Posts by Gino Sassani

In the long run what was more important to Pixar and its relationship with Disney wasn't the milestone that Toy Story provided being the first computer animated feature. Movies are, as much as we'd like to think otherwise, a business. In the end, a film has to make some money. Toy Story was like a private printing press for the two companies bringing in nearly $200 million at the box office. Add another nearly $200 million in foreign receipts, and this prototype of a movie pulled in nearly a half billion dollars before the first DVD was released. That's huge for what was basically a children's cartoon. The second Pixar film would be A Bug's Life, and it would bring in nearly the same kind of jingle. The cry was too loud to ignore. The people wanted to see more of Buzz, Woody, and the rest of Andy's toys. The edict came down from on high, and what once took them 4 years to do, Pixar was asked to do in about 18 months. Now we would find out if Pixar was a viable company that could produce films reliably and on a faster turnaround. Would the studio compromise on quality just to answer the gate call of millions of dollars waiting to be plucked from the pockets of eager moviegoers? Several films later we know the answer to that question, but it was very much an answer in doubt in 1999. But another $485 million later in worldwide box office settled the question once and for all. Pixar didn't just start the computer animation business. They didn't just define the industry. They would continue to lead it for the next decade ... and apparently, beyond.

All of your favorite toys came back with their original voice cast. This time Woody (Hanks) attempts to rescue Wheezy The Penguin (Ranft) from the 25 cent box at Andy's mom's garage sale. The rescue brings him to the attention of Al (Knight) from Big Al's Toy Barn. Unfortunately for Woody and his friends, Big Al has the largest collection of Woody's Roundup collectibles on the planet. He's been trying to close a deal with a big Japanese firm who want to buy the collection for huge bucks. But Big Al has been missing only one piece in the collection, the most important piece, however ... Woody himself. The Japanese won't buy any of it without Woody. So Al steals Woody and brings him back to complete the collection. There Woody learns about his roots and the television show that he was based upon. He meets Jessie, The Yodeling Cowgirl (Cusack), Stinky Pete, the hapless old prospector (Grammer), and Woody's trusty horse Bullseye. While Woody's friends stage a rescue lead by his now best buddy Buzz Lightyear (Allen), Woody begins to feel sorry for his new companions. They've been kept in dusty old storage for years waiting for that final piece so they can be put on display at a museum and be admired by generations of new kids. When his friends finally arrive to save the day, Woody must decide between his old friends and his television comrades.

It's hard to believe it, but Toy Story was the very first computer generated animated feature film. CG graphics had already appeared as parts of films starting with the "Genesis proposition video" from Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. It was a rather fitting movie for this Hollywood and technological first to occur. The piece was rather short and not as breathtaking as we've come to expect today, but, it did herald the beginning of a new era in filmmaking, to be sure. What better place for such an historical technological breakthrough than in Star Trek?

Pixar had already been making short subject computer animation. If you ever have the opportunity to check out their collection of shorts, you can't help but be impressed with the evolution of the process as evidenced in these short films. The awards were rolling in for the upstart company, and it was only logical that sooner rather than later they would be the ones to attempt a full length feature film. Of course they were quite a small company at the time with no distribution network in place to launch a major motion picture. There wasn't much of a promotional arm to the company to create the kind of buzz, pun intended, a full length film would require. The truth was that Pixar's small size, which was so much of a creative asset, just wasn't up to the kind of task they were taking on. The first step would have to be to find a partner with the name recognition and resources to back up such an ambitious project. They would likely be betting the future of the company on this one effort. The choice was obvious. They would tie their fortunes together with the same company that took the very same risk 70 years ago. Walt Disney had created the very first animated feature film with Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. The result started an entire industry and put that one-time fledgling company on the map. Would Pixar be able to make the same impact on the industry that Disney had so many decades before? Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Toy Story knows the answer to that question. Lightning did indeed strike twice, and Toy Story would open the floodgates to an entire new industry of computer animated features.