Films are something that we all look towards for escapism – the action, the humour, the romance, the animation. Sometimes these can hold so much more meaning then just an image on a screen and create narratives and memories in our own lives. Welcome to the sister article to Music Memories where we take a look at some of these personal stories attached to films.

Film: Toy Story
Original Release Date: 1995

Films can bring back some unusual memories and we are starting off this feature looking at a film that is very close to my heart.

I didn’t see Toy Story when it first came out however the Christmas of the year it was released we queued at the Disney store to get a Buzz Lightyear even though I didn’t know what it was. The queue intrigued us and it was something that was in popular demand so we risked it and lined up in the queue not sure what we would expect. I eventually saw the film that Christmas as I got it for a present and we definitely made the right decision.

I saw Toy Story for the first time on VHS and instantly fell in love with it. I was about 7 years old at the time and the film was just pure magic – both as a story and as a film.

I instantly fell in love with the characters as well – I ended up getting a Woody dolls as well as the buzz, had a Toy Story film poster on my wall and even autographed my name on the bottom of their shoes.

Even now, I would say Toy Story is one of my all time favourite films.

Facts About Toy Story

•   It was the first entirely computer-animated feature film, as well as the first feature film from Pixar. 
• Following the success of Tin Toy, a short film that was released in 1988, Pixar was approached by Disney to produce a computer-animated feature film that was told from a small toy’s perspective. 
• Lasseter did not want to make Toy Story into a musical, as he felt that it would make the film feel less genuine