Classic Film Review #16: Toy Story quartet
Available on Disney+
It’s hard to dispute the notion that this beloved franchise sparked a new era in animated film, nor that it remains the zenith of Pixar’s achievements.
And while the recent announcement of a fifth instalment might leave viewers such as I worried that its legacy could wind up being sullied, no such scenario would ever diminish the joyous impact of Toy Story’s maiden voyage. Arriving in 1995, the first caper between Woody and Buzz Lightyear (voiced with aplomb by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen respectively) imagines what would happen if our toys came to life when out of sight, underlying the value of solidarity with one’s friends while doing so.
Toy Story 2 builds on that ingenious premise further by allowing its heroes to venture out into the wider world, demonstrating the technical proficiency of its creative team via an enlivening final act that takes place in the inner throes of a busy airport terminal. Aside from this, it also introduces deeper emotional motifs as it begins to explore the toy’s eventual and inevitable abandonment by the owners who one cherished them.
The ability to simultaneously entertain while probing the complexities of growing up is what makes the Toy Story films such a significant cultural milestone, and this is never more apparent than in its outstanding third outing. Set in the bowels of Sunnyside day-care centre, which somewhat mirrors the dark underbelly of American suburbia, it sees the cherished protagonists come across their most formidable foes – Ned Beatty’s malevolent Lotso and, more pressingly, the bittersweet reality of growing up and the gradual loss of childhood innocence.
Indeed, there’d have been a fair case to be made for Toy Story 3 being the best crescendo to any cinematic franchise, and it’s for this reason that its successor initially felt unsatisfying. However, on closer inspection, Toy Story 4 serves as a fitting finale for the series (and Hanks’ Woody in particular).
A towering triumph in both animation and storytelling, the Toy Story films stand toe-to-toe with any other film series and remain essential viewing for cineastes of all ages.
