Top Film for Each Year of My Life – 1995

Toy Story

“You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity. Farewell.”

“How dare you open a Space Ranger's helmet on an uncharted planet? My eyeballs could have been sucked out of their sockets!”

Now entering the picture… Pixar. For my money, the best run studio (or sub-studio) making films today. And they’ve been doing it ever since their first feature, Toy Story. Talk about hitting the ground running. With the exception of Cars, every time Pixar released a film, it ended up in my top five for the year, frequently top three (though this is the only one to place at number one). They care so much for story and characters that it is impossible not to be sucked into the film. Pixar even made me love a film in a genre I don’t particularly care for, superheroes (the film is, of course, The Incredibles). The films put out by Pixar are one of the main reasons for my hatred of classifying animated films as “children’s movies” (a non-genre to begin with, not to mention that “animated” isn’t a genre, either) and the Academy Awards, who refuse to acknowledge animated films amongst the top tier of live action films in the Best Picture category. It’s absurd.
Anyway, Toy Story is absolutely fantastic in all respects. It’s funny without pandering. It’s emotional, but not sappy. Both Woody and Buzz go through meaningful character arcs. It’s a testament to Tom Hanks and Tim Allen that their voices become the characters so much so that we no longer think of the actor playing the part but of Woody and Buzz (unlike so many other animated features… by DreamWorks ).

I typically balk at the casting of celebrities in the roles of animated characters (something I plan on writing about in the near future). I sympathize with professional voice actors who’ve spent so much time honing their craft only to be thrust to the side by some big name celebrity. But Pixar takes such care in casting people in the right roles. Instead of just giving it to huge stars (admittedly, Hanks and Allen are pretty big), they also give lead roles to people like Dave Foley, Craig T. Nelson, Patton Oswalt, and Albert Brooks. Not exactly mainstream names. And the side characters are always inspired, too. Plus I have to love that they continually use John Ratzenberger, who is, in fact, the shit (even in Motel Hell when he’s buried up to his neck).
Randy Newman’s score for the film fits the tone perfectly (as all good scores should, I suppose). His sensibilities are perfect for the emotions of Toy Story. In fact, the only part of Toy Story that is off-putting is the people. The technological limitations of designing normal looking human beings are still apparent, but the people in Toy Story are terrifying (though not nearly as frightening as the dead-eyed beings in the Hanks’ voiced Polar Express).

I can’t leave this space without saying that 1995 was an excellent year for films. It’s the first time that I filled out the top ten with stuff I love and then some. That’s not even counting the films I haven’t seen (Babe, The Basketball Diaries, Casino, Nixon, Rob Roy). I can’t imagine any of those films taking the place of Toy Story. And while I haven’t included it here at the risk of being a cliché, feel free to shout Buzz Lightyear’s catchphrase should the impulse take hold.