Composing Greatness: #4.The Musical or Comedy Scores - "Toy Story" (1995)

Welcome to Composing Greatness: a column dedicated to exploring the work of film composers. This will specifically focus on the films that earned them Oscar nominations while exploring what makes it so special. This will be broken down into a look at the overall style, interesting moments within the composition, and what made the score worth nominating in the first place. This will also include various subcategories where I will rank the themes of each film along with any time that the composer actually wins. This is a column meant to explore a side of film that doesn't get enough credit while hopefully introducing audiences to an enriched view of more prolific composers' work. This will only cover scores/songs that are compiled in an easily accessible format (so no extended scores will be considered). Join me every Sunday as I cover these talents that if you don't know by name, you recognize by sound.

Series Composer: Randy Newman

Entry: Toy Story (1995)

Collaborators (If Available): N/A

Nomination: Best Original Musical or Comedy Score, Best Original Song

Did He Win: No

Other Nominees:
Best Original Musical or Comedy Score

-Pocahontas (Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz) *winner
-The American President (Marc Shaiman)
-Toy Story (Randy Newman)
-Unstrung Heroes (Thomas Newman)

Additional Information

This is to help provide perspective of where each composer is in their Oscar-nominated life as it related to the current entry.

Oscar Nomination: 8

Oscar Wins: 0

Track List

1. "You've Got a Friend in Me"

2. "Strange Things"

3. "I Will Go Sailing No More"

4. "Andy's Birthday"

5. "Soldier's Mission"

6. "Presents"

7. "Buzz"

8. "Sid"

9. "Woody and Buzz"

10. "Mutants"

11. "Woody's Gone"

12. "The Big One"

13. "Hang Together"

14. "On the Move"

15. "Infinity and Beyond"

16. "You've Got a Friend in Me"

Note: Listen to here.

Exploring the Music

The area of the column where I will explore the music in as much detail as I see fit for each entry.

Theme Exploration:

"Andy's Birthday"

On the one hand, this is just another round of Randy Newman's upbeat Dixie jazz motif shining through. However, I think that is to ignore how subversive it is to have a score so lively, mixing an innocent sound with something more traditional to a score, where the strings swell and the strings have a jaunty beat that pop up and down. There are so many memorable parts in any given song that bring a singular personality to this story. It's rare for a family movie to get a score this rich, able to draw the listener in and explore character motifs without it ever being too boring or adult. Even the opening chords feel symbolic of what the Toy Story franchise will become. It's quick and anticipatory, making you smile. It's maybe one of the best scores for 90s family movies in general.

Interesting Standout:

"Mutants"

Another thing that makes this score brilliant is how it's more than one style. While it is all infused with this upbeat quality, Randy Newman is constantly playing with ideas, where a jangling noise in the background becomes haunting, or how the slowed down strings feel reminiscent of slasher movies, or even Alien. So much of this score feels indebted to horror without tipping its hat too much. Everything about it is versatile and cutting edge, and it honestly makes this portion of the film greater for helping to build atmosphere, making you feel worried with nothing more than a limited view of the world outside. 

Best Moment:

"Infinity and Beyond"

The whole score is building to something greater. By the time that the big action set piece comes that ends the film, it's time for the most triumphant piece of music in the entire score. The pitch couldn't go higher. It's all so breathtaking, like looking down on the world and feeling a tear in your eye. As it builds to the end of the movie, it manages to mix in some fun comical bits that show how well-balanced Newman's entire work is. While every track on here is worthy of recognition, it's here that it culminates in a perfectly quaint way that feels like a cute punchline to a groundbreaking movie.

Did This Deserve an Oscar Nomination?:
Yes

Not only did this deserve the Oscar nomination, but I personally think that it should've won. With all due respect to Pocahontas, Alan Menken was already an established winner (and I'm sure this category was created just to benefit his work at Disney) and Newman was still a near-decade off from an Oscar win. Rarely has a loss felt more crushing than this, where a soundtrack that has become echoic and continually referenced for the next 25 years has been otherwise ignored. This is a great score with so many fun moments that feel new and exciting. Casting Newman as a composer was a stroke of genius, and it makes all the difference for this story. I love it and wish that it won simply because it does everything better than just about every score here. 

Up Next: Original Musical or Comedy Score - Thomas Newman, Unstrung Heroes (1995) for 

Best Theme

A ranking of all themes composed by The Best Original Musical or Comedy Score nominees.

1. Randy Newman: "Andy's Birthday" - Toy Story (1995)

2. Marc Shaiman: "Main Titles" - The American President (1995)
3. Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz: "Pocahontas" - Pocahontas (1995)

4. John Williams: "Sabrina" - "Track 01" (1995)

Best Winner

A ranking of all themes composed by The Best Original Musical or Comedy Score winners.

1. Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz: "Pocahontas" - Pocahontas (1995)