As always, Pixar seems to have as much fun talking about and making their movies as we do watching them. Toy Story 3 is just a few weeks away and it’s sure to be packed with all the heartwarming fun we can handle. But beneath the film, as with any Pixar film, there are tons of geeky little secrets hidden inside the frame for serious fans. To help get you started, Pixar sent us a huge list of Toy Story 3 fun facts this morning.
Some of them are just awesome, some are surprising, and more than a few of them I’m planning to go into Toy Story 3 watching out for. Here’s a complete list of geeky, fun, things you might want to know about Toy Story 3:
Fun Facts
• Director Lee Unkrich edited the first two “Toy Story” films, and co-directed “Toy Story 2.” He also served as a film editor on “Toy Story 3.”
• “Toy Story 3” Producer Darla K. Anderson is the namesake for the character Darla in “Finding Nemo.”
• Director Lee Unkrich performs one line in the movie, as the voice of the Jack in the Box character who says “New Toys!” when Woody, Buzz and the gang first arrive at Sunnyside.
• On January 15, 2010, the final day for many of the 58-person animation crew, director Lee Unkrich led a mini-marching band through the studio composed of two snare drummers, two bass drummers, two giant monkeys and a Yeti.
• 17 animators on “Toy Story 3” also worked on animation for “Toy Story 2.” Four animators worked on the animation for all three “Toy Story” films.
• 92,854 storyboards were drawn over the course of the film, and of those, about half (45,516) were delivered to the editorial department. Editorial turned those storyboards into eight different “Milestone Screenings” that were shown to the Pixar Brain Trust while the film was in development.
• There are 302 total characters in the film.
Hidden Facts
• There are more than 300 stickers in Andy's room.
• The pins on the map in Andy's room correspond to the hometowns of “Toy Story 3” production staff.
• A few pieces of art hanging on the walls in Andy’s room were actually created by “Toy Story 3” art coordinator Erin Magill when she was in high school.
• Andy has a banner hanging on one of the walls in his room that reads “P.U.” P.U. stands for Pixar University, a professional-development program for Pixar employees.
• Above Andy’s closet is a street sign for W. Cutting Blvd., the street on which Pixar’s original headquarters were based.
• Hidden in Andy’s bedroom is a hint at a new character in next year’s “Cars 2.”
• The number A113, which refers to John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton's former classroom at CalArts, makes an appearance in every Pixar film. Despite the years that have passed, Andy’s mom hasn’t changed her license plate, which still reads A113. In “Toy Story 3,” however, Andy’s mom has a new license plate frame that reads “Tiger Pride,” which is a reference to director Lee Unkrich’s hometown of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and his high school mascot, the Tiger.
• The Pizza Planet Truck, which first made an appearance in the original “Toy Story,” has made a cameo in nearly every Pixar film. It also appears in “Toy Story 3,” providing a bumpy ride to some traveling toys.
• Sid, the mean kid who liked to destroy his toys in “Toy Story,” is all grown up as well, and he makes a cameo in “Toy Story 3,” wearing his signature skull t-shirt. Sid’s cameo is voiced by 27-year-old Erik Von Detten, who at the age of 13 was the original voice of Sid in “Toy Story.”
Character Facts
Woody
• In honor of “Toy Story 3,” LEGO created a six-foot-six-inch tall version of Woody that weighs 80 pounds and is built from more than 17,200 bricks.
• Woody is 15.18 inches tall without his hat, and 15.93 inches tall with his hat on.
• Woody has 229 animation avars in his face. Avars, short for animation variables, are the points of movement, which animators manipulate to create a character’s physical performance.
Buzz Lightyear
• In honor of “Toy Story 3,” LEGO created a five-foot-three-inch tall version of Buzz that weighs 120 pounds and is built from more than 25,000 LEGO bricks. The Buzz and Woody models now have a permanent home at Pixar.
• Buzz is 11.43 inches tall without his helmet, and 11.80 inches tall with it.
• Buzz has 215 animation avars in his face. Avars, short for animation variables, are the points of movement, which animators manipulate to create a character’s physical performance.
Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear
• In Disney•Pixar’s “Up,” Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear (Lotso) can be seen sitting on the floor of a little girl’s bedroom as Carl’s house flies past her window.
• Lotso has 3,473,271 individual hairs organized in several layers of different length and thickness.
• The version of Barbie used in “Toy Story 3” is modeled after “Great Shape Barbie” from 1983.
Ken
• The version of Ken used in “Toy Story 3” is modeled after “Animal Lovin’ Ken” from 1988.
• Ken wears 21 different outfits in the movie.
Andy
• The character of Andy is voiced by John Morris, the same actor who voiced Andy in the original films. In “Toy Story 3,” Andy is about to leave for college. In real life, John Morris is 26.
Molly
• In “Toy Story 2,” baby Molly was voiced by Lee Unkrich’s daughter, Hannah. He re-purposed those same recordings for Molly in the home video footage shown at the beginning of “Toy Story 3.”
