It was the best of (movie) times... Toy Story

Toy story was Pixar's first feature length films and the first feature length film done entirely in CGI.  It's inovation paved the way for films such as Finding Nemo, Tangled, Shrek, and Beowolf.  The writing was ingenious and funny for both kids and adults and captured what Disney films had lacked in the years since the fairy tale movies... A good story.

The movie opens with a child named Andy playing with his favorite toy, Woody.  Woody is a wild west sheriff toy with a pull string voice box.  (One of the things he says is "There's a snake in my boot!"  Always good for a laugh.)  Andy gets called away, and drops Woody on the bed.  This is where we see the real world of this movie.  When people are away, the toys "wake up."  Well... It's more like they pretend to be inatimate when people are around.  Whatever.  Anyway... The audience is introduced to many interesting characters, but the main ones are Mr Potatohead (self-explanatory), Slinky (a Slinky dog), Rex (a toy Tyrannosaurus Rex), Hamm (a piggy bank) and Bo Peep (I think from a nightlight... Maybe... I don't think they ever really explain why a little boy has a toy Bo Peep, not that there is anything wrong with that).  There are a few more, like the soldiers in a Bucket o Soldiers, the Speak and Spell, a wind up set of walking binoculars, and RC, the remote controled car.  They are an organized society with Woody at the top because he is Andy's favorite toy.

It's the day of Andy's birthday party ( a surprise bcause Any's mom moved it ahead to accomidate their moving the week of her son's birthday) and the toys are nervous about possibly being replaced.  In response to the nervousness, Woody sends the toy soldiers (the kind that don't move, you know, with their feet planted on a piece of plastic terrain the width of their feet) with the receiver from a baby monitor downstairs to report what the presents are.  This is set up like a military operation, complete with casualties.  The monitor gets set up and the present opening begins.  After much nail biting, there are no toys and there is a collective sigh of relief.  But WAIT!  Mom has a surprise gift.  Rex gets over excited and the speaker falls, cutting off the transmission.  After some frantic replacement of the batteries, the toys all must resume their position because the sergeant is reporting that Andy is coming.  Andy and his friends breeze through and leave Andy's surprise present on the bed, pushing Woody over the side of the bed.  The kids run out for cake and the toys all rush to see who is on Andy's bed.  They find Buzz Lightyear, a space man action figure, complete with wings.

Woody is (of course) jealous and instantly dislikes Buzz.  It doesn't help that Buzz is unaware that he is a toy.  The rest of the toys like Buzz and feed into his delusion.  They help Buzz repair his ship, ask him what a Space Ranger does, and generally accept him, flaws and all.  Well... then Woody consumed with jealousy sets up an elaberate trap to push Buzz under then bed so Andy will choose him for an excursion to a pizza place.  Buzz, instead ends up falling out the window and the toys all think that Woody is a murderer.  Down at the mini van, Buzz is able to grab on and confront Woody at a filling station.  They end up getting left behind, Woody panics until he sees a delivery boy for the pizza place and the two toys ride with him to "Pizza Planet."

When there, we see Andy's neighbor Sid.  Sid is a Doctor Frankenstein of toys.  A real psychopath.  Sid ends up getting Buzz and Woody from a claw machine filled with squeeky alien toys.  (I will put a link to this scene later... it's one of my favorites.)  Why are they in a claw machine?  It is shaped like a space ship, and Buzz needs to get back home, of course!  Anyway... Woody and Buzz end up at Sid's house.  They meet all the toys  "reconstructed" by Sid (a mechanical spider with a dolls head, a set of Barbi doll legs with a fishing pole for a torso/head, and a muscular action figure torso with a duck's head and bouncey bottom are my favorites).  Woody tries to get home, but the toys still think that he killed Buzz (proven by Woody having Buzz's disembodied arm), so they are on their own to get home.  Buzz sees a commercial for, well, him on tv and has an identity crisis.  He just gives up and Sid ties him to a rocket, intending on launching him into space.  He "comes to" a little too late, and Woody and Sid's toys have to come to the rescue.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgdI0qsbg2A&feature=related.

(Yes, I know this is a long summary... Again.  This is a learning process, people! )

It's moving day, and Woody and Buzz have to catch up with their family in an exciting climax in which Woody and Buzz race down the street using the power of the ignighted rocket (still tied to Buzz's back) and the wheels of RC.  Buzz gets to fly (or "fall with style") with Woody in tow.  They (of course) catch up and the movie ends with the toys crowding around the baby monitor again on Christmas morning.  Woody gets a kiss from Bo Peep, and Buzz and Woody are REALLY nervous as Andy gets a dog.  And Randy Newman sings, cue the credits.

OK. *catch breath*

I LOVE this movie.  I always have.  I love the story.  I love the colors, the animation, the pacing.  It's all great.  I still laugh at scenes.  Especially Buzz's introduction to Andy's room, it's the BEST "so there" moment EVER! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCGzemN7Dc8).  And the sqeeky alien claw machine (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-Esh4W3dfI).

If I was to have any complaint about Toy Story, it would be Randy Newman.  I really am not a big fan of his style of music.  At all.  Well... That is a lie.  I really liked the music in The Princess and the Frog.  But over all, not a fan.  I think that You've Got a Friend in Me sounds like I Love To See You Smile sounds like If I Didn't Have You etc. etc. etc. and so forth.  You don't believe me?  Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFq_TLy9fvk&feature=related,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt7i-Wpi8sk,  and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfFepOnARFA.  Tell me I'm wrong!  It doesn't ruin the movie.  It's pretty much my only gripe with Toy Story.  And he's my biggest gripe with most Pixar movies.  And then there's this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9FH4HIQjvw&feature=related.  I know... But the fact is, most songs of his I hear are just about what he sees.  Lol!

I think that I am done, for now.  I hope to hone this process a little better as I go.  Practice makes perfect, right?  I have 98 more weeks of this!  Another 9 1/2 Weeks is next. (for everyone keeping track, I know that a movie called Addiction was 99 on the bad movies list, but I am having trouble finding it, so I skipped it for now.  I will get back to it.).  ANYWAY...

Cue Randy Newman, roll credits.

GGC