When Toy Story first came out, I was really little. I knew it was a popular movie but I don’t think I sat down and watched it all the way through until I was slightly older. Toy Story is Pixar’s very first film, made well before Pixar was known as the large and ambitious studio it is today. Back in 1995, film-grade CGI was still in its infancy, and at the time most of us were impressed with just seeing animation in three dimensions. The original Toy Story may seem primitive and low resolution by modern standards, but I don’t mind it at all. The film’s visuals captured the details that counted. Watching it again as an adult, I feel nostalgic for those simpler times because those were the days of my life.

In the world of Toy Story, toys not only come to life, but they can think and feel. Andy loves playing with his toys, especially his favorite toy Woody. Woody loves Andy and is proud to be his toy. Woody is also a natural leader and is always looking after the well-being of all of Andy’s other toys. At Andy’s birthday party, he assures their fears that none of Andy’s toys are going to be “replaced” by new gifts, but that’s exactly what happens when Buzz Lightyear enters Andy’s life. Soon, Andy’s interests begin to shift away from cowboys and toward space rangers, leaving Woody feeling jealous and unloved. Woody is also annoyed by Buzz because Buzz is stuck in character and doesn’t understand his role as a toy or how the world he lives in operates, and the two come into conflict. Later, when Buzz finally discovers that he really is only a plastic plaything and not a real space ranger, he feels lost and purposeless. Woody then comforts Buzz by saying that being a really cool toy is just as good as being a space ranger because Andy loves him and Buzz means the world to him. As friends, Woody and Buzz not only make an excellent team, but they find there is enough room in Andy’s heart for both of them. Andy gets very sad when he thinks his toys are lost but is relieved and delighted when they finally return to him.

Due to technical limitations, Toy Story is really a very small and simple movie. Its characters are by their nature small, but their personalities and emotions make them feel so big. The film’s story is limited to very few locales; Andy’s house, Sid’s house, Pizza Planet and the gas station. The film relies on a combination of perspective and playful imagination to make ordinary things we see every day look big, cool and perilous through the eyes of a toy, and because the characters are toys they have to be resourceful and rely on clever toy-based found-object solutions to dangerous problems such as traffic, hostile dogs and wicked boys like Sid. Toy Story is actually pretty scary in a lot of respects, and while lots of small kids find scary things really cool and fun, every time the film triggers a big emotion in me I feel inclined to take my own favorite toy out of my pocket and give it a hug just to remind myself that I know where it is and that I’m keeping it safe. [Believe me, my favorite toy has done a lot of good for me and I appreciate everything it does].