Random Fun Facts About Toy Story Movies (31 items)

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  (#1) Toy Story 4 Is in Great Hands

  The script is being written by Rashida Jones and directed by John Lasseter, who also helmed the first two.

  “We don’t want to do anything with them unless it lives up to or surpasses what’s gone before. ‘Toy Story 3’ ended Woody and Buzz’s story with Andy so perfectly that for a long time, we never even talked about doing another ‘Toy Story’ movie. But when Andrew [Stanton], Pete [Docter], Lee [Unkrich] and I came up with this new idea, I just could not stop thinking about it. It was so exciting to me, I knew we had to make this movie — and I wanted to direct it myself.”

  Source: Variety
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  (#2) 90% of the Toy Story 2 Files Were Deleted During Production

  Toy Story 2 was nearly lost in 1998 when, during a routine clearing of files, someone accidentally started a deletion of the root folder for the assets on Pixar's internal servers. 

  Oren Jacobs (one of the technical directors) was one of the first to notice as character models just up and disappeared from their works in progress. They quickly unplugged their file servers but had lost a whopping 90% of their two years of work. Worse yet, the backups were found to have failed some time previously.

  That's when another technical director Galyn Susman, became a real life superhero. She had been working from home (taking care of her newborn), and realized she likely had backups of the assets on her home computer. The Pixar team was able to recover nearly all of the lost assets, save for the most recent few days of work.

  Source: The Next Web
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  (#3) Toy Story 2 References a Real Life Toy Story Problem

  Remember the scene in Al's Toy Barn when they drive down the Buzz Lightyear aisle? Tour Guide Barbie announces, "Back in 1995 short-sighted retailers did not order enough dolls to meet demand."

  That was true. When Toy Story was released, back in 1995, short-sighted toy sellers didn't think the movie would do well and didn't order enough supply to meet the demand.

  Source: IMDb
  
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  (#4) Toy Story 2 Was Originally a Direct-to-DVD Sequel

  Toy Story 2 made $485 million theatrically - even more than the first film brought in - but it was originally meant to skip theaters altogether!

  It was conceived as a direct-to-video sequel - as many second installment Disney movies are (have YOU seen The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea?) - with a release date set for late 1998. But then Disney was so impressed with the story that in February of 1998 they upgraded it to a full theatrical release. This required the story to be completely reworked so it could be expanded from a 60 to 90 minute film.

  Source: This Day in Pixar
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  (#5) Tom Hanks Was Drawn to the Role by His Childhood Dreams, Tim Allen by His Childhood Hero

  Tom Hanks decided to take up the role of Woody because when he was a kid he would always wonder if his toys were alive and if they moved around when no one was watching.

  Tim Allen on the other hand, said yes to playing Buzz Lightyear because before he was offered the part, Chevy Chase, his biggest influence, turned it down.

  Source: IMDb
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  (#6) The Trilogy Has a (Practically) Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score

  Toy Story and Toy Story 2 have perfect 100% scores, while Toy Story 3 has an almost perfect 99%.

  Source: Rotten Tomatoes
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  (#7) Woody Started Out as a Jerk

  Keith Sawyer wrote a book called Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Creativity. In it he details the path from early drafts of Toy Story to the finished film. He says that in the beginning "[it] had almost nothing in common with the movie that we know and love."

  For example, Woody was a completely different and mean-spirited character. "An early scene, had him abusing Slinky Dog, and another had him pushing Buzz out the window."

  Source: The Atlantic
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  (#8) "Infinity and Beyond!" Was There from the Beginning - the Name Buzz Lightyear Was Not

  "Tempest from Morph to Star Command" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

  That's right: Buzz was almost called Tempest because the animators were obsessed with the Atari game Tempest at the time. Star Command stuck around as a concept and not a name, as did Buzz's iconic catch phrase, "To infinity and beyond!"

  For a time he was also called "Lunar Larry."

  Source: Mashable
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  (#9) Joss Whedon Reinvented Buzz and Wrote One of the Most Iconic Lines

  In the book Joss Whedon: The Biography, film executive Amy Pascale credits Joss Whedon with fixing Toy Story as a whole, saying:

  "Joss worked closely with Pixar’s team as everyone got their heads around the idea of Toy Story as a buddy picture. Buzz Lightyear had always been conceived as a Dudley Do-Right: dim-witted but cheerful and self-aware. Joss helped them re-envision the character as an action figure who isn’t aware that he’s a toy, and who therefore takes his job as an Intergalactic Space Ranger quite seriously. It was a huge epiphany that turned the whole movie around and created the chemistry in Toy Story."

  
  He also wrote John Lasseter's favorite line in Pixar history, “You’re a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity.”
  

