The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Toy Story 4 will recognize eight individuals for the film’s “story by” credits.
This fourth installment was announcement in 2014 and due to changes at Pixar and with the writing teams, the original storyline has evolved, but Pixar plans to acknowledge the entire creative team.
What’s happening:
- With Toy Story 4 kicking off summer as it makes its way to theaters this June, fans will notice this particular Story was quite the collaborative effort.
- When the credits roll on June 21, audiences will read a long list of contributors credited for “story by.”
- A total of eight writers all had a hand in bringing this chapter to the big screen and Pixar will recognize them all.
- “Story By" credits include:
- Former Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter
- Writing partners Rashida Jones and Will McCormack
- Others credited include:
- Director, Josh Cooley
- Story supervisor, Valerie LaPointe
- Writer, Stephany Folsom (Thor: Ragnarok)
- Writer, Martin Hynes (The Go-Getter)
- Writer-director, Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, Wall-E)
Toy Story 4’s evolution:
- Production of the film was first announced in November of 2014.
- At that time then Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios head, John Lasseter was still involved before being removed due to allegations of misconduct.
- When the film was first announced it was originally to be a romantic comedy that focused on the relationship between Woody and Bo Peep.
- Actress Rashida Jones and her writing partner Will McCormack joined early on, but left in late 2017 due to “philosophical differences.”
- With Jones and McCormack gone, Stephany Folsom and Martin Hynes joined the team and as the story developed, they felt it would benefit from more depth, especially following the emotional third entry, Toy Story 3.
What they’re saying:
- Toy Story 4 producer Jonas Rivera: "All of these movies are about how Woody changes: From going selfish to selfless in the first one, the second one is him understanding that things don’t last forever. The third one is about letting go. These are big changes. We thought, if we’re going to do this, we need to think about, ‘What is the biggest change?’ What if [his relationship with Bo] was the thing that really changed him?”
- Jonas Rivera: "In some ways it’s unrecognizable. So much has happened. In some ways, it is the same. There’s the same spirit."
- Producer Mark Nielsen on Pixar without Lasseter: "a lot of optimism about the future of the studio. He’s [Pete Docter] really looking out for the new voices and really loading up the development pool. It’s all original films after this one right now."
ICYMI:
- In 1995 a little film called Toy Story debuted and audiences around the world met, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bo Peep, Rex, Hamm, and all of Andy’s other toys. Several Pixar artists have been around since the beginning and are responsible for the magical evolution of these characters.
Toy Story 4 lands in theaters nationwide on June 21, 2019.