Two Brothers Have Been Working On Recreating Toy Story For Over Eight Years And The Results Are Amazing

Love for animated movies is universal; it would take effort to find a person who doesn’t like them. Disney and Pixar animated films certainly occupy the top spots when we consider fan numbers. However, some people are more than just fans. 

Two brothers, Morgan and Mason McGrew, aged 23 and 20, have been working for over eight years to recreate their favorite movie, “Toy Story 3.”

“Inspired by the incredible artists at Disney and Pixar, my brother and I wanted to create a tribute to our favorite film franchise while also practicing our media creation skills,” Morgan told reporters.

The recreations are simply amazing. The level of detail is impressive, showcasing the true love these two brothers have for this movie. thepixarist

When asked about their inspiration for remaking “Toy Story 3,” they said, “Toy Story 3 has always been our favorite film. When my brother and I were in high school, we decided to practice our filmmaking skills while paying tribute to our favorite film.” They emphasized that self-discipline is key. “We had to hold ourselves strictly accountable for the work to ensure the project would be completed.”

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They have been posting their progress on their YouTube channel, which was an instant success. Their trailers amassed 2.5 million views, while the complete remake currently has about 500k views, and the number keeps rising. The brothers achieved this without any funding. Shortly after they published the video, it was subject to a copyright claim due to Disney’s copyright laws. Luckily, the brothers immediately submitted a statement through YouTube, and Disney lifted the claim shortly thereafter.

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The brothers revealed that the trickiest part was obtaining a shooting location for the “dump” scene. They attempted to find a real dump for hours but couldn’t. Consequently, they had to build a dumpster from scratch. When asked if they were pleased with their work, they stated, “We are absolutely proud and satisfied with our work. I don’t think we would have done anything differently. I believe everything worked out the way it was meant to.”

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Morgan and