Although Wang Jie visited only a limited number of times after buying Pixar, he quickly won the support of this group of idealists with ample financial investment.

Sometimes, a lot of the problem is money.

On June 22, 1994, Wang Jie returned to Los Angeles, which was also the day of the premiere of "Toy Story".

Compared with the promotion of live-action movies, "Toy Story" has a lot of disadvantages, live-action movies can make a fuss about celebrities, scandals, interesting facts in filming, etc., and "Toy Story" In addition to Tom Hanks who voiced Woody (because of Wang Jie, Pixar easily invited him to dub) How many characters can be used for promotion?

The first 3D feature-length animation was a gimmick, but now that the industry generally doesn't think that a computer can make a good feature-length animation, and "The Lion King" has achieved Disney's final glory, it's hard to say how much attention it will grab. As for the Pixar signboard, it may be sought after by countless people in a few years, but now......

Therefore, it is necessary to have a sufficient length of publicity time, and only after this animation is fully fermented can it earn enough box office and peripheral profits. Therefore, Dinis, who was in charge of the distribution, started promoting it as early as the day after the hand-drawn animation department was sold.

So, without the big names participating in the premiere, the first 3D animated film "Toy Story" landed in 2400 theaters in North America at the end of June 94, followed by a box office of 34 million US dollars in North America in the first week, easily squeezing out "True Lies", which previously sat at the top of the North American box office list, and replaced it, and the media was in an uproar.

"This is the first fully computer-generated animation in history, and Pixar has shown us a feature-length animation that is different from traditional hand-drawing, and I believe this will be another milestone in the history of animation!" - Los Angeles Times

"This is a story about your toys actually having life, which may sound ordinary, but this will be another revolution in the animation industry since the birth of Snow White forty years ago!" – The New Yorker

"It's a touching comedy for the average person, but it's clear to those with a keen sense of smell, and it's also the biggest leap forward in animation since Disney showed Snow White!" – Variety

The media was almost overwhelmingly praising Toy Story, giving it full affirmation in terms of story, art, and technology, and there were almost a handful of things that mattered. Although "True Lies" has also received a lot of praise, it is basically a good story, and everyone knows that the target of this movie is the market, so no one will explore the connotation or anything. Even in Forrest Gump, the story and art are top-notch, but technically, no one says anything.

It may seem inappropriate to compare live-action and animated films, but it also shows how shocking Toy Story, a completely computer-generated digital 3D animation, can bring to people.

"Everybody has played with toys when they're kids, dolls, dolls, green GIs, and so on, and if one day they have a life and get up and play when you're away, and they make it their mission to please you and accompany you?

Cowboy Woody is the owner's favorite toy, and he is also the head of all the toys, and they will play with themselves whenever the little owner is not around. But what scares all toys the most is the addition of new toys, because it means that other toys will fall out of favor or even be abandoned. Even Woody, the little owner's favorite cowboy, began to face this crisis after the arrival of the space toy Buzz Lightyear, so Woody tried every possible way to get rid of Bus, and by accident, the two of them both fell into the neighbor's yard, and the neighbor's child was a toy sadist, and all the toys that fell into his hands would be dismantled, Woody and Buzz wanted to avoid bad luck and go home, so they had to work together.

This is just a simple introduction, more wonderful can only be experienced after watching the movie, Pixar has created a large number of lifelike characters, timid dinosaurs, funny spring dogs, nagging Mr. Gacha, Woody who doesn't want to lose his status but can understand where the mistake is, and Buzz Lightyear, who has always thought that he is a space warrior and woke up at the end, etc., each can be impressive, many of the scenes that have been a little overflowing in live-action movies, but there is no old-fashioned feeling in this animated movie, if you want to watch the movie with the whole family, Toy Story is definitely the number one choice.

