Toys (1992)
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A whimsical toymaker must save his family's factory from his uncle's militaristic obsession with creating remote-controlled war machines.
The story
Kenneth Zevo, the eccentric owner of Zevo Toys in Moscow, Idaho, faces terminal illness. He bypasses his whimsical son, Leslie, and appoints his estranged brother, U.S. Army Lieutenant General Leland Zevo, as his successor. To help Leslie mature, Kenneth hires Gwen Tyler, hoping they will form a romantic relationship. After Kenneth's death, Leland assumes control but delegates factory operations to Leslie and his sister, Alsatia. However, Leland's militaristic instincts surface upon learning of potential corporate espionage, leading him to enlist his son Patrick to overhaul security and propose manufacturing military toys, directly clashing with Leslie's pacifist values.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Kenneth Zevo, the owner of Zevo Toys in Moscow, Idaho, appoints his militaristic brother Leland as successor over his whimsical son Leslie. After Kenneth dies, Leland delegates operations to Leslie and his sister Alsatia but secretly begins converting a factory section to develop miniature remote-controlled war machines. He misleads Leslie, claiming the project is for experimental toys. When the military rejects his prototypes, Leland grows unhinged, militarizing the facility and displacing workers. Leslie and Alsatia infiltrate the restricted area and discover children piloting war drones. Patrick, learning Leland lied about his mother's death, defects to Leslie's side. The group infiltrates the factory, evading Leland's deadly toys like "Tommy Tanks" and "Hurly-Burly Helicopters." Leslie rallies vintage Zevo toys to fight Leland's army in a chaotic showdown. Leland's helicopter misfires, destroying his control panel and deactivating his machines. A revelation emerges: Alsatia is an advanced robot built by Kenneth to be Leslie's companion. Leland is hospitalized, and Leslie assumes leadership, restoring the factory's playful ethos with Gwen while Patrick departs for new missions.
- First release year
- 1992
- Runtime (minutes)
- 122
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Barry Levinson
- Writers
- Valerie Curtin · writer; Barry Levinson · writer
- Cast and characters
- Robin Williams · Leslie; Michael Gambon · Leland Zevo; Joan Cusack · Alsatia; Robin Wright · Gwen Tyler; LL Cool J; Arthur Malet; Donald O'Connor; Jack Warden; Jamie Foxx
- Genres
- surrealist comedy; fantasy comedy; anti-war comedy; fantasy adventure
- Themes
- military-industrial complex; family dysfunction; pacifism vs. militarism; technology
- Tone and mood
- surrealist; comedy; ironic; black comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- factory setting; robot companion; war toys; corporate espionage
- Source material / true-story basis
- A newspaper article about the Soviet Navy Intelligence Department finding information about United States Navy nuclear submarines from toy models.
- Reception
- The film was a box-office failure and received generally negative critical reception, described as a 'gimmicky, obvious and pious bore' and 'expensive but hollow.'
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 29% · review count: 28; CinemaScore · score: C+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Director · 13th · Nomination; Academy Award · Art Direction · 65th · Nomination (Loss); Academy Award · Costume Design · 65th · Nomination (Loss)
- Production trivia
- The film's design was influenced by Dadaism, Modernism, and Italian Futurism.; The poster evokes 'The Son of Man' by René Magritte.; The film was originally intended to be Barry Levinson's directorial debut in 1979.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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