- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: MVC (3D); AVC/MPEG-4 (2D)
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: (2D & 3D) English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Descriptive Video Service Dolby Digital 2.0, French Dolby Digital 5.1 EX; (3D-only) Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1; (2D-Only): Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
- Subtitles: (2D & 3D) English SDH, French, Spanish
- Region: ABC (Region-Free)
- Rating: G
- Run Time: 81 Mins.
- Discs: 4 (1 x Blu-ray 3D + 1 x Blu-ray + 1 x DVD + 1 x Digital Copy)
- Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: November 1, 2011
- List Price: $49.99
[amazon-product]B005GSVFBE[/amazon-product]
BestBuy:
Purchase Toy Story on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:5/5]
Video Quality
2D HD: [Rating:5/5]
3D Effect: [Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:4.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Film
[Rating:5/5]
This is the film that started it all for Pixar; it launched an animation dynasty. Toy Story was Pixar’s first feature-length film and with a distribution deal with Disney under their belts, the fledgling studio was still in the shadow of the animation behemoth. It really could have gone either way for Pixar, with pressure building from Disney to produce a completely different kind of film (as seen in this package’s special feature Black Friday: The Toy Story You Never Saw), the studio was caught between holding their ground or caving in to the pressure and possibly never becoming the powerhouse they were meant to be.
But they would hold their ground, and Toy Story would arrive in 1995 and revolutionize the animation world, grabbing the reins from Disney, and creating a phenomenon that other studios still try to imitate to this day. Using what was at the time the very cutting edge of CGI technology to animate the film, Toy Story was a heartfelt story of friendship, courage, and loyalty.
The story surrounds a group of toys owned by a young boy named Andy (John Morris). Andy’s favorite toy has always been the cowboy Woody (Tom Hanks), but when his birthday arrives, he gets a new toy named Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), a modern, space ranger with flashing lights, wings and a helmet that Andy takes to immediately and starts playing with instead of Woody. Buzz is also a bit delusional, he really thinks he’s a space ranger and doesn’t realize he’s a toy. Woody gets jealous of Andy’s attachment to Buzz and tries to shove him down the side of Andy’s bed, but accidentally knocks him out the window.
When Andy picks up Woody and takes him on the family’s outing to Pizza Planet, Buzz tags along on the car to get back at Woody for shoving him out the window, but the two get left behind at the restaurant’s parking lot. From then on, they must work together to try to find their way back to Andy’s house and avoid Sid (Erik von Detten), the next door neighbor kid who likes to torture his toys.
Regardless of Toy Story‘s animation showing it age in comparison to the studio’s more current offerings, including Toy Story 3, this first feature from Pixar is still absolutely enjoyable.
Video Quality
2D HD: [Rating:5/5]
3D Effect: [Rating:4/5]
The animation may not look as cutting edge as it once did some sixteen-years ago, but Toy Story is nonetheless a typically superb, reference release on Blu-ray from Pixar. The 2D AVC transfer is clean and artifact free, while the 3D doesn’t quite pop as much as Toy Story 3 or Cars 2, but still looks rather respectable, given that it was not initially intended for projection in 3D theatres like the other two. The color palette suffers a bit as do details in the 3D, because the animation itself isn’t as intricate and vivid as the later films, but ghosting is limited, and the spatial depth is rather realistic. The scene later in the film when it rains provides the strongest sense of dimensionality, with the raindrops, if not coming right at you, at least giving a sense of falling outside of the screen.
Audio Quality
[Rating:5/5]
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is a lively and engaging mix with surround channels active from the get go with discrete sounds, and deep, resounding low frequencies that aren’t boomy, but definitely make their presence felt. I did notice more crackle than usual for a Pixar release in the dialogue on this one, but otherwise it was flawless.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:4.5/5]
The supplements are the usual Pixar mixture of quaint filmmaker stories told to animated backdrops, making-of featurettes that even the younger ones can enjoy, and a few deleted scenes and more moments with the film’s characters that the kids should definitely enjoy seeing.
The supplements offered with this release:
Blu-ray 2D Feature Disc:
- Audio Commentary
- Toy Story 3 Sneak Peak “The Story” (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:02:07) – commentary by director John Lasseter, co-writer Andrew Stanton, Supervising animator Pete Docter, art director Ralph Eggleston, supervising technical director Bill Reeves, and producers Ralph Guggenheim and Bonnie Arnold
- Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: Blast Off (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:03:28)
- Paths to Pixar – Artists (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:04:47)
- Studio Stories: John’s Car (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:01:28)
- Studio Stories: Baby AJ (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:01:40)
- Studio Stories: Scooter Races (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:02:18)
- Buzz Takes Manhattan (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:02:12)
- Black Friday: The Toy Story You Never Saw (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:07:36)
- Classic DVD Bonus Features:
- Filmmakers Reflect (16:56)
- Making Toy Story (20:17)
- The Legacy of Toy Story (11:41)
- Designing Toy Story (6:12)
- Deleted Scenes
- Design
- Story
- Production
- Music & Sound
- Publicity
- BD-Live
- DVD
- Digital Copy
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4.5/5]
Toy Story has aged remarkably well. If Pixar ever starts labeling any of their films part of their “classics” then this one will definitely be the first one to receive the mark. This four-disc set is certainly a must own for anyone looking to increase their 3D selections. It offers excellent audio and video with a solid 3D conversion.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product]B005GSVFBE[/amazon-product]
BestBuy:
Purchase Toy Story on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:5/5]
Video Quality
2D HD: [Rating:5/5]
3D Effect: [Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:4.5/5]
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