Toy Story

Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated buddy-adventure film directed by John Lasseter, and features the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. The film was co-produced by Ralph Guggenheim and Bonnie Arnold and was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It was written by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow, and featured music by Randy Newman. It was the very first feature film released to use only computer-generated imagery and the first film released by Pixar Animation Studios. Toy Story follows a group of toys who come to life whenever their owner is not present, focusing on Sheriff Woody, a toy cowboy, and Buzz Lightyear, an astronaut action figure. The movie was released in theatres on November 22, 1995.

The top-grossing film on its opening weekend, Toy Story went on to earn over $191 million in the United States and Canada during its initial theatrical release and took in more than $361 million worldwide. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, praising both the technical innovation of the animation and the wit and sophistication of the screenplay.

In addition to DVD releases, Toy Story-inspired material has run the gamut from toys, video games, spin-offs, and merchandise. The film was so successful it prompted two sequels, Toy Story 2, which was released November 24, 1999 and became an even bigger hit than the original and Toy Story 3, which was released June 18, 2010. It was selected into the National Film Registry as being on its first year of eligibility.

A third sequel, Toy Story 4 is currently in the works as of November 2014 and will be released in theatres on June 16, 2018.

Plot
The film begins with a young boy named Andy Davis playing with his toys, such as a Mr. Potato Head toy, Slinky Dog, a plastic dinosaur named Rex and his favorite toy, Woody, a cowboy doll. He takes Woody into the living room and plays with him some more, with a short interruption talking to his mom about his birthday party later that day and the upcoming move to a new house. After playing with Woody, Andy starts helping his mother by carrying his baby sister Molly to her. While he's away, all of the toys come to life.

The party makes all the toys extremely nervous, wondering if Andy will get a toy that will replace them. Woody sends the small green soldiers led by Sarge downstairs to spy on the party. At the end of the party, Ms. Davis pulls out a surprise gift from behind her, which turns out to be a Buzz Lightyear action figure in spaceship packaging. Andy and his friends run upstairs to open him and in his hurry Andy knocks Woody off the bed. They quickly leave, and the other toys welcome the newcomer. Buzz however doesn't seem to be aware that he is a piece of plastic, believing himself to be the actual Buzz Lightyear on a mission to save the universe from Evil Emperor Zurg. The other toys take to him immediately, being impressed by his many features. Only Woody is unconvinced, showing jealousy towards Buzz, who might replace him as Andy's favorite toy. As time passes, Andy replaces many of his cowboy themed room decorations with space ones causing Woody's resentment to rise while Buzz attempts to fix his.

Sometime later, Mrs. Davis takes Andy and Molly on a trip to the space-themed Pizza Planet restaurant. Andy asks if he can bring any toys, and she agrees to let him take one. Woody, knowing Andy will choose Buzz, plans to trap him in a gap behind Andy's desk by using RC so Andy won't find him. However the plan goes badly wrong and instead knocks him out the window by accident. When the other toys learn of Woody's actions, most of them think Woody tried to kill Buzz out of jealousy. They then try to attack him, but Woody is rescued when Andy, unable to find Buzz, takes Woody on the trip instead. At a stop at a Dinoco gas station to refuel the car, Woody finds that Buzz grabbed ahold of the family's minivan and is with them. After a conversation, the two toys begin to fight, knocking each other out of the minivan, and are left behind when it drives away. Woody convinces Buzz to hitch a lift on a Pizza Planet truck in order to return to Andy.

Woody finds Andy there, but Buzz, still thinking he's a real space ranger, climbs into a toy crane game, thinking that it's a spaceship that will take him to Emperor Zurg's location. Woody goes in after him, but the two eventually are found by Sid Phillips, who lives next door to Andy and is known to torture and destroy toys just for fun.

Left alone in Sid's room, Woody and Buzz come upon a group of mis-matched toys, the results of Sid's many. Woody and Buzz react in fear, thinking that the mis-matched toys are cannibals. Meanwhile, at Andy's house, the toys continue to look for Buzz in the bushes. But when Andy and his mother come home, Andy notices that Woody's gone. The other toys wonder what has become of the two. Some are worried for both Buzz and Woody, while others express their hope that Woody has met a bad end. The next day, at Sid's house, Woody and Buzz, having been mistreated by Sid, try to escape, only to run into Sid's crazy Bull Terrier Scud. Eventually getting out of Sid's room, Buzz comes upon a TV where he sees a commercial for the Buzz Lightyear line of toys. Watching it, he realizes that Woody was right about him: He was a toy this whole time, not a real space ranger. However, in denial, Buzz tries to fly out of a window by jumping off the guardrail of the stairs on the second floor, only to fall to the floor, losing his arm in the process. He is found by Sid's little sister Hannah, who takes him away to put him in her tea party.

