When Toy Story arrived in 1995, it didn't just introduce Woody and Buzz Lightyear. It completely changed animation forever. Behind the beloved Pixar classic is a surprising story of abandoned ideas, last-minute rewrites, technical disasters, and casting decisions that almost went very differently. Here are 20 fascinating facts you might not know about the movie that started it all.
It was the world's first fully computer-animated feature film
No movie had ever been made entirely with CGI before Toy Story. Its success proved that computer animation could carry a feature film and changed the industry forever.
Woody was originally much meaner
Early versions of Woody were arrogant, sarcastic, and downright unlikeable. Disney disliked the character so much that production was temporarily halted until Pixar completely rewrote him.
Buzz Lightyear almost had a very different name
Before becoming Buzz Lightyear, the space ranger was known as "Lunar Larry," and even briefly "Tempus From Morph." Thankfully, Pixar eventually named him after astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
The movie almost disappeared forever
During production of Toy Story 2, someone accidentally started deleting the film from Pixar's servers. A backup copy that one employee had at home ended up saving years of work.
Paul Newman almost voiced Woody
Pixar's dream casting paired Paul Newman with Jim Carrey before Tom Hanks and Tim Allen joined the project. Budget limitations ultimately changed everything.
Tom Hanks needed convincing
John Lasseter created a short animation using dialogue from Turner & Hooch to show Tom Hanks what Woody would look like. Seeing the test reel convinced Hanks to take his first animated role.
Billy Crystal turned down Buzz Lightyear
Billy Crystal passed on voicing Buzz and later called it one of the biggest mistakes of his career. When Pixar later offered him Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc., he accepted immediately.
Tim Allen inspired Buzz's biggest character trait
Once the filmmakers heard Tim Allen's performance, they came up with the idea that Buzz genuinely believes he's a real Space Ranger instead of a toy. That twist became one of the film's funniest running jokes.
Woody wasn't always a cowboy
Pixar's original hero was Tinny, the star of the Oscar-winning short Tin Toy. Woody also spent time as a ventriloquist dummy before eventually becoming the cowboy audiences know today.
Early Woody artwork appears in the movie
Sharp-eyed fans can actually spot concept art of Woody hanging on Andy's bedroom wall during one scene, a fun nod from Pixar's artists to the character's evolution.
Andy's room is full of real toys
Rather than inventing everything from scratch, Pixar filled Andy's bedroom with recognizable brands and classic toys to make it feel like a real child's room.
John Lasseter's childhood inspired Woody
Lasseter owned a pull-string Casper doll as a child, which inspired Woody's voice box. He also used to write his name on his toys, just like Andy does in the movie.
The Pizza Planet truck became Pixar's biggest Easter egg
The delivery truck first appeared in Toy Story before becoming one of Pixar's longest-running hidden references across the studio's movies.
Woody's last name is actually Pride
The movies never reveal Woody's surname, but editor Lee Unkrich later confirmed that it is Woody Pride. The name was inspired by actor Woody Strode, one of the first Black Hollywood western stars.
The original budget nearly doubled
Disney initially budgeted Toy Story at around $17 million, but Pixar quickly realized creating the first CGI feature was far more ambitious than expected. The budget eventually climbed to roughly $30 million before the film was completed.
Mr. Potato Head's funniest line came from Don Rickles himself
The insult "What are you looking at, you hockey puck?" wasn't written specifically for the movie. It was one of Don Rickles' signature putdowns during his stand-up routines, making Mr. Potato Head feel even more like the legendary comedian.
Pixar used real toy soldiers to study movement
The Green Army Men may not bend their knees, but animating that stiff movement wasn't easy. The animation team carried around actual plastic army men to observe how they moved so they could recreate their distinctive marching style as accurately as possible.
Toy Story 2 was supposed to go straight to video
Disney originally planned Toy Story 2 as a direct-to-video sequel. Once Pixar began developing the story, however, everyone realized it had the quality of a theatrical release, and Disney upgraded it to a full feature.
Jessie was inspired by a real cowgirl toy
Jessie wasn't based on one specific vintage toy, but on the pull-string cowgirl dolls and Western merchandise that became hugely popular during the 1950s cowboy craze. Her design was also created to complement Woody's Roundup backstory.
Lotso almost had a very different fate
Early versions of Toy Story 3 reportedly explored giving Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear more redemption at the end of the film. Instead, Pixar chose to leave him strapped to the garbage truck, creating one of the franchise's darkest endings.
Barbie nearly wasn't in Toy Story 2
Pixar originally wanted Barbie to have a much larger role, but Mattel wasn't convinced a sequel would succeed and declined to license the character. After the first sequel became a massive hit, Mattel eagerly partnered with Pixar for Toy Story 3.
Sid secretly returns years later
The neighborhood bully from the first movie makes a brief appearance in Toy Story 3 as the garbage collector. He's still wearing his iconic skull T-shirt, making it one of Pixar's favorite hidden callbacks.
Toy Story 3 made Oscar history
When it was nominated for Best Picture in 2011, Toy Story 3 became only the third animated film ever to receive the honor, following Beauty and the Beast and Up.
The franchise became Pixar's first billion-dollar series
By the time Toy Story 4 was released in 2019, the franchise had earned billions worldwide and become Pixar's highest-grossing series. It remains one of the studio's most successful and influential franchises.
Bonnie's room contains a subtle callback to Andy's
In one scene, a chalk drawing in the background features the familiar blue sky and white clouds pattern that echoes the iconic wallpaper from Andy's bedroom in the original Toy Story.
