Haswell, Helen. " Story Is King: Understanding the Toy Story
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Haswell, Helen. " Story Is King: Understanding the Toy Story Franchise as an Allegory for the Studio Narrative of Pixar Animation." Toy Story: How Pixar Reinvented the Animated Feature. By Susan Smith, Noel Brown and Sam Summers. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2017. 181–196. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 27 Sep. 2021. <http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781501324949.ch-012>. Downloaded from Bloomsbury Collections, www.bloomsburycollections.com, 27 September 2021, 09:33 UTC. Copyright © Susan Smith, Sam Summers and Noel Brown 2018. You may share this work for non-commercial purposes only, provided you give attribution to the copyright holder and the publisher, and provide a link to the Creative Commons licence. 1 81 Chapter 12 S TORY IS KING: UNDERSTANDING THE TOY STORY FRANCHISE AS AN ALLEGORY FOR THE STUDIO NARRATIVE OF PIXAR ANIMATION Helen Haswell When Toy Story (John Lasseter) was released in 1995, analyses of the fi lm suggested it was an allegory for the popularization of computer- generated (CG) animation and the subsequent displacement of hand- drawn methods.1 According to this view, Toy Story ’s narrative implies that Disney’s traditional 2- D animation, represented by Woody, the outdated pull- string cowboy doll, has been rendered irrelevant by Pixar’s pioneering digital animation, represented by Buzz Lightyear, the new and more advanced space ranger toy. While this is apparent, I would argue that the Toy Story franchise as a whole is representative of the history and development of Pixar Animation Studios and its relationship with the Walt Disney Company. Th is twenty- fi ve- year relationship, which was formalized in 1991 when Disney agreed to fi nance the development, produc- tion and distribution of Pixar’s fi rst feature fi lm, has been both turbulent and mutually benefi cial. While the success of Toy Story enabled Pixar to renegoti- ate its contract terms with Disney, agreeing to produce a further fi ve original fi lms together, the fi rst two Toy Story narratives refl ect the friction between these two animation studios. By the time Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010) was released, Pixar had been a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company’s Studio Entertainment division for four years, following a deal that cost Disney $7.4 billion and saw the appointment of Pixar co- founders Ed Catmull and John Lasseter to president and chief creative offi cer, respectively, of both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. In this regard, the apparently harmonious ending to the narrative of Toy Story 3 is refl ective of the post- acquisition period between Pixar and Disney. Each fi lm in the trilogy exemplifi es the growth and progression of Pixar at that time, and consequently highlights the signifi cance of the franchise to the fundamental ideals of the studio, which include the concurrent development of digital technology and CG aesthetics, and the value and precedence given to narrative. Twenty years aft er the release of Toy Story , Pixar’s fi lmmakers 99781501324918_pi-240.indd781501324918_pi-240.indd 118181 111/8/20171/8/2017 22:49:34:49:34 PPMM 182 182 Helen Haswell continue to reiterate the importance of storytelling and the studio’s commit- ment to narrative. Th is is also apparent when we take into consideration the industrial studio narrative of Pixar, which has been partly constructed by the studio and subsequently perpetuated by the media. While allegorical readings of the fi lms are not made explicit, the release of each fi lm in the Toy Story series punctuates key moments in Pixar’s history, and the fi lms’ narratives appear to address the relationship between Disney and Pixar during this fi ft een- year period. I use these readings of the fi lms to highlight a familiar industrial nar- rative of Pixar to explore the studio’s prominent role in the development of CG animation and the legacy and signifi cance of the Toy Story franchise. Th rough an analysis of the narrative of the Toy Story trilogy, I argue that Pixar’s focus on narrative development suggests that Toy Story is representative of the story of Pixar Animation Studios, and that the series exemplifi es the foundational principles established by the company. Against the backdrop of the industrial analysis of the Disney– Pixar relationship and the narrative development of the Toy Story trilogy, the chapter argues that the fi lms comment on the growth of Pixar and the studio’s new position in mainstream American animation as a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. Story Is King Since 1986, when the company was founded, Pixar’s mission statement has been to create ‘memorable characters and heart- warming stories that appeal to audiences of all ages’. 