Woody finally finds Buzz in Hannah's room, dressed as and attending a tea party. While Woody formulates a plan of escape, Buzz is too depressed to care. When Woody throws a string of Christmas tree lights across the way to the toys in Andy's room, Buzz refuses to back him up; Woody tries to use Buzz's detached arm in a desperate attempt to convince Andy's toys that Buzz is with him, but when they see through this act, they take it as evidence that Woody truly did murder Buzz and leave him in disgust. The Mutant Toys then return and swarm over Buzz, and Woody finds that they have repaired him. However, before Woody can make friends with them, Sid returns with his new acquisition: A firework rocket. He decides to blow up Woody with it, but cannot find him as Woody hides in a milk crate. Sid then decides to blow up Buzz instead but is stymied by rainfall. He unknowingly traps Woody in the crate by putting a heavy toolbox on top, a plans to go ahead in the morning.

Overnight, Woody tries get Buzz to help him escape however is Buzz is still depressed that he's only a toy. Woody tries to convince him that being a toy and is much better than being a Space Ranger, and Andy still thinks he's the best thing in world. Buzz doesn't know why Andy would want him, and Woody explains while coming to terms with his own feelings of resentment:

As Woody sadly states that he should be the one taped to Sid's rocket, Buzz looks at his boot where Andy has signed his name, helping his realize how much Andy loves him and how being a toy isn't too bad. The two try to escape. Unfortunately, Sid wakes up and takes Buzz out to blow him up, leaving Woody alone in the room. Even worse, Andy and his family are getting ready to move, with Andy depressed over having seemingly lost Woody and Buzz having only been able to find Buzz's cardboard spaceship and his cowboy hat. Woody calls out to the Mutant Toys to tell them a plan to escape. After a daring escape through the house and past Scud, Woody and the mutants end up in the yard with Sid. They decide to break the rules and they allow Sid to see that they can move on their own. Woody even speaks to him through his voice box, telling him that his toys are sick of being tortured, then with his own voice tells him to play nice. This freaks Sid out and he runs into the house screaming, where his sister frightens him with her new doll Sally.

Now freed from Sid, Woody and Buzz try to catch Andy's moving van just as it is pulling away from the house. After saying farewell to the Mutant Toys, a harrowing chase follows, with Scud chasing them and Andy's toys not helping, since they still think that Woody intentionally got rid of Buzz. Luckily, Woody and Buzz get rid of Scud and the other toys, realizing their mistake, finally see that Woody was telling the truth and try to help them get in, but fail when RC's batteries run out.

Eventually, with the help of RC, Andy's remote control car, and strategic use of Sid's rocket, Woody and Buzz return to Andy, whose mom assumes they were in the car all along.

At Christmas, we see a scene similar to the birthday party, with the toys less worried about the new ones. Mr. Potato Head is pleased to find out that Molly has been given a new Mrs. Potato Head. When discussing being replaced by a new toy, Woody poses the question to Buzz, The answer comes in the form of Andy's first present, a puppy.

Cast

 * Tom Hanks as Sheriff Woody
 * Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear
 * Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head
 * Jim Varney as Slinky Dog
 * Wallace Shawn as Rex
 * John Ratzenberger as Hamm
 * Annie Potts as Bo Peep
 * John Morris as Andy Davis
 * Hannah Unkrich as Molly Davis
 * Erik von Detten as Sid Phillips
 * R. Lee Ermey as Sarge
 * Laurie Metcalf as Andy's Mom
 * Sarah Freeman as Hannah Phillips
 * Joe Ranft as Lenny
 * Jeff Pidgeon as Little Green Men/Mr. Spell/Robot
 * Jack Angel as Mr. Shark/Rocky Gibraltar
 * Debi Derryberry as Troll/Pizza Planet Intercom/Little Green Men
 * Penn Jillette as TV announcer
 * Mickie McGowan as Mrs. Phillips/Various Toys
 * Andrew Stanton as Commercial Chorus
 * Phil Proctor as Bowling Announcer/Pizza Planet Guard 2
 * Frank Welker as R.C./Scud
 * Brittany Levenbrown as Girl 1
 * Cody Dorkin as Boy 1
 * Greg Berg as Minesweeper Soldier/Pizza Planet Guard 1/Local Announcer
 * Bill Farmer as Mission Control Announcer

Additional Voices

 * Sherry Lynn - Mom
 * Shane Sweet - Boy 7
 * Scott McAfee - Boy 5
 * Lisa Bradley - Girl 2
 * Spencer Aste - Wounded Soldier
 * Kendall Cunningham - Boy 2
 * Craig Good - Mission Control
 * Gregory Grudt - Boy 3
 * Ryan O'Donohue - Boy 6
 * Danielle Judovits - Burned Rag Doll
 * Jan Rabson - Gas Station Attendant, Mr. Mike
 * Patrick Pinney - Pizza Delivery Guy, Angry Driver #2
 * Sam Lasseter - Boy 4

Sequels, shows, and spin-offs
Toy Story has spawned three sequels: Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3, as well as Toy Story 4, to be released in 2018. Initially, the first sequel to Toy Story was going to be a direct-to-video release, with development beginning in 1996. However, after the cast from Toy Story returned and the story was considered to be better than that of a direct-to-video release, it was announced in 1998 that the sequel would see a theatrical release. The sequel saw the return of the majority of the voice cast from Toy Story, and the film focuses on rescuing Woody after he is stolen at a yard sale. The film was equally well received by critics a lot of which thought it was even better than the first installment, earning a rare 100% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 125 reviews. At Metacritic, the film earned a favorable rating of 88/100 based on 34 reviews. The film's widest release was 3,257 theaters and it grossed $485,015,179 worldwide, becoming the second-most successful animated film after The Lion King at the time of its release.

