Toy Story ViewMaster

[P3D Ken Hamilton <khamilto@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

There have been some posts with reference to Pixar lately,
which nudges me forward with an observation about the "Toy
Story" ViewMaster reels.

Browsing for Xmas gifts at the Toy'r'Us, I noticed the "Toy
Story" viewer/reels package.  Being a fan of both 3D and
computer animation, as well as an admirer of "Toy Story"
in particular, I decided to check it out as a gift for my
kids.  The package was set up so that I could see one reel
image per package, and I was able to view maybe 4 or 5 
different scenes by rummaging through the display.

My impression?  Profound disappointment!  You would think
that someone at Pixar would have had the forethought to
generate some real 3D frames.  Instead, what I saw was some
apparently badly botched manipulation of non-stereo images.
In two cases, the reflections in the shiny wooden flooring 
were badly displaced from where they should be.  In another
case, Buzz Lightyear's wings have become transparent and 
the total image quality was muddy.  The only effective image
was the surprised Woody getting his fist look at Buzz 
through Buzz's legs.

So I didn't buy this package...  I just wonder why ViewMaster
(with the assent of Pixar) would turn out such bad quality, 
given how easy it would have been to produce a unique set of 
eye-dazzling 3D stills from this ground-breaking feature?  Do 
they believe that their principal audience (young children) 
just won't perceive or care about the cruddiness?

Thanks for letting me get this one off my chest...

Ken H.


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