Pixar was formed in 1979, originally part of George Lucas’ Lucasfilm. The division was tasked with developing computer technology for use in the film industry. In 1986, Pixar was sold to Steve Jobs, who employed about 40 people at the time. Their first film using the newly developed Computer Animation Production System was a 2-minute short that featured the now-familiar Pixar lamp (“Luxo”) playing with a ball. It was released in 1986.
In 1995, “Toy Story” was the world’s first computer-animated feature film. Released on Thanksgiving weekend, it opened at #1 at the box office and went on to become the year’s highest-grossing film, earning $192 million domestically and $362 million worldwide. Pixar’s initial public offering took place just days later, on November 28. It was the largest IPO of the year.
The film spawned three sequels, with a fourth due for release in 2026. Produced in collaboration with Disney, the movie’s absolute success prompted Disney to eventually buy Pixar in 2006. “Toy Story” revolutionized movie-making, and Pixar has since turned out animated hit after hit.
The sheer value of newly created computer animation programs can be seen when comparing two films made just one year apart. The original 1994 version of “The Lion King” required the work of 800 employees and cost $45 million. The following year, “Toy Story” employed only 110 people and cost just $30 million.
The animation files for this movie took up roughly 600 gigabyte at a time when the typical consumer PC came with a 250 MB hard drive. External hard drives had not yet been invented. The 100 MB Zip drive had just been introduced. Today, the movie, including all of the extras, fits on an 8-GB DVD.
To recap the story: A boy named Andy has a room full of toys that come to life whenever his back is turned. Their leader is a cowboy doll, Sheriff Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks). Andy’s upcoming 6th birthday party has everyone worried that he will receive a toy that he loves more than he loves them. As they suspect, his newest toy, Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) causes jealousy. However, all the toys have to join ranks to face obstacles and solve problems. Most troublesome is the boy next door, the evil Sid (named after Sid Vicious) who likes to torture and dismember toys, and who toy-naps Woody and Buzz. Then there’s also the problem of Andy moving to a new house, causing outrageous trouble.
Within the movie, Andy’s toy Woody is an action figure with a tie-in to a fictitious TV show called “Woody’s Roundup.” In the TV show, Woody and his sidekicks, Jesse, Stinky Pete, and Bullseye, work together to solve mysteries and catch bad guys. This fictional show within the fictional Toy Story universe aired from 1949 to 1957 but was cancelled shortly after Sputnik, the world’s first satellite, launched into space.
The theme of Andy favoring Buzz (a spaceman) over Woody (a cowboy) speaks to a cultural change spurred by the advent of the space race. Little boys stopped wanting to be cowboys and started wanting to be astronauts. “The Lone Ranger” gave way to “Star Trek.” This is why Andy’s toys were worried about becoming obsolete and being left behind, or worse: donated to Goodwill.
When Woody and Buzz are trapped in Sid’s house and trying to escape, Woody is held captive underneath a milk crate, which is held down by a heavy toolbox. When Buzz tips the toolbox over, we see that it is labelled ‘Binford’. This is a nod to Tim Allen (who provided the voice of Buzz) who was starring at the time in a sitcom called “Home Improvement.” In that show, he hosts a show called “Tool Time” which is sponsored by the fictional Binford Tool Company
One clue that the evil neighbor Sid was bad news was that the carpet in his house was identical to the carpet in the Overlook Hotel from the movie “The Shining.” Sid was always seen wearing a skull t-shirt. When Sid returned for Toy Story 3, by now an adult, he was working as a garbage man, still wearing the same skull t-shirt.
In one scene, Woody and Buzz enter the Pizza Planet restaurant in search of Andy. Sid can be seen in the arcade playing “Whack-an-Alien,” a spoof of whack-a-mole. Baby aliens are popping up from the abdomen of an astronaut-like figure, a nod to the 1979 film “Alien“ and a terrifying scene for Buzz.
In the film, a rusty, rundown old beater of a pick-up truck plays a key role as the Pizza Planet delivery vehicle. This same wreck of a broken-down truck has appeared in all of the “Toy Story” sequels and has made cameo appearances in most other Pixar movies as well.
The name of the real estate agency selling Andy’s home is Virtual Realty, a punny version of “virtual reality.”
Ronald Lee Ermey played the part of the crusty drill instructor in the film “Full Metal Jacket.” In “Toy Story” he voiced the part of the commander of the flank of green plastic soldiers who were sent on a reconnaissance mission to scope out Andy’s birthday party.
Woody uses a baby monitor to communicate with the green plastic army men. When interference drowns out communication, the static is a mix of R2-D2 whistles and beeps, a nod to Pixar’s George Lucas roots.
Pixar wanted to have Barbie in a role similar to the hardened warrior Sarah Conner in the “Terminator” movies. Mattel refused, wanting to protect Barbie’s reputation. After the film’s success, however, Barbie (and Ken) appeared in the sequels.
Pixar asked for permission to use G.I. Joe in the film. However, when Hasbro found out the plot called for Sid to blow up G.I. Joe with a rocket, they refused permission. Instead, a generic G.I. Joe look-alike called Combat Carl was launched instead. Combat Carl did not survive.
In several scenes, Luxo, the iconic Pixar desk lamp, can be seen in the background.
Randy Newman wrote the film’s signature tune, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” in just one day. He got an Oscar nomination for it. The Oscar went to “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John in “The Lion King.”
The movie received a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In fact, all the sequels did too—except for Toy Story 3, which received a score of 99%.
This was the third animated Disney film to earn an Oscar. The first two were “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937) and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988).
