Toy Story

Toy Story is a 1995 American animated adventure comedy film directed by John Lasseter. It was the very first film made entirely with computers and the first feature film created by Pixar Animation Studios. The movie stars the voices of famous actors like Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. It tells the story of a cowboy doll named Woody who feels worried when a new space action figure named Buzz Lightyear becomes his owner's favorite toy.

The idea for Toy Story came after Pixar made a short film called Tin Toy in 1988. Disney asked Pixar to make a computer-animated movie, but they wanted it to be more exciting. After some problems, Pixar changed the story to focus on toys' feelings and hopes. Even though Pixar was a small studio, they made the film with great care.

Toy Story was shown for the first time at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on November 19, 1995, and later released in theaters across the United States on November 22. It became very popular, earning more money than any film had in its opening weekend at that time. Critics loved the movie, praising its animation, story, music by Randy Newman, and the voice acting. It was even nominated for several Academy Awards.

Because of its importance as the first computer-animated film, Toy Story is considered one of the greatest animated movies ever made. In 2005, it was chosen for protection in the United States National Film Registry because it is very important to culture and history. The success of Toy Story led to many more movies, starting with Toy Story 2 in 1999, and even a spin-off film called Lightyear in 2022. The movie has been shown again in theaters many times, including a special 30th anniversary showing in 2025.

Plot

In a world where toys can think and move but must stay still when people are around, a group of toys led by Sheriff Woody gets ready to move to a new home with their owner, Andy. At Andy's birthday party, the toys worry that Andy might get a new toy that will replace them. Andy brings home Buzz Lightyear, a space action figure who thinks he is a real Space Ranger. Buzz's cool features quickly make him Andy's favorite toy, and Woody feels jealous.

When Andy's family plans to go out for dinner, Woody tries to make sure Andy will take him instead of Buzz. But Woody accidentally knocks Buzz out the window. The other toys think Woody hurt Buzz and turn against him. Woody and Buzz end up at Andy's neighbor Sid's house, where they meet Sid's broken and changed toys. Buzz learns from a TV ad that he is really just a toy, and this makes him feel lost. Sid plans to hurt Buzz, but Woody helps Buzz remember that his job is to make Andy happy. Together, they escape and catch up with Andy's moving truck just in time. They land safely inside the car and are happy to be together again.

Voice cast

See also: List of Toy Story characters

Tom Hanks (left, pictured in 2023) and Tim Allen (2012)

• Tom Hanks as Woody, a cowboy doll and Andy's favorite toy
• Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, a Space Ranger action figure
• Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, a funny Mr. Potato Head toy
• Jim Varney as Slinky Dog, a dachshund slinky toy
• Wallace Shawn as Rex, a nervous Tyrannosaurus figurine
• John Ratzenberger as Hamm, a chatty piggy bank
• Annie Potts as Bo Peep, a porcelain shepherdess doll
• John Morris as Andy Davis, the six-year-old boy who owns all the toys
• Erik von Detten as Sid Phillips, Andy's playful next-door neighbor who sometimes breaks toys
• Laurie Metcalf as Mrs. Davis, Andy's mother
• R. Lee Ermey as Sergeant, the leader of a group of green plastic army men
• Sarah Freeman as Hannah Phillips, Sid's younger sister
• Penn Jillette as the Buzz Lightyear commercial announcer
• Joe Ranft as Lenny, a toy pair of binoculars
• Jeff Pidgeon as the Aliens, a group of green squeeze-toy aliens

Production

Development

John Lasseter first saw computer animation when a friend showed him a scene from Tron. This sparked his interest in the technology. Lasseter tried to make a fully computer-animated film called The Brave Little Toaster at Disney, but the idea was rejected, and he was fired. He then joined Lucasfilm and became a founding member of Pixar in 1986, when the company was bought by Steve Jobs. At Pixar, Lasseter created short computer-animated films to show off the Pixar Image Computer. In 1988, he made a short film called Tin Toy, told from a toy’s perspective, which won an Academy Award in 1989.

Tin Toy caught Disney’s attention. The new Disney team wanted Lasseter to return, but he chose to stay with Pixar. Disney and Pixar eventually made a deal to produce a feature film together. Both sides wanted to create a computer-animated movie, but it took time because computers weren’t powerful enough yet. The deal was finalised, and production began on a film based on Tin Toy, with the working title Toy Story.

Writing

Originally, Toy Story was going to feature characters named “Tinny” and “the dummy.” The story changed a lot. The writers were encouraged to make it a buddy film with two very different main characters who become friends. The characters evolved: Tinny became Buzz Lightyear, inspired by astronauts and G.I. Joe action figures. Woody was inspired by a Casper the Friendly Ghost doll Lasseter owned as a child, and later became a cowboy doll.

The writers attended a seminar by screenwriter Robert McKee, who suggested that characters should be defined by how they react to obstacles. Other writers joined to help develop the script, adding new characters like Rex and Bo Peep. The film was the first where scratch vocals were recorded for all scenes before animation began.

Casting

Voice casting started in 1993. Many famous actors were considered for the roles. Tom Hanks was always John Lasseter’s first choice for Woody, and after seeing a test animation using Hanks’ voice, he agreed to join the film. Tim Allen was chosen to play Buzz Lightyear after Billy Crystal turned down the role. Other actors considered for Buzz included Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, and Jim Carrey. John Morris was chosen to voice Andy after bringing many X-Men figures to an open call, which made the crew laugh.

