• Although it is not vulgar, this article contains mature themes, and may not be suitable for younger readers

    Pixar has always been a company working for the sake of art, and their quality control is almost unparalleled in the realm of animated film-making. What better series to look at than their critically acclaimed trilogy, Toy Story, enjoyed by both the young and young at heart? Who could forget the blooming of a long and lasting friendship between former arch rivals Woody and Buzz, or their daring escapades through the suburbs, the city, and even to the precipice of utter destruction? The collective trilogy tugged at our metaphorical heartstrings, and brought tears to the eyes of multiple generations. Beneath that deceptive G-rated lies a theme that transcends all our realities, weaving a reality that we can all familiarize ourselves with. Being a graduate, I can sympathize with Andy's situation, as he packs up to pursue a new future, leaving his friends behind... but life goes on.

    Toy Story means different things to different people, but the narrative and story telling was always so intricate and craftily put together, that it's impossible to put a focus on the overall series. They say a story's greatness is judged by the greatness of its ultimate obstacle, the overwhelming antagonist that terrifies and manipulates our enterprising heroes. After watching Toy Story 3's villain achieving an emotional victory with the audience perhaps equivalent to Heath Ledger's Joker, it's occurred to me that Toy Story has come a long way as a trilogy, becoming more and more complex and emotional as we grow more attached to our heroes. And with each successful instalment comes a new villain that blows the last one out of the water.

    I'll highlight the chief antagonist of each movie, and how they represent the movie and the challenges presented, as Toy Story evolves emotionally into a modern classic unlike any other. First, we start with the one that started it all...

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    Sid Phillips - Toy Story (1995)
    "I don't believe that man's ever been to medical school..."

    A straightforward villain to start our saga off. Look at how disgusting and utterly crazinsane he looks. Just by looking at him, you know he's bad news, looking at the black skull T-shirt, the crooked yellow teeth, the perpetual darkness he shrouds himself in, and just... that damn evil sneer he has on his evil, evil face all the time. It's the guy you just want to punch in the face, multiple times, just from the first time you see him. And the more we learn about him, the louder we crack our knuckles in anticipation.

    As you probably recall, Sid's favourite hobby involves the creative and overtly violent methodology of toy dismemberment. Unfortunately, just like Disney's treatment of talking animals, the toys in question are sentient and capable of independent thought, so this is the in-movie equivalent of serial mass murder. This also makes Sid an adolescent Jason Voorhes, taking insane pleasure in dismembering his toys in the most explosive ways possible.

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    Oh hey look, a resemblance

    We know from the moment he sends a poor Combat Carl to an infernal death that we can safely deduce that he's a complete monster, with no room for pity, respect, or emotion beyond the devastation of property and life. Our impressions of him only dramatically dip farther into the abyss of loathing when he robs his little sister's dolly, and performs grotesquely unnecessary cranial transplant surgery in his own maniacal laboratory, also drenched in an aura of insanity and darkness. We don't see much of Sid outside of his terrifying antagonistic role, and why should we? He's a deity of pain and suffering to the helpless toys, and by all means, he has no business stepping out of that role; aside from joking remarks for a young audience, Sid is a complete monster, and little else.

    Second in line is his dog Scud, which serves a similar purpose to Sid in being utterly terrifying, and he serves his purpose well. Sid has the brains to be creative. Scud, however, is an unrelenting, unflinching chaotic force of primal destruction, and he will not let the dolls escape. As a vanguard to Sid's twisted vision, Scud does just that. As a result, we have Sid placed in a position as the definitive Big Bad, and Scud as his Dragon. It's right by the book.

    So what purpose do they serve in the greater plot of Toy Story? Sid is introduced as an antagonistic force very early in the movie, one so terrifying to our protagonists that they choose to avert their eyes at the carnage that befalls their plastic comrade. Clearly and plainly speaking, Sid serves as an obstacle straight from a Greek legend, an overbearing obstacle that must be overcome. And our heroes do just that. He represents a force so insidious that the two main, contrasting protagonists must put each other's differences aside to put an end to his tyranny, in such a way that he will never return again.

    Arguably, Sid receives the worst "Disney death" of all the Toy Story villains. If we saw a lunatic running around screaming "THE TOYS ARE ALIVE!", we'd commit him, lock him up and throw away the key. The fact that he'd be utterly scarred for life puts the aftermaths of the main antagonists of its sequels in the dust. But we can forgive that. The sequels had antagonists who were nice guys, who had hopes and dreams that were crushed. Sid is just a complete monster, and we don't feel an ounce of remorse for his disturbing future.

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    But how do we review Sid as an individual? From the perspective of the toys, he is a terrifying, Cthulu-esque monster, but bear in mind that he is only a kid. A bratty kid, but a kid nonetheless. He doesn't know the toys are alive (at least, not until his damaging revelation), and as far as he knows, he's just playing, just taking it to enough extremes to make him the antagonist. Sid is set in stark contrast to Andy since the beginning of the film, and from a thematic standing, we can see how; Andy is the manifestation of the forces of imagination, and Sid is the manifestation of the forces of expression. Any psychologist would judge Sid as creative, with a deeply pent-up desire to express himself. Indeed, we can all see a bit of Sid within ourselves. As a gamer, I'm explicitly aware of the creative virtues of dismembering objects without consequences or emotional attachment. Every Red Dead Redemption player has toyed with the moral qualms of tying up a fair-haired harem to the railroad tracks, and every Grand Theft Auto player has inflicted gratuitous harm with all shades of creativity. I think, as kids, though, when watching Toy Story, we gave pause, however brief, to this attitude, seeing that bit of ourselves so violently portrayed on the screen. Sid was an effective device to toy with our emotions, to say the least.

    Toy Story was an utterly groundbreaking movie, and still remains a classic today, but let's face it, it was a simpler time. When seeing the dynamic villains of its successors (as I will point out in future instalments), Sid comes off as a bit of a typecast. Luckily, he's not the only conflict to observe, and he compliments the rivalry between Woody and Buzz. Most importantly, he represents a Greek challenge that demands the best of both. He doesn't need to bring the audience to tears to make them wish his failure.

    Toy Story's sequels still have greater potential to bring an audience to tears, simply based on their darker tones and manipulation of emotion; the only people who cried watching the original Toy Story were the 2D animators watching their futures crumble. A simpler movie for a simpler time, but an emotional title and an instant classic nonetheless. Sid served a necessary and overbearing role to perfection, terrifying and inspiring intense dislike when we were but kiddies, and he helped bring out the characters that we would later root for against more elaborate and emotional villains.

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    Stay tuned for the next installment, when we look at Toy Story 2 and its villains – Prospector "Stinky" Pete and Al "The Chicken Man" McWhiggin