Toys

Leslie Zevo is a playful inventor who treats his father’s toy workshop as a playground, turning sketches into clever gadgets and turning ordinary afternoons into experiments in joy. When a ruthless uncle, General Leland Zevo, seizes control of the factory turning it into a propaganda tool that weaponizes imagination, Leslie refuses to surrender. He rallies a loyal circle of allies, including his sister Alsatia Zevo, the resourceful Gwen Tyler, and Patrick Zevo, who bring nerve and humor to the plan. Rather than wage a straightforward war, Leslie forges toy powered countermeasures that stall the takeover, protect the workers, and remind customers that play can have real power. The clash remains playful, human, and hopeful, centered on family loyalty and creativity.

Directed by Barry Levinson, Toys arrived in 1992 with a script credited to Valerie Curtin, presenting an original family fantasy that blends whimsy with a satirical edge and big screen ambition.

Box office figures show Toys grossed 23,278,931 worldwide against a 50,000,000 budget, a performance many studios would classify as disappointing for a high concept family picture. The result cooled expectations for future offbeat adventures at the time.

Although it never became a lasting fixture of pop culture, Toys remains of interest to fans of late-era family fantasies and satirical science fiction. Robin Williams infuses Leslie with warmth, and the toy factoriescape continues to symbolize how imagination can resist an escalated world.

Critical reception was mixed, but the film's core themes come through clearly. It frames creativity as a force for good against greed and militarism, groups together a found family in a battle of wit and invention, and treats play as a meaningful social tool. The humor often lands in small, human moments even amid big set pieces, and the film argues that imagination can shape a kinder world.