Witness History Toy Story: the first digitally-animated feature film
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Nov 24, 2025 Doug Sweetland, an animator and director who started at Pixar as a teenager, shares his insights from working on Toy Story, the groundbreaking first fully CGI feature film. He reminisces about the audience's enthusiastic reactions during its premiere and his journey to Pixar after graduating from CalArts. The conversation delves into how CGI altered animation production, the experimental creative process at Pixar, and the unique storytelling that set it apart from Disney films. Sweetland also highlights the film's immense box office success and its everlasting impact on the animation industry.
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Jealousy Drives The Core Story
- Doug Sweetland describes Toy Story as a story about jealousy between Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
- He recalls the film's premise: Woody is Andy's favourite until Buzz arrives and replaces him.
College Crowds Praised The Acting
- Doug Sweetland remembers seeing college students in theatres and being surprised they discussed the acting.
- He felt pride that animators' work was being praised by an adult audience.
A 19-Year-Old Joins Pixar
- At 19, Doug left CalArts to join Pixar and immediately worked on Toy Story.
- He calls getting that first job like winning the lottery and a childhood dream come true.