Description

Toy Story is a 1995 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The first instalment in the franchise of the same name, it was the first entirely computer-animated feature film, as well as the first feature film from Pixar. The film features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, R. Lee Ermey, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, and Erik von Detten.

Taking place in a world where toys come to life when humans are not present, the plot of Toy Story focuses on the relationship between an old-fashioned pull string cowboy doll named Woody and a modern space cadet action figure, Buzz Lightyear, as Woody develops jealousy towards Buzz when he becomes their owner Andy’s favourite toy.

Toy Story premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on November 19, 1995, and was released in theatres in North America on November 22 of that year. It was the highest-grossing film during its opening weekend, eventually grossing over $373 million worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing film of 1995. The film received critical acclaim and holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was praised for the technical innovation of the 3D animation, script, Newman’s score, appeal to all age groups, and vocal performances (particularly Hanks and Allen); it is considered by many to be one of the best animated films ever made and, due to its status as the first computer-animated film, one of the most important films ever made. The film received three Academy Award nominations (Best Original Screenplay (the first animated film to be nominated for this award), Best Original Song for “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”, and Best Original Score), in addition to being honoured with a non-competitive Special Achievement Academy Award.

The success of Toy Story launched a multimedia franchise and a series of three sequels, starting with Toy Story 2 (1999), and the spin-off film Lightyear (2022), with a fourth sequel planned. The film also had a theatrical 3D re-release in 2009 as a part of a double feature with the second film.