Why do the toys blink alternately?
This happens quite often in the first Toy Story film, not so much in the second (and haven't seen the third yet) where the toys blink one eye after the other instead of at the same time.
Is there any particular reason for this either in-universe or out?
Example:
Best Answer
Most of the characters in Toy Story blink their eyes one at a time. This is called "offset blinking" and is usually used in animation to signal an out of place or stupid character. In Toy Story, it's likely used to remind the audience the toys are still toys. Pixar has continued using the offset blink in other films.
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Do toys in Toy Story blink?
2) The characters \u2013 sorry, toys \u2013 never blink both eyes at the same time, instead blinking one eye at a time (an animation trope called 'Offset Blink'). You won't be able to ignore it next time you watch the film.Why do the toys not move in Toy Story?
As Simba and Colmde said, toys don't move on their own in real life. The entire story would change if the toys didn't have to "play dead" whenever a human was around, because that helps build some of the tension.Why are the toys alive in Toy Story?
Are There Limitations to What "Toys" Come Alive? So Forky comes alive with the rest of Andy's toys simply because Bonnie turns him into a toy.What happens if a toy is seen in Toy Story?
In Toy Story 2, Jessie and Stinky Pete explain to Woody that if toys are placed into storage they're essentially banished to an eternity of torment. This is why the toys won't reveal themselves to humans. It's too risky.blink-182 - What's My Age Again? (Official Music Video)
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Answer 2
I've seen blinking toys in my childhood - they'll open their eyes when standing and close their eyelids when lying down. I think it was possible to make them blink on one eye if you tilt them. So it might just reflect mechanical toys' behavior.
Answer 3
Because it's not human.
As computer animation evolved, we noticed a trend. When things are "too human" our brains reject them. They instantly flag it as "not real". When things are cartoony or rough estimations of objects we have no problem anthropomorphizing.
Take a look at this shot from Final Fantasy
Even though it was damn near top of the line CG for it's time something still felt off. It was hard to relate to, it was hard to empathize with.
But Cloud from FF7
Was easy to relate to, even now when his polygon count is silly.
I have seen this effect called "Uncanny Valley" and is simply put, the more human like an artificial thing looks, the more it freaks us out. You can read a bit about it here
So by adding in some offset blinking, and a few other small "irks" that stand out to our brains but not really to our conciseness, the charters are more easily related to and less "spooky".
Answer 4
It is NOT to signify the toys are still "toys" as suggested, because Andy does it when he enters the room looking for Buzz to take to Pizza Planet. More likely, the animators thought it would be a unique characteristic to their film, then realized sometime before Toy Story 2, that it was ridiculous and annoying and never did it again.
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Images: Laura James, Laura James, Ksenia Chernaya, Karolina Grabowska