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With this week’s premiere of “Toy Story 4,” Pixar Animation Studios returns to the franchise that put it on the map and launched a scorching run of box-office successes that seemingly stretched to infinity and beyond.
But the film also represents a turning point — one that has the Emeryville-based company moving forward without John Lasseter, the disgraced visionary who guided it from the start.
“Toy Story 4,” which continues the adventures of a pull-string cowboy toy named Woody and space ranger action figure Buzz Lightyear, will be the last Pixar film to bear the artistic imprint of Lasseter, 61. The former chief creative officer of both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation was forced out last year after admitting to unspecified workplace “missteps” that left some employees feeling “disrespected or uncomfortable.” Exposes in trade publications anonymously quoted employees who spoke of a “sexist and toxic” environment under his leadership.
Lasseter, who in January became the head of Skydance Animation in Los Angeles, directed the original “Toy Story,” a cinematic landmark. Released in 1995, it was not only Pixar’s first feature-length film, it was the first-ever to be crafted entirely via computer animation. “Toy Story” was the year’s top-grossing film, with $192 million, and Woody and Buzz — voiced by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen — became beloved, iconic characters along the lines of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.
And that was just the start. With Steve Jobs serving as chairman, and Lasseter the creative guru, Pixar grew from a scrappy, little-known operation into the world’s most acclaimed animation house. Pixar films have collectively earned more than $13 billion at the worldwide box office.
Jonas Rivera, who started as an intern at Pixar in 1994 after graduating from San Francisco State, is a producer on “Toy Story 4.” He admits that it was “strange” working on the film without consistent input from the man who ushered in the franchise.
“I’d be lying if I told you that I didn’t feel conflicted and that it wasn’t a tough time,” he said. “But I’ve been here through all the studio’s ups and downs, and this place, if anything, is very resilient.”
Mark Nielsen, another “Toy Story 4” producer, echoes that sentiment.
“It really was a difficult time for the studio — a time of transition,” he said of the Lasseter ouster. “But I’m so proud of the way the studio has responded. It’s so important to us that we’re telling the greatest stories we can. And to do that, this has to be an environment where people feel supported and one that’s safe for people to speak their minds. So, as challenging as it’s been, there’s a lot of optimism about the future.”
Lasseter, along with seven others, has a story credit on “Toy Story 4,” and he originally was set to co-direct the film alongside Josh Cooley. But Lasseter turned over the reins to Cooley in July of 2017 — just a few months before taking a leave of absence when his workplace behavior came to light.
Cooley, who makes his directorial debut with “Toy Story 4,” was in high school when the original film premiered. He says the task wasn’t as daunting as it might have been, thanks to the institutional knowledge that still exists within Pixar’s walls.
“I was very lucky that I got to work with every single one of original creators of ‘Toy Story,'” he said.
Among those veterans are Pete Doctor, who succeeded Lasseter as the studio’s creative chief and was the third animator ever hired by Pixar. Also, Andrew Stanton, who has contributed to all the “Toy Story” films, co-wrote the screenplay for “Toy Story 4” with Stephany Folsom, and is an executive producer. So is Lee Unkrich, who spent 25 years at Pixar before retiring in February.
“You might call John the father of the ‘Toy Story,’ franchise,” said Rivera. “But there are lots of great godfathers, who undoubtedly played a huge part in the success of the films. Andrew is still here … and Pete is sort the heart of the place.”
That a “Toy Story 4” even exists is somewhat surprising. The franchise’s third installment, which premiered in 2010, culminated with a college-bound Andy passing on Woody, Buzz and his other playthings to a girl named Bonnie. Many fans and critics considered it a wonderful way to wrap things up.
So did Rivera.
“The third film ended on such an emotional high. And I was among the people who thought it was the perfect ending,” he said. “What I didn’t know at the time was that Andrew was already writing an outline for a fourth part.
“His belief was that, yes, it was a great ending for Andy. But ‘Toy Story’ has always been about Woody. So what does Woody do now that he’s done everything, in the metaphorical sense, to raise his kid? What comes next?”
In the latest film, Woody finds himself navigating the dynamics of Bonnie’s room, where he no longer reigns as the favorite. Eventually, the gang winds up on a family trip to a town that’s home to a colorful carnival, a creepy antiques store and Woody’s long-lost friend, Bo Peep (Annie Potts). Joining the fun are several new characters, including Bonnie’s crafts-project toy Forky (Tony Hale), daredevil motorcyclist Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves), carnival prizes Bunny (Jordan Peele) and Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key), and pull-string doll Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks).
While Pixar’s veteran artists embraced the chance to revisit their cherished flagship franchise, they realized the mission also came with enormous responsibility.
“These characters mean so much to us. They’re like the crown jewels,” said Nielsen. “Woody and Buzz are in the fabric of this place and I think the spirit of those characters are infused in all of the characters that we’ve put in our films. To tackle this was a challenge. It was intimidating, but also a great pleasure.”
Contact Chuck Barney at cbarney@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/chuckbarney and Facebook.com/bayareanewsgroup.chuckbarney.
Toy Wonder
The “Toy Story” franchise keeps getting bigger. Here’s a look at the staffs, and revenues, generated by each film
“Toy Story” (1995): 129 total employees, 129 crew members, $191,796,233 revenue
“Toy Story 2” (1999): 459 employees, 325 crew members, $245,852,179
“Toy Story 3” (2010): 1,236 employees, 400 crew members, $415,004,880
“Toy Story 4” — 1,247 employees, 475 crew members, revenues … ?
Source: boxofficemojo.com, Pixar; Note: “Toy Story 3” is Pixar’s second highest-grossing film worldwide, behind “Incredibles 2”).
