Joss Whedon Briefly Worked on TOY STORY But His Biggest Story Idea Was Shot Down by Mattel

Long before Joss Whedon was labeled as a Hollywood jackass, and even before he was the breakout creator of hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, Whedon was a script doctor, working on films like Waterworld and Speed. He even worked for Pixar back in the ‘90s, earning a writing credit on the hit animated film, Toy Story.

In Joss Whedon: The Biography (via /Film), Amy Pascal describes the initial draft of the script as a mess. "The leads, Woody the cowboy and Buzz Lightyear the astronaut, were sarcastic and unlikeable," Pascal says. "Not exactly ideal heroes for a children's movie." Whedon helped by taking out some of the worst storylines and dialog and adding in some of the witty lines and details the characters are known for, like Rex the Dinosaur's neurotic concerns. One thing Whedon tried to run with was the inclusion of feisty, strong women characters.

Whedon wanted the Buzz and Woody scene that took place at next door neighbor Sid’s house to end with Barbie saving the day.

David A. Price's History of Pixar book explains:

As Whedon pictured it, Woody and Buzz, seemingly doomed at Sid's house, would be rescued by Barbie in a commando style raid. Her character was to be patterned after Linda Hamilton's portrayal of Sarah Connor in Terminator 2. (The concept of a two-fisted, derriere-kicking heroine, still a novelty at the time, had also featured in Whedon's script for the 1992 film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.) Whedon's vision came to naught, however, when Mattel refused to license Barbie.

Similarly, we now know that the character Combat Carl from Toy Story was also a product of Mattel not wanting to license G.I. Joe for the film either. They did allow Disney to use Mr. Potato Head, and after the success of the first film, they were more than happy to release Barbie to the sequels. But Joss Whedon’s work with the Toy Story franchise was done before the first film even came out, and he went his own way. It’s interesting to know how he was involved though.