Soul

In Soul a middle aged substitute band teacher, Joe (voiced by Jamie Foxx)  finally gets his big chance to play jazz with a famed musician only to find himself suddenly dead. Feeling cheated and unwilling to accept his back luck, Joe tries to run from the great beyond. He escapes the path to the great beyond only to wind up in the great before or You-Seminar, where new souls are given unique personalities. Trying not to get caught, Joe becomes a mentor for a new soul, 22 (voiced by Tina Fey). 22 has no interest in going to Earth to live a life and has annoyed countless prestigious mentors (a very funny quick montage shows a few). 22 agrees to help Joe get to Earth so that she never has to, but in an unexpected mishap, (SPOILER ALERT!) 22 winds up in Joe’s body and Joe’s soul has to guide her, as his soul fell into a cat. 

I’ve said it before and here again, I’m astounded by the visual way Pixar chooses to express and explain such abstract concepts in a way that’s age appropriate for children and still captivating for adults. The dark, vast escalator to The Great Beyond is a very cool way to visualize death without making it too scary. The great beyond (which we don’t really see) is depicted here like a vast white light that zaps like a bug zapper with each soul that passes. The whole You-Seminar area is very dreamy and abstract. And I love the very liniar Picasso style Jerry’s and Terry while the souls have a softer, nearly blurry appearance.

Soul is Pixar’s first feature film centered around an African-American character. While there are some gripes about the fact that Joe spends much of the film out of his body, the filmmakers do a great job of bringing Joe and those surrounding him to life. Never before have I seen such quality animation on a diverse collection of characters. Joe, his mom, Dorothea Williams and everyone in the barber shop are unique, fleshed out characters that never fall back on stereotypes. In fact, the barbershop scene is one of the best set within the physical world. It’s apparent that co-director Kemp Powers had a steady hand on the wheel along with the veteran Pixar director, Pete Doctor. 

I love how Pixar addresses the very human mistake of misunderstanding a soul’s spark. Poor 22 has spent so much time with so many prestigious soul mentors under the delusion and ill guidance that a spark equals a purpose in life. It isn’t until 22 is in Joe’s living body that a spark is found. Is the spark music? No. The spark is just a will to live. It’s wonder. It’s that intangible feeling that makes life a joy. 

A film centered around a jazz musician has to have a killer soundtrack. From upbeat jazz numbers, to the soft soulful piano solos, the music in Soul pushes the story forward. Scenes in the You-Seminar have much more organically modern, techno-oriented sound. At times, it can grip at our soul and take it on the journey beyond worlds with Joe, or let us understand 22’s new perspective. It’s a beautiful score, worthy of its Oscar nomination. And it boasts my new favorite rendition of When You Wish Upon a Star. 

What may have begun or was pitched as an animated movie about jazz became a film breaking down our conceptions on life, its meaning and our purpose as living creatures. It’s refreshing to see a film for all ages that doesn’t push any agenda about finding your purpose or achieving your dreams but in the end lets us know that it’s ok to just live and enjoy the ride. To find some joy. To simply be, bask in the wonder and don’t get bogged down in trying to fulfill some purpose or dream that may or may not be all it’s cracked up to be. The world is so much bigger than whatever little mission you have for your life, don’t weigh yourself down. 

“And the thing is, you’re pretty great at jazzing.”

Onward

While Pixar’s newest film had a sadly short run in theaters, its appearance on Disney+ is nothing short of legendary. After it was released on April 3rd, I let my older son stay up late to watch it with me and my husband. Family movie nights and a bit of magic are just what the world needs right now, and Pixar knows how to deliver.

On Ian’s 16th birthday, his mother gives him and his brother, Barley a special gift from their father, who died before Ian was born. It’s a wizard staff, equipped with a phoenix gem and a spell that can bring their father back for one day. But the spell goes wrong, leaving the brothers with only the lower half of their father. Off in Barley’s hunk of junk van, the brothers must go on an epic quest to find another phoenix gem and finish the spell before the next sunset if they want to meet their father. 