2 Th e infl uence of Pixar’s ‘Braintrust’ on the development of the studio’s stories, and the introduction of Disney’s ‘Story Trust’ – imple- mented by Lasseter following the 2006 Disney– Pixar merger – underlines the importance given to narrative. Pixar’s emphasis on the value it places on sto- rytelling was established early on through interviews with the studio’s fi lm- makers and reiterated in documentaries about the company and in behind the scenes and making- of featurettes. Catmull notes that during the production of Toy Story the studio’s now well- documented mantra and principle, ‘story is king’, quickly became pertinent to the foundations of the fl edgling studio. For Catmull, it meant that Pixar would ‘let nothing – not the technology, not the merchandising possibilities – get in the way of [the] story’.3 Th is is emphasized in two extensive, company- endorsed accounts of Pixar’s history: To Infi nity and Beyond: Th e Story of Pixar Animation Studios by Karen Paik and Th e Pixar Touch: Th e Making of a Company by David Price. Both Paik and Price note that while Catmull and Pixar co- founder Alvy Ray Smith were technically capable, they required equally talented story artists in order to achieve their goal of cre- ating a computer- animated fi lm. 4 Th is common understanding that Pixar’s fi lmmakers place a great deal of importance on well- developed stories transcends the fi lm world and extends to the industrial studio narrative of the animation company, and is oft en linked to 99781501324918_pi-240.indd781501324918_pi-240.indd 118282 111/8/20171/8/2017 22:49:34:49:34 PPMM 1 83 Story Is King 183 the studio’s success and the development of its creative culture. In attempting to uncover Pixar’s ‘winning formula’ for the phenomenal and sustained com- mercial and critical success of the studio’s fi lms, analysts have turned to the production practices employed at the studio. Business self- help and industry- focused texts such as Innovate the Pixar Way (Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson, 2010) and Th e International Film Business: A Market Guide Beyond Hollywood (Angus Finney and Eugenio Triana, 2015) outline some of the practices that Pixar has implemented that off er ‘visionary insight into the running of a “peo- ple” business and how to lead a creative organization’.5 Th ese practices include encouraging communication across the company by ‘recognizing that the decision- making hierarchy and communication structure are two diff erent things’, 6 creating a safe environment in which to share and off er ideas, promot- ing innovation by publishing research and engaging in industry conferences, cross- training employees with the aid of Pixar University; 7 and, fundamentally, the merging of art and technology.8 Th ese set principles are key to Pixar’s iden- tity and, although they have developed as the company has grown, the foun- dational ideals established by Catmull and Lasseter have remained the same. Toy Story is the product of these established principles and, as its fi rst feature fi lm, is representative of Pixar. Catmull states that ‘if we can constantly change and improve our models by using technology in the pursuit of art, we keep ourselves fresh. Th e whole history of Pixar is a testament to this dynamic inter- play.’ 9 As the pioneers of CG animation and a self- proclaimed artist- led studio, Pixar’s reiterated mantra, ‘art challenges technology, technology inspires art’, 10 dictates the importance given by the studio to the concurrent development of technology and digital animation aesthetics. Established during the formation of the studio, for Pixar, it is essential that these two elements coincide. Th e Toy Story fi lms exemplify this coherence between art and technology and the devel- opment of the studio over a fi ft een- year period. An accepted narrative has emerged in relation to the history of Pixar and the development of the studio’s creative culture. Th is constructed studio narrative not only dictates the company’s foundational principles, outlined above, but also states that Pixar is a fi lmmaker- led studio, and that its production practices are in direct contrast with corporate Hollywood, and Disney by extension. Based in Silicon Valley, Northern California, Pixar Animation Studios is situated among the world’s largest high- tech corporations, including Apple, Facebook and Google, and thousands of start- up companies. Walt Disney Animation Studios, on the other hand, is based in Burbank, Southern California, along with some of the biggest media and entertainment companies, such as Warner Bros. Entertainment, ABC Studios, Marvel Studios and Nickelodeon. Not only has Pixar separated itself geographically from corporate Hollywood, but the stu- dio is also explicit in having challenged traditional Hollywood studio practices by abandoning employment contracts and hiring staff full- time rather than project- to- project.11 Th is narrative establishes Pixar as contemporary inde- pendent artists, committed to the pursuit of the latest technology.