Author Topic: One Chapter at a Time - The Elite Eleven of Pixar + BONUS CONTENT  (Read 559463 times)

1SO

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Re: The Elite Eleven of Pixar - One Chapter at a Time
« Reply #20 on: July 05, 2013, 11:00:56 PM »
I imagine many of my write-ups will point out animation details that work and don't work. Overall, Toy Story remains that exceptional first film that had to work in order for the entire format to be accepted. For all the low-grade furniture, there is a slew of great lighting and detailed bits of artistry. If I remember correctly "Lost at the Gas Station" may have the best examples of both. There's the overall minimalist look of the station, but lots of great touches underneath the vehicles.

smirnoff

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Re: The Elite Eleven of Pixar - One Chapter at a Time
« Reply #21 on: July 06, 2013, 12:14:25 AM »


Heh, it is looking pretty dated. I cringe to think about how basic their software must've been at that time. And how much of the filmmaking process was spent just rendering the damn thing lol.

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Re: The Elite Eleven of Pixar - One Chapter at a Time
« Reply #22 on: July 06, 2013, 01:00:32 AM »
I liked Newman's Monsters University score a lot. You've Got a Friend in Me is a childhood classic, but I certainly don't have it on my iPod or anything.
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Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: The Elite Eleven of Pixar - One Chapter at a Time
« Reply #23 on: July 06, 2013, 09:13:21 AM »
Those who hate Randy Newman must lead a sad life.  Oh well.
Not hearing Randy Newman's voice is usually enough to make me happy.  :D

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Re: The Elite Eleven of Pixar - One Chapter at a Time
« Reply #24 on: July 06, 2013, 10:52:40 AM »
Those who hate Randy Newman must lead a sad life.  Oh well.
Not hearing Randy Newman's voice is usually enough to make me happy.  :D

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The Elite Eleven of Pixar - Toy Story
« Reply #25 on: July 06, 2013, 08:07:12 PM »


Toy Story - The Coast is Clear
"Pull my string! The birthday party's today?"

We're just over 4 minutes in and now something truly magical happens. Something many of us suspected all our lives. When people leave the room, the toys come to life. All retain their properties, their physical and vocal limitations. (The many books and board gams remain quiet.) Some like Potato Head and the agreeable Slinky Dog are exactly like you expect, others like Rex, are nothing like their structure. (I wonder why Rex is such a bundle of nerves. Perhaps it's because he isn't to scale compared to the Cowboy or the Shark.) If you thought these toys were used imaginatively when Andy played with them, that's nothing compared to their independent actions. Who's ever wondered what an Etch A Sketch can do when used to its fullest ability?

A lot of the jokes here are pitched squarely at kids height, ("I'm just a couple of blocks away."), while those included for the adults are awkwardly wedged in, like Don Rickles' "hockey puck" line. I immediately took to Slinky Dog. I've never seen a Slinky in that form before, and dachshund is my favorite breed of dog. I love how the rear often acts independent of the head. It even has it's own springy tail.

Bo Peep has always been one of my least favorite characters, and her introduction is some of the film's worst writing. All puns and innuendo. I'm extrapolating, but it's a moment written by a bunch of guys trying to include a female presence in the story. Woody's reaction to her suggestion...

       

I don't ever need to see that face again.

Technically, the frames are packed with lots of cool details, the many books and board games with titles you can clearly read, jigsaw puzzle pieces on the ground, sneaker smears at the bottom of doors, great sounds like the coins jiggling inside of Hamm. And I love Randy Newman's score in this section. It's playful and atmospheric without having the simplicity of something from a kids TV show.

BTW, there's an early version of both Lots-o Huggin' Bear and Chuckles in the Clown in the image above.
Rating: * * *

Junior

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Re: The Elite Eleven of Pixar - One Chapter at a Time
« Reply #26 on: July 06, 2013, 11:27:26 PM »
What do you think the chances are of Jon Hamm playing Hamm in an alternate universe, 20 years behind/ahead version of Toy Story?

I had a Mr. Potato Head toy from this film which spouted lines when you pushed in the top of his hat. I obviously didn't have a knowledge of Don Rickles when I saw the film and heard him repeat the line over and over again during a nighttime ritual where my mom and I pressed the top of the hat until we got a line I liked (it changed on any given night, but hockey puck was a favorite for sure). It was fun to first connect the real life curmudgeon with the polygonal one and then again with the catchphrase as I learned about Rickles.
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1SO

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Re: The Elite Eleven of Pixar - One Chapter at a Time
« Reply #27 on: July 07, 2013, 12:27:43 AM »
What do you think the chances are of Jon Hamm playing Hamm in an alternate universe, 20 years behind/ahead version of Toy Story?
He's more of a Buzz Lightyear kind of guy.

I had a Mr. Potato Head toy from this film which spouted lines when you pushed in the top of his hat.
I used to own a Slinky Dog from the film, except it came with a pull string right between its eyes.  :-[  I currently own a Rex that came out with Toy Story 3 and my wife owns a Woody doll, though the hat is lost. (That thing doesn't like to stay on his head at all.)

I like your Hockey Puck Defense. I think I just don't enjoy meta-jokes as much as I used to. They're low-hanging fruit, like Freddy Kreuger kill lines. Though I can see Andrew Stanton writing that one after they cast Rickles as something so obvious it had to be done.

BTW, who does everyone think was the best voice casting in this film? I'd have to say R. Lee Ermey as Sergeant with a close 2nd to Wallace Shawn as Rex.
Worst voice... Annie Potts, who takes the nothing role of Bo Peep and brings less than nothing to it.

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Re: The Elite Eleven of Pixar - One Chapter at a Time
« Reply #28 on: July 07, 2013, 12:33:36 AM »
It's hard to argue against Tom Hanks as Woody. I know there has been some backlash in the VO business for hiring big names to do voices. I think Hanks totally fits, though, as does most of Pixar's casting. I can even see a kind of story reason for it, too. You'd think, maybe, that Woody's voice might be more cowboy-y, John Wayne-ish, but since Woody has been Andy's toy for so long and involved in so much of his playing he has changed a bit to be almost more childlike. Hanks isn't really my go-to cowboy and yet he's absolutely perfect in the role.
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Re: The Elite Eleven of Pixar - Toy Story
« Reply #29 on: July 07, 2013, 02:12:20 AM »


Toy Story - The Staff Meeting
"It doesn't matter how much we're played with.
What matters is we're here for Andy when he needs us."


This 2.5 minute scene is where Pixar starts to flex their writing muscle. The jokes aim for both kids and adults, hitting solidly. I could almost fill out this review with the many great lines, but then I could do that for most of these movies. The quote I picked really struck me on this analysis. Those two lines are the jump off point for all of Toy Story 3.

Potato Head has the more juvenile end of jokes with prop comedy involving his parts. I do love that when he takes off his lips to kiss his butt, we not only hear Mr. Spell laugh, we see the Ha's scroll across his screen. We find out the toys have meetings, much like other organizations. Only this was about Plastic Corrosion Awareness.

"Yes sir, we're next month's garage sale fodder for sure."

Hamm's line, which would be echoed in the 3rd film and sets up the initial crisis in Toy Story 2. It's not even that good a line, but the way John Ratzenberger bites down on it, makes it hilarious. I also love the toys getting more anxious as the boxes get bigger and the kid who turns sideways to reveal a box long enough to contain a pole vault. Woody makes a decision that sets up the scene when I fell in love with Pixar.

"If I send out the troops will you all calm down?"

Rating: * * * *

 

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