Onward takes place in a modern fantasy world where magic has faded with the convenience of technology. Pixies form a motorcycle gang rather than use their wings. The legendary Manticore’s Tavern operates more like a TGIFridays. And fantastic pieces of ancient history are being torn down, with only Barley fighting for their significance. But as Ian and Barley go on their quest, more and more of this old magic is rekindled. I love how The Manticore decides to suddenly remodel, and all the Dungeons and Dragons references! But the best magic is the kind Ian and Barley discover in themselves.

Some of the funniest moments in the movie come from the father’s lower half and fake upper half getting the boys into trouble. Ian gives his father a fake upper half made of old clothes and sunglasses that flops around like the running gag in Weekend at Bernie’s. The moment with the dad and the cops cracked me up. And somehow, with only the lower half, the team at Pixar gives the father life, character and connection to his sons. Their rest stop dance party is a wonderful, sweet bit of family magic. 

Tom Holland and Chris Pratt’s characters play homage to some of their previous performances. Holland’s Ian is a socially awkward teen who needs to get over his meekness and harness some magic. Pratt’s Barley is a vest wearing, loud, fearless, kinda goofy and weirdly driven guy obsessed with his Dungeons and Dragons/Magic: the Gathering style game, Quests of Lore. While Ian is a bit embarrassed by his older brother and his lack of focus on the real world, I love how the film doesn’t try to fix Barley. In fact, the quest would have never gotten rolling without him.

Ian’s whole life he has been yearning for the father he never got to meet. It’s another one of Pixar’s signature heart tugging motifs that helps us sympathize with Ian and his family. But it’s one thing to long for something you never had, it’s another thing to lose it. His realization and sacrifice for Barley is so sweet and not something I expected to happen. It left me teary-eyed next to my son on the couch.

After the movie was over, I talked by my son about how he’s doing such a great job as a big brother. Siblings often don’t realize the impact they have on each other throughout their lives, but movies like Onward show the importance of that sibling bond and your journeys together. The song in the credits, Carried Me With You, puts it in better words than I can. 

“You’re the soul who understands, the scars that made me who I am. Through the drifting sands of time, I got your back and you got mine”

Toy Story 4

Nine years after giving us a perfect ending to the Toy Story trilogy, the creators at Pixar have decided the story is not over. Toy Story 3 did not end with the cliche, And they lived happily ever after, though we could have believed that. Instead, in Toy Story 4, we see that while Bonnie promised Andy she would take good care of Woody, he often is not picked for playtime. She simply plucks his sheriff badge off his chest and gives it to Jessie, leaving Woody feeling rejected with the old toys in the closet.

With little playtime and no longer the leader (that’s Dolly’s role in Bonnie’s room) Woody is struggling with his purpose. Then he has a hand in Bonnie creating Forky, a spork figurine, so Woody feels responsible for him. Especially when Forky keeps throwing himself in the trash. When Forky gets lost, Woody takes it upon himself to find him and ends up meeting new adversaries and old friends in an antique shop and a traveling carnival.

From the promos, we all know Woody finds his old flame, Bo Peep, and I love how her story has turned. The beginning of the film, shows us how she left Andy’s house on a sad rainy night. We find out that years later she decided that instead of wasting away in the antique shop for someone to take her home, she became a lost toy, traveling around the park and sandbox in an RC car disguised as a skunk. She’s come a long way from her bonnet wearing days playing the damsel in distress in Andy’s room.

While there’s a lot to think about in this film, one of the best things about it is how comical it is. Forky flinging himself into the trash never gets old. Buzz’s way of discovering his inner voice is perfect for his character. Duke Kaboom’s backstory and posing is hilarious. Ducky and Bunny (voiced by Key and Peele) are wonderful new characters that add some seriously silly moments (especially in the credits). And my favorite laughs came from how the toys left in the RV keep stalling for time and eventually try to navigate the car, without Bonnie’s parents figuring them out.

