Recently, in an interview with Time magazine, Toy Story Writer Andrew Stanton talked about what he would change in Toy Story if he could.
The American film director, screenwriter, producer, and voice actor, who works at Pixar Animation Studios, has had several iconic animated movies to his credit. He has written and co-directed Pixar's A Bug's Life, blockbuster film Finding Nemo, and Academy favorite WALL-E, as well as his first live-action film, John Carter. And now, this two Academy Awards winning writer is all set to bring yet another movie franchise, Finding Dory, a sequel to the 2003 hit Finding Nemo.
And we all know how he worked magic on screen with his screenplay for Toy Story trilogy. And now, after almost two decades, the writer has expressed what the only thing was that he wanted to change or add in the epic franchise.
Stanton talked exclusively to Time and expressed how proud he was to be part of Toy Story movies. He said that he did not like to watch them very often. Why? “Because I know it will depress me how good it is, and make me give up whatever I’m working on at the time. Frankly, I’ll probably never make a film that’s better.”
Despite being part of several commercially and critically successful animated flicks, he admitted that he could never ever in his life replace or outdo Toy Story and thought that it was “a nice problem to have.”
And after almost twenty years of the release of the first Toy Story in 1995, the talented writer of 50 confessed that he wanted to change a scene in the film.
Stanton said: “This is honestly just me and I know other people don’t agree.”
The Academy Award winning screenwriter remembered and still remembers one particular scene between Buzz and Woody where they both are on top of Sid’s desk in a rainy day while Woody, the cowboy, was trapped under the crate, struggling to be free.
Talking about the scene Stanton added: “Woody builds up Buzz and says ‘You’re a toy, you’re the greatest toy,’ and that leads to him confessing how much he’s never seen himself as much of a great toy.
It’s his own insecurity for being this raggedy cowboy doll against this sexy astronaut space toy,” Stanton further explained: “Buzz then looks down at his own foot to see the word ‘Andy’ and makes up his mind to save Woody.” And at that precise moment, when Buzz thinks of saving Woody, Stanton wished Buzz should have done something else too.
“I always wanted him to just add one more beat and have him look over and see ‘Andy’ also written under Woody’s foot. Just to make that extra bit of connection of how they’re brothers, and they both have value,” he stated. “I think at the end of the day the argument was that it didn’t need that. Or I didn’t have as much influence as I do today then to push it.”
Stanton admitted that every time he saw this particular scene, he felt like the change should have been made. He said: “I always feel like ‘Oh that would just be the cherry on top for me.”
Stanton, who took to stage for his TED talk about “The Clues to a Great Story” a few years back, has an estimated net worth of $40 million. But, his salary remains undisclosed.