Pixar is the top studio when it comes to animation, a number of reasons. Pixar was the first studio to create a CG movie with Toy Story way back when everyone else was still making 2D drawn animated films.
Since then we’ve seen a sharp rise in CG Animation from a number of studios, but Pixar always comes out on top. This is because the company is run by people who love cinema, love stories, and love characters.
So, let’s take a look at one of their most recent hits with Toy Story 4.
The film is a road movie crossed with some romance. As you can see here the film is proving that the bond between Woody & Bo Peep is strong, despite the fact they have different ideas of what a toy’s life is like without a child. They both have a love for the remarkable, and this shot captivates that perfectly.
Woody is a toy contemplating life, Bo is a toy just trying to get by in life. Together they are a mismatched couple but the chemistry between them is palpable, and this is a film about toys coming to life! It’s shots and moments like this that help to keep the film grounded.
Forky is quite possibly the best new addition to the film. He’s a toy with an existential crisis, and it provides a unique and oftentimes a humorous look at what goes on inside a toy’s mind. That’s if toys had a mind. Here in this shot, you get the typical road movie cliché where someone experienced living a long life mentors the junior who is still trying to figure out what their life means to them. The film has a lot of big questions and it’s so carefully done that I never feel like it’s too much for the viewer to take in.
This is my favourite shot of the film, it’s melancholic and powerful and the effects used with the lighting and shading is amazing. Rain in movies always symbolises sadness and the dark silhouette look at the characters gives it a film noir tone.
Bo and Woody are lost souls bound to each other and this shot sets up the rest of the movie perfectly, reminding the audience of their backstory but at the same time showing that love will always stay there in the hard moments of life.
For a film aimed at young kids, this is powerful stuff and this is what Pixar does best. They make movies with important life lessons, without making it too pretentious.
I hope you enjoyed looking at Toy Story 4 with me today, it’s definitely one of the best looking Pixar films made to date. I’ll be back again next month with another blog in the Shot-by-Shot series.
Thanks for reading today's blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
Comments