The Terror of Toy Story

Toy Story has always been a crowd favorite and it opened the doors to a brand new style of filmmaking… a movie entirely made out of computer animation. I have always loved this movie and I still will and for many of the kids from my generation this will always be a cherished film but lets look at one point, or should I say a few points, in the film that have always terrified me as a kid. These points had the same characters but it proves to you how dark and terrifying Disney is willing to go. So let’s get started.

The scenes that I am talking about involve Sid and his haunting clan of toys that he created. This has got to be one of the scariest scenes that Disney and Pixar have done. What is so terrifying about it is that these toys have a monster appeal and they were all made from parts of other toys so you can infer that Sid is a darker, less pleasant version of Dr. Frankenstein. Sid is maladjusted, psychotic and very unstable and the way that his character looks inspires fear into any kid or toy because of those dark soulless eyes, black hair and demonic grin (complete with braces). This is a kid who could serve as a killer had he been in an adult themed movie. He kidnaps toys and tears them apart and builds monsters out of them. It’s rather dark and disturbing don’t you think?

From Blogger Pictures

Now, lets look at the toys that Sid makes. These are perhaps some of the most disturbing looking homemade toys that I have ever seen. They range from an insect’s head on a human torso, a jack in the box with a hand replacing the puppet, a pair of legs with a fishing pole instead of a body and a baby’s head mounted to a pair of mechanical spider legs. The two scenes that were frightening was when Woody was becoming suspicious that there were other toys in Sid’s room and when they emerge from the bed and creep up on him… it’s very reminiscent of your typical monster movie. Even the scene when they ascend from the mud and they walk towards Sid and attack him… it’s a wicked blend of revenge flicks (I Spit on Your Grave) and Romero’s zombie flicks (Night of the Living Dead). It was so haunting and yet so wonderfully twisted.

From Blogger Pictures

So, looking back on it… Toy Story had some really freaky moments in it and there are some that didn’t even involve Sid. Some took place in the pizza place and some involved Sid’s dog Spike but you have to look at what this movie accomplished; aside from the animation, this movie had every genre blended into one and for a film that broke boundaries it rightfully deserves it’s praise and recognition. Though many people don’t attribute Toy Story for being a horror movie there are some similarities that they share much like how Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory can be considered a “revenge flick” of sorts. I will always love this film and it left such a huge mark on my childhood I will never give it up for anything and it could quite possibly be the first animated horror films I was introduced to. Bravo Pixar, Bravo!