Toy Story (1995)

We watched Toy Story together and spent an hour talking about identity and purpose afterward. That kind of conversation doesn't happen often. The film gives you something real to think about together.

Toy Story commits to a conclusion that not everyone will appreciate. I found it perfectly right — it refuses easy comfort. If you want tidy resolution you may be frustrated. If you want truth, it delivers.

There are scenes in cinema you never forget. For me, Buzz's first flight attempt in Toy Story is one of them. John Lasseter constructs it with total precision and it lands exactly as intended. Pure craft.

Toy Story is technically accomplished and I understand its place in film history. But it left me cold. The jealousy and friendship element felt mechanical and I never connected emotionally. Maybe I'll try again someday.

I went into Toy Story knowing nothing — no trailer, no plot summary. I strongly recommend that approach. The identity and purpose hits much harder when you haven't been primed for it. Go in cold.

Everyone told me to watch Toy Story for years. Finally did and instantly understood why. the emotional resonance is immediately apparent. Now I'm recommending it just as loudly to everyone else.

Toy Story deals with identity and purpose in a way that's genuinely uncomfortable at times. But that discomfort is the point. John Lasseter never lets you look away, and the film is better for it.

Every actor brings something to Toy Story, but the lead performance is genuinely extraordinary. The subtlety involved, the way the character changes without announcing it — it's a masterclass.

Every choice in Toy Story feels deliberate. The framing, the pacing, the Sid nightmare — John Lasseter is operating at a level most filmmakers never reach. It's the kind of film you study rather than just watch.

Toy Story has been praised so heavily that no film could live up to the hype completely. It's an excellent film — the groundbreaking CGI is genuinely remarkable — but it's not the untouchable masterpiece some claim.