To be really honest, I thought there was too much Forky and not enough of our old favorite characters. I mean what’s going on with Buzz and Jessie these days? There was so much with them in 3. But this isn’t their story, it’s Woody’s journey, and Forky is a big part of helping Woody get there. I get it, sorry, but I felt like we were left hanging, like that Combat Carl looking for a high five.

There’s a lot of meandering around with Forky to get to the heart of the matter in this story. It’s all about dealing with rejection and finding purpose in your life, even if it’s not quite how you imagined it. Forky wasn’t on board to be a toy at first, but with Woody’s help comes around to the idea. Accepting new roles will come for other key characters as well. And while the ending is not quite the amazing tear jerker 3 gave us, it’s still wonderfully bittersweet.

“I can’t let you throw yourself away.”

Incredibles 2

It’s been fourteen years since we first met Pixar’s family of superheroes, yet their story picks up from the moment the first film ended. It opens with the Parr family springing into action to stop The Underminer, while they juggle babysitting Jack Jack, and it ensures us that this film will be full of fun, family focused, fast paced action.

However, the day does does not end well for the Parrs, as superheroes are still illegal. The agent who has been helping them stay undercover for years can only offer them two weeks in a motel before they’re on their own. So when a wealthy, nostalgic benefactor hoping to make supers legal again offers Elastigirl a job, complete with a swanky high tech house for the family, the Parrs take it. Soon a new villain rises, targeting Elastigirl and could jeopardize the plan to legalize supers.

While Helen (Elastigirl voice by Holly Hunter) is off doing superhero work, Bob (Mr. Incredible voiced by Craig T. Nelson)  is holding down the fort taking care of the kids. His challenges add some engaging comedy to this family movie. In his first day he has to deal with his Violet’s first date, Dash’s math homework and a baby who won’t stay in his crib on top of being envious of his wife’s work. It only gets worse as Bob discovers Jack-Jack’s powers.

One of the funniest scenes shows Jack-Jack fighting his first enemy: a raccoon in the yard. Many of his powers are revealed as Jack-Jack moves through the glass door, morphs into his monster-baby form, bursts into flames throwing lawn chairs and splits into multiple clones, chasing off the hilariously bewildered raccoon. And when Bob finds him, the excitement about his baby’s new powers is soon met with the insurmountable task of keeping him safe. Thankfully, Edna is willing to help, in her own fabulous way.

This is a rare superhero movie that is family friendly and still satisfies all ages. I loved the way Elastigirl was allowed to shine on her own, as well as a few new female supers. My kid enjoyed the Jack-Jack scenes. And while my husband enjoyed it, he of course found flaws in how similar the plots of both the original and this sequel are, but I won’t spill any spoilers on that. And honestly, I didn’t mind, the stories themselves are unique enough.

One thing I want to warn viewers about is the fact that the film uses a visual effect similar to a strobe light in multiple parts of the film. For those sensitive to such visuals, beware or wait to watch the film at home. It was pretty intense in a dark, crowded theater.

Through all the action and excitement, the heart of the film is the story of the Parr family. While their powers are super, their problems are wonderfully relatable for many modern families. The combination of stress and support between Bob and Helen when they switch household roles is something many families understand and the results are engaging and entertaining for all ages. And as always, these supers are stronger together. Everyone can leave this film seeing the supers within their own home.

“Done properly, parenting is a heroic act… done properly.”

Coco

Pixar’s latest addition to their lineup of amazing animation is Coco, a colorful, vibrant film about remembering the importance of family while following your dreams.

The story centers on the Rivera family celebrating Dia de los Muertos. Young Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez) wants to be a musician, but his family forbids music since his great-great grandfather left his family to pursue his musical ambitions. The rift caused by this patriarch’s absence has been upheld through the generations. The family offering does not even feature him, his head has been ripped out of the family picture. When Miguel discovers that the picture has also been folded to crop out his great-great grandfather’s guitar, he realizes that the guitar belonged to a famous musician, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice by Benjamin Bratt), who happens to be Miguel’s idol. When Miguel is accidentally transported to the land of the dead, he meets his ancestors and tries to find his great-great grandfather, so he can get his blessing to pursue music.

