A close call for Pixar and Disney: How Toy Story almost didn’t make it to the big screen!
Imagine a room full of nervous Pixar producers, their hearts racing as Disney executives filed into a screening room in Burbank, California, back in November 1993. They were about to witness a preview of a film that would change animation forever – Toy Story. Little did they know, this day would be a turning point, a potential disaster that could have ended the project before it even began.
A clip featuring a toy cowboy, initially designed to be a menacing figure, left the Disney executives appalled. They considered pulling the plug, leaving the Pixar team with a daunting task: salvage the film in just two weeks, or face certain failure. This became known as ‘Black Friday’ among the creative team.
But here’s the twist: Fast forward to November 1995, and Toy Story, with its lovable cowboy Woody, voiced by the legendary Tom Hanks, and his space ranger buddy Buzz Lightyear, had become a blockbuster hit. It earned over $370 million, proving that computer-animated films could rival live-action in terms of emotional impact. This watershed moment led to three successful sequels, with a fifth on the way next June.
The early days of Toy Story’s development were a wild ride. Pete Docter, Pixar’s chief creative officer, recalls, “It was so much fun because we had no idea what we were doing! None of us had ever made a feature film with computers before, so we were winging it.”
Pixar’s success led to Disney acquiring the studio in 2006 for a whopping $7.4 billion. Today, Pixar is a Hollywood powerhouse, responsible for some of the most beloved films of the past 50 years, from Monsters Inc to The Incredibles, earning over a dozen Oscars along the way.
And this is the part most people miss: Toy Story’s early designs were quite different. Woody, now a beloved character, was initially a sinister figure, inspired by a ventriloquist’s dummy. He was abusive towards the other toys, a far cry from the admired leader we know today. Even Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Tim Allen, went through a name change, from Lunar Larry to Buzz.
The infamous screening in 1993, with Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg in attendance, was a make-or-break moment. The sketch, which took place before a trip to Pizza Planet, showed Woody throwing Buzz out of a window and berating the other toys. Disney’s reaction was a shock to the Pixar team. Docter said, “It was unsettling. We’d been working on it for two years, and now it looked like it might all be for nothing.”
But here’s where it gets controversial: Disney’s intervention, demanding an ‘edge’ to the film, led to Pixar softening Woody’s character, making him more relatable and less cynical. This resulted in a film that resonated with both children and adults. Katzenberg’s demand for ‘edge’ ultimately created a timeless classic.
Toy Story’s success proved that computer graphics were no obstacle to creating emotionally resonant films. It showed that, at its core, Toy Story was about humanity, not just toys.
With over $3 billion in box office earnings across four films, Toy Story remains an iconic franchise. Even with the changing cultural landscape and Pixar’s recent box office misses, Toy Story stands the test of time.
Docter sums it up perfectly: “Toy Story set the tone for future Pixar films. It’s fitting that it’s the most iconic, as it was the building block that started it all.”
So, what do you think? Was Disney’s intervention a necessary evil, or did it take away from the original vision? Let us know in the comments!