Toy Story revolutionised world of animation
21 shorts, collecting 37 Oscars. Pixar started out in the 80s with computer scientist Ed Catmull, computer graphics pioneer Alvy Ray Smith and Apple boss Steve Jobs and made computer-generated animation for adverts. John Lasseter joined, directed Toy Story and the rest is history.
Dr Andy Dougan, film studies lecturer at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, said: “Toy Story was a game-changer because Pixar was the first studio to produce a feature length film that was completely computer generated.
“More important, it showed that computer animation, which had always been seen as soulless, was capable of telling stories with heart.”
Scots film critic Siobhan Synnot said: “Toy Story is not afraid to put big questions on the nursery play table, like, what’s more important; being yourself and living your best life, or devoting yourself to other people? What’s life even for?” The Toy Story art showcases the early designs and evolution of Woody’s friend Buzz Lightyear, showing he went through a variety of different faces, suit colours and wing designs, before he was transformed into the Buzz everyone knows and loves.
There are so many recognisable voices in Toy Story, from Tim Allen as Buzz to Tom Hanks as Woody.
There’s been an incredible amount of detail included in Pixar’s films. In its Scottish film, Brave, artists created a unique tartan design for each clan. But the DunBroch tartan pattern is impossible to make with traditional weaving methods.
Toy Story changed the face of movies – and continues to have an impact, as Buzz would say, to infinity and beyond.