  
  Source: Business Insider
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  (#10) Toy Story Saved a Toy (Company) in Real Life

  Prior to Toy Story's release, Etch A Sketch was almost out of business. After allowing the character Etch be used in the movie, they saw a whopping 20% rise in sales, saving the company.

  Source: Reddit
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  (#11) They Saved Lotso Until They Could Get the Fur Right

  The big pink teddy bear from Toy Story 3 was supposed to be in the very first film in 1995. In fact an early version of Lotso can be seen in Toy Story during the staff meeting. Woody asks if the toys "up on the shelf can hear" him, and you can clearly see a big, pinkish bear. John Lasseter had been wanting to use him from the beginning, but Pixar had troubles getting the fur right with CGI being still rudimentary at that point.

  Source: IMDb
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  (#12) Tom Hanks Recorded His Dialogue Between Two Iconic Films

  Tom Hanks recorded his dialogue during breaks and between filming Sleepless in Seattle and A League of Their Own. He felt that would yield better comedic results than recording them between his next two more serious projects, Forrest Gump and Philadelphia.

  Source: IMDb
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  (#13) Buzz Lightyear Almost Had a Very Different Voice

  It's hard to imagine anyone other than Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear. However, before Tim Allen signed on, Billy Crystal was up for the role. In fact, he turned it down! He later said it was the biggest mistake of his career.
  
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  (#14) Pete Docter Was Serious About How the Characters Moved

  One of the head writers and creators at Pixar, who's part of the reason Toy Story exists, is Pete Docter (director of Monsters, Inc., Up, and Inside Out). He was so dead-set on making sure the toy soldiers moved that he nailed his own shoes to planks of wood to move around in and master the movements. He also sewed together his own Woody doll while they were making the first film. 

  Source: MTV
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  (#15) The Idea of Making Films About Flawed Characters Started with Toy Story and Has Been Pixar's M.O. Ever Since

  During the Toy Story 20th Anniversary celebration, John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton were discussing how they didn't want it to be just another animated movie. “We didn’t want it to be a fairytale. We didn’t want a film where the bad guy grows bigger in the third act.” Their goal from the beginning was emotional growth in their characters - something Pixar has stuck with in subsequent films.

  Source: Mashable
  
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  (#16) We Have The Nightmare Before Christmas to Thank for Toy Story

  "Because of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Toy Story happened," John Lasseter publicly stated at a 20th anniversary of Toy Story event. He explained that no one else before Tim Burton had tried to collaborate on something of that scale with Disney. Once Nightmare happened they realized it was a possibilty and Toy Story was born.

  Source: Mashable
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  (#17) Disney Originally Didn't Want to Use "Toy" in the Title

  Can you imagine Toy Story being named anything else? It's simple, it's clean, it's got layers, it's easy to say and remember - it's the perfect title. Well, Disney originally feared it would scare away adults and teenagers. Hundreds of millions of dollars and multiple sequels later... it certainly didn't scare anyone.

  Source: Mashable
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  (#18) Woody Was Almost a Ventriloquist Dummy

  Just check out that crazy concept art above. Not only was he a ventriloquist dummy - he wasn't even a cowboy in the earliest drafts.

  
  Source: CSR Research Development
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  (#19) Toy Story 3 Wasn't Originally Going to Be Made by Pixar

  Disney and Pixar don't always get along. As such, the Toy Story 3 was almost a much darker, more depraved take on the story, lacking that Pixar heart. Disney was planning on making the film through the an offshoot company called Circle 7 Animation. Luckily, in 2006 after Steve Jobs and Disney CEO Bob Iger came to an agreement, Circle 7 was shut down entirely and all the projects within it were scrapped.

  Source: The Telegraph
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  (#20) Mattel Didn't Let Pixar Use Barbie in the First Film

  Mattel manufactures and owns the licensing rights to Barbie. Apparently they thought the first computer animated feature ever wouldn't do well, so they refused to let the filmmakers include her. Of course after it made all the money they leapt at the opportunity for a sequel. Then, they even included Ken in Toy Story 3!

  Source: The Atlantic
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  (#21) Toy Story 3 Almost Featured a Dying Buzz Lightyear

  The script written by Bob Hilgenberg and Rob Muir involved a malfunctioning (dying) Buzz Lightyear being sent back to his manufacturer in Taiwan - the beginning of a massive toy recall. The script also featured Transformers.
   
  Source: Zimbio
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  (#22) The Earliest Drafts of the Script Have Almost Nothing in Common with the Final Movie

  The film evolved immensely over the years (there was a time when it was even a Barbie and G.I. Joe story). In its earliest iterations, it involved a one-man-band played by a character named Tinny and his friend a ventriloquist dummy.

