive supplements for both Toy Story and Toy Story 2. When you pop the disc in, you'll be greeted by a very amusing new introduction by what will turn out to be the disc's main participants, Lasseter, Unkrich, Brannon and Stanton. Then it is off to the main menu, which splits the disc right down the middle, each side housing a full range of supplements for Toy Story and Toy Story 2. In fact, the navigational architecture for each film is exactly the same, being broken down into eight shared sections. Since there is such an extensive range of material here, I found it easiest to go through each subsection separately, and discuss the extras for each film within the umbrella category. All the supplements (aside from a few film clips) are presented in full frame and 2.0 stereo. After the filmmaker introduction (which screams "hey, we're really proud of this, and really wanted to do something new!") the creators of this disc have expanded upon the original laserdisc box set to take better advantage of DVD's capabilities. While the Toy Story supplements are basically the same as the laserdisc (covered in more detail below,) the extras covering Toy Story 2 expand upon those concepts, and both are "linked up" in a rather clever way. A couple of caveats about the basic navigation first, though. The highlighting of the directional buttons is a bit tough to figure out at times. The colors chosen to highlight them don't often make it clear which button you're about to select, though after a while it became a bit easier and more intuitive. Also, the still galleries are laid out as "thumbnails," with successive screens of up to nine still images per page. However, usually if you highlight a thumbnail to view the full screen version, right after if you hit your right and left arrow, you can cycle through all the thumbnails without having to go back to the main screens. A bit confusing at first, but soon it becomes very easy to navigate.
So, now onto the supplements. First up is the History section. There are two introductory featurettes on Toy Story and Toy Story 2, with the first focusing on the creation of Pixar and creating the Toy Story world, while the second asks the question, "Why A Sequel?" Like all the video segments on the third disc, these run just a few minutes, but are just one piece of the overall big pie. Both history sections for each film also feature cast & crew bio pages and very extensive production notes on the film (with photo stills as well), while Toy Story has some early test drawings and an original treatment (all in still form), while Toy Story 2 has a couple of video segments on further developing the Toy Story characters, and a very fond profile on John Lasseter (and which features a range of interviews with the cast and crew.) The Story section houses a wealth of material. There are three storyboard pitches total covering both films with newly-filmed introductions for each. Both are split-screen, displaying the actual storyboard sequence next to the video of the actual pitch meeting. The Toy Story 2 pitch is also multi-angle, which allows you to watch the storyboards full-screen with the pitch meeting narration in the background. (This is a common occurrence on the third disc, with the Toy Story 2 features often a bit more interactive than their Toy Story counterparts.) Each film also gets a storyboard-to-screen comparison, and Toy Story has some additional production notes on the editing process, a story reel and animated montages of three abandoned concepts, the "Buzz Cartoon," "Woody's Nightmare" and "Western Shootout."
For those interested in Computer Animation, this is your section. Production Tours are provided for both films, and which give a quick A-B-C of how computer animation works. Each film also receives a Production Progression demonstration (Toy Story 2's benefits from multi-angle), which shows the building up of a character from wire frame to final rendering. There is also a number of neat Special Effects demos on each film, though Toy Story 2's is a bit cooler, in that it features little short video clips of various cool computer effects used in the film instead of just text and stills. However, the first Toy Story includes some additional little featurettes and still sections on Shading & Lighting, Building A Shot, Character Animations, an Animation Tour with host Ash Brannon, and my favorite, Layout Tricks. Here Designer Craig Good outlines how shots are blocked in the computer, as well as some tricks that are used to force perspective and other nifty things. Good stuff. The Music And Sound section on each film was also very fascinating. Each has a featurette on Sound Designer Gary Rydstrom, including overviews of scenes with and without effects, music and dialogue. There are also Randy Newman's Original Sound Demos for each film, about 8 in all, which allow you to listen to his original, simple demos played over the menu screen (these are audio only). The Toy Story 2 section also features a Music Video for the Riders In The Sky sound "Woody's Roundup" (in full frame and looking very "video-esque" and quite frankly, kinda cheap!), and the way cool Mixing Demo. Here you can watch the elevator scene from Toy Story 2, and turn on or off the music, dialogue and effects in various combinations. A fun feature to play around with, and all done through the magic of DVD's multiple audio track capabilities... Each film also has a Deleted Animation section, with some rough, often half-finished sequences that were cut from the films. Lee Unkrich intros these clips, which include expanded "Sid Torture's Buzz" and a "Rain" sequence from the first film, as well as "Godzilla Rex" and the original "Crossing The Road" sequence from the sequel. Also, the first film has a series of "Render Bags," short little deleted clips and sequences that usually last just a few seconds.
