Toy Story at 25 Thoughts

The leading type of animated film now these days are computer generated imagery, or CGI. Back in the 90s, it was more traditional, hand drawn animation. It's very easy to forget how ambitious Toy Story was when it released around Thanksgiving 1995. Let's just say that people expected it to flop. Nobody took it seriously as a contender. Low and behold, highest grossing film of 95, huge critical acclaim, the rise of Pixar, and a very strong franchise.

It has a very simple plot and moves by at a very fast pace. A group of toys, led by cowboy doll Woody. In comes the flashy new one, Buzz Lightyear. Things get out of hand, and the two have to get back to their child owner. There's more to it, but basic. No filler, no side plots. Plenty of visual stuff, quotable lines, tons of humorous moments. What also works that even though it's a Disney film, it doesn't follow the tropes associated with them. No romance as your big plot line, no singing, no sappy stuff. A film that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults.

As I said, it was ambitious. At 30 million, it was cheaper than what The Lion King's budget was the year prior. They did get some big names, but it wasn't all top of the line names outside of Woody and Buzz. They found ones they knew could create the film into a memorable one. It holds up in many ways and the score is still fantastic to hear. This is still my favorite of the Disney CGI films. It paved for more Pixar films, competitors in Dreamworks and Blue Sky (though Blue Sky is Disney owned now due to buying Fox), and the decline of traditional animation in film.

The appeal for Toy Story knows no bounds. You want a franchise with lots of respect and memorable, this is one of the few that has that. Give each one a watch. There is tons of enjoyment you'll get out of them and for different reasons. 

Toy Story 4 Review

I have been a huge fan of the Toy Story series since 1995/96. I view the first as the best of Pixar's work and the sequels to be fantastic. Was it necessary to have a fourth movie? No, but if done right, it can still hang with the best for greatest franchises, and it does. They hit all the right spots and it's more original without relying on a ton of repeated gags.

Woody and the gang belong to little Bonnie Anderson, following what happened at the end of 3. She now attends school and the cowboy toy secretly helps her with creating a new toy, Forky. The Andersons go on vacation and the spork jumps out the window of the family's RV. So now, it's a race to get Forky back to Bonnie or else things won't be the same when heading back to school. As always, it's becomes an adventure and encountering all sorts of other toys in the process.

This is mainly a Woody movie. You don't see too much of Buzz Lightyear and a lot of the other toys, though Buzz does get his share of screentime. The other toys, they have a few moments, especially towards the end. You will be laughing hard at a few scenes. Returning for the first time since the second film, we get to see Bo Peep and her sheep. She has a lot of scenes for this film and it's not purely a romantic angle. They turned her into an adventurous toy that does things her way and can handle a lot of stuff. One thing they do address is her absence in 3 and what happened to her. Honestly, she was one of the highlights for the movie.

Regarding new toys, there is Duke Caboom. This is the summer of Keanu Reeves, and despite the small amount of scenes, this was a great and funny toy. Even funnier are Ducky and Bunny, played by Key and Peele, Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele. Though their humor is a bit more adult oriented, to entertain kids with these characters is a surprise and its effective. They actually provide some of the adult type humor that sneaks up in Pixar films. Then there is Gabby Gabby, who is kind of a villain, but not in the way of like a Sid or Lotso or even Stinky Pete.

That's the thing, really. There's nothing really evil in the movie. It's not a bad thing and it's refreshing for a kids film. Not much anger, either. Maybe one or two scary parts, but not to the level of 3. As far as CGI goes, it's amazing the improvements that has been made since 1995 with the original. Little details make it very noticeable and more real every year. And the cast, as usual, is phenomenal.

They do reuse quite a bit of Randy Newman's scores from the trilogy. Normally, it's a bad thing, but it's not overused, and they use it in the right spots. The only thing I'll without spoiling is that the ending will surprise you. Whether or not it will make you cry, I don't know. But what I can tell you is that this is a movie you should be seeing in the theater. This is a franchise that has stood the test of time, and this fourth one will for a very long time. Probably the best movie of 2019.

Score: 10 out of 10

Bao Short Film Review

If you're familiar with Disney films when you see them in theaters, you will also see short films. When I saw Wreck It Ralph in the theater back in 2012, it has the short, The Paperman. If you see The Incredibles 2, you will see Bao, a short film from Domee Shi.