Congratulations Pixar, they started an era. ”

— Scott Hoffman, Empire

Yes, Pixar ushered in an era in which praise for "the biggest leap in animation" was not overstated, with many critics declaring that "I can't imagine any more interesting movie than Toy Story" and "Toy Story is the most creative comedy movie of the year" or "Pixar's creativity is simply amazing".

God knows that just a few years ago, they were still not hopeful about computer animation, and even though Pixar's short film received many positive reviews, some people still ridiculed them as the ugly ducklings of Silicon Valley, and after George Lucas sold it to Wang Jie, many people still thought that this was the wisest thing George Lucas did. Even a few weeks ago, when people who attended the preview unanimously praised the film, some thought it was an exaggeration.

Now that "Toy Story" has landed in North American theaters and swept the box office, it is no less than a slap in their face. But how can critics take this slap to heart, and many times they have to be thick-skinned to do this, and if they make a mistake, they will make a mistake, and there is nothing to be ashamed of, and who doesn't make mistakes? Not to mention that the vast majority of people still make mistakes.

So they selectively forgot their previous words and began to put all the beautiful words and phrases on "Toy Story" and Pixar, although there were also a small number of hard mouths to try their best to provoke, and even Woody's girlfriend shepherdess doll was also taken out to nag, but it could not hide the light of this animated movie.

In short, Silicon Valley's ugly duckling Pixar has completely turned over this time.

"I don't think I need to say anything more, congratulations, congratulations...... All of us!" Standing in the middle of the Pixar conference room that had been cleaned up and rearranged, John Rust, who was holding the cup, finally became a little choked, and his eyes behind the disc glasses began to sparkle, but fortunately he quickly raised the glass, and then the applause rang out enthusiastically, and everyone in Pixar exuded excitement on their faces.

John seemed a little overexcited. Wang Jie, who was standing with Ed Carmor, clapped his hands and said.

"It's not surprising, think about our efforts. Camor shrugged, "Actually, so am I." ”

"Then why did you refuse when you were asked to give a speech before?" Wang Jie then asked.

"Didn't you quit too, William?" the head of Pixar then asked him with a smile.

"I'm different, I just provided the funding and distribution, and without your insistence, there would be no Pixar now. Wang Jie waved his hand, "I'm not as qualified as Lucas to give a speech." ”

"You're so humble, everyone knows that without your funding, our studio would have been closed, and without the distribution and publicity you asked Disney to do, Toy Story wouldn't have been so well received. Camor shook his head.

"But you also have to admit that if it weren't for the support of the technology behind ILM for 7 consecutive years, Pixar wouldn't have the thick and thin development it has today, wouldn't it?" said Wang Jie with a smile.

"That's true – John is the general director, and I'm more in charge of the master plan, and I have a lot to do with the studio's success, but it's Lucas's technical support that goes the most out of the film's success. Camor immediately changed the subject, "So it would be nice to have Lucas go up and give a speech to boost morale." ”

"Forget it, you're just trying to be lazy, William. George Lucas came from the side with a teasing voice, but immediately turned depressed again: "Sorry, I didn't mean you, William. But if I had known that computer animation had such a result, I wouldn't have split it up and sell it to you, and I wasn't short of money at the beginning. ”

Wang Jie and Camulton both burst out laughing.

"What's going on with your work lately, Lucas?" Adrian suddenly asked, after a few more moments of conversation with John Rust and Andrew Stanton, who came over later.

"Not yet, do you have any good ideas?" George Lucas's heart moved slightly, how could they not know Wang Jie's name in the entertainment industry, but what disappointed him was that the other party did not say anything special.

"Then let's get some rest. "Pixar has been an unprecedented success, so why not go out on a trip with your family or bring some limited-edition toys for the kids – these toys are not easy to get right now." ”

Hearing the latter sentence, several people around who laughed again all had a feeling of raising their eyebrows at the same time. The popularity of "Toy Story" is difficult to describe in words, not to mention the box office and word of mouth, Wang Jie had already asked Hasbro to prepare in advance, and began to produce and put it on the market after the movie was released, but in the end it was still in short supply. Although this is also related to the reservations of Disney's publicity and distribution department, which does not place many orders, it also shows the popularity of the movie.

