Toy Story

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⭐ 10/10

Everyone knows this movie, everyone loves this movie. What fascinated me is that when we stayed at an Airbnb that had a ton of kids toy, the first thing my 2 year old boy saw was a Buzz Lightyear, and when he saw it he gasped "what is that!?". Amazing to me, that this toy that was made for a movie 30 years ago still holds so much power. And that's the premise of this movie! A super cool toy that causes the other toys to get jealous as the kid ignores them all. And I watched that happen, so of course I had to show him the movie.

I remember the whole thing by heart, but with fresh eyes and a child beside me I was truly blown away. The detail, the jokes, the animation, it's all incredible. I listened to a podcast about the technological leaps that happened here, the years of innovation that culminated in this, and the many hurdles that almost completely derailed the movie. I'm always fascinated by the troubled productions that produce masterpieces, and this is a prime example, with a couple key visionaries pushing for something the suits didn't understand. Inspirational stuff, and the companies involved basically rule the world now.

The whole movie long Ezra kept asking, unprompted, "when is he going to fly", which I was shocked by. Something in the character design or my own son's imagination told him that that's what Buzz needed to do. Little did he know that's the climax of the movie! Buzz's whole arc is thinking he's an astronaut, realizing he's just a toy, but then embracing that to actually fly! I'm not trying to be a parent who thinks their child is genius, it speaks to the character design and story writing, and how after all these years it still captures the minds of kids.

I could keep going, so many moments that I was mesmerized, but I will say even the opening with the army guys doing the recon mission for the presents. So funny, so well written. The way they move and talk, I was completely blown away by the artistry and craft on display. Pizza Planet has always been a favourite of mine, and Sid's house needed to be skipped because I was still afraid of it. Oh, I noticed the carpet in Sid's house is the same as the Overlook Hotel in The Shining! What an absolute delight, and I can't wait to watch 2, which is probably my most watched movie ever.

Final note, Woody is terrible. He uses bad words like stupid and shut up, and he's constantly yelling and complaining! The podcast mentioned that earlier versions of the movie were quite harsh, Woody really bullying new toys, so I think its a remnant of that, and it serves the story, I just wish he would relax a bit.

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