Well, this didn't age well.
Over the last few weeks, sharp-eyed fans have
taken to online forums to point out that,
on the recent 4K release of Toy Story 2, one
of the fake "bloopers" featured during the
closing credits was conspicuously missing
one which doesn't play so great in the #MeToo
era.
Pixar's films have a long and storied history
of including fake bloopers or outtakes during
their credits, and the critically-acclaimed
1999 sequel to Toy Story was no exception.
The gag in question involves the villainous
old prospector Stinky Pete, who is caught
having a questionable chat with the Barbie
twins by Woody while supposedly unaware that
the cameras are still rolling.
“You know I’m sure I could get you a part
in Toy Story 3.
I’m sorry, are we back?
Alright, girls.
Lovely talking with you."
In retrospect, it's pretty amazing that this
so-called "blooper" made it into Toy Story
2 at all, even as far back as 20 years ago.
But in the context of the modern era a time
when such former Hollywood luminaries as Harvey
Weinstein, Bryan Singer, and Louis C.K. have
all been thoroughly disgraced in the wake
of numerous allegations of impropriety the
joke lands with nothing less than an absolute
thud.
For that matter, Pixar and the Toy Story franchise
have not been unaffected by the shift in perception
towards harassment in recent years.
John Lasseter, who co-founded Pixar and wrote
and directed the first two Toy Story movies,
took a leave of absence from the company in
2017 after admitting to so-called "missteps"
with female employees.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, these
allegedly included grabbing, kissing, and
making comments about physical attributes,
and in mid-2018, it was announced that Lasseter
would be leaving Pixar permanently.
"You are a sad, strange little man.
And you have my pity.
Farewell."
While Lasseter is officially no more, his
shadow still looms large over the animation
company he helped found.
And it's pretty likely that Disney executives
are well aware that the troubles he brought
upon himself are still very much ongoing.
Early this year, he was hired to head up Skydance
Animation, which is getting ready to field
Luck, its first feature, in 2021.
In the wake of his hiring, Academy Award-winning
actress Emma Thompson who had been set to
voice a role in the flick dropped out in protest.
In light of all this, it's pretty easy to
see why Disney would be keen to quietly cut
a scene which featured a member of Toy Story
2's cast in a distasteful "casting couch"
scenario with a couple of Barbie dolls.
Users on forums like Reddit and BluRay.com
jumped all over the omission, although many
were quick to point out that the scene hasn't
always been included in all versions of the
film such as the DVD release, which included
it as a special feature instead.
In addition to the 4K Blu Ray, the scene has
also been wiped from all official digital
downloads, but according to Yahoo!
Movies, it's still featured on the version
of the film offered by U.K. streaming service
Disney Life.
It seems pretty clear that this is one instance
in which enacting a little censorship is totally
the right decision by Disney.
Pixar films are family films, and while it's
one thing to include a few more sophisticated
gags that the adults can enjoy, it's another
thing entirely to have one of the characters
in your charming kids film come across as
nothing less than totally sleazy.
In light of Lasseter's behavior, it would've
been even more shocking had Disney not chosen
to pull the offending gag.
Fans can now enjoy Toy Story 2 as it was originally
intended: a romping adventure about inevitable
mortality and fear of abandonment.
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