The Toy Story Films : An Animated Journey

Imagination. It’s an innate quality that every child seems to possess in immeasurable quantities. Imagination allows children to create wonderful worlds in which to relate to their friends, envision their futures, and, of course, play with their toys. More often than not, imagination is a quality that diminishes with age, as fantasy worlds are replaced by “the real world” and inquiring young minds are forced to grow up. But there are those among us, who, like Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, never stop using their imaginations, envisioning their futures, and, most importantly in this context, playing with their toys. A select group of these individuals—and their unfettered imaginations—are the reason that the Toy Story films came to be.

The Toy Story Films: An Animated Journey tells the tale of the incredibly talented visionaries who conceived, developed, and ultimately shared Woody, Buzz, and the rest of Andy’s toys with the entire world. Their story is recounted within these pages through candid interviews with the animators, directors, and voice actors who brought the films to life; artwork that inspired, grew into, or became a part of the iconic movies; and untold details of the growth and development of one of the most lucrative and artistically significant film series ever. It serves as a lesson to us all that we are never too old to use our imagination—and play with our toys.

The tale of the Toy Story films begins with an animation studio called Pixar. Once upon a time (in 1988), Pixar released a short called Tin Toy. The success of that film, plus other shorts that Pixar had created, led the management of the Disney Studio to suggest that the Pixar artists make a feature that Disney would distribute. The result of this collaboration was Toy Story, a film that showcased the power of a new medium as an art form and entertainment.

The three Toy Story features encompass the history of the Pixar Studio and computer animated features, yet their creation has only been presented in piecemeal fashion--until now. The Art and Making of Toy Story 1, 2 & 3 recounts the origin and growth of one of the most significant and successful franchises in Hollywood history. Readers who peer inside this toy box will discover interviews with the animators, directors, and voice actors who brought the films to life; artwork that inspired, grew into, or became a part of the iconic movies; and untold details of the trials, tribulations, and triumphs that the filmmakers experienced while creating such unforgettable characters. This book is a must for anyone who has ever wondered what toys do after humans leave the playroom !