Whether it is an action figure, a hot wheels car or a rosy-cheeked plastic doll, toys are favourite playmates of every child. But what happens when children grow up and the toys get shoved away into a forgotten corner? That’s exactly what the Toy Story franchise, which began 25 years ago, showed us. It explored the secret lives of toys through the adventures of Woody, the spindly toy sheriff; Buzz Lightyear, the space ranger; and Bo Peep, a porcelain shepherdess figurine, who try their best to ensure that their owner Andy doesn’t forget them.
But did you know that Toy Story was the first-ever entirely computer-animated (CGI) film, which ushered in a new era of animation and special effects? Or that it almost did not get made because Disney did not like the main character?
Toy Story was the first major project of Pixar Animation Studios, which was still a relatively unknown company. Started off as the computer division of Lucasfilm, which was founded by the legendary George Lucas, its first product was the Pixar Image Computer that could produce high resolution computer graphics. In 1986, Steve Jobs acquired this division and named it Pixar.
The world got a taste of the young studio’s creativity when they made a short animated film called Luxo Jr, using the Pixar Image Computer. The film won the Best Animated Short at the 1986 Academy Awards.
That’s when the children’s film giant, Disney approached Pixar to make three full-length animated films. Pixar took up the challenge and assembled a team of computer scientists and scriptwriters, which later became famous as ‘the brain trust’.
Breaking ground
At that time, technology for producing full-length animated films did not exist. So Edward Catmull, who was executive producer of Toy Story, created a whole new digital-animation programme RenderMan which eventually made the film possible. Catmull went on to win an Oscar for his contribution.
RenderMan allowed the animators, without much engineering background, to control the movement of their own characters. Though the programme was path-breaking, it had its limits. For instance, it made all animated objects look like plastic. As the team tried to find a way out, Jon Lasseter, co-founder and chief creative officer of Pixar, came up with a simple solution. Why not have the main characters that are made of plastic?
That’s how the team decided to make a film about toys. In 1988, Lasseter had directed an Oscar winning short film Tin Toy. Having toys as characters lent itself well to the software. Humans were by far the most difficult to create, so the story was told from the toy’s point of view. But the team was worried whether the concept might be too juvenile for older kids and adults. After a lot of research, they chose toys that everyone could relate to. That’s how Woody, Buzz, Mr. Potato Head and Bo Peep were born.
Story first
Another challenge in front of the team was whether to focus on the technology or the story? Sure technology and special effects were bound make the film visually appealing, but would it be enough? After studying classics such as Star Wars, Wizard of Oz and Snow White, the team was convinced that white technology was important, the story played a much bigger role. The story is what the viewers will take back with them so it was given priority.
Andrew Stanton got working on the screenplay. Though the film was commissioned by Disney, Pixar did not want it to be a fairytale or a musical. No prince or princesses were included. In fact, the writers did not even want the main character to be likeable.
Put on hold
But Disney, which enjoys a reputation for making fairytale films such as Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, did not approve. It refused to fund the project till the main character was rewritten. Production was put on hold and the film seemed to be doomed until Jobs decided to fund it. However, Disney came back on board soon after the team agreed to make some changes in the original storyline.
Along came Joss Wheadon, who took over the writing and made the film into what it is today. Woody’s character was made more likeable and the conversations more lively and engaging. Randy Newman’s You’ve Got a Friend in Me was used as the theme song.
Commercial success
When Toy Story finally released on November 22, 1995, it was a litmus test for Pixar. Did they make all the right decisions? Was it a good idea to focus on the story and not the technology? Well, the box office provided the answers. The film was considered a huge success because it made more than $300 million. About four years later, Toy Story 2 was released, which was also a big hit. Then in 2010, Toy Story 3 bagged an Oscar. The other Pixar titles to have won the animated trophy are Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouile, WALLE-E, Up, Brave Inside Out and Coco. Today, Pixar has become a major force in the industry. More than 225 CGI feature films have released since 1995. Over the years, the animation got bigger and better. But remember, it all began with a toy!
Picture Credit : Google