Toy Story 3 centers on the toys being accidentally donated to a day-care center when their owner Andy is preparing to go to college. Again, the majority of the cast from the prior two films returned. It was the first film in the franchise to be released in 3-D for its first run, though the first two films, which were originally released in 2-D, were re-released in 3-D in 2009 as a double feature. Like its predecessors, Toy Story 3 received enormous critical acclaim, earning a 99% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes. It also grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing animated film until the release of 2013's Frozen.

In November 1996, the Disney on Ice: Toy Story ice show opened which featured the cast's voices as well as Randy Newman's music. In April 2008, the Disney Wonder cruise ship launched Toy Story: The Musical shows on its cruises.

Toy Story also led to a spin-off direct-to-video animated film, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, as well as the animated television series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. The film and series followed Buzz Lightyear and his friends at Star Command as they uphold justice across the galaxy. Although the film was criticized for not using the same animation as in Toy Story and Toy Story 2, it sold three million VHS and DVDs in its first week of release. The television series brought further commercial and critical acclaim, winning a Daytime Emmy in 2001 for Outstanding Sound Editing. The series ran for a total of 65 episodes.

Following the release of Toy Story 3, a series of Toy Story short films have been shown in theaters in front of other Disney features: Hawaiian Vacation, centering around Barbie and Ken on vacation in Bonnie's room, Small Fry, centering on Buzz being left in a fast-food restaurant, and Partysaurus Rex, centering on Rex partying with Bonnie's bath toys.

In January 2013, a fan-made live-action version of the film was posted on YouTube which has gone on to have more than 13 million views.

In October 2013, ABC aired Toy Story of Terror!, promoting it as Pixar's first television special. In the special, Mr. Potato Head disappears and Woody, Buzz and Rex have to find him.

On December 2, 2014, ABC aired Toy Story That Time Forgot. In the story, Woody, Buzz, Rex and Trixie are trapped in room with a group of humanoid dinosaur warrior toys called Battlesaurs who do not know that they are toys and must escape.

A fourth feature film will be released on June 15, 2018. It will be directed by John Lasseter, and will focus on the romance between Woody and Bo Peep.

Software and merchandise
Disney's Animated Storybook: Toy Story and Disney's Activity Center: Toy Story were released for Windows and Mac. Disney's Animated Storybook: Toy Story was the best selling software title of 1996, selling over 500,000 copies. Two console video games were released for the film: the Toy Story video game, for the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, and PC as well as Toy Story Racer, for the PlayStation. Pixar created original animations for all of the games, including fully animated sequences for the PC titles.

Toy Story had a large promotion before its release, leading to numerous tie-ins with the film including images on food packaging. A variety of merchandise was released during the film's theatrical run and its initial VHS release including toys, clothing, and shoes, among other things. When an action figure for Buzz Lightyear and Sheriff Woody was created it was initially ignored by retailers. However, after over 250,000 figures were sold for each character before the film's release, demand continued to expand, eventually reaching over 25 million units sold by 2007.

Theme park attractions
Toy Story and its sequels have inspired multiple attractions at the theme parks of Walt Disney World and Disneyland:
 * Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin at the Magic Kingdom casts theme park guests as cadets in Buzz's Space Ranger Corps. Guests ride through various scenes featuring Emperor Zurg's henchmen, firing "laser cannons" at their Z symbols, scoring points for each hit.
 * Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters at Disneyland, is similar to Space Ranger Spin, except that the laser cannons are hand-held rather than mounted to the ride vehicle.
 * Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters at Walt Disney World's DisneyQuest, despite the nearly identical name to the Disneyland attraction, is a bumper car style attraction in which guests compete against each other not only by ramming their ride vehicles into each other, but also by firingat each other.
 * Toy Story Mania at both Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disneyland's Disney California Adventure features a series of interactive carnival-type games hosted by the characters. Guests ride in vehicles while wearing 3-D glasses, and using a pull-string cannon to launch virtual rings, darts, baseballs, etc. Disney announced an update to the attraction to add characters from Toy Story 3 several months before the film's release date.
 * World of Color at Disney California Adventure is a large night time water and light show. Some of the scenes projected on the water screens feature animation from the Toy Story films.
 * Toy Story Playland at Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland, opening in August 2010 and 2011 respectively. The area is designed to create the illusion of down to the size of a toy, and to play in Andy's backyard in several themed rides.
 * Toy Story Character Greetings are located at almost all Disney Parks. Three of the main characters, Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Jessie are normally the characters you would meet. Sometimes you can even meet Bullseye, the Green Army Men and Mr. Potato Head.

Other influences
Toy Story's cast of characters forms the basis for the naming of the releases of the Debian computer operating system, from buzz in 1996 to stretch, the version currently being prepared for release.

In 2013 Pixar designed a sculpture based on the Aardman Animations character Gromit for Gromit Unleashed which sold for £65,000.