In 1995 Disney and Pixar changed the animation landscape forever when they released Toy Story, the first computer animated feature film and the rest is history. The film is a timeless classic and one I grew up watching so many times I'm surprised I didn't ruin my VHS copy. Today we're going back to what started it all so let's get popping. Toy Story is about a group of toys that belong to a boy named Andy. Woody, the favourite of Andy's for many years is suddenly feeling replaced after a new, flashy toy named Buzz Lightyear joins the bunch. After Woody and Buzz end up separated from Andy and Andy's room, they have to learn to work together to return back to Andy before moving day. It's tough to pick a point to start but despite the animation now looking dated, it was groundbreaking for the time. Even though there are better looking animated films now, that's not to say this one still doesn't look good. It's colourful and the animation team uses lots of neat tricks to account for the early technology like how they do human faces. John Lasseter's directing helps maintain the film's timeless quality by presenting the story so well and the perspective of being a toy. The scale of everything looks great and there's plenty of iconic shots that mimic the imagination of playtime. Toy Story also wouldn't be what it is today without some of the iconic voices in it. Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me" is synonymous with the franchise but his entire score is fantastic here. Tom Hanks as Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz are perfect, bouncing off one another flawlessly and both delivering some great comedic timing. I couldn't picture anyone else doing those voices. The original Toy Story is an important film in animation but it helps that what we were given was a perfect movie about the world of toys and what it's like to feel jealous and replaced. The franchise it started is the gold standard and one I love revisiting while spouting every line with the characters on screen.

I believe the story needs to be turned around. In what universe is Sid the antagonist of this tale? And not the egotistical idiot who, in an attempt to get more popularity, actually tried to kill a cute toy. Sid is an 11-year-old who has a passion for putting toys on rockets. What's so bad about that? How was he supposed to know they were alive? Maybe he wants to be an astronaut one day. At least Sid didn't misplace his two favorite toys and then turn to his mother in the car and say, "Oh mom, I found them." Nobody cares, Andy, so stop talking. Lessons to be learned: 1. Believe in yourself- if you think you’re a space ranger you might be! 2. Life is always better with friends by your side  3. Karma is real

What can I say? Toy Story is just the best animated film ever right? It's charming, exciting, makes you fell all the feels. The plot idea is unique but so accessible. The voice acting is great, the animation is great, Its really the bench mark for animated films.

Toy Story is still a classic, it’s still just as good if not better 31 years later. Yes the animation hasn’t aged the best but I don’t care. Yes there’s a scene which there’s visibly like 5 different Andy lookalikes, but I don’t care. Animated movies nowadays for the most part feel like they’re targeted straight towards kids. Where before you had clever jokes that adults could also like and relate to, without being sexual of course. Woody and Buzz lightyear are fantastic together, great main toys to follow and the storyteller’s here get very creative with the scenarios in which they put them in. They remind me of Iron man and Captain America lol.

21 years later, the fifth film in this franchise is about to release in cinemas. So of course, a rewatch of the first four had to be done! There isn’t really anything I can add to what has already been said about this film, its impact on cinema and film can not be understated. Without Toy Story, we may not have had all of the incredible animated films we’ve been treated to over the years. It is the first ever fully computer-animated film and it is still one of the very best. With a very simple but extremely moving and charming story that appeals to all ages, full of characters that are still as iconic and well-known now as they were back then. This is one of the greatest examples of a franchise being able to withstand the test of time. Sure, when you watch it today some of the animation hasn’t aged incredibly well, you notice things such as every child except Sid is a carbon copy model of Andy… But considering this was the first of its kind and the technology was still in its infancy, it still holds up, and you can forgive the more basic style. There is actually some charm and nostalgia with this sort of animation that isn’t so clean and exceptional, like it is now. It is hard to explain, but I actually prefer how Toy Story 1 and 2 look compared to 3 and 4, despite fully accepting 3 and 4 are levels above visually. Perhaps other people my age will understand what I mean? This is a film that always takes me back to my childhood and brings back beautiful memories of a simpler time, this captured an entire generation and it is a testament to its strength that it continued to capture future generations and still is to this day. It is always a joy to see children today love it just as much as I did. Toy Story will last forever… To Infinity, and Beyond.