’30 Years of Toy Story’: Panel at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event shares stories from beloved film

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Can you believe it’s been 30 years since the first “Toy Story” came out? A panel on Friday at D23 in Anaheim, Calif. was held to recognize this beloved film and share how it all came together.

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The panel included Katherine Sarafian, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, Bonnie Arnold, Bob Pauley and Jonas Rivera.

The Pixar of the ’90s, at the time the film was made, was described by Pauley as a “scrappy startup.”

The technology they used was cutting edge and Stanton described it as “building the plane as you’re flying it.” Arnold continued that sentiment, estimating that while groundbreaking films “Jurassic Park” and “Forrest Gump” had around 200 special effect shots each, “Toy Story” had 16,000.

Docter shared a limitation of the technology, noting that during the scene in which Woody sneaks into the restaurant under a cup, if you look closely, you’ll notice all of the diners in the restaurant are frozen when they should be moving.

During the panel, a picture of Woody’s pull string phrases was shown. Stanton revealed that Tom Hanks had recorded himself saying all of them, noting that the last handwritten three are ones the actor came up with on his own. “There’s a snake in my boots” was a favorite of the crew’s and has become a well-quoted line.

Another well-known and simple line, “I’m the one that should be strapped to that rocket,” which showed Woody’s insecurities, was borne out of frustration. Stanton shared that throughout production, the crew never talked about what the film was truly about. They just had an implicit understanding from shared experiences of a child being jealous of a sibling, or a popular person feeling insecure when a new person arrives. When it came time for the characters to address these feelings, no one knew what the lines should be. Stanton said he fell back on his belief that simplicity is best.

The panelists took a moment near the end to remember four people who worked on the film, who have since passed – Ralph Eggleston, Joe Ranft, Bud Luckey and Glenn McQueen.

Arnold noted that every movie they make needs a ringer and these four were theirs.

“This movie would not exist without them,” she said.

As the final minutes drew to a close, the panelists reflected on the past.

Sarafian shared that though they may not have been mentioned or featured in pictures at the panel, there incredible female role models who helped define her career.

“There were a lot of great women behind the scenes,” she said.

As for Rivera, he added, “Toy Story is everything to me. [It’s] the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me.”