"This is the first fully computer-generated animation in history. Pixar has presented us with a feature-length animation that is different from traditional hand-drawn animation. I believe that this will be another milestone in the history of animation!" — Los Angeles Times.
"This is a story about a toy that actually has a life. It sounds very ordinary, but this will be another revolution in the animation industry since the birth of" Snow White "forty years ago!" — The New Yorker.
"For ordinary people, this is a touching comedy, but for those with a keen sense of smell, this is also the biggest leap in the animation industry since the screening of" Snow White "in Disneyland!" — Variety.
The media was almost one-sided in their praise for "Toy Story." Whether it was the story, art, or technical skills, they gave full affirmation. Such things were almost rare. Although "Mission: Impossible" also received a lot of praise, basically, it was because the story was good. Everyone knew that the target of this movie was the market, so no one would explore the content or anything else. Even though the story and art of "The True Story of Argan" were superior, no one said anything about the technical skills.
It seemed a little inappropriate to compare a live-action movie to an animated movie, but it also showed how much shock "Toy Story", a completely computer-generated digital 3D animation, had brought to people.
"Everyone has played with toys when they were children. Plushies, dolls, green American soldiers, and so on. If one day they have a life, they will get up and play when you leave. They will make it their mission to please you and accompany you. What kind of story will happen then? Pixar's "Toy Story" tells such a story.
Cowboy Woody was the young master's favorite toy. At the same time, he was also the leader of all the toys. Whenever the young master was not around, they would play happily. However, what all the toys feared the most was the addition of new toys, because it meant that other toys would fall out of favor or even be abandoned. Even the young master's favorite cowboy, Woody, began to face the same crisis after the arrival of the space toy, Buzz Lightyear. Therefore, Woody tried his best to drive Buzz away, but in a moment of carelessness, both of them fell into the neighbor's yard. The neighbor's child was a toy abuser, and all the toys that fell into his hands would be torn apart. If Woody and Buzz wanted to avoid this misfortune and return home, they had to work together.
Pixar had created a large number of lifelike characters, such as the timid dinosaur, the playful spring-loaded dog, the nagging Mr. Wiggly Egg, Woody, who didn't want to lose his status but was able to understand his mistakes, and Buzz Lightyear, who thought he was a space soldier until the end. Every one of them left a deep impression on the audience. Many of the scenes that were already common in live-action movies were not clichéd in this animated movie. If one wanted to watch a movie with the whole family, Toy Story would definitely be the first choice.
Congratulations to Pixar for starting a new era. "
— — Scott Hoffman, Empire
That's right, Pixar had ushered in a new era. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that it was the biggest leap in the animation industry. Many film critics had even declared, "I can't think of any movie that's more interesting than Toy Story," "Toy Story is the most creative comedy film of the year," or "Pixar's creativity is amazing," and so on.
God knows that just a few years ago, they had no hope for computer animation. Even though Pixar's short films received a lot of praise, some people still ridiculed them as the ugly ducklings of Silicon Valley. When Jobs sold it to Adriaan, many people thought it was the wisest thing he did after leaving Apple. Even a few weeks ago, when the people who attended the test screenings unanimously praised the movie, some people still thought it was an exaggeration.
Now that Toy Story had hit the North American cinemas and swept the box office, it was no less than a slap to their faces. However, how could the critics take this slap to heart? Many times in this industry, one needed to be thick-skinned. If they were wrong, then they were wrong. There was nothing to be ashamed of. Who didn't make mistakes? What's more, the vast majority of people were wrong.
Therefore, they selectively forgot their previous words and began to put all the good words and sentences on Toy Story and Pixar. Although there were a small number of stubborn people who tried to find ways to nitpick, even Hudi's girlfriend, the Shepherd Girl, was brought out and nagged at, it could not overshadow the brilliance of this animated film.
In short, the ugly ducklings of Silicon Valley, Pixar, had completely turned over this time.
"I don't think I need to say anything else. Congratulations to everyone, congratulations … to all of us!" Standing in the Pixar conference room that had been cleaned up and rearranged, John Last's voice became a little choked up, and his eyes behind his round glasses began to shine. Fortunately, he quickly raised his glass, and then there was a warm applause. Everyone at Pixar was exuding a glow of excitement.
"John seems a little too excited," Adriaan, who was standing next to Eide Kamal, said as he clapped.
"That's not surprising. Think about our hard work." Kamal shrugged. "Actually, me too."
"Then why did you decline when I asked you to give a speech?" Adriaan immediately asked.
"Didn't you decline too, Eide?" the person in charge of Pixar asked with a smile.
