Premiere Toy Story November 22, 1995 wasn't just the start of a franchise or even Pixar's reign as a leading animation company. Today, computer animation, first used during the first Woody and Buzz show, is an industry standard. Despite gross profits of more than $400 million (with incredible Budget 30 million dollars), the film almost didn't happen.
The film that became Toy Story started as an idea for a Christmas special based on a Pixar short film. Tin toy. The scope has clearly changed, but as noted in the 2005 book. DisneyWarNeither Disney nor Pixar, then an independent technology company, knew what they wanted to do. Pixar hoped, oddly enough, to create a Disney family film using its technology. Disney wanted something different.
Throughout production, Disney CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg asked for a film that would appeal to children. And adults wanting “more spice” in Woody and Buzz Lightyear (according to Walter Isaacson's book). Steve Jobs biography), as well as links that adults liked. If it sounds like ShrekYou won't be surprised to learn that Katzenberg went on to found DreamWorks Animation.
Pixar attempted to present its take on this vision during its Black Friday screening of half the film in 1993. It went so badly that Disney stopped production on the film. According to a 1995 article from Entertainment WeeklyDisney didn't think what Pixar did was very funny. At the time, Disney Animation Studios President Peter Schneider told the team, “No matter how hard you guys try to fix this, it just isn't working.”
It turns out that making Woody and Buzz angry, annoying, and sarcastic was not a recipe for success or fun. With no other options, Pixar took the script and spent three months trying to fix it. Meanwhile, Schneider said he was trying to get the film canceled entirely. Pixar Touch: Starting a Company David A. Price.
Luckily for Pixar, Disney didn't listen to Schneider. Three months later, production resumed. Toy Story. The studio made the characters likable, refined the story, and even added subtle references to adults, like the toys holding staff meetings as if being Andy's toy was their job (it was).
And now, 30 years later, we look forward to fifth Toy Story filmwhich is scheduled to mature in 2026. Despite everything, Pixar used Toy Story changed the game more than anyone since Walt Disney's original debut Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs back in 1937. And while the animation studio may no longer have the record it once had, it has yet to make a Toy Story movie that was less than great. (I don't count Light yearalthough I will also protect Light year.)
We all felt better and had a lot more fun thanks to the final version of the film. Toy Storywhich remains one of the best animated films of all time (and retains its perfect 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes). And it started a franchise that will likely continue long after we're all gone. Toy Story spawned numerous sequels, television and film spin-offs, holiday specials, short films, theme park attractions, and even an entire Toy Story Land at Walt Disney World. And yet, none of this almost ever happened because Woody, the old cowboy toy, just wasn't cool or edgy enough.
