Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37818 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-12-11
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: Box set, Collector's Edition, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 166 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
There is greatness in film that can be discussed, dissected, and talked about late into the night. Then there is genius that is right in front of our faces--you smile at the spell it puts you into and are refreshed, and not a word needs to be spoken. This kind of entertainment is what they used to call "movie magic" and there is loads of it in this irresistible computer animation feature. Just a picture of these bright toys on the cover of Toy Story looks intriguing as it reawakens the kid in us. Filmmaker John Lasseter's shorts (namely Knickknack and Tin Toy, which can be found on the Pixar video Tiny Toy Stories) illustrate not only a technical brilliance but also a great sense of humour--one in which the pun is always intended. Lasseter thinks of himself as a storyteller first and an animator second, much like another film innovator, Walt Disney.

Lasseter's story is universal and magical: what do toys do when they're not played with? Cowboy Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Andy's favourite bedroom toy, tries to calm the other toys (some original, some classic) during a wrenching time of year--the birthday party, when newer toys may replace them. Sure enough, Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) is the new toy that takes over the throne. Buzz has a crucial flaw, though--he believes he's the real Buzz Lightyear, not a toy. Bright and cheerful, Toy Story is much more than a 90-minute commercial for the inevitable bonanza of Woody and Buzz toys. Lasseter further scores with perfect voice casting, including Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head and Wallace Shawn as a meek dinosaur. The director-animator won a special Oscar "For the development and inspired application of techniques that have made possible the first feature-length computer-animated film." In other words, the movie is great. --Doug Thomas

Amazon.co.uk Review
Toy Story 1 John Lasseter's Toy Story poses the universal and magical question of what do toys do when they are not being played with? Cowboy Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Andy's favourite bedroom toy, tries to calm the other toys during a wrenching time of year--the birthday party, when newer toys may replace them. Sure enough, Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) is the new toy that takes over the throne. Buzz has a crucial flaw, though--he believes he is the real Buzz Lightyear, not a toy. Bright and cheerful, Toy Story is much more than a 90-minute commercial for the inevitable bonanza of Woody and Buzz toys. Lasseter further scores with perfect voice casting, including Don Rickles as Mr Potato Head and Wallace Shawn as a meek dinosaur. The director-animator won a special Oscar "For the development and inspired application of techniques that have made possible the first feature-length computer-animated film". In other words, the movie is great.

Toy Story 2 Like the handful of other great movie sequels, Toy Story 2 comments on why the first one was so wonderful while finding a fresh angle worthy of a new film. The craze of toy collecting becomes the focus here, as we find out that Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) is not only a beloved toy to Andy but also a rare doll from a popular 1960s children's show. When a greedy collector takes Woody, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) launches a rescue mission with Andy's other toys. To say more would be a crime because this is one of the most creative and smile-inducing films since, well, the first Toy Story.

Although the toys look the same as in the 1994 feature, Pixar shows how much technology has advanced: the human characters look more human, backgrounds are superior, and two action sequences that book-end the film are dazzling. And it's a hoot for kids and adults. The film is packed with spoofs, easily accessible in-jokes and inspired voice casting (with newcomer Joan Cusack especially a delight as Cowgirl Jessie). But as the Pixar canon of films illustrates, the filmmakers are storytellers first. Woody's heart-tugging predicament can easily be translated into the eternal debate of living a good life versus living for forever. Toy Story 2 was deservedly a huge box-office success. --Doug Thomas

Video Description
Special features:

Languages in Dolby Digital 5.1 : English/Norwegian/Danish in Dolby Surround 2.0: Hebrew/Greek Subtitles: English/English for the Hearing Impaired/ Norwegian/Danish/Greek

Disc One: Toy Story
Widescreen (1.77:1) - Enhanced For 16x9 Televisions
The Making of Toy Story
On-Set Interviews
Academy Award. - Winning Short: Tin Toy
Toy Story Treats
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins Preview
THX-Certified

Disc Two: Toy Story 2
Widescreen (1.77:1) - Enhanced For 16x9 Televisions
Academy Award. - Winning Short: Luxo Jr.
Outtakes
Monsters Inc. Sneak Peek
Audio Commentary
Music - Only Track
Effects - Only Track
THX-Certified

Disc Three: Supplemental Features
The History of Toy Story
Characters & Design
Story Development
Movie- Making Secrets
Music & Sound Design
Deleted Animation
Publicity
The Toy Box
Outtakes

Bonus Features

Monsters Inc. A Sneak Preview
Luxo Junior . Animated Short from Pixar
Character Featurette . Exclusive 'Woody's Round-Up' Music Video
Coolest Toy Feature . Complete Set of Hilarious Out Takes.

Customer Reviews

BRILLIANT FILMS - BRILLIANT BOXSET
What a great boxset - almost perfect even! Two of the best animated films of all time plus an extras disc. Wow! The first film is extremely good, highly entertaining, awe inspiring and funny on all levels that appeal to both children and adults. The second is the same but bigger and better with a superb storyline. And the extras disc is also awesome, over nine hours worth of fun in a whole boxset. Check out the "deleted animation" section - great, especially the computer glitches area where Buzz Lightyear's legs and eyes are in the wrong place! Hilarious! This DVD package would be perfect if there were commentaries on the films and I was highly disappointed in not finding any! Apart from that - buy it for you, for the kids, for the whole family.

Fabulous package, but no commentaries!
Wonderful films, wonderful extras, but PAL viewers beware - the Region 2 Ultimate Toy Box is devoid of audio commentaries, even though they are mentioned in the little collector's booklet which comes with the package (and extant on the NTSC Region 1 release). Obviously the commentaries (and the promised 5.1 effects-only tracks) were jettisoned because PAL video takes up more space on a DVD than NTSC, but it's still disappointing that Disney didn't mention that fact in their literature for the PAL release. However, this is still is fabulous package for any "big kid" out there who loves Pixar's first-class brand of animation. I bought this set for my kids, but I'll probably end up getting more enjoyment out of it than they will!

Almost as good as the sequel!
Computer animation has come an awfully long way since 'Tron'! 'Toy Story' was the first completely computer-generated feature film, but the filmmakers went the extra mile and thought up a good script and some cool characters to go with it. The film is never show-offy about the technology - it's just like a new form of cartoon, really. Woody and Buzz are great main characters - both are rivals for the heart of Andy, their rarely-seen human owner, and they're voiced so well that they seem to have real personalities. Buzz is initially brash and arrogant, but you end up loving him as much as Woody. Lots of the supporting 'cast' (!) are good too - especially the cute little three-eyed aliens and the scary broken-toy hybrids. This is a film you can watch over and over again, for the details, so it's definitely worth buying it on video.