For the first time in 48 years, the faces and clothing of the young child actors featured in the 1966 short film, Toys, are clearly visible, almost startlingly so, with fully restored color and clarity. A timeless treasure of 1:6 scale animation, the film is held in the highest esteem by GIjOE fans worldwide. (Screenshot: NFB)
Grant Munro, animator, filmmaker, director. (Photo: Wikipedia)
Classic Animated Short Film Featuring 1:6 Scale GIjOEs Lovingly Restored to Unbelievable Clarity
GIjOE fans have long considered the 1966 stop-motion animated short film, Toys, to be a premier example of movie-making’s most painstaking and patience-testing art form. If you’re not already aware, “stop-motion animation” requires frame-by-frame photographing of miniature action figures that are posed entirely by hand, with each movement carefully repositioned in minute increments that are then captured one—click!—frame at a time (i.e. Rankin/Bass’ Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer or Nick Park’s Wallace and Gromit).
As you might expect, such a slow and deliberate filmmaking technique can become very tiresome and only the most patient animators attempt it; with far fewer ever truly mastering the art form’s many intricacies and requisite disciplines. Yet there’s one man who’s clearly mastered this arduous method, and that’s Canada’s renowned filmmaker and Toys director, Grant Munro (91), who proved long ago he is a MASTER animator—especially of GIjOEs!
You’ve Seen “Toys” Before—But NEVER Like This.
Munro’s Toys has long held a proud place in the pantheon of 1:6 scale animation, ever since its original debut back in 1966. Unfortunately, over the last four decades, GIjOE fans have had to placate their penchant for the legendary short by viewing it from grainy, third or fourth generation VHS copies, replete with annoyingly garbled audio and static-strewn imagery; much like watching ’60s reruns on an old-time television set without an antenna (not a pretty sight).
Finally! We can SEE! The crystal clarity of a recently restored master print of Grant Munro’s 1966 Toys, reveals numerous vintage toys that fans had been unable to see previously whenever watching badly distorted VHS copies of the film. For example, did you ever notice that Herman Munster doll sitting on the right-hand side? Or how about Chatty Cathy, waving to us from the back row? And what about that Thompson machine gun with a scope in the foreground? WOW! (Screenshot: NFB) Click to enlarge.
Fans of Grant Munro’s animation can now purchase this excellent collection of his work on DVD over at Amazon.
As if in answer to our prayers, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has recently and lovingly restored Munro’s Toys and the results look as if they were shot only yesterday. Here’s how the NFB website describes their mission:
“We are Canada’s public producer and distributor, and this is our online Screening Room. We offer free streaming of documentary and animated films as well as interactive stories, all of which explore the world we live in from a Canadian point of view.”
In Grant Munro’s “Toys,” the explosions were real. The smoke and fire? Also, VERY real. Munro spared no effort or expense to create the actual devastation of an all-out 1:6 scale WAR. (Screenshot: NFB)
Munro’s Marine Corps Medic saw a lot of action in Toys (as he tended to the wounded) until he too, ultimately succumbed in the battle’s “maelstrom of munitions.” GIjOE collectors, take note: Despite the commonly held belief that stress cracks in GIjOEs are due to the AGE of our vintage figures, it’s interesting to note that even this brand-new (at the time) 1966 GIjOE had already developed a severe stress crack near his left wrist (see photo above). Fascinating! (Screenshot: NFB)
Achtung! Due to Munro’s choice and use of a quick-cut editing style, it was difficult to determine who was the “enemy” or “hero.” However, Grant did apply severe and ominous lighting to the German soldiers, giving them an added element of menace and threatening intent. Yikes! (Screenshot: NFB)
Look at those freckles! This film’s restoration was so complete and so perfect, that now you can see practically every adorable hair and freckle. Out-STANDING job, NFB! (Screenshot: NFB)
That giant REMCO tank looks right at home with those GIjOEs. Say, we never saw that Sea Sled down there before! And where do we get one of those nifty toy store rotating display platforms? How cool is that?! So much to see and so much to love. Toy fans, REJOICE! (Screenshot: NFB) Click to enlarge.
Head to the Front, Men! This closeup reveals a superb 5-star Jeep with working recoilless rifle and spotlight and GIjOEs representing all military branches. YES! (Screenshot: NFB)
Holy Hidden Treasures, Batman! This view of the left-hand side of the toy store display reveals a previously unrecognizable Batman plush figure hanging from the wall and affords a better view of many other previously unidentifiable toys. Fascinating! (Screenshot: NFB) Click to enlarge.
As the battle raged on, the expressions of the children in Toys switch from happy to concerned to clearly disturbed by the chaos and “killing” they were witnessing. Munro’s use of “freeze-frame faces” (such as this one) increased the emotional impact on the viewer. (Screenshot: NFB)
But What Does It All Mean?
Debate over Munro’s original intent behind Toys has continued to rage over the many decades since its release. Was the filmmaker trying to convince his audience that so-called “war toys” are all bad? Or that playing with them would somehow result in innocent children becoming warlike or warmongering? OR…was the film simply an exercise in producing a stop-motion animated fantasy; created mainly to demonstrate the many techniques possible in the genre? The answer is probably a little of both. Regardless, as action figure fans rediscovered the film in the 1990s, it began to resurface at toy shows around the world. Fans began to sell (or give away) bootlegged copies of Toys—first on grainy VHS tape and then later on DVDs. Finally, with the advent of the internet, it is now readily accessible online where viewing the ’60s classic is as easy as clicking on a link (conveniently provided below).
Raise your hands if you remember burning, blowing up or otherwise mangling and/or destroying a GIjOE or other toy as a kid. Yup. Us too! Likewise, Munro burns, melts and destroys several of the Joes shown in his 1966 short film, Toys, complete with added (horrific) sound effects. Aaaaaugh! (Screenshot: NFB)
Goodbye, GIjOE! What happens when you soak a Marine GIjOE in lighter fluid and set him on fire? First, his helmet melts all over his face turning him into a 1:6 scale version of the “Little Green Army Men,” then… well, thing gets progressively worse from there. Oh, the HORROR! (Screenshot: NFB)
The Nightmare is Over! Eventually, the dark mood breaks and happiness returns. Cheerful music plays again, giggles and laughter are heard and the obvious love and rapt desire children hold for the toy store’s (fully restored) GIjOEs remains intact. THIS is the REAL dream! (Screenshot: NFB)
Spittin’ Flame! In Toys, this gas-powered Cox Stuka comes to life, its machine-guns spitting bullets down at the enemy below. To create this effect, Munro attached simple firework sparklers to the plane and “flew” it towards the camera with fishing line. Ingenious! (Screenshot: NFB)
Bottom Line: Over the years, the legend behind Munro’s Toys has continued to grow until it is now considered by GIjOE and animation fans alike to be an undeniable stop-motion masterpiece. While Munro’s original intended message for Toys may have been anti-war, GIjOE fans today appreciate it more for its animation achievement and as a sort of “time capsule tribute” to imaginative fantasy play with “America’s Movable Fighting Man.” While we all agree with its undeniable message that “War is Hell,” we can’t help but grin with delight as we watch Munro’s toys burn and melt each other with brutal abandon. So many of us did similar things as kids! Our sincerest thanks and best wishes to Mr. Munro for all of his superb contributions to the world of movie-making, stop-motion animation and his unintentional homage to GIjOE fandom. Alright then, Joeheads—Let’s roll this masterpiece!