  "The movie starts with Tinny waking up in his factory, and then he is given as a birthday gift to a young boy. The boy’s family goes on a road trip to the Southwest, and they take Tinny along. But early in the trip, he gets forgotten and left behind at a gas station. There, he meets the ventriloquist’s dummy, and they work together to find their way back to Tinny’s home. In a series of adventures, the two travel from the back of a truck to an auction, to a garbage truck, a yard sale, a couple’s house, and finally to a kindergarten playground—the happy ending in which the toys are reunited with the children."

  Source: The Atlantic
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  (#23) Tom Hanks Improvised Much of Woody's Dialogue

  Tom Hanks had so much fun playing Woody that he'd go off on tangents in character. Lucky for him (and the animators) they record the dialogue first and then get to animating.

  John Lasseter explained: “In the process of making an animated film, we always record the dialogue before we do the animation so the animators can be inspired by the actor’s movements." Everything in the scene where Buzz loses his arm and Woody plays with it was added on after Hanks made it up on the spot.

  
  He recorded so much extra (and usable!) stuff back in 1994 that they plan to use some of that dialogue in Toy Story 4.

  
  Source: MTV
  
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  (#24) They Customized Ken's Wardrobe for Michael Keaton

  As Barbie and Ken are going through his closet, they come across a blue and gold letterman's jacket with a large "K" embroidered on the breast and a "State" pennant pressed against the front. In real life Michael Keaton, the voice of Ken, graduated from Kent State University, often called "K State"; the school's colors are blue and gold.

  Source: IMDb
  
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  (#25) Toy Story 2 Sneakily Features a Reel of Other Pixar Clips

  At one point, Hamm is flipping though the channels looking for the Al's Toy Barn commercial. While he does this the TV flashes through other stations, which all show clips from shorts and commercials Pixar produced through the years leading up to Toy Story 2. Among them are "Luxo Jr.," "Red's Dream," "Tin Toy," and "Knick Knack."

  If you look quickly there's also a logo for the NeXT computer (developed by Steve Jobs who was CEO of Pixar at the time) as well as snippets from some of Pixar's TV commercials and even a brief image of Pixar's old logo.

  Source: IMDb
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  (#26) Barbie Was Meant to Save the Day in the First Film

  During an elaborate action scene, Barbie was meant to swoop in and save the day!

  Remember the scene in which Buzz and Woody chase the moving truck? Barbie was meant to rescue Woody and Buzz from Sid's dog, Sarah Connor in T2 style. Eventually However, Barbie was scrapped from the first film altogether due to licensing rights, and Woody's love interest was changed from Barbie to Bo-Peep.

  Source: IMDb
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  (#27) Toy Story Wouldn't Exist If the Computer Hardware Market Wasn't So Competitive

  Pixar started out as a computer hardware company long before it turned to animation! John Lasseter was an employee there even then, when they were trying to sell high end Pixar Image Computers. The whole thing was a flop, but Lassater had been doing animations to drum up interest in the computers and those were all a raging success... which led to Pixar's pivot to an animation studio.

  Source: SF Gate
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  (#28) The Voice of Slinky Dog Died Between Parts 2 and 3

  Acclaimed character actor Jim Varney, famous for his roles as Ernest P. Worrell, passed away in 2000, between production of Toy Story 2 and 3. His good friend Blake Clark took up the mantle in his friend's honor.

  Source: Disney Hidden Secrets
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  (#29) Each Toy Story Film Has a Special Place in Film History

  Toy Story was the first feature film ever made completely with computer animation.

  Toy Story 2 was the first sequel for both Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.

  Toy Story 3 was the first ever sequel to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar without its predecessors being nominated.

  Source: IMDb
  
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  (#30) Toy Story Is the Only Computer Generated Film to Receive a Special Achievement Academy Award

  Director, writer, and co-creator John Lasseter received this special award for "the development and inspired application of techniques that have made possible the first feature-length computer-animated film."

  Source: IMDb
  
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  (#31) For a Short Time, Toy Story Was Almost a Musical

  In the time that Joss Whedon was polishing Toy Story, they were still debating what kind of Disney movie they wanted it to be. Musical films like Aladdin and the like were all the rage at the time.

  Whedon told Entertainment Weekly, “It would have been a really bad musical, because it’s a buddy movie. It’s about people who won’t admit what they want, much less sing about it. Woody can't do an 'I want' number - he's cynical and selfish, he doesn't know himself. Buddy movies are about sublimating, punching an arm, 'I hate you.' It's not about open emotion."

  Source: Business Insider
  
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  (#32) The Original Voices of Buzz and Woody Were Much More Symbolic

  According to Tim Allen, Pixar wanted Jim Carrey to voice Buzz and Paul Newman to voice Woody, but with such a low budget they couldn't afford either. The casting choices were apparently meant to symbolize new Hollywood taking over old Hollywood.

  Source: IMDb

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