Shi is Chinese, and she creates a story centered around a Chinese woman who finds love in a dumpling that becomes alive. I hate to spoil the thing, but there is a lot of meaning to this, and although it didn't happen to me, this is one that could possibly make you cry. Without getting into details, there is adult issues that go on with the woman, who lives with her husband and is alone all day as he works.

What I look at with this short is that you don't lose sight of where you come from. You might want to get away from your family, but you will always remember your origins. At least that's what I got out of Bao. For parents, it's that dread of one day that your family is completely grown up and that there's nothing that you can do to keep them with you and continue traditions that have occurred throughout yours and their lives.

Overall, it has a nice message and while it may have funny moments, there is a special meaning to this. With that, Shi, who has worked on several Pixar films, deserves a lot of credit for making something special and unique to audiences.

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

The Incredibles 2 Review

I've had some time to soak in what I saw last week in the theater with The Incredibles 2. Now, I've always considered the original to be Pixar's most overrated movie. Good, but vastly overrated. Going in, I was expecting it to be somewhat better, but it exceeded my expectations and is one of the few sequels that you can say is better than the original.

As a heads up, this takes place immediately following the end of the first one. Things go bad for the Parr family, but opportunity comes a knocking later. A businessman wants to bring superheroes back into the spotlight and get them to be legal again. With that, he has Helen Parr start building up the urge to keep the world safe with stopping crime again as Elastigirl. As for husband Bob, AKA Mr. Incredible, he has to be a stay at home dad with the kids.

Regarding the film, it's pretty lengthy. You're going to be spending a little over two hours at the theater and that is also including trailers and how long you show up prior to the screening. It stays on point and doesn't have many dull moments. They make good use of screentime for the family and provide a lot of laughs and and enough action to where one doesn't overlap the other. One important thing, however, is that it doesn't lose its identity in today's world of glorified Marvel popcorn flicks. It stays fresh and unique without needing to rely on call-backs. Also, it provides an interesting twist that you wouldn't think for a kids film.

Visually, it is an amazing sight to see. You can tell that Pixar has crafted their work into being better and better every since their inception in 1986 and The Incredibles 2 is maybe their finest work yet. One warning is that there is a few scenes that may trigger epilepsy for some people. Michael Giacchino did a great job creating the soundtrack. Both Holly Hunter and Craig T. Nelson are excellent as Helen and Bob, though Hunter sounded a bit more older at points. Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Keener are solid in their performances as the brother sister duo who want to make superheroes legal again. I'm a little disappointed at Frozone not getting much attention for this film, but Samuel L. Jackson is great for his few scenes.

With other characters, it is very solid, especially as the film continues. There isn't many complaints that I have to say about this. It's an all around excellent thrill ride that should please mostly everyone. Is it worth waiting 14 years? For fans, it is. Go see it in the theater. You will have plenty of time the next few weeks to see it. A rare time a sequel is better than the original.

Score: 9 out of 10

Why The Incredibles 2 Debuted Strong

Without any doubt, The Incredibles 2 was going to start it's first weekend strong. But I don't think it would have been that strong until seeing the numbers for its Thursday night at 18 plus million and Friday's 70 plus million. Just as a note, the original made 70 mil in it's opening weekend. For the new sequel, it broke records for animated films, making 180 million as of now according to Box Office Mojo.

There are reasons why this film had a very good weekend. I like to chalk it up as a film people have been waiting to see for a very long time. It's a sequel that they wanted Disney and Pixar to make unlike the Cars films. A family of superheroes is not a bad idea and expanding on that allows more freedom on how they handle it, the powers they have, and a few other things. In an era now with the glorified Marvel popcorn flicks, you would think Incredibles 2 would lose some sort of identity, but brand recognition helps it out quite a bit.

This is one of those films I intend on seeing this summer. It's got the same cast for the adults and some new ones to boot. Getting in some laughs and serious moments is what I'll expect, especially with Mr. Incredible becoming a stay at home dad while Elastigirl goes off to save the day and bring superheroes back into being relevant. I've always thought the original was good, but vastly overrated. I think this is Pixar's most overrated film, but this sequel might be one that if I do see it, it might be better than the original.

Topping the original is not an easy feat for most movies, but Incredibles might be that one that will for many.