Dr Holliday wrote the first book on the computer-animated film, which you can find out more about here: edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-com...

“However, the intense humanity of Toy Story – despite its array of plastic protagonists – and the film’s genuine emotion proved that even within animation’s turn to computer graphics, there is still space for the craft of animation to shine.”

film that changed the technological face of commercial animation. The computer’s impact on artistic creativity alongside the threat of automated labour were all being discussed as potential problems in the lead-up to the film’s big-screen release.”

Are there parallels between Toy Story’s impact and current technological shifts in animation, such as AI-assisted tools?

“The cautionary tales and crisis narratives that continue to surround AI can certainly be traced back to the mid-1990s and the arrival of Toy Story as a...

"RenderMan enabled greater accuracy and visual detail in the animation of different kinds of surfaces, textures, and materials, and would set the benchmark of pristine digital aesthetics for decades to come."

What were the key technological breakthroughs that allowed Toy Story to become the first fully computer-animated feature film?

"The film was produced using Pixar’s RenderMan software, a photorealistic 3D rendering programme developed by the studio in the 1980s.

“Critics and audiences responded enthusiastically to animation’s digital turn, prompting a boom in animation production as other studios all over the world jumped on the digital bandwagon.”

In what ways did Toy Story transform the animation industry?

“Toy Story marked the rebirth and revival of a 100-year-old art form, proof of the economic viability, market potential, and storytelling possibilities of long-form animation.

earlier cel-animated features, introducing the perfect heroes to accompany audiences into animation’s new digital age.”

Did Toy Story redefine the public’s perception of animation?

“The film shifted the view that animation was a medium solely for children.

"Its buddy movie narrative between Woody the Cowboy and Buzz Lightyear also countered the fairytale format that had long dominated Disney’s..

"But with Toy Story, audiences saw that same technology stretched over a feature-length in ways that transformed the look and feel of mainstream animated cinema, all while signalling the global animation industry’s seismic switch from pencil to pixel.”

How did Toy Story mark a “before and after” moment in animation history?

“Before Pixar’s debut in 1995, computer animation was largely used as a fleeting visual effect to create spectacular set-pieces and other-worldly creatures.