Preamble
On my time on Earth I have only seen nine of the Pixar movies. I feel remiss about that so I have decided in the same vein of my Disney movie marathon I will (try) to watch them all. Unlike that marathon I think I will review of all them and with a running rank of the top few as I go and a separate full ranking after I watch all the available ones up, whenever that happens. Also unlike that Disney marathon I’m going in order of release date instead of a random order.
First up Toy Story (1995). Which is one of the movies I had seem prior.
(post contains affiliate links)
The One that Started it All
In my opinion Toy Story deserves every accolade it has received over the years. It’s by all accounts a great movie with an imaginative plot, memorable characters and fun visuals. It was groundbreaking at the time it came out as the first CG animated movie and was a triumph. No disputing that.
With all that being said, I respect Toy Story more than anything. However I don’t feel particularly warm towards this movie. I like it enough but I feel like there is a wall of glass between me and the movie. Perhaps there is nothing in this movie that resonate to my taste and it’s far too easy to over-think this movie in terms of logic and philosophy that threatens to take one out of the world and the characters. Like what is the essence of a toy and what is link to? Because Sid destroying and recreating his toys makes them unable to speak anymore. Not to mention that as this movie presents itself a toy entire self-concept is that their purpose is make a child happy but ONLY if they played with properly. Honestly it’s fine to over-analyze the movie since it’s both simplistic in nature and complex. But the movie doesn’t want you to question the rule and essence of the toys too much just that Sid bad and Andy good.
For the movie’s style is both a little too uncanny and artificial for me. I do like the Woody and Buzz’s characters arcs and but I didn’t warm to them could just be as simple as myself not being a big fan of either western/Sci-fi*, cowboy and space aesthetics are not it so for me.
Agin it is a good movie. I appreciate the set-up and pay off of Woody lighting the match with Buzz’s visor to ignite the rocket after Sid burnt him with the magnifying glass.
It’s a well done movie all around it’s just not for me as a matter of taste however I’m not disputing its place in pop culture.
I have to confess I’m was very apprehensive about this review as I don’t have strong feelings towards Toy Story. I it’s one of the few Pixar movies I watch it as a child and while I enjoyed it enough then and now it never inspired much other than passing enjoyability. It’s 100% objectively a solid movie, I do like it enough and it is funny and cute.
Favorite moment – The Shark mocking Woody “Howdy, Howdy Howdy,” also the Pizza Planet Aliens are cute
Favorite Visual – The sunlight shining through Buzz’s visor. I thought that was pretty.
My Current Ranking of Pixar Movies Based on my own Subjective Opinion:
By Default it’s Toy Story for now
