August 24, 2005
Disney Hated Toy Story
Disney executive almost nipped Toy Story in the bud before it was even released. Those geniuses! Pixar would eventually leave Disney animation in the dust and do over $3 billion in revenue and win over 16 Academy awards. They really like me, they really like me!But Monday, as Pixar celebrated the 10th anniversary of "Toy Story,'' its debut film, the creative minds behind the studio for the first time told the real story of how they almost lost the picture. Not only did the big-money folks at Disney who bankrolled the film not understand the vision of "Toy Story,'' they hated it so much they shut down production.
Disney, which was bankrolling the project, peppered the young animators with notes and suggestions. The story was too juvenile, the higher-ups said, and the characters had to be edgier. Afraid to trust themselves, Lasseter and his crew tried to follow all the directions. It was, nearly everyone agrees, a train wreck. Disney hated the movie and the idea -- and shut it down.
