The creative process is a hard one. It is often romanticized and thought to be like a musical video montage seen in movies when the hero of the film pulls-up their bootstraps and transforms into a champion right before the audiences eyes.
If only it was that easy. If only it was that eloquent. If only brilliance could be created in two and a half minutes.
The truth of the matter is, creativity has a dynamic mix of fate and chance, casted in blood, sweat and tears.
Take Pixar’s Toy Story series, for example:
18 Things You Didn’t Know About Toy Story
- In their most productive week during production, Pixar completed 3.5 minutes of animation.
- Tim Allen and Pixar originally wanted Jim Carrey to voice Buzz Lightyear, but they couldn’t due to the low budget they were given for the film.
- Billy Crystal was originally offered the chance to voice Buzz Lightyear, but declined. After seeing the finished film, he said the decision was the biggest mistake of his career.
- The movie was originally supposed to be called “You Are A Toy.”
- Originally, the main character was going to be Tinny, the title character in Tin Toy (1988). In the movie he would have gotten lost during a family trip and joined up with a sarcastic ventriloquist dummy in a search of a home.
- Buzz Lightyear’s original name was Lunar Larry.
- Mattel originally didn’t want Barbie in the film because they thought the film would be a failure. They also didn’t want Barbie to have a defined personality, preferring to let children imagine Barbie’s personality traits on their own. When the film proved a huge success, Mattel allowed Barbie to appear in Toy Story 2.
- Hasbro denied Pixar the use of the name GI Joe when it was informed that a GI Joe doll was going to be blown up by Sid. Pixar used army men instead.
- The number “95” appears frequently throughout all 3 films. This is in reference to the year the original Toy Story was released, 1995.
- Toy Story 2 was initially planned as an hour long sequel that would have premiered on home video.
- Many of the books on the shelf in Andy’s room are names of Pixar’s short films (Adventures of Andre and Wally B., Knick Knack, etc.) and some of the book author’s are named after Pixar staff.
- Pixar presented an early draft of the film to Disney on November 19, 1993. The result was disastrous. The film was deemed unwatchable. It presented Woody as a “sarcastic jerk” who was constantly insulting the other toys. Disney immediately shut down production pending a new script. The story team spent a week on a new script to make Woody a more likable character, instead of the “sarcastic jerk” he had been.
- Little Bo Peep was originally supposed to be a Barbie doll.
- The character of Andy is named for Andries “Andy” Van Dam, a Brown University Professor and computer science and animation pioneer who taught many of makers of this film.
- The license plate on Andy’s mother’s car reads “A 111” on the front and “A 113” on the rear. A111 and A113 are two rooms used by the animation department at CalArts – alma mater of a large number of Pixarians.
- Toy Story was completed on a $30 million budget using a staff of 110. In comparison, The Lion King, released in 1994, required a budget of $45 million and a staff of 800.
- Toy Story 2 was the first sequel for Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.
- The plot of the Toy Story 3 is loosely based on the original treatment for Toy Story, which had Tinny getting lost at a rest stop and being found by a junk man, who throws him into back of his truck. Tinny meets a ventriloquist dummy and they both decide to stick together. But in the end they end up in a preschool where they’ll never get lost or outgrown. Tinny can be seen on the cover of a magazine in one scene in Toy Story 3.
Amazing, isn’t it?
[via Buzzfeed]
Brett Barner says
If you ever get a chance, check out The Pixar Story documentary. If you appreciated some of these tidbits, the story behind Toy Story and Pixar itself is incredible.
Eric Dye says
Cool! Great tip — thanks, Brett!
Mediastry says
Ditto for The Pixar Story. Literally watched it over 6 times. Inspiring and intensely fascinating. The process. The people. The drive. Wonderful to watch the birth of Pixar (and the change it represented).
Eric Dye says
I’ve got to find this and watch it!
David Jones says
Yes, The Pixar Story is great! Also, a note about #12. John Lasseter hated that Woody was a jerk. But that came from Disney, not Lasseter/Pixar. Pixar is the only thing that saved Disney over the last 20 years. But anyway, I just wanted to point out that if Disney would have left their hands off it, than #12 wouldn’t have happened…haha
Eric Dye says
Awesome! Thanks for the insight, David!