The writers at Pixar have done it again crafting a smart story that entertains and compels their wide audience. My husband and I took our three year old son to see Coco and all three of us loved it. My husband said it reminded him of Up, from the poignant family story and all the color. Our son loved all the skeletons and thinks Coco is a Halloween movie, even though I’ve explained the differences between that and Dia de los Muertos. I spent much of the movie with tears in my eyes, I found the themes and characters so moving. I think a good portion of the audience was wiping tears away as the film ended.

Visually, Coco is another beautiful step forward for animation and reminds us of the importance of color. In depicting a Dia de los Muertos celebration, color is so important and juxtaposed against the white skeletons and brings both the characters and the celebration to life. The Land of the Dead is an amazing feat of animation, depicting a huge city with a wide variety of buildings stacked and layered. The scenes in the Land of the Dead have a lot of depth and character. The animation of the skeleton characters is a great blend of accurate and imaginative. It takes a bit of creativity to give skeletons so many facial expressions, yet seeing one play a guitar so accurately is a delight. And the art nerd in me loved the comic use of Frida Kahlo.

One of my favorite scenes is when Miguel auditions to perform at Ernesto de la Cruz’s party. It’s his first musical performance, ever. Thankfully, he’s met Hector (voice by Gael García Bernal) who helps him stay calm and confident and becomes a wonderful addition to his performance as they sing Un Poco Loco and steal the show. It’s a wonderful mix of energetic animation and catchy music where we start to realize there is more to Hector than he seems. While I would not call Coco a musical, this scene gives me confidence that Pixar could make musicals just as well as Disney.

I seriously doubt Coco will be forgotten during the Oscar season. It is the obvious choice for Best Animated Feature. Remember Me could be nominated for Best Song and the writing here is so strong I would not be surprised if the film earns a nomination for Original Screenplay. While it’s rare for an animated film to be nominated for art direction awards, I wonder if Coco could be considered.

This film has many lessons to teach, to children, adults and to the aspiring artists, but one rings with more importance and resonates for all: Appreciate your family, especially the elders. Let them tell their stories and listen to their past. They are often our last link to those who have passed long ago. Take time to learn about your family, past and present, and celebrate them.

“Never forget how much your family loves you.”

Cars 3

Cars 3 takes the loved four-wheeled franchise back to its racing roots. This time, Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is the older racer looking for a new edge against the next generation. The rookies are all highly trained using the newest technology, statistical analysis and fancy simulators. After a devastating wreck in the first act, McQueen wants to make a comeback. And if he doesn’t, he’ll be forced into retirement.

When McQueen meets his new trainer, Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), that phrase about old dogs and new tricks comes to mind. It’s fun to watch Cruz, a fan of McQueen’s since she was a child, work with him and try to ease him into new exercises, including hanging him upside down and making him name his tires. But McQueen needs to get his wheels dirty and soon he and Cruz set out across the American south to find the car who taught his mentor, Doc Hudson.

This is where McQueen and Cruz get back to the heart and roots of racing. They visit little southern towns where cars race on dirt tracks and make new friends that teach them the way Doc was taught. There’s even a bit calling back to the old moonshine runners that inspired NASCAR.

My favorite scene, and my son’s too, is when McQueen and Cruz accidentally enter a demolition derby. Not wanting to ruin his reputation, McQueen is in disguise. The track is a muddy figure eight, with banged up, souped up cars aiming straight for them. The car who steals the scene is Miss Fritter, an old school bus with flame-exhaust longhorns. She’s the town’s favorite and what she’s done with her stop sign made my kid yell, “Whoa!”

