Toy Story

So, tonight Henrik and I are watching Toy Story 3 for the 9 millionth time.  Well not really, but it feels like it.  Henrik LOVES the movie and all of the characters.  He has 5 Buzz Lightyears, 6 Woody toys, 3 of the little aliens, 2 Jessies, 2 Bullseyes, 1 Zorg, 1 Evil Dr. Porkchop, 3 Mr. Potato heads, 4 little green soldiers and 1 penguin.  Sheesh, he has enough of those Toy Story toys. The point is he loves them, I'm over the movie and have decided to find out more about this show.  Here goes...

Some fun facts from the Pixar 'Toy' box

By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY

1. Tinny, the one-man-band character from the Oscar-winning Pixar short Tin Toy, was supposed to be a star of 1995's Toy Story. But he was deemed too antiquated. A military action figure was suggested before filmmakers settled on a space toy.

2. Early on, new-fangled spaceman Buzz Lightyear was known as Lunar Larry. His first name pays tribute to Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

3. Old-fashioned cowpoke Woody began life as a ventriloquist dummy, but his hinged jaw was deemed too "creepy." John Lasseter, director of the first and second Toy Story films, instead turned him into a pull-string doll inspired by his own talking Casper the Friendly Ghost stuffed doll.

4. Woody's name honors Western actor Woody Strode.

5. In the original Toy Story, Woody's personality was abrasive and sarcastic. After a test screening went badly, he was reworked into the flawed yet dedicated leader that he is today.

6. Lasseter always wanted Tom Hanks to speak for Woody, explaining that the actor "has the ability to take emotions and make them appealing, even if the character, like the one in A League of Their Own, is down-and-out and despicable."

7.Billy Crystal was the first choice to be Buzz, but he turned the offer down — a decision he later regretted. He did play the one-eyed Mike Wazowski in 2001's Monsters, Inc.

8. Buzz started off as a Dudley Do-Right superhero given to grand gestures. But when Tim Allen joined the voice cast, the spaceman sounded more like his Tool Time guy from Home Improvement. "Tim came up with the idea of playing him like a blue-collar cop," says Lee Unkrich, director of Toy Story 3, who has worked on all the films.

9. Originally, Barbie was supposed to rescue Woody and Buzz from Sid, the vicious kid next door. But Mattel refused to grant permission for her use, only to let her appear in the sequels. Instead, Woody saved the day.

10. Toy Story was the first foray into animated voice work for Hanks and Allen.

Interesting Info About Toy Story 3

• Director Lee Unkrich edited the first two “Toy Story” films, and co-directed “Toy Story 2.” He also served as a film editor on “Toy Story 3.”
• “Toy Story 3” Producer Darla K. Anderson is the namesake for the character Darla in “Finding Nemo.”
• Director Lee Unkrich performs one line in the movie, as the voice of the Jack in the Box character who says “New Toys!” when Woody, Buzz and the gang first arrive at Sunnyside.
• On January 15, 2010, the final day for many of the 58-person animation crew, director Lee Unkrich led a mini-marching band through the studio composed of two snare drummers, two bass drummers, two giant monkeys and a Yeti.
• 17 animators on “Toy Story 3” also worked on animation for “Toy Story 2.” Four animators worked on the animation for all three “Toy Story” films.
• 92,854 storyboards were drawn over the course of the film, and of those, about half (45,516) were delivered to the editorial department. Editorial turned those storyboards into eight different “Milestone Screenings” that were shown to the Pixar Brain Trust while the film was in development.
• There are 302 total characters in the film.
• There are more than 300 stickers in Andy’s room.
• The pins on the map in Andy’s room correspond to the hometowns of “Toy Story 3” production staff.
• A few pieces of art hanging on the walls in Andy’s room were actually created by “Toy Story 3” art coordinator Erin Magill when she was in high school.
• Andy has a banner hanging on one of the walls in his room that reads “P.U.” P.U. stands for Pixar University, a professional-development program for Pixar employees.
• Above Andy’s closet is a street sign for W. Cutting Blvd., the street on which Pixar’s original headquarters were based.
• Hidden in Andy’s bedroom is a hint at a new character in next year’s “Cars 2.”
• The number A113, which refers to John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton’s former classroom at CalArts, makes an appearance in every Pixar film. Despite the years that have passed, Andy’s mom hasn’t changed her license plate, which still reads A113. In “Toy Story 3,” however, Andy’s mom has a new license plate frame that reads “Tiger Pride,” which is a reference to director Lee Unkrich’s hometown of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and his high school mascot, the Tiger.
• The Pizza Planet Truck, which first made an appearance in the original “Toy Story,” has made a cameo in nearly every Pixar film. It also appears in “Toy Story 3,” providing a bumpy ride to some traveling toys.
• Sid, the mean kid who liked to destroy his toys in “Toy Story,” is all grown up as well, and he makes a cameo in “Toy Story 3,” wearing his signature skull t-shirt. Sid’s cameo is voiced by 27-year-old Erik Von Detten, who at the age of 13 was the original voice of Sid in “Toy Story.”

Posted by Travis Keune in General News

Info about Jessie

Jessie, the Yodeling Cowgirl is a fictional character who is the main tritagonist of the films Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3. At Christmas in 1999, the Wall Street Journal called Jessie toys among the hottest of the season.^[1] In the movie, she is a very rare toy modeled after a character on the fictional television show Woody's Roundup, where the characters included Sheriff Woody, Jessie, Stinky Pete the Prospector and Bullseye, Woody's horse. Her hair is formed in a ponytail braid tied with a bow. Jessie the doll has a character very similar to the one portrayed on the television show. She is excitable, brave and very athletic. The doll, however, carries a great deal of sadness, as she was abandoned by her original owner, which left her somewhat distrustful. Years of being in storage have made her somewhat withdrawn, and noticeably afraid of the dark, to the extent of hyperventilating whenever she is inside dark enclosed spaces, or even at just the thought of being abandoned.
But she longs to again be a source of joy to a child, and this wish comes true at the end of Toy Story 2 when Andy accepted her (and Bullseye) into his toy collection. In Toy Story 3, while she still displays signs of the fear of the dark, storage, and being abandoned in the beginning when she and the toys mistakenly believe that they are being thrown away by Andy, throughout the rest of the film, she appears to be more loyal, confident and helpful to others, in the process developing a romantic relationship with Buzz Lightyear.
She reappears in the short film, Hawaiian Vacation, that was added with Cars 2.
Jessie is voiced by Joan Cusack in all the films, while Mary Kay Bergman voiced her yodels and "Woody's Roundup" TV-show voice in Toy Story 2. Bergman died just before Toy Story 2 was released, so the film was dedicated to her. Singer Sarah McLachlan provides her singing voice.
Jessie also makes a cameo in Monsters, Inc. as one of Boo's toys that she gives to Sulley.^[2]
In October 2000, Jessie received the Patsy Montana Entertainer Award from the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.^[3] She is also portrayed by Devon Dawson live on stage as a guest with Riders in the Sky in their concert and plays the guitar.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

He broke away for a just a second to give me a smile :)