Pixar movies are famous for their lovable characters, and few are more beloved than Sheriff Woody. Introduced in the very first Toy Story movie Woody is Andy’s favourite toy who finds himself battling the green-eyed monster when a new action figure, Buzz Lightyear, usurps his place in the pecking order.
Woody might start a little selfish, but he’s got a good heart and quickly learns the error of his ways. Plus, he’s voiced by Tom Hanks, so it’s impossible to hate him. Still, in an alternate branch of the multiverse, Pixar’s first feature-length animated movie was very different, and Woody wasn’t a charming cowboy doll.
Instead, your favourite Toy Story character was a wooden monstrosity that looked like something from the Conjuring movies. You see, when Pixar was hammering out the initial concept for Toy Story and working out character designs, Woody was a ventriloquist doll complete with soulless eyes, a giant head, and a flapping mouth that made him look like a horror movie villain.
This design was deliberately horrifying, though, as originally Woody was supposed to be the film’s bad guy, who deliberately antagonised an astronaut toy called Lunar Larry.
Check out Woody’s terrifying original design below:
According to The Independent, things came to a head in 1993 on a day known as Black Friday. The film was screened by a bunch of Disney executives, and everyone hated it. Pixar immediately stopped production and reworked the whole thing, eventually making the family movie we all know and love.
If you love the work of Pixar, then check out our ranking of the Studio Ghibli movies.