While all of the old fan favorites from the original film make an appearance most of those from the second film do not. In fact, the film does not acknowledge the events of 2 at all, and that’s just fine by me. Perhaps the creators agree that it was just a big mess.

However, I believe they more than make up for the bumbling sequel in 3. Under the guise of stock car racing, the storytellers have once again woven a wonderful story about personal growth, much like the original. The film is driven by McQueen’s drive and given a new heart with the introduction of Cruz. The story of mentor/mentee and how those relationships evolve over time is wonderfully done in a perfectly Pixar way. Cruz’s backstory is poignant and rings true for anyone who has dreamed, but been too intimidated to go for it.

As many know, Pixar’s Cars films are a favorite of one adorable demographic: boys between the ages of 2 and 6. So taking my three year old son to see Cars 3 was an extra special experience. Watching the newest Cars film next to my wiggling, energetic kid, with him giggling at Mater’s antics whispering his race car sounds was a nearly perfect experience. I highly recommend sharing this one with the little ones.

“You’ll never be the racer you once were. You can’t turn back the clock, kid, but you can wind it up, again.”

Finding Dory

For the past thirteen years Dory (voiced by the wonderful Ellen DeGeneres) has been the world favorite forgetful fish.  Between speaking whale, befriending sharks and forgetting the whole thing, she stole the show in Finding Nemo.  And let’s face it, Marlin wouldn’t have gotten far without her.  It makes perfect sense for the magic makers at Pixar to tell her story.  

In Finding Dory, we see flashbacks and fragments of Dory’s childhood (and Baby Dory so stinkin’ cute!).  Dory starts to remember bits about herself, including her parents.  With Nemo (voiced by Hayden Rolence)  and Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks), she sets off across the ocean to find them in California.  They are led to an aquarium, The Marine Life Institute, and find their way inside.  Dory gets some help from a runaway octopus named Hank (voiced by Ed O’Neill) who has some great camouflage tricks while Marlin and Nemo meet Becky… I love Becky too much to spoil.  Dory also meets old friends, finds her old home, faces heartbreaking revelations and shows off her amazing strengths.  By the end everyone will be asking, “What would Dory do?”

One of my favorite scenes was when Dory and Hank are in the Touch Pool.  Those are those shallow, kid height aquariums full of starfish and sea sponges that kids put their grubby hands in to touch the fish.  They looked cute and harmless when I let my kid check it out at the aquarium.  In Finding Dory, it’s a bottom dweller’s nightmare.  My kid jumped a mile on my lap when the first hand dove into the water.  He gripped my arm during this scene and I just felt bad for all the creatures trying to hide.  Maybe next time we’ll skip the touch pool.

What I think Finding Nemo does best is remind us that Dory  is not just our favorite forgetful fish but an amazing, resilient, resourceful and daring leading fish.  Her important memories are not forgotten, just buried deep inside her and are awakened one by one.  Many flashbacks show that Dory’s parents taught her the best they could with her memory loss issue and parents, especially with challenging children, should take note to their resilience as well.  Never count anyone out, it’s amazing what even the most challenged beings can do.

I suspect Finding Dory will be the front-runner for best animated feature, as Pixar films usually are.  Visually, it is superb taking us from familiar oceans to the inner workings of the aquarium.  And Hank’s camouflage antics are a huge hit.  The story springboards off of Finding Nemo, but with it’s zanier antics and quick pace builds it’s own unique tone.  However, like Nemo, it still has it’s heart in the right place with the parent-child dynamic flipped around as Dory searches for her parents.  It will make you cry just a bit and laugh a whole lot.  I think I laughed the most at the use of Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World during some perfect slow motion.  

“My friend, Sigourney, once said: rescue, rehabilitate, release!”

The Good Dinosaur

In The Good Dinosaur, the minds at Pixar have imagined a world where the meteor that killed the dinosaurs has missed Earth.  The result, a few million years later, are more evolved dinosaurs.  They farm the land, are ranchers, or sometimes just scavengers.  And the humans that have come along the evolutionary line are seen as wild animals.  

