Why Toy Story Remains Great After 30 Years

Artwork by Trevor Pacelli

By Trevor Pacelli
​Wow. Thirty years of Toy Story. To this day, it’s one of those movies that nobody seems to dislike, while the second installment is perhaps more loved than the first with its deeper narrative that expands further on the premise of toys coming to life. The series eventually received a third and fourth part, gave Buzz Lightyear a (rather phoned-in) spinoff, and next year, in 2026, Toy Story 5 will come out. To commemorate the legacy of this iconic series, I think now is a good time to look back on what made Toy Story so appealing to all ages.

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Now, I was way too young to notice the cultural impact of Toy Story when it first came out around Thanksgiving in 1995, as I was only about to celebrate my third birthday. I didn’t know what it was like for everyone to see the first fully computer-animated motion picture, I just know that everyone instantly loved it not for its technological achievement, but for its fun characters and clever story. It also helped that real toys from our history were included both in the background and in the main cast: Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Etch-a-Sketch, the Barrel of Monkeys, the Green Army Men, the Troll dolls, the Little Tikes, just to name a few. The parents had fond memories of playing with toys like these, and triggering those sentimental feelings helped hook them when they took their kids to see it.
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Yet a greater help in making the first movie a hit was the main protagonist—our very own Sheriff Woody. Some behind-the-scenes details reveal how difficult it was for Pixar’s writers to get Woody just right, as throughout much of the development process he was just a big bully who pushed the other toys around. A bit of that is still seen in the finished product, as Woody lets his leadership position over the toys in Andy’s room amplify his jealousy whenever his status as Andy’s favorite toy is threatened. He does try to take malicious action against Buzz when he’s confident Buzz really has replaced him as Andy’s favorite toy, but it goes disastrously wrong when his plan to knock Buzz behind the desk instead ends with Buzz getting knocked out the window. Even when the other toys accuse him of trying to permanently get rid of Buzz, Woody is more worried about his own reputation with his friends than about Buzz’s safety. Indeed, he starts off as an incredibly selfish character, but because his actions stem from the very real insecurity of feeling inferior, old, or outdated, Woody becomes lovable.

His development throughout the first movie takes place when he and Buzz are stuck at Sid’s house and they have no choice but to work together. At first, Woody’s motive to bring Buzz with him is just for the practical reason of getting the other toys in Andy’s room to no longer hate him, but once he must talk sense into Buzz—who realizes by then he’s not a space ranger, Woody’s empathy for Buzz becomes sincere. Woody tells Buzz that unlike space rangers, toys get to enjoy the privilege of having a kid unconditionally love them, but as he tries to uplift Buzz with his words, Woody in turn brings himself down, believing that Andy doesn’t want a plain old toy like him anymore. Though Buzz pulls Woody back up by the bootstraps so they can work together to get out of Sid’s house and race over to Andy’s moving truck that by then has hit the road. At the start of this chase, Woody is even given a choice while on the back of Andy’s car to leave Buzz stuck in a fence, but he decides to go back and help Buzz out of the fence, leaving Andy’s car to drive off. Once this chase is over and they’re both safe in Andy’s arms once again, Woody and Buzz continue their newly established friendship that’s expanded on in the second movie.

Toy Story 2 doesn’t just expand on Woody and Buzz’s friendship, it also expands on the concept of what it would be like if toys came to life, showing toys living inside a store, toys stuck in storage, toys becoming collectibles, toys being put in yard sales, toys being shelved, toys meeting newer versions of themselves, toys breaking, and most importantly—toys leaving their owner. The story’s main events kick off when Andy accidentally rips Woody’s arm, which leads to him being left on a shelf while Andy goes to cowboy camp. Woody fears what could possibly happen between him and Andy… Would he be better off preserved in a toy museum than having to put up with having his heart and stitches broken by Andy over the years? Hearing Jessie’s story of being forgotten and given away by her owner seals the deal for Woody: Being played with isn’t worth it.

Pixar’s writers were insanely clever in how they came up with the natural problems toys would worry about, all of which relate to the common human insecurity of change. Toys are scared of birthdays and Christmas, as that means new toys could potentially dominate the owner’s playtime. The toys are also scared of yard sales, as that means they could be put up for sale. Needing to adjust to such big changes like these are not a whole lot different than kids moving up to a new grade level, teens leaving for college, or parents letting their kids go off to college. For anyone going through such a period of life, Buzz’s words to Woody are an important reminder of what’s important: “You are a toy!”

Buzz is repeating the same words Woody screamed at him in the first movie, and this time in the context of reminding Woody of his purpose. Like any average person’s fears about the inevitable transitions in the future, it’s paramount to remember their purpose and commit to it, no matter how hard it will be, just like what Woody had to do in deciding to return to Andy. Then once he’s home safe, Woody feels happy knowing that while the heartbreak with Andy and future owners is inevitable, it will be fun while it lasts.

What’s also funny is the fact that the whole reason why Pixar decided their first movie should be about toys is more from a practical production reason. The technology wasn’t yet ready to create something like monsters, fish, rats, or cars, as they demand overly complicated effects like fur and water, but it was serviceable at the time in creating smooth plastics. Since much of what took up the screen in the first two films was plastic toys, it worked in selling audiences over to the potential of this new approach to animation. Pixar’s animators back then remarkably understood the limits of their technology, and found genius ways to hide the limitations, such as by leaving out toys covered in fur, cutting away from actions too difficult to animate, or shooting human characters mostly from a distance. At the same time, Pixar never made showing off the computer animation the focal point of the movie, they kept their priorities right and only did for the film what was right to tell the story about toys.

So, the next time you watch the Toy Story movies, consider how their timeless topics of friendship and growing up influenced you over the years. How might your favorite character reflect your inner child? What would you want to see today’s kids pull out of watching these movies? How has your society improved how you live, work, and play because of what was established by Toy Story?
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Trevor Pacelli is a young adult on the autism spectrum as well as the author of What Movies Can Teach Us About Disabilities, What Movies Can Teach Us About Bullying, Summer of the Fruit Virus and the illustrator of The Kindergarten Adventures of Amazing Grace: What in the World is Autism?, and the author/illustrator of Amazing Grace Goes to the Zoo