Last month, I wrote about how Disney’s trend of releasing mainly sequels and ‘re-imaginings’ demonstrated Hollywood’s sad loss of creative risk. Proving that a picture really is worth a thousand words (or 1,165 of them to be exact), this meme has gone viral in the last couple weeks:
Judging by the disappointing box office receipts of Men in Black: International (only $60 million domestically after two weeks) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters ($105 million after four), audiences may be starting to catch on. I continue to hope that these types of results will cause studios to think twice about Back to the Future…Again!, E.T. vs. Roger Rabbit, or whatever horrible concoctions they might be planning.
My recent visit to the multiplex to see Toy Story 4 has changed my thinking a little bit though. So, unlike a presidential candidate, I’m going to admit my position has shifted. Pixar has given me the reason why.
I still believe Toy Story 4 was an unnecessary sequel after the perfect ending to Woody and Buzz’s third adventure. To prepare for this post, I watched all of the Toy Story movies again this week. Andy giving his cherished toys to little Bonnie at the end of number three caused my eyes to well up again. There is no way anything in a follow-up could have topped that moment. Maybe that’s why eight writers are credited on Toy Story 4. Eight writers (or more) working on any movie should be a disaster. Check out the 1994 live-action version of The Flintstones for an example. On second thought, don’t. I think Pixar’s use of eight writers was strategic though. They care about telling stories and want to get them right.
This attitude runs deep through Pixar’s culture. When he was making Toy Story 3, director Lee Unkrich told Wired that “We don’t ever really finish a film. I could keep making it better. We’re just forced to release it.” The Wired article chronicles the nearly three-year journey that the best movie in the Toy Story franchise took to make it to the screen. It’s a great read. Coming from the world of project management, I especially liked the quotes about screwups being a critical part of the creative process. Pixar’s goal is to fail as fast as possible so they can learn to get better. God bless them. I wish the rest of Hollywood were that insightful. (Note to any studio heads reading this. My services are available!)
The history of Toy Story 2 is even more interesting. For me, it’s the weakest of the four Toy Story movies (though still an outstanding film). The fact that it was released on time at all is a miracle in itself. The Next Web has another fascinating article about the two times that Toy Story 2 was deleted. The first is one of the more infamous SNAFUs in movie history. Halfway through the production, someone accidentally deleted about 90% of the film’s animation with a stray UNIX command. Eventually, they recovered most of what was lost thanks to one of the technical directors who was working from home after the birth of her son. (More proof that flexible work from home policies are good for companies!)
Much of that recovery was to prove for naught though when the senior creative team watched a rough cut of the film a little less than a year before release. It wasn’t any good. A small team ended up re-writing the movie over the 1998 Christmas holidays, and the studio scrambled to make the scheduled November 1999 release date. Pixar had only produced two feature films at that point (the original Toy Story and A Bug’s Life). They weren’t yet part of the might Disney empire. Their survival hinged on this decision. They took a massive risk to make the best movie possible and pulled it off.
After watching Toy Story 4, I came around to the idea that it was a massive creative risk as well. Given Pixar’s history of crafting great stories, I don’t think the film is simply a cash grab in the way I fear Disney’s ‘re-imagining’ of their animated catalog into live-action remakes is. I believe that if Pixar couldn’t make Toy Story 4 as great of a film as possible, they wouldn’t have tried.
Reminiscent of the second installment, about 75% of the script was thrown out well into the process. This time it was done early enough to push back the release date, but I’m sure it was still a difficult decision. I have no insight into why this decision was made, but I suspect though that finding the right tone for the story was a key consideration.
The best thing about Toy Story 4 is that it plays along with the idea that isn’t really needed. Without giving too much away, Woody is not exactly Bonnie’s most cherished toy the way he was with Andy. But he still cares for her in the loyal and loving way that a toy like him was made to. When Bonnie crafts a new plaything out of a spork and it becomes her favorite, Woody takes it upon himself to become like a father to the newly conscious being. Putting Woody in the role of a parent is the masterstroke that makes the movie work.
The entire Toy Story franchise is a massive achievement. Number one was groundbreaking just for being the first completely computer animated film. That alone earns it a place in movie history. However, 1927’s The Jazz Singer was the first film to feature sound, and it’s not a treasured classic. Toy Story is one because of the care and attention Pixar took to make it a great film.
This is a legacy Pixar has carried through all of their movies. Some are more successful than others, but I have no doubt each one is the best film they can put together before being forced to release it. I am so happy that Toy Story 4 continues this legacy. While not as emotionally resonating as number three, it still had me misty-eyed at the end. Thank you to everyone at Pixar for not letting the moviegoing public down.
All that said, don’t feel like you need to make a fifth one.