Arlo and his family live on a little farm by the river under Clawtooth Mountain.  There, they live a happy life and grow corn through the summer to feed them through the winter.  His father is a stern, archetypal farmer; his mother, nurturing.  Though he came from a large egg, Arlo is the runt.  His sister is the brains, his brother the brawn and both have earned their right to make their mark on the family silo.  

To earn Arlo his mark, his father gives him a special job.  A critter (wild human boy) has been getting into their corn supply.  Arlo is to catch and kill it.  When Arlo fails, his father tries to help him finish the job, but tragedy strikes.  With Arlo feeling guilty and his family struggling, his anger at the critter gets the better of him.  He falls into the river, is knocked unconscious and wakes very far from home.  With only the critter, who he names Spot as his companion, they set out on a long, epic journey against nature finding both friends and enemies.  

What really struck me about this movie is how realistic the animation is.  In the opening scenes, the water flowing down the river had me fooled.  The wild landscapes the team at Pixar has created looked more like filmed live action than animated from scratch.  It really is a brilliant achievement and a high point in modern animation.  

Arlo and the other characters stand out from the backgrounds because they do not look so realistic, and that is a good thing.  After all, these are imagined forms of dinosaurs with an extra few million years of evolution on them.  I enjoy Arlo’s knobby knees, the wrangling t-rexes who gallop like horses, and the triceratops with many horns for his companions.  

What I love most about The Good Dinosaur is that it is a simple story of a farm boy lost from home.  He worries about his family, and the scene where he explains the idea of family to Spot is one of the film’s most poignant moments.  Arlo’s biggest obstacles are not the scavenging pterodactyls, but nature and all its wild fury.  After the river takes his father, Arlo, and the audience, has a better understanding and fear of nature’s power.  In the end, Arlo realizes he is powerless against it, but he must brave it to move on.

While my son loves this movie, especially Spot, some moments in The Good Dinosaur might be scary for young children.  And have fun explaining what happened to Poppa.  But with a big adventure, a fresh look at familiar dinosaurs, a special emphasis on family and fun characters, I highly recommend this movie be shared with kids.  My favorite thing about The Good Dinosaur is that it has taught my son the word family.

“You are me, and more.”

Inside Out

Pixar has a lovely talent for taking simple ideas and turning them into well laid out systems.  Much of the inner workings of Inside Out are a bit like Monsters Inc; a simple idea, be it monsters in the closet or your feelings, are fleshed out, given goals and personalities.  We see the system and how it works, affecting both the inside and outside of a young girl.  Then something happens to shake it up, shut it down and only our heroes on the inside can not only fix it, but make it evolve.

Riley (voice of Kaitlyn Dias) is a normal eleven year old girl.  She has a mom, a dad, friends, loves hockey and can be a total goofball.  Her family is moving from Minnesota to San Francisco and the sudden change is causing an emotional stir.

Inside Riley are her emotions, like we have inside all of us.  Joy (Amy Poehler) is the leader and is proud that most of Riley’s memories are happy ones.  Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) are alongside Joy within Riley.  Sadness (Phyllis Smith) seems to linger meekly in the control room, and scolded when she starts interfering.

When the first day at a new school starts going badly, thanks to Sadness, an accident sends Joy, Sadness and all of Riley’s core memories (that power her personality) out of the control room.  With only Anger, Disgust and Fear guiding Riley, she begins to spiral downhill and make bad choices.  Joy and Sadness must make a long and dangerous journey back to the control room, and quickly for Riley’s sake.

There are so many complex, fascinating and fun things happening inside Riley’s head, I don’t have time to discuss even half of them.  There are islands of personality, a sprawling labyrinth of long term memories, a pit where old memories are forgotten forever and a literal Train of Thought.  Imagination Land seems to be under continual construction, demolishing Princess Dream world to make room for things like the imaginary boyfriend generator.  One of my favorite parts of Riley’s mind is where her dreams are made.  It looks like a Hollywood studio, complete with stars like Rainbow Unicorn.  