Last but certainly not least, the Toy Story 2 supplements feature a 9th section, The Toy Box. This is basically everything that didn't seem to fit in any other section, including a very entertaining (if short) featurette "Who's The Coolest Toy?," featuring the cast and crew asking the burning question...just who is the coolest toy? (My favorites are Buzz and Wheezy, if I had to choose.) There is also a guide to the Hidden Jokes in the films, an "international" version of a scene from Toy Story 2 that is really funny, and a whole section devoted to the "Woody's Roundup" show in Toy Story 2, and man, I want some of those cool Woody props seen in this featurette! There is also an alternate version of the Riders in The Sky music video and a look at how they "aged" the computer characters for this show-within-a-show. As you can see, there be a lot of supplements in this here little box! But there was one key decision made in the presentation of The Ultimate Toy Box that is sure to cause debate. None of these features are "linear," in the sense that nothing is edited to together. You can't really sit down and just "watch" this, it requires constant interaction and menu decision-making. Since all these supplements are compromised of little text, still and video bits and pieces, it can be frustrating to constantly have to click through everything. Perhaps a couple of long, linear documentaries could have been made out of some of this material, with additional still gallery supplements attached. However, some might prefer this separated approach, so how much you enjoy the presentation of The Ultimate Toy Box may be a matter of personal preference... Parting Thoughts When Disney puts their mind to it, they can produce a DVD that not only equals the competition, but exceeds. Both the Toy Story 2-Pack and The Ultimate Toy Box deliver exceptional value for the money. At around $29.95 retail per standalone disc, it is better to go with one of the box collections - either set will offer breathtaking video and audio quality and great value for the money. I love the universe Pixar has created with Toy Story, and I loved these DVDs. Even if you don't have kids, you owe it to your own wounded inner child to visit the world of Toy Story on DVD. I think you'll be glad you did. |
Led by guiding force John Lasseter, the team at Pixar has managed to create the magical world of Woody, Buzz and the rest of the Toy Story gang entirely through the magic of computer technology. Yet, when one thinks of "computer generated films," the words "warmth," "passion" and "humanity" don't usually spring to mind. But if ever there was proof that a computer is indeed just a tool, no matter how cold, and that a piece of art created entirely via "artificial" means could be just as wondrous, entertaining and beautiful as something more traditional, the Toy Story films are it. I think the secret is that Lasseter and his talented crew know the value of a good story - all the whiz-bang computer effects in the world can't save a weak script, or characters you don't care about. With Toy Story, they have created a wonderful world that truly speaks to all generations, that is both modern and nostalgic yet never sentimental or cloying. 
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
(Note: While both the Toy Story 2-Pack and The Ultimate Toy Box feature 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers of each film, the Toy Story 2 standalone and 2-pack discs also includes a full frame version. Some shots have been cropped, and others recomposed for a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. This full frame version is not included in The Ultimate Toy Box, nor is there a full frame version of the first Toy Story on either release. (And yes, for you pre-movie tech trailer hounds, not one but two different THX trailers can be found on these discs, one for each film.)
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? 
Admittedly, the biggest concern I had diving into the Toy Box was the knowledge of the original, standard-setting Toy Story laserdisc released a few years back. As is commonplace on DVDs nowadays, many recent "Ultimate" editions tend to be little more than ports of old laserdisc content with spiffed-up menus. Certainly nothing necessarily wrong with that - there has been a lot of great content produced for laserdisc, so while not use it? However, I had to wonder, would Toy Story 2 get short thrift? Would any effort be made to updated the laserdisc content and actually connect the two films content-wise? Would DVD's capabilities be fully utilized? Turns out, I needn't really have worried. Despite a few caveats, I was impressed by what appears to be a real, solid effort to make The Ultimate Toy Box something special and new.
In addition to the commentaries, each disc also includes an isolated music and effects track, in 5.1 Surround EX, no less. Personally, unless you're planning on going to film school for sound design, these tracks may be of limited interest. I had fun clicking to them on occasion, but because once again Disney has disabled the ability to switch audio tracks "on the fly" via your remote, thus forcing you to go to the menu every time you want to switch a track. So trying to have fun with these isolated tracks is made all the more difficult. I've always thought DVD was about consumer choice, so why studios continue to disable on-the-fly access baffles me. .Still, these isolated tracks are here for those interested, and certainly Academy Award-winning designer Gary Rydstrom's work deserves such special treatment!
Anyway, the arc of the supplements for both films starts from the history and background, through production, then finishing with the marketing and publicity. Each film's main menu is divided into eight shared sections: "History," "Story," "Design," "Computer Animation," "Music And Sound," "Deleted Animation" and "Publicity," while Toy Story 2 gets an extra department, "The Toy Box." Each section has a wealth of material, with most of the subsections the same or similar for each film. However, it is apparent after spending a little time with the material that much of the Toy Story content has been ported over from the laserdisc. Not that that is bad; just that it is generally more text and still-based, while the Toy Story 2 material is more interactive, including extended video features, multi-angle presentations and even a "make your own mix" demo. And even cooler, many times when you are done viewing a segment, a "links" submenu will pop up allowing you to either return back to the initial menu, or "link" to related material. Thus, if you watched, say, a featurette on Toy Story 2, when it is over you'll be able to link to related segments on Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Kinda neat.
The Design area is even more extensive, and perhaps the most notable feature are the extensive Characters Designs for each film. About 15 characters from each are highlighted, though again the Toy Story 2 overviews are more extensive, featuring not only text and stills, but also 360-degree character rotations, as well as video segments on modeling, CGI and rendering. Each film also receives extensive stills on the Art Design, concept art, color scripts and color keys, and even more galleries (with audio commentary by art director Ralph Eggleston) on various Locations in the film, including "Sid's Room," "Pizza Planet" and "The Gas Station." Finally, the Toy Story section features the "Design Toy Story" segment, with an interview with Eggleston. 
Finally, each film receives a wealth of Publicity material, including a teaser and trailer for each (all in full frame and 2.0 stereo, except Toy Story 2's trailer, which is 1.66:1 non-anamorphic widescreen) and 4 TV spots each. There is also a still gallery of Advertising Material for each film from all over the world, and some of these posters are pretty funny! Unfortunately, some are also of poor quality, and about the only time in the whole package I had trouble seeing some of the still material. Toy Story also has a number of stills of the extensive Merchandising done for the film, and there is also a funny series of "authentic" stills autographed by the Toy Story cast. 
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