{"id":4421,"date":"2015-11-22T17:08:21","date_gmt":"2015-11-22T22:08:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/?p=4421"},"modified":"2015-11-22T17:08:21","modified_gmt":"2015-11-22T22:08:21","slug":"happy-20th-anniversary-toy-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/happy-20th-anniversary-toy-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Happy 20th Anniversary, Toy Story!"},"content":{"rendered":"

In celebration of Toy Story<\/em>‘s 20th anniversary, we asked our readers to tell us how important the film is to them.\u00a0Here are some of the most touching responses that will make you want to\u00a0re-watch the film and\u00a0hold your childhood toys close.\u00a0Please note: Submissions have been edited for length and\/or clarity.<\/em>
\n\"toy<\/a>
\n“My daughter\u00a0has always been a true and dedicated fan of Toy Story<\/em>, and has also gone through several bouts of chemo with\u00a0Woody and Buzz comforting her.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

My daughter was 4 years old when Toy Story<\/em> came to be. She had already gone through surgeries, chemo, and was starting on radiation when she was mesmerized by Woody and Buzz.\u00a0My daughter\u00a0has always been a true and dedicated fan of Toy Story,<\/em>\u00a0and has also gone through several bouts of chemo with\u00a0Woody and Buzz comforting her.\u00a0She turned 24 last year. In fact, when we booked a Disney Cruise in September, I asked DCL if there was anything they can do for her. Low and behold, she was treated with a private session with her two favorite characters!\u00a0I’ve never seen\u00a0her smile that big<\/strong>. \u2013 Susan and Kayla Gordon<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Toy Story<\/em> has always been my favorite childhood movie, and it eventually became the film that convinced me to be an animator.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

I could write a book about how Toy Story<\/em> has impacted my life. I like to joke that the day the film was released in theaters was the best day of my life<\/strong>. Toy Story<\/em> has always been my favorite childhood movie, and it eventually became the film that convinced me to be an animator. I have very fond memories of my Toy Story<\/em> toys, from playing with little Buzz and Woody figures with my older sister, to my dad dressing up one of my other Buzzes in Barbie clothes to act out the Mrs. Nesbitt scene. I\u2019m now in my second year of art school, and the more I learn about the history of animation, the more I see how Toy Story<\/em>\u00a0rocked the industry. It\u00a0was a groundbreaking marriage of technology and art, and the foundation of many of the films we cherish today. The production of Toy Story<\/em> itself is a story of having a dream and not giving up on it, no matter how much others try to convince you that it\u2019ll fail. This is what inspires me to pursue my own dream\u00a0of making\u00a0films someday. \u00a0\u2013 Allie<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Every time I watch the original Toy Story<\/em> it\u2019s like visiting an old friend, and the movie brings me back to my childhood.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t remember a time where I didn\u2019t treat my toys as if they were real (I was three years old when the original came out). I probably owned some small toys from the movie, but the one I interacted with the most was the computer game. Generally speaking, I loved playing all the storybook computer games from the \u201990s Disney movies, and Toy Story<\/em> was one of my top favorites.
\n 
\nThe films itself hold a special place in my heart, and though I don\u2019t remember the first time I saw the original and its sequel, they both came out around pivotal moments of my life<\/strong>. The first one came out two months before my first sister was born (the first time I\u2019d become a sibling), and the second one came out seven months before my second sister was born. And the third one came out at exactly the right time: I had just graduated from high school the day before its release, and Andy saying goodbye to his toys sadly reminded me that I\u2019d have to do the same in the next two months as I was moving to another state, away from the friends I grew up with.
\n 
\nEvery time I watch the original Toy Story it\u2019s like visiting an old friend, and the movie brings me back to my childhood. I may have outgrown playing with the toys I used to love, but the fond memories are still there<\/strong>. \u2013 Keisha<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Sharing Toy Story\u00a0<\/em>with my Dad is\u00a0one of my best memories I have with him as a child.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was 8. I have a lot of clear and random memories regarding the film. I went to see it in the theater with my dad and I loved it, which was\u00a0surprising because as a child I was deathly afraid of toys coming to life to the point that I had vivid and chronic nightmares. Toy Story<\/em>\u00a0was the movie that spun it all around for me<\/strong>, it\u00a0made me stop fearing the idea and my nightmares literally stopped.
\n 
\nI love Woody more, but for some reason I really wanted a Buzz Lightyear so badly that my dad went to three or four Burger Kings to find one of the promotional plush toys they had. We couldn\u2019t afford the actual replica toys that came out in the stores. I\u2019ll always remember the night he brought it to me as a surprise. Buzz and I were inseparable for months after that.\u00a0Sharing Toy Story\u00a0with my Dad is one of my best memories I have with him as a child.\u00a0\u2013 Atta Lynne<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Toy Story<\/em> played a very large part in my childhood.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u00a0was the film I watched repeatedly when I was young<\/strong>. Once Toy Story 2<\/em>\u00a0came out,\u00a0it had become my favorite movie. Toy Story 3<\/em> was probably the biggest event of 2010 for me and I also had quite a few toys at that point. With the 4th film\u00a0<\/em>coming and all the shorts, Toy Story<\/em>\u00a0will continue to\u00a0remain a big part of a life for a long time. \u2013 JKOP<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“May the toys continue to embrace more kids and adults for generations to come.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was just a baby when the first Toy Story<\/em> came out. But, I loved it when I first saw it on home video and I still love it today<\/strong>. I have all the movies (and the TV specials on Blu-Ray and DVD), I still have a lot of the toys (the main ones like Woody and Buzz I haven\u2019t stored away yet), and I just love this trilogy! May the toys continue to embrace more kids and adults for generations to come! To infinity and beyond! \u2013 Josiah Mielke<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“My parents decided to try and spark some interests by putting on movies for me. I\u2019d only watch one the entire way through: Toy Story<\/em>.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

