The Toy Story franchise returns again
The Toy Story franchise is set to hit our cinema screens again this summer as Woody and co return for their third outing in Toy Story 3. A firm favourite with families, the toys in the film have taken on personalities of their own and have also looked the part, with the initial Toy Story film the first feature length movie to be made using computer animated graphics. Over the years the Disney Pixar animators have created dozens of characters who we’ll see again in all their glory this summer.
The Disney Toy Story films have helped to take the animation genre to a whole new level and have pushed the boundaries of this area of film making. Aided by the improvement in technology that has occurred in recent years, animated films are now very different aesthetically compared to those released a couple of decades ago. The use of CGI has helped to make the films look sharper, and the addition of 3D technology can only enhance Toy Story’s aesthetics.
Toy Story 3 is Disney Pixar’s latest in a long line of animated films. Other than the Toy Story franchise, it has also produced a number of other very popular feature length animations, including films such as The Incredibles, Cars and Finding Nemo. A man who has had a large input into all three of those films, as well as the Toy Story franchise and many other modern day animated classics is John Lasseter.
Lasseter has a long history in film animation and is one of the most experienced animators alive today. Currently the principal creative advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering, Lasseter has worked on dozens of animated films, often as the director or executive producer. The first Toy Story outing was directed by Lasseter, who also had a major role in writing the script and the initial ideas for the film.
Firmly involved in Toy Story 3, the executive producer was included in the development of the story for the film which focuses on Andy growing up and going to college. His toys have to deal with the fact that they get less attention than they once did and they find their way to Sunnyside Daycare, where Woody tries to reunite them with Andy.
It isn’t just in the production stage of the film that many big names are involved, with the characters in the Toy Story franchise voiced by some famous Hollywood stars. Tom Hanks is the familiar voice of Woody, while Buzz Lightyear is voiced by an equally famous actor, Tim Allen. Together they form the popular duo and give voices to the stunning images that are produced.
The third outing in the Toy Story franchise will give audiences a chance to catch up with their favourite characters and see them involved in further sticky situations. You can be sure that the $190 million budget for Toy Story 3 has been used to create a stunning looking film that utilises its 3D aesthetics to the full and helps to tell yet another engaging story.