"I'm different. I only provided the funding and distribution. Without your persistence, there would be no Pixar today." Adriaan waved his hand. "I'm not as qualified as Steve to give a speech."
"You're too humble. Everyone knows that without your funding, our studio would have already closed down. Without your distribution and publicity, the response to 'Toy Story' wouldn't have been so enthusiastic." Kamal shook his head.
"But you have to admit that if it weren't for Steve's support for seven consecutive years, Pixar wouldn't be where it is today, right?" Adriaan said with a smile.
"That's true. John is the chief director, and I'm more in charge of the overall planning. I've contributed to the studio's success, but in addition to the success of this movie, his contribution is the greatest." Kamore immediately changed the topic. "So it's best to let him give a speech to boost morale."
"Forget it, you just want to slack off, Eide." Last's teasing voice came from the side, but it immediately turned gloomy. "Sorry, I'm not talking about you, Eide."
Adriaan and Kamal suddenly laughed.
"Do you have any plans for work, John?" After chatting with John Last and Ann Drew Stanton for a while, Adriaan suddenly asked.
"Not at the moment, do you have any good ideas?" Last's heart skipped a beat. How could they not know of Adriaan's reputation in the entertainment industry? To his disappointment, Adriaan didn't say anything special.
"Then let's rest." Adriaan said with a smile. "Pixar has achieved unprecedented success. Why not go on a trip with your family or buy some limited edition toys for the children? You know, these toys are not easy to come by."
Hearing the last sentence, the people around him laughed again and felt a sense of exaltation at the same time. The popularity of "Toy Story" was hard to describe with words. Not to mention the box office and reputation, Adrian had already gotten people to contact toy manufacturers to start production and release the toys to the market after the movie was released. However, in the end, the supply could not meet the demand. Although this had something to do with Claude's reservations and the small number of orders, it also showed how popular the movie was.
"You don't have to worry, Eide. Long before the toys hit the market, these guys each took a set. They had already calculated it." Kamal pointed at Last and Stanton and laughed.
"What a pity. I also prepared a few sets. I'll see who doesn't have it and give it to them," Adriaan said nonchalantly.
"I don't have it, Eide!" Stanton immediately raised his hand and shouted, causing another burst of laughter.
"Anyway, in a few weeks, when everyone has adjusted, we will discuss the next development. I believe you should have a blueprint for the future in your mind," Adriaan said.
"Yes." Last's eyes lit up again.
"Oh right, Eide, Fortune and Hollywood Reporter want to invite us for an interview about this movie, computer animation technology, and so on. I think you might be interested in participating," Kamal said.
"Forget it." Adriaan thought about it and expressed his rejection. "I only have an understanding of computer animation technology. People like you who develop and use it know it best. Similarly, I may have some understanding of movies, but who knows better than John and Ann Drew? So, you can just accept the interview. "
He was not Steve Jobs. Jobs needed to take credit for these achievements in order to gain momentum in order to return to Apple, but he did not need to do so. Therefore, it was not a bad thing to do Kamal and the others a favor. Anyway, from the moment he took over, apart from the most basic attention, most of the affairs were handed over to Kamal to handle. It was good to maintain this way.
Compared to the joy and elation on Pixar's side, Disney's side had a feeling of condemnation.
"Simply put, you think that when I gave up Pixar — and gave it up without reservation — I have to take responsibility for it. Is that right, Mr. Craven?" Michael Eisner, who sat at the head of the long table in the conference room, looked at Jeffrey Craven, who was sitting in the third seat on the right, and spoke in a slow tone.
Although he looked calm and no different from his usual self, those who knew him well knew that this strong man was probably furious. So, even Craven, who spoke with confidence and rebuked him in the meeting, could not help but swallow his saliva after hearing Eisner's words.
However, this state only lasted for a few seconds. He immediately continued to speak loudly, "There is no doubt about it. Look at how far the animation department of Disneyland has fallen!"
"We only produced the best 2D animation, 'The Lion King,' last year," someone on the other side reminded him.
"Yes, but so what? Right now, the animation department is almost the most idle department. " Craven immediately retorted, "It's not that Cowles and the others want this. There have been several proposals before, but they were all rejected. And it was Mike who rejected them."
Saying this, he turned to look at Eisner. "I know you have your considerations, Mike. I also know that the animation department isn't the only department that has developed the company to this day, but don't you think you seem to have forgotten something?"
