Camera Angles in Toy Story

A Review of Camera Angles from the Movies



Toy Story 1 & 2

Producers: Ralph Guggenheim,Bonnie Arnold Helene Plotkin and Karen Robert Jackson

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I choose to comment on shots from the first two Toy Story movies because as a child I always love how we got to see the point of view from the toys and not only the human characters. It emphasized the fact that the characters were alive and tapped into the emotions of the toys. As I CGI film it is easier to morph the characters and the scenery to the get the viewers engaged. Much of these films are povs of different characters which helps string along with the character and theme arcs. The first movie began a franchise that would span across decades and generations. Children from today and millennials can both remember when they first watch Toy Story as a child.







The directors and filmmakers of Toy Story were all geniuses when it came to evoking emotion from different angles. Either it when we get to see the toys from Woody’s point of view or the toys looking up to Buzz when he's giving an announcement. As viewers, we get to experience the lives of different characters in the movie and how things affect them through basic camera shifts.





In the first movie, we really get to see Woody’s point of view when he goes with Andy to his birthday party. And when Andy gets a new shiny toy (Buzz) and throws Woody to the side. Woody’s blank reaction when he’s tossed aside shows us how he’s feeling lonely and left out. It’s like he is detaching himself from the situation.






When it comes to obtaining emotions from the viewers it can’t only be the camera angles but the facial expressions from the characters. In Toy Story 2 when Woody has the nightmare of being thrown out you can see the pain and fear on his face. That makes the watchers sympathize with the character and follow his arc. You feel as if you are looking over the bucket as he’s being pulled down.




The POV of Geri who fixes Woody after he gets taken from the garage sale. We see Woody’s eyes glasses over not lively and happy and alive. From this view we see Woody as just a toy not as an alive character. We get to see the toys as characters that are just used as property and thrown to the side.






This low angle shot makes Andy seem a lot larger and shows him as big prominent character. It makes him seem as a god like character. This shot shows Woody and Andy together when they were best friends at the beginning of the first Toy Story. This was before Buzz came in and as Woody thought broke up their relationship.


All these angles and different points of view all contribute to the overall story and engaging the audience. The way the filmmakers connect the character and the audience with emotion is why the film has become a major franchise that has accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars.