An all-time favorite with Toy Story comes in at number 99 on AFI’s All-Time Top 100 list. I love the movie because of the story, the voice actors (give me Tom Hanks all day every day), and the creativity infused throughout this animated masterpiece. It’s like an animated Honey, I Shrunk the Kids where the toys see the world through a different lens and retain the respective personalities one, as a kid, would have expected those toys to possess. On top of that, giving toys life is exactly what happens when a child (…or adult) plays with them, injecting the toy into an epic action figure diorama or a component of some made-up game.

I first saw Toy Story in the theater and then some dozen times between 1995 and the present, so this was not a first-time viewing. The human animations and general look are pretty ragged, and textures are less than refined. The main characters are plastic, however, so that actually works in Pixar’s favor. For 1995, this movie pushed animation to a new level, and its shortcomings are easily overshadowed by the film’s overall quality and the exceptional viewing experience. Woody and Buzz propelled Pixar into juggernaut status and spawned a line of memorable animated experiences from bugs to cars to superheroes.

Toy Story also contains numerous small touches and special nuggets that I’ve never never noticed before. These are not relevant to the film’s appearance on the top 100 list, but they add an extra layer of viewing fun. First, did you know Joss Whedon has a writing credit?! Yes, the man who gave Serenity to Firefly and helped make The Avengers a household institution was part of the team taking Toy Story to infinity and beyond (I couldn’t help myself). Second, each outdoor scene contains ambient spring and summer sounds whether that’s birds chirping or cicadas singing an afternoon overture. The care taken to span the environments from the micro to the macro have to make the viewer sit back in awe at the detail. Third, there is a Binford Tools toolbox in Sid’s (the toy terrorist) room which is a fun little wink to Tim Allen’s role on Home Improvement and his character’s Tool Time show sponsored by, if you can guess it, Binford Tools. Fourth, Sid reenacts Princess Leia’s interrogation scene from Star Wars. I’m quite embarrassed that I never picked up on that until now. Fifth, Tom Hanks is a national treasure, and Tim Allen is to Disney like melted cheese is to tortilla chips, they make one another better.

Next at number 98 is 1942’s Yankee Doodle Dandy which I can’t honestly say I’m excited to watch, but it needs to get done. Mind status: opening.

Return to the List Thus Far