Directed by: John Lasseter
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen,Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, Erik von Detten
Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures
MPAA Rating: G
Running time: 81 minutes
Overall Score: 5 out of 5 stars
Pixar has changed the way that people watch animated films. With “Toy Story”, it was the first time a animated film was done in completely made with computer graphics. The first is epic and created the franchise loved by everyone. Woody and Buzz are some of the most notable characters from any film and has nudged it way into everyone’s hearts. This Blu-ray contains the coverted 3D presentation of this film. Since the film was originally released in 1995. It is before this new 3D technology existed. The conversion is really great and adds some good depth to the film. When I saw the “Toy Story 1 & 2” theatrical release, I enjoyed it but I wasn’t blown away. This was a real improvement from that experience for sure. The video is crystal clear and really pops the colors in the film. The sound on the film is a terrific DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Disney is known for their Blu-ray video and sound and they have yet to disappoint.
The special features are similar to the first release of “Toy Story” on Blu-ray. Included is an audio commentary with director John Lasseter, co-writer Andrew Stanton, art director Ralph Eggleston, supervising animator Pete Docter, supervising technical director Bill Reeves, and producers Ralph Guggenheim and Bonnie Arnold. It is one packed house and it is great hearing about the production and work from their film. The featurette “Toy Story 3 Sneak Peek: The Story” is a short sneak into “Toy Story 3”. “Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: Blast Off” is a fun animated/live-action short. “Paths to Pixar: Artists” takes a look with the animators on their experience. “Studio Stories” is consisted of three animated shorts “John’s Car”, “Baby AJ”, and the “Scooter Races”. “Buzz Takes Manhattan” features John Lasseter talking about the Macy’s Day Parade balloon. “Black Friday: The Toy Story You Never Saw” talks about the version of the film that we never saw…and it is a good thing for sure.
The rest of the features are from the past DVD releases and are in standard definition. The first is called “Filmmakers Reflect” featuring a roundtable discussion between John Lasseter and his Pixar crew about the film. “Making Toy Story” goes in depth on the development, design, and animation. I have always enjoyed this feature. “The Legacy of Toy Story” looks at the film and its legacy on animation genre. “Designing Toy Story” talks about the design of the film. Short but sweet. There are ten unfinished deleted scenes and alternate versions. It is always great to see raw footage from Pixar. There are three in depth features looking at the “Design”, chats about the 3D, the “Story”, features a story-to-film comparison and “Production” talks about the tricks used to make the film. The next featurette is about the sound and music, which is the best part of the film, with “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” music video and “Designing Sound” with Randy Newman’s audio tracks. Lastly here are many promotional spots includes, two theatrical Trailers, four TV spots, twenty-five domestic and international Posters, merchandise photos and more. If you have never owned this film this is the set you need to pick up.
