Toy Story: 10th Anniversary Edition
Buena Vista Home Entertainment / 1995 / 81 Minutes / G
Street date: September 6, 2005
Reviewed by Mike Restaino and Peter M. Bracke on August 17, 2005. (Bio / Equipment list)
Let's begin with some comments from our review of October 2000.

All right, 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 ìbad guys,î the melancholy or dark characters whose feelings are so often vilified in Disney films. Real life is never black and white, so even in the deceptively simple morality plays Disney made famous, I just couldn't connect with ìthe magic.î Admittedly, I didn't have the best of childhoods, so I'm probably 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's the highest of praise from me when I say I absolutely love the world of Toy Story.

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 Toy Story 2, Pixar is surely batting three for three.

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 ìcomputer generated films,î the words ìwarmth,î ìpassion,î and ìhumanityî 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 ìartificialî 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.

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 of Woody and Buzz - and of newer characters like Jessie and Prospector Pete - 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 the 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 ìOoooh, the clawî? And how about that sad little penguin that 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. One need look no further to the by-the-numbers, made-by-committee product known as 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.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

All right - on to the important stuff: How much better is this DVD than the Ultimate Toy Box?

In terms of video transfer, this is an upgraded image - it claims to use the highest bit rate of any Disney/Pixar film - but it's difficult to call this a selling point, because the Ultimate Toy Box's video transfer is reference-quality to begin with. From DVDfile's review of that release:

ìToy Story was 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!

ìQuite 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). The sense of depth and the sharpness of these transfers is unrivaled. There is no grain, no ìprintî defects to mar the image, no intrusive edge enhancement, no 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. Pause any frame of Toy Story and it is like looking at a perfect picture on your wall. Flawless!î

So I guess you could call this 10th Anniversary transfer a step up from ìflawless.î It's amazing, to be sure, but is the upgrade really necessary?

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

Again, this edition is the equivalent of polishing an already gorgeous diamond. The Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix here is absolutely phenomenal, exploiting every possible element of the soundscape with wonderful result - but it was like that last time, too. The one big plus here is that we now have a DTS track - Disney/Pixar's first! - and it's definitely the way to go.

From our old review:

ìThe overall balance of the mix among the six channels seems effortless, and the surround action is aggressive but not overwhelming. Since there really is no such thing as ìon setî 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 audio 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 mixer Gary Rydstrom is able to contrast loud and quiet sounds, allowing dialogue to remain intelligible and not be drowned out by the effects and music.î

All this and even more fluid fidelity comes with the DTS track on this disc. Again, I'm not sure whether it merits an upgrade for this alone, but this is the one element where this edition does have a noticeable improvement from the Toy Box."

Also included are English, French, and Spanish Dolby Surround 2.0 tracks, English, Spanish, and French subtitles and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Okay, what was on the last disc that appears again here? Well, we get a ton of sneak peeks for upcoming Disney fare like Cars, Toy Story 2's Special-Edition DVD, Cinderella, Chicken Little, Tarzan's new DVD release, a smattering of releases from Studio Ghibli, Lady and the Tramp's new double-disc edition, and Old Yeller's Special Edition - that's first.

On disc one, we get a new intro (1:00) from John Lasseter and then a 12-minute documentary, Legacy of Toy Story. Then we get a screen-specific audio commentary from John Lasseter and other members of the Pixar production team as they discuss the merits of the film as well as its inception and production (and the troubles in both those arenas).

Disc two brings us a new documentary, Making Toy Story (20:00), as well as a new featurette, Filmmakers Reflect (16:00). We also get some new deleted scenes (that come along with some of the ones we've already seen on the Toy Box), including two alternate opening sequences and a look at the ass-kicking baby toy, Shakes the Rattle. Up next is another new featurette, Designing Toy Story (6:00), in which art director Ralph Eggleston and his team discuss the ins and outs of the film's visual makeup.

Then there's the Behind the Scenes section of the disc that's similar - actually, almost identical - to the stuff on the Toy Box. With the addition of newly-organized Design galleries (split up into Character, Sets, and Color), we get a look at Story, Production, Music & Sound, and Publicity which involve short featurettes and interviews as well as reams upon reams of stills.

Rounding out this edition is the new set-top game, The Claw!. Fun.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.

Easter Eggs

In a move that I think is actually quite cool and cute, this DVD includes easter eggs aplenty, but it also has an almost-but-not-quite-hidden menu for Toy Story Treats, through which you can watch all thirteen minutes of the easter eggs strewn across this collection.

Final Thoughts

Well, I'm going to keep it on my shelf, but I'll be doing it with a chip on my shoulder. While I think it's great that Toy Story gets the best treatment possible, I'm getting more than a little tired of constant re-releases, especially seeing as The Ultimate Toy Box is one of the best DVD collections in the world. You can pre-order this title at a lot of different places for almost half its $29.99 list price, though - if that makes you feel any better about picking it up. I'm dropping its score a half-point for lack of cool packaging and for the fact that after Toy Story 2's special edition comes out the day after Christmas, I'm sure there will be another box of the two films we can buy. Good thing we're made of money, right?

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DISC FEATURES

Specifications
- 2 DVD-Video Set
- Dual-Layer Disc
- Region 1

Aspect Ratio(s):
- 1.78:1

Dolby Digital Formats:
- English EX
- English 2.0
- French 2.0
- Spanish 2.0

DTS Formats:
- English ES

PCM Formats:
- None

Subtitles/Captions:
- English Closed Captions
- English Subtitles
- French Subtitles
- Spanish Subtitles

Standard Features:
- Interactive Menus
- Scene Access

Supplements:
- New Introduction
- Sneak Peeks
- New Deleted Scenes
- The Claw Set-Top Game
- Commentary
- History Extras
- Design Extras
- Story Extras
- CGI Extras
- Sound Extras
- Publicity Extras
- Toy Story Treats

InterActual DVD-ROM Features:
- None

List Price:
- $29.99