"You don't have to worry, William, they each got their own set of toys before they hit the market, and they calculated it. Carmore smiled at Rust and Stanton.

"It's a pity, I've prepared a few sets to see if anyone doesn't have one and give them to him. Wang Jie said casually.

"I didn't, William!" Stanton immediately raised his hand, causing another burst of laughter.

"Anyway, in a few weeks, when everyone has adjusted, we will discuss the next development, and I believe you should also have a blueprint for the future in mind. Wang Jie then said so.

"Yes. Rust's eyes lit up again.

"By the way, William, Fortune and The Hollywood Reporter would like to ask us to do an interview about the film and the technology of computer animation, and so on, I think you might be interested in participating. Camor said again.

"Forget it. Wang Jie thought for a while and refused, "I only know about computer animation technology, and you who develop and use it know best." Again, I may have some insight into film, but who knows better than John and Andrew? ”

He wasn't the Jobs of the original plane, and Jobs needed to take these exploits to himself in order to make a name for himself in order to return to Apple, but he didn't need to. Therefore, it is not a bad thing to sell favors to Carmore, anyway, from the beginning of the takeover, except for the most basic attention, most of the affairs have been handled by Carmore, so it is not bad to keep it up.

Compared with the jubilation and pride on Pixar's side, Sony Colombia's side has a sense of rejoicing.

"To put it simply, do you think I had to take responsibility for buying Disney's hand-drawn animation department in the first place, Mr. Akio Morita?" Joros, who was sitting at the head of the long table in the conference room, looked at the islander in the third position on the right hand without expression, and said in a slow tone.

Although he looked calm and no different from his usual appearance, those who knew him well knew that this strongman was probably already angry in his heart, so even Akio Morita, who had talked eloquently and criticized him at the meeting before, couldn't help but swallow his saliva after listening to Joros.

But this state was only for a few seconds, and he immediately continued to say loudly: "There is no doubt about it, look at the box office of "Toy Story"! ”

"It was only last year that the hand-drawn animation department produced the best 2D animation, The Lion King. Someone on the other side reminded him.

"Yes, but so what? That's Disney's merit. Akio Morita immediately retorted.

The conference room fell silent, and everyone turned their eyes to the chairman who was sitting at the top, and Joros, who was still expressionless, finally spoke again: "I remember that the theme of the meeting was to discuss how to further promote the production of animated works such as the sequel to "The Lion King", why did it become a question about this small issue?"

Without waiting for Akio Morita to speak, he immediately continued: "It's true that everyone knows that "Toy Story" has been a success, but that doesn't mean that there is no market for 2D animation, so we are here to discuss how to complete the production of several animations as soon as possible, why it somehow turned to other issues." ”

"I'm just driving, I've got right. Akio Morita said immediately, but the islanders always felt a head short under the authority of the American father, although they were the owners of the company, but the tone did not sound so confident.

"So, I should resign as chairman of the board of directors right away?" Joros finally sneered.

Akio Morita s face suddenly became ugly, of course he had this idea, otherwise why would he be trying to pick out the problem at this time, but how could such a thing be said now? In an instant, the conference room was quiet, and the temperature dropped several degrees, and Joros was worthy of being an old fox, and a simple sentence made everyone unable to speak again.

After a long time like this, he stood up casually: "Okay, it looks like there's nothing going on today, so let's break up." ”

Saying that, he walked out without looking back, and everyone in the conference room breathed a sigh of relief, and the familiar people talked to each other for a few words, and then walked out of the conference room with different expressions. Akio Morita walked last, although he was a little unwilling, but there was no way, and now the head office still relies on these Americans to expand their territory in Hollywood.