Production shutdown

Disney was not happy with early versions of the film and wanted changes. The story was changed to make the characters less mean. After a bad screening, production was stopped so the writers could rewrite the script. The crew worked hard to fix the story, and production started again a few months later.

Animation

Recruiting animators was easy because it was the first computer-animated feature film. The animators used computer models to create the characters and their movements. Each character had to be designed in detail, and Woody was the most complex with many moving parts. The film needed a lot of computer time to create all the scenes, and it took many months to complete.

Music

Randy Newman composed songs for the film, including the famous “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” Although the film wasn’t a musical, it included background music composed by Newman. The soundtrack was released the same week as the film.

Editing and pre-release

Editors worked until just before the film’s release in September 1995. Some scenes were removed or changed based on feedback from test screenings. The final scene was adjusted to show both Woody and Buzz together. As the film neared completion, Jobs became more confident in its success and planned for Pixar’s future.

Release

The film Toy Story had special showings called premieres. Disney showed the film at their El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on November 19, 1995. Pixar had their premiere the next night at the Regency Center in San Francisco. The movie was very popular and made many people feel strongly about it.

The film opened in many places on November 22, 1995, and later showed in even more theaters. It also appeared at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 1996 and in other countries in March 1996.

Marketing

Disney spent a lot of money to tell people about the film. Companies like Burger King, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and Payless ShoeSource also helped with promotions. Even though many toy companies waited too long to join in, a small Canadian company named Thinkway Toys agreed to make toys for the movie. Disney used trailers in other movies, a special show on the Disney Channel, and even had the characters in a parade at their theme park.

Re-releases

3-D conversion

In 2009, Toy Story was shown again in a special 3-D format. This meant that the movie was changed to look like it had depth, making it feel more real. The change took many months to complete. The 3-D version was very popular and did well in theaters.

Disney100

For Disney’s 100th anniversary in 2023, Toy Story was shown again in some theaters. It was also shown in the United Kingdom and Latin America around the same time.

30th anniversary

Toy Story was shown again in the United States in September 2025 to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary. This helped to promote the next movie, Toy Story 5, coming out in 2026.

Home media

Toy Story was first sold on VHS and LaserDisc in 1996. It became very popular, selling many copies. The movie was later released on DVD in 2000, and then on Blu-ray in 2010. There were many special editions and collections over the years, including a 4K Ultra HD version in 2019.

Reception

Box office

The movie Toy Story needed to earn $75 million to make money for Pixar and Disney. It ended up making over $350 million around the world. It made $29.1 million in its first three days and kept doing well for weeks.

Toy Story became the top movie of 1995 in the U.S., earning more than other popular films. It was also the third most successful animated movie at the time, after The Lion King and Aladdin. By 2025, it had made about $375 million in total.

Critical response

People loved Toy Story when it came out. It got very high scores from reviewers and was praised for its animation. Critics liked how the characters were brought to life and said it was fun for both kids and adults.

Toy Story was put on many lists of great movies. It was called one of the best animated films ever and was even put on a list of the top 100 American films of all time.

Accolades

Main article: List of Pixar awards and nominations: Toy Story

Toy Story won many awards and got nominated for others. It received a special award for helping make computer animation possible for movies. The film was also nominated for Academy Awards, including one for its music. It won several Annie Awards for different areas like animation and design.

Influence and legacy

Toy Story changed movie making with its new computer animation. After the movie came out, many industries wanted to learn the technology used to make it. People who make computer chips wanted to create images like the movie for home computers. Game designers wanted to use the same animation for video games. Scientists studying robots wanted to build smart machines like the life-like characters in the movie. Writers have also compared the movie to the story Don Quixote and ideas about humanism.

The movie also left a mark with its famous phrase "To Infinity and Beyond", its sequels, and its software. In 2005, Toy Story was chosen by the United States Library of Congress to be kept in the National Film Registry because it was very important in culture, history, and art.

"To Infinity... and Beyond!"

Buzz Lightyear's phrase "To Infinity and Beyond!" has been used on toys and even by scientists and mathematicians. In 2008, astronauts on the STS-124 space mission took a Buzz Lightyear action figure into space on the Space Shuttle Discovery for student learning. The figure was used in experiments about zero-g. The phrase has also appeared in songs and movies as a tribute to Toy Story.

Other influences

The names of the characters from Toy Story are used for the names of releases of the Debian computer system. In 2013, Pixar made a special sculpture for an art event.

Sequels and spin-off

Toy Story 2

The first sequel, Toy Story 2, came out on November 24, 1999. In this movie, Woody gets taken by someone who collects toys, so Buzz and the others try to save him. At first, Toy Story 2 was planned to be shown only on TV, but the story got better, so it was shown in movie theaters instead.

Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3 was released on June 18, 2010. In this film, Andy's toys end up at a day-care center by accident when he is getting ready to go to college.

Toy Story 4

Toy Story 4 came out on June 21, 2019. Most of the same voices from the earlier movies returned for this one. In the movie, Woody, Buzz, and the other toys adjust to life with Bonnie, who makes a new toy called Forky from old school materials. They go on a trip with Bonnie, and Woody meets Bo Peep again and has to decide where his loyalties should be.

Lightyear

Main article: Lightyear (film)

A spin-off movie, Lightyear, was released on June 17, 2022. Chris Evans plays the real Buzz Lightyear, the person the toy in the first movie is based on.

Toy Story 5

On February 8, 2023, Disney announced that a fifth Toy Story movie was being made. In this movie, Jessie leads the toys now that Woody is gone, and they have to handle Lillypad, a tablet that takes up all of Bonnie's time. The movie was released on June 19, 2026.