Toy Story (1995) - POV As Foreshadowing and Personification

lionsuit (62)in #film • 6 years ago (edited)

Toy Story is a textbook of sharp visual storytelling, motif, structure, filmmaking.

The first completely computer-animated feature. It was also John Lasseter's and Pixar's first feature.

The opening is genius. We start with a "normal" reality. It's a boy playing with his toys. The personification, the humanity, the action of the toys is all an extension of Andy.

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The first point of view shot is Mr. Potato Head's as Andy plays out his robbery showdown.
Makes perfect sense as we are in the mind of Andy here.

Then Andy takes Woody downstairs playing one on one and we have Woody's first POV sliding down the banister.

You might say this moment of personification still comes through Andy's imagination. I wouldn't argue against that necessarily.

Same for the spinning chair moment.

Same for Andy reaching for Woody.

Same for Woody flying through the air.

Then we land on the couch. And here is where Lasseter and team start to reveal the magic.

Andy walks away. He engages with his mother. He focused on her, not Andy.

And yet here we have it again from the arm of the couch, Woody's POV of Andy and his Mom under a happy birthday banner.

Dutch angle, from the perspective of the toy on its own. The audience lives through Woody for a moment. We see through his eyes. These are not just plastic and paint; these are eyes. This is a living creature.

A perfect way to wake us up to the idea of living toys, to prepare us for what is coming.

One more on our way back upstairs.

And shortly after this we see Woody and the toys as full tilt living characters for the first time, walking, talking, and more on their own, and we're off.