It all started when I was around 11 months old. I allegedly didn\u2019t do much, I crawled around a bit, I slept, not much else. My parents decided to try and spark some interests by putting on movies for me. I\u2019d only watch one the entire way through: Toy Story<\/em>.
\n 
\nAnd so, that started a very long cycle of re-watches for years and years. Because of that,\u00a0Toy Story<\/em>\u00a0had such a big influence on me. It\u2019s what made me want to become an animator, made me want to work for Pixar, sparked my hobby in filmmaking, heck, it\u2019s one of the main reasons I started talking.<\/strong>
\n 
\nIn fact, anytime I go to the Disney parks, I always try to meet the Buzz Lightyear character. Unfortunately, DLP don\u2019t really \u201cget\u201d the Toy Story<\/em> hype, but luckily, I have met him twice; once in 2006 and once this year, in 2015. Even this year, the ride I went on most was Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast.
\n 
\nAs\u00a0I write this in bed, I have a giant TS3 poster looming above me, and the Toy Story<\/em> characters from Disney Infinity close by.\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Noah Carolan<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Toy Story<\/em> and its characters are really my oldest and closest friends, and without them, I wouldn\u2019t be the person I am today.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

What does Toy Story mean to me? Well, where do I even begin? For starters, it was the first movie I ever fell in love with. My Toy Story<\/em> experience began early, like a lot of people my age. I was 13 months going on 14 months. When my dad came home with the VHS for Toy Story,\u00a0<\/em>I was hooked. I don\u2019t remember this, but my mom has told me every time she popped the film\u00a0in the VCR, she knew she had about an hour and a half of free time because I was just mesmerized.
\n 
\nJust a few weeks ago, I decided to sit down and re-watch the trilogy. I\u2019d really forgotten just how amazing all of those films\u00a0are. I still laughed at the jokes, even though I know them all by heart. I still cried at the end of Toy Story 3<\/em>, even though I knew what was coming. I referred to the movie marathon\u00a0as \u201ccatching up with old friends\u201d on an Instagram post I made. Toy Story<\/em> and its characters are really my oldest and closest friends, and without them, I wouldn\u2019t be the person I am today. So, thank you to everyone who has ever worked on these films, for crafting something that people from 1 to 99 can watch and still laugh, cry, and connect with in a way not many other films can achieve<\/strong>. Thank you Toy Story.<\/em>\u00a0May you continue to inspire people for infinity and beyond. \u2013\u00a0Forster Keenoy<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“20 years later,\u00a0Buzz is still my favorite character and I\u2019ve still got Disney magic in my heart.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been a hardcore Pixar fangirl ever since I was little. I wasn\u2019t like most Disney-loving girls my age (i.e. I favored Buzz Lightyear over Disney Princesses).
\n 
\nEvery time I watched a Pixar movie I was enchanted<\/strong>. And all three times we went to Disney World, I went Pixar crazy. I loved riding Buzz\u2019s Space Ranger Spin, playing Toy Story Mania, dancing in Block Party Bash, and meeting the Pixar Pals.
\n 
\n20 years later, Buzz is still my favorite character and I\u2019ve still got Disney magic in my heart. All three Toy Story<\/em> movies bring back lots of good memories. Thank you Disney and Pixar.\u00a0To infinity and beyond! \u2013 Buzzfan120<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thank you to all of the storytellers at Pixar who have brought magic to our lives. Here’s to the future and the great stories to come.
\nWith love,
\nUpcoming Pixar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In celebration of Toy Story‘s 20th anniversary, we asked our readers to tell us how important the film is to them.\u00a0Here are some of the most touching responses that will make you want to\u00a0re-watch the film and\u00a0hold your childhood toys close.\u00a0Please note: Submissions have been edited for length and\/or clarity. “My daughter\u00a0has always been a …<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":4439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,28,68,2,6,26,27,171,19,146,16],"tags":[172,173,174,175,176,177,178],"yoast_head":"\nHappy 20th Anniversary, Toy Story! - Upcoming Pixar<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/happy-20th-anniversary-toy-story\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Happy 20th Anniversary, Toy Story! - Upcoming Pixar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In celebration of Toy Story‘s 20th anniversary, we asked our readers to tell us how important the film is to them.\u00a0Here are some of the most touching responses that will make you want to\u00a0re-watch the film and\u00a0hold your childhood toys close.\u00a0Please note: Submissions have been edited for length and\/or clarity. “My daughter\u00a0has always been a …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/happy-20th-anniversary-toy-story\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Upcoming Pixar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/upcomingpixar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-11-22T22:08:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.us-east-1.wasabisys.com\/upcomingpixar\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/toy-story-20th.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"415\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"537\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nia Alavezos\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@upcomingpixar\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@upcomingpixar\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nia Alavezos\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/happy-20th-anniversary-toy-story\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/happy-20th-anniversary-toy-story\/\",\"name\":\"Happy 20th Anniversary, Toy Story! - Upcoming Pixar\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-11-22T22:08:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-11-22T22:08:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a1a5a08c9e7a00c34df5ddcb8daf8a98\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/happy-20th-anniversary-toy-story\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/happy-20th-anniversary-toy-story\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/happy-20th-anniversary-toy-story\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Happy 20th Anniversary, Toy Story!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Upcoming Pixar\",\"description\":\"A Pixar News Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a1a5a08c9e7a00c34df5ddcb8daf8a98\",\"name\":\"Nia Alavezos\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5c8582e61cd933a0cafc171c298069f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5c8582e61cd933a0cafc171c298069f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Nia Alavezos\"},\"description\":\"Nia Alavezos is a storyteller based in Cardiff, Wales. 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