Top 10 Pixar Facts That Will Ruin Your Childhood
#10: What “Monsters, Inc.” Was Originally Going to be About “Monsters, Inc.” (2001)
There are some questionably scary plotlines in “Monsters, Inc.” A child is essentially taken and there’s a secret machine that could potentially kill someone. But overall it’s a sweet story about an unlikely friendship between a monster and a small human. It could have been a lot different though if Disney went through with the original pitch for the movie. The initial idea was for a 30-year-old man to be haunted by monsters that he drew as a kid. Since no one else can see them, the man thinks that he’s going crazy. Ultimately the plot was supposed to be about childhood fears that are not properly dealt with. That is certainly scarier than what the film turned into.
#9: William H. Macy Was Supposed to Voice Marlin “Finding Nemo” (2003)
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Albert Brooks voicing Marlin in “Finding Nemo.” But in reality, “Shameless” star William H. Macy was cast in the role first. He actually recorded many lines for Nemo’s overprotective dad before getting cut from the film. According to reports, Macy’s performance was found to be too serious in an early screening of the movie. So despite all that work being done, they turned to actor and comedian Brooks to lighten up the character. And while we love Macy, he’s much more suited to play the rough around the edges Gallagher patriarch Frank than the lovable yet neurotic clownfish.
#8: Early Pixar Was Scandalous “Knick Knack” (1989)
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Pixar has squeezed some adult jokes into their movies over the years. But one of their early shorts was deemed a little too adult. Before Pixar became the family-friendly animation studio, it was actually a hardware company trying to sell a graphics computer called the Pixar Image Computer. They produced a number of short films, one of which is called “Knick Knack,” about travel souvenirs that come to life. The short follows a snowman from “Alaska” who is desperate to get out of his snow globe in order to be poolside with a busty bikini-clad souvenir from Miami. Her appearance – and also a mermaid’s – was later edited to be more PG, but her original form can still be briefly seen in "Toy Story 2."
#7: That Rat Killing Shop Actually Exists “Ratatouille” (2007)
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Food-loving rat Remy finds himself thrust into a fast-paced French restaurant after befriending a cooking-challenged employee named Linguini in “Ratatouille.” Remy’s dad tries to ground him with a warning that rats can’t trust humans. He takes his son to a pest control shop where dozens of rodents are hanging from traps in the window. It was a pretty traumatizing moment for Remy and viewers alike. So you would likely be equally horrified to learn that a place like that really exists in Paris – and that it’s become a bit of a tourist destination because of the Pixar movie. The shop is called Aurouze and has dead rats on display in its window – but don’t worry, they’re stuffed.
#6: A Co-Writer/Director Passed Away While a Film Was Still Being Made “Cars” (2006)
Joe Ranft was a Disney and Pixar legend. He worked on a number of successful movies, from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” to the “Toy Story” franchise, even voicing a number of characters along the way. Unfortunately in 2005, he was involved in a fatal car accident. Ranft was being driven down Highway 1 in Mendocino County, California, when his friend, who was also the driver, lost control. The vehicle went off a cliff and plunged into the Pacific Ocean, killing the driver and Ranft and injuring another passenger. Ranft’s final film, of which he was a co-writer and co-director, was still in production at the time. That film was “Cars,” which followed a race car whose life changes when he stops in a small town and was ultimately dedicated to Ranft.
#5: A Sequel Was Almost Completely Lost “Toy Story 2” (1999)
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We’re not going to argue about what the best movie in the “Toy Story” franchise is, but “Toy Story 2” is up there. It introduces Jessie and Bullseye and builds out a fun backstory for our beloved Woody. So imagine if this installment never existed? During production, a Pixar employee mistakenly entered a deletion command that wiped out the nearly completed film. You would think that an animation studio as big as Pixar would have a backup system. And they do. But that backup also failed. Fortunately, a super mom saved the day. Film producer Galyn Susman, then a supervising technical director for Pixar, recently had a baby and had a copy of the film on a home computer so she could work on it. For Susman, we will be forever grateful.
#4: Barbie Was Going to be a Main Love Interest “Toy Story” (1995)
At this point, most of us have seen “Toy Story 4” and know that Bo Peep and Woody are "end game.” Believe it or not though, Barbie was actually supposed to be Woody's love interest. The reason that plot point changed was because Mattel, the creator of Barbie, reportedly didn't think the original “Toy Story” would be a success. Boy were they wrong. But imagine if Barbie had replaced Bo Peep? Would we still have had that fantastic Ken fashion show scene in “Toy Story 3”? And would “Toy Story 4” even exist? We shudder to think about what that potential relationship could have done to the franchise.
#3: Nemo Branded Caviar “Ratatouille” (2007)
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A fine-dining establishment like Gusteau’s is bound to have high-end products like caviar in their kitchen. But did Pixar really have to take things THAT far? It’s a blink and you’ll miss it moment in “Ratatouille,” but eagle-eyed viewers will catch that the caviar tin in the restaurant’s pantry is called “Nemo Brand.” Of course real caviar is from sturgeon, not clown fish. But it’s still a tough one to swallow considering Nemo’s backstory. At least Pixar fans can rest easy knowing that the barracuda that devoured almost all of Marlin and Coral’s eggs in “Finding Nemo” ended up stuffed on a wall in an antique shop in “Toy Story 4.”
#2: One Film’s Popularity Negatively Affected Wild Clownfish “Finding Nemo” (2003)
Can this poor fish catch a break already? “Finding Nemo” was so popular when it came out that it led to more clownfish being purchased as pets, which reportedly put a stress on clownfish’s population. A foundation called Saving Nemo was even launched to encourage people to stop collecting wild fish. If that wasn’t bad enough, the film also led some kids to flush their pet fish down the toilet in an attempt to free them. Spoiler alert: most fish lose their lives after they are flushed due to the freshwater, the trauma or both. We don’t even want to know what happened to any rats that people bought as pets after “Ratatouille” came out….
#1: Woody: Ventriloquist Dummy vs. Cowboy “Toy Story” (1995)
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Can we all agree that the ventriloquist dummies in “Toy Story 4” are what nightmares are made of? Our childhood could have been a lot more traumatizing if Pixar went through with their original idea to make Woody a ventriloquist dummy instead of a pull-string cowboy doll. Buzz as we know him today didn’t even exist in the first script. The movie was a buddy comedy with a one-man band tin toy named Tinny instead. Fortunately, they ultimately came up with the toy duo that everyone has come to know and love. But hey, the initial concept may make a great Halloween special if they wanted to do a follow up to “Toy Story of Terror.”