"That's right." Another director echoed Craven's words. "Disneyland started with animation. For a long time, we were at the top of the American animation industry. No matter how many outstanding animation characters Warner and the others produced, they couldn't replace us. But now, what we are most proud of is dying, even though they produced the best 2D animation."
"Lack of funding, lack of support, and being increasingly marginalized. This is the current situation of the animation department." Craven continued, not giving Eisner and the others a chance to refute. "I know you are outstanding, Mike. Without you, there wouldn't be today's Disneyland, but in some aspects, you are too arbitrary. We could have continued to maintain our advantage. Back then, Cox suggested more than once to maintain the cooperation with Pixar. It was only a 10 million investment, at most a low-budget movie. But you gave it up just because of a few words from Adrian Kewell. "
Craven raised his hands and did not say anything else, but the meaning behind his words could not be more obvious.
"No one really thought that Pixar would be so successful. I think anyone would have made the same decision in that situation at that time," one of the directors on Eisner's side said.
"At least our current opponent, Adrian Kewell, has the foresight," Craven said bluntly.
"You mean to say that his foresight is unparalleled?" a neutral director said playfully.
Craven was stunned for a moment before he reacted. This sentence was equivalent to saying that Michael Eisner was not even comparable to a young man. If it was before, Eisner might have just laughed it off, but it was hard to say how he would react now. The person who spoke was clearly trying to sow discord. But Craven quickly threw it to the back of his mind. Since he had already completely offended Eisner, it did not matter if he added more points.
"No matter what, I think we should give the board of directors an explanation." He spread his hands and made a "do as you see fit" gesture, then shut his mouth and did not speak again.
The conference room quietened down. Everyone looked at the chairman sitting at the head of the table. Eisner, who was still expressionless, finally spoke again. "I remember that the topic of the meeting was to discuss the next step, how to fully carry out the acquisition of ABC. Why did it become a question about such a small issue?"
Without waiting for Craven to speak, he immediately continued. "Indeed, everyone knows that Adrian Kewell's foresight is very unique. That is why we are here discussing how to complete this acquisition as soon as possible. Why did it mysteriously change to another issue?"
"I am only doing what I have to do," Craven said immediately. Craven said immediately, but with Eisner's ten years of experience, he did not sound very confident.
"Is that so? Does that mean that I should immediately resign from my position as chairman? "Eisner finally revealed a hint of a cold smile.
Craven's expression immediately turned ugly. Of course he had this thought. Otherwise, why would he deliberately bring up the issue at this time? But how could he say such words now? Instantly, the conference room quieted down, the temperature dropping a few degrees. Eisner was indeed an old fox. With a simple sentence, everyone was speechless.
After a long while, he stood up as if nothing had happened. "Alright, it seems like there is nothing else for today. Let's end the meeting."
With that said, he walked out without looking back. Only then did everyone in the conference room heave a sigh of relief. The familiar people exchanged a few words with each other before walking out of the conference room with different expressions. Craven was the last to leave. Although he had a bad feeling, he still tightened his tie and tried his best to appear calm.
"Hey, Mike, I was just about to look for you." Just as Eisner was about to return to his office, a familiar voice stopped him. Then, a smiling Michael Ovitz appeared in front of him.
"What's wrong? Didn't the meeting go well? "He immediately sensed that something was wrong with him.
"If you have anything to say, just say it," Eisner said stiffly.
Ovitz immediately frowned, but seeing that he was not in a good mood, he did not pursue the matter. He immediately started talking about work. "Regarding the acquisition of ABC and the television station, I have an idea that I need your support. Perhaps we can …"
"Just do as I say!" Eisner interrupted him rudely.
"…" A stunned expression flashed across Ovitz's face, and his frown deepened. "You haven't heard me describe it in detail, Mike. Even if you have other opinions, you should at least …"
"I don't need to hear you describe it, Mike!" Eisner suddenly turned his head and looked at him with cold eyes. "You just need to do as I say, understand?!"
Ovitz looked at him blankly, completely not understanding what was going on. Although both of them were called Michael, and calling each other "Mike" was a bit comical, no one around them dared to laugh. In fact, they had already hidden far away. It was better to pretend they did not see the conflict between the chairman and the CEO.
"Alright, you're the chairman. You have the final say." After staring at each other for a long time, Ovitz finally chose to compromise. He raised his hands and waved them around.
Eisner did not say anything else. He turned around and strode to the end of the corridor, quickly disappearing from Ovitz's sight. Only then did Ovitz raise his hands and look around at the empty surroundings. Then, he snorted in a self-deprecating and angry manner.
"If I only do as you say, then what's the f * cking point of me being the CEO?!"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