My favorite character is Riley’s old imaginary friend, Bing Bong (Richard Kind), who wanders around in her long term memory like a shabby hobo.  Riley doesn’t think of him much anymore, but he helps Joy and Sadness on their journey, since he knows his way around pretty well.  He quickly steals our hearts and helps save the day in a tragically heroic way.

Lately, I’ve been watching this movie a lot with my toddler son.  He requests it frequently, “Bing Bong, Bing Bong, hockey!”  While many of the larger ideas in this movie are probably lost on a young child, it can be very entertaining for them.  There’s nothing, or very little that can scare young ones.  The emotions, Bing Bong and everything moving through Riley’s head can bring so much delight.  My son especially likes the Train of Thought and when Fear is stuck against the window.  And I’m proud that he enjoys a film currently Oscar nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Screenplay. 

Too often in our society, we teach kids to hide their feelings and not be true to themselves.  Inside Out can be a great tool to help kids better understand their emotions.  We need all of them to function and think straight.  Shutting any one of them out can unhinge us and make us do terrible things.  Kids need to be reminded that it’s okay to be sad and as we mature we experience a more complex blend of emotions.  Growing up is hard and can be scary.  It’s supposed to be and it will be okay.

“Who’s your friend that likes to play?”

Toy Story

In 1995, I was ten years old when Toy Story was first in released.  I remember seeing previews and scoffing, thinking a story about toys was so juvenile.  By ten, toys were out of my style, video games, bikes and Goosebumps books were my main source of home entertainment.  But I had younger siblings, so like most other Disney affiliated movies, a VHS copy was soon in our possession.  We watched Toy Story over and over and I loved it.  It was child like, not childish, something I could get into with my siblings and not feel like I was watching one of their baby movies.

What I always loved about Toy Story is how all these seemingly carefree plastic playthings have such raw emotions and crippling doubts.  Who knew there were so many things for a toy to worry about?  There is the fear of being replaced by a newer toy, getting lost and being destroyed by the disturbing neighbor kid, Sid, just to name a few.  Woody (voice of Tom Hanks) faces all of these fears within the short amount of time between Andy’s birthday party and the family’s move to a new house.

When Andy gets a Buzz Lightyear action figure (voice of Tim Allen) for his birthday, Woody’s whole world is rocked.  A boy who used to be very into cowboys is suddenly playing space rangers and Woody feels replaced.  He’s replaced not just by Andy as the new favorite, but Buzz is also very popular among the other toys.  In a silly move fueled by jealousy, and a trip to Pizza Planet, Woody accidentally gets Buzz knocked out the window.  Soon he and Buzz have to work together to escape an explosive fate from Sid and find their way back home in time for the move.

One of my favorite things about the original Toy Story is how Buzz believes he is a real space ranger, not a toy.  His delusion is genuine and makes him more sympathetic.  The other toys seem to go along with it with no problem, while Woody is clearly annoyed.

The moment when Buzz finally realizes he is only a toy is so heartbreaking.  With one commercial, he can suddenly see the Made in Taiwan clearly molded into his arm.  Still, he believes in himself and does one last daring test.  He tries to fly out an open window.  The build up to that heroic moment, and then the tragic fall is so perfectly crafted and so full of utter defeat at the end, I end up with tears in my eyes every time.  I think that moment is what made me first understand what shattered dreams can feel like.

Clearly, Toy Story is a wonderfully molded story with colorful, complex and highly memorable characters, but it was also a huge feat in digital film making.  Today, digital animation is mainstream, when less than twenty years ago, it was such a huge undertaking that only Pixar dared dream of making a feature film.  Toy Story was that first feature film with all computer generated animation.  Though I look at some sets in the film and kid myself into thinking I could recreate them in certain computer programs, given enough time, this is an incredibly complex feat of animation that can go, well… “to infinity and beyond!”