When you watch Toy Story you are watching a ground breaking movie that paved the way for an army of successful films behind it and also paved the way for billions of dollars to be made from the new generation of computer animation. To watch Toy Story when it came out in 1995 was the same as seeing the first color movie when it came out or the first color television program. The effect was mind blowing and the success it enjoyed with all age groups all over the world made it possible for companies like Disney and Pixar to usher in the new revolution in cartoon animation. No longer will animated features be drawn by hand, now they will be mapped out on a computer and the detail they can get with computer animation is incredible. The process of using a computer to make an animated movie does not shorten the process at all. It took years to make and watch Toy Story as each frame took anywhere between 6 to 12 hours to make. Shrek also took years to make as each time they make a new animated feature they are advancing the technology and that can take years. The other thing that Toy Story did was put a new stamp on animated films that makes it okay for major Hollywood stars to be a part of an animated movie without it affecting their careers. Billy Crystal was originally offered the role of Woody in Toy Story but turned it down and the role went to Oscar winning actor Tom Hanks. Crystal would go on to star as a voice in the animated movie Monsters Inc almost admitting that animated movies aren’t so bad after all.

Watch Toy Story - it was the first full length feature film made completely with computer animation and the new technology amazed audiences and critics alike. The movie was a huge financial success and it was also nominated for 3 Academy Awards. In Hollywood the combination of big box office success and critical acclaim usually mean that you are here to stay and animated movies made a big comeback with Toy Story and they have not gone away since. The movie stars Tom Hanks as the voice of Woody a cowboy doll and Tim Allen as the voice of Buzz Lightyear who is a spaceman doll. Buzz is the newest toy in the toy box and Woody becomes jealous because Buzz is also rapidly becoming the most popular toy to the child that plays with them. The problem is that Buzz does not realize he is a toy and really thinks he can fly. In an attempt to prove he can fly Buzz falls out of the window and to the ground. The other toys think Woody killed Buzz out of jealousy so Woody has to save Buzz in order to avoid being lynched by the rest of the toys. But when they venture outside to save Buzz they begin to get in all kinds of trouble in the outside world.

Toy Story didn’t make anyone’s career as Tim Allen and Tom Hanks were already huge stars when the movie came out. What it did do is revive the genre of the animated movie and now it feels like every other movie coming out of Hollywood is an animated movie. The summer of 2006 saw a huge surge in animated features and it almost killed the genre. Towards the end of the summer the novelty wore off and Hollywood began to realize that if they did not take a step back then they were going to kill the genre they just revived. So now animated releases are more spread out and they are becoming profitable again. Success for animated features is good news to companies like Disney who made their reputation on animated movies and it is all thanks to the genius behind Toy Story.