Tin Toy (1988)

So this was "Toy Story" before the film was fully realized. How interesting. Today, it looks pretty choppy, especially the baby and its diaper. That is a creepy kid. But I was around in the 1980s as computers were really starting to blossom, and there is no way we could have made a cartoon like this. These guys really changed the industry, and this short is a great example of how. I am not the least surprised that it won an Oscar. It deserved to.Now, whether or not that baby is Andy, I don't know. It looks like the credits say his name is Billy, so unless there's some retcon action going on, it must be a different kid. Not that it matters.

This animated short is about the constantly changing interaction between a toy marching band figure and a baby.The story is simple but engaging. The marching figure has a mind of its own, first avoiding the terrible baby who terrorises toys (and even the boxes of the toys). When the baby cries, the marching figure decides that he has sympathy and compassion, and bravely goes back out to cheer the baby up. I got alarmed when the baby puts a bag on his head, and I was lifted up by the bravery of the marching figure.The animation looks sub standard in modern day standards, but when I look back twenty years ago, the 2D animations I watched when I was a child were nowhere as good as this.

Hi,For those of you wondering about the music at the beginning of "Tin Toy",I believe it is Captain Kangaroo's theme music, also known as Puffin' Billy" by Edward White. It was originally written about a British steam engine. With the lyrics added in 1957 by Mary Rodgers the tune became the theme "Captain Kangaroo".I've always enjoyed "Tin Toy" and it's ability to pull you into the world of the toys' perspective. The baby is a bit primitive compared to the toys in the short, but I don't let that get in the way of enjoying the voyage of the little musicians' discovery of his purpose. Pat Larson

This is an incredible short in many ways! The computer graphics are great and the storyline is very well-developed and executed brilliantly. This is a most innocently destructive toddler-in other words, a typical baby. As anyone who has spent time in the company of a toddler knows, they are a force of nature not unlike Godzilla! This one here is more qualified than most. Atilla the Baby, as it were. My sympathies lie with the toy. Phenomenal piece of work worth hunting for. Wholeheartedly recommended. He shoots, he scores!