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THE EVOLUTION PIXAR AND TOY STORY’S EXCELLENCE IN ANIMATION

Toy Story is not something new to the ears and eyes of most people today, especially those who were born in the 1990s, when the film was released, and became widely popular, not only to the children, but of all age groups. This film about a cowboy doll and a space ranger action figure that has begun with rivalry and jealousy, which ended with friendship and love, has moved and warmed the hearts of the viewers, and will always be a notable part of their childhood. Toy Story became Pixar’s debut to the animation industry, making them the first to create a computer animated film, mixed with traditional techniques. It became a way in order for Pixar to establish itself by its great commitment to excellence (Ashton, 2019). 

Before the beginning of Pixar, John Lasseter used to work for Disney such as animation on Donald Duck, and other well-known cartoon characters of Disney, then left, when he saw the potential in creating computer animation, which led him to establish Pixar. Computer graphics were put to use in the 1960s, and in the 70s, 1 frame has become more complex and detailed. Moreover, the movement became more fluent and richer and better in lighting. In 1986, Lasseter began with a series of animated short films, wherein Luxo Jr. was the main star and then, was followed by Tin Toy in 1988, winning the best Academy Award, and lastly, before Toy Story, was a series of television commercials, Knick Knack in 1989. At this time, Disney began exploring animation, and decided to work with Pixar in creating a computer animated film, using both traditional and computer animation. Storyboarders and technical directors modeled the characters in three dimensions in the computer, then the animators tested the models if the animation variables worked correctly. 

After a long wait, Toy Story 4’s release, PIxar’s growth in animation can be truly seen (Copper, 2019). Newer technology was used in the creation of the film, wherein the reels contained rudimentary sound effects and temporary dialogues for the drafts. More research and effort was poured onto the costumes of the characters, and through character design, this also where they found inspiration for the villains and new characters. This also helped to create better and more detailed touches to the look of every object or character in the animation, such as Woody’s clothing and having a more realistic presentation (Al-Heeti, 2020). Shading or surfacing was also used in order to have a better and more improved texture and feel to the animations, for example are the appearances of the wood and metal in the film (Desiderio & Phillips, 2020). Lastly, the software used for the rigging has become more advanced, as it became easier for animators to manipulate or control their puppets, creating a more articulate and intricate movement from each character (EelyajekiM, 2019). Pixar has shown massive advancements, ever since the first Toy Story movie, and will continue to inspire other generations in the field of computer animation. 

References:

Al-Heeti, A. (2019). Toy Story 4 shows how far Pixar's animation has come. https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/toy-story-4-shows-how-far-pixars-animation-has-come-in-24-years/

Ashton, W. (2019). Toy Story Vs. Toy Story 4: How Pixar's Animation Has Changed Over The Last 24 Years. https://amp.cinemablend.com/news/2475686/toy-story-vs-toy-story-4-how-pixars-animation-has-changed-over-the-last-24-years

Desiderio, K. & Phillips, I. (2020). How Pixar's animation has evolved over 24 years, from 'Toy Story' to 'Toy Story 4'. https://www.insider.com/pixars-animation-evolved-toy-story-2019-6?amp

EelyajekiM. (2019). Pixar’s Technological Evolution From ‘Toy Story’ To ‘Toy Story 4’. https://www.google.com.ph/amp/s/geeksofdoom.com/2019/05/01/pixars-technological-evolution-from-toy-story-to-toy-story-4%3famp