10 Insane Reasons Movies Were Nearly Shut Down
5. Toy Story - The First Half Was A Complete Mess
Looking back, it seems like Toy Story is one of the greatest animated films of all time, but it nearly didn't happen, and that was due to a ton of production issues.
Initially, John Lasseter pitched the concept to his bosses at Disney, but the studio balked at the concept of an all-CGI movie.
He left to found Pixar and produced the short Tin Toy, which won an Academy Award, leading Disney to bring him back for Toy Story. The studio demanded storyboard updates every two weeks, but everything Lasseter brought them was torn apart. Micromanaging and demands for rewrites hampered production and screwed with the characters.
Woody was said to have "almost no charm" after the rewrites, and even Tom Hanks said Woody was "a jerk." By the time 50% of production had been completed, Disney came along and put a stop to production, declaring the whole thing was a complete mess.
After three months of zero production, Lasseter returned with a new script, and a crew of 24 ballooned to 110. The influx of talent helped Lasseter and company finish the film, but if Disney had its way, Toy Story would look completely different and nobody would like Woody.
Not even Tom Hanks!