Last year's phenomenonally sussessful 'Toy Story' broke new technological ground, becoming the first full-length feature film to be entirely computer generated. More importantly, it's also a very good movie.
'Toy Story' is a tale of two toys. Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), the faithful cowboy, long the favorite of young Andy, and the new toy in the box, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), a rather pompous astronaut that doesn't know he's a toy. The abrupt arrival of Buzz to the world of Andy's room causes a crisis of confidence for Woody. Circumstances find Woody and Buzz seperated from Andy and the rest of the toys trying to get back home with only each other to rely on. This is the strength of the story. Basic concepts of friendship, loyalty, self-worth and cooperation are presented in a most entertaining and visually dazzling film. The precision and fluidity of computer animation gives the toys, and the world they inhabit, a hyper-real, almost surreal, atmosphere.
I have always found the two-dimensional nature of animation translates well to video. This is, of course, no different with 'Toy Story'. The THX approved transfer on the new laser disc from Disney is simply stunning. Colors are bright and vivid without a trace of noise. The image is as sharp and detailed as one is likely to find and contrast and brightness are excellent. The image has been framed at 1.77:1. According to a notation on the jacket, this is the framing chosen by the director. Certainly, compositions appear to be well balanced.
The soundtrack is as much fun as the rest of the film. Since the soundtrack of an animated film is created entirely from scratch, a filmmaker has the same control over what you hear as what you see. It would appear that the same care and expertise that went into the images of 'Toy Story' also went into its soundtrack. Numerous directional effects and very efffective use of the surround channel blend with the on-screen action perfectly. The disc also offers Dolby Digital audio. If you think the matrixed soundtrack is good, you should hear the discrete mix. The discrete digital sound formats are ideal for this kind of film and it is used to its best advantage here.
'Toy Story' runs 81 minutes and is presented on two CLV sides with 31 chapters. The side break is thoughtfully placed. List price is $29.95. No trailer or other supplements were included in this edition, but, Disney does have a CAV collector's edition that promises a comprehensive, if not exhaustive, supplement covering the production of this film. I'm sure many will want the CAV edition of a film like this, but, if you are more interested in simply watching a movie rather than studying how it was made (or don't have room in the budget), this CLV edition of 'Toy Story' is a true bargain.
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