Culture of Pop
‘Toy Story’ Comes to Life in its 20th Anniversary
Fact #1
Woody wasn’t originally a cowboy. The original Woody was supposed to be a ventriloquist dummy. Executives at Disney requested that Woody be changed as ventriloquist dummies are generally associated with horror movies and they didn’t want children to be horrified.
Fact #2
Tim Allen was not the originally choice for the voice of Buzz Lightyear. Director John Lasseter first approached Billy Crystal to voice Buzz Lightyear, however the actor/comedian turned him down. Crystal said in a later interview it was the only thing he regrets passing on. Crystal, later , got the opportunity to voice Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University.
Fact #3
Pizza Planet was originally supposed to be called Pizza Putt, a combination pizzeria/mini-golf course.
Fact #4
Buzz Lightyear’s original name was Lunar Larry.
Fact #5
Toy Story is the only Toy Story film to have full opening credits.
Toy Story was the first animation film from Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar’s first animated film was a financial success, which saved Pixar who was on the verge of bankruptcy. In 2005, Toy Story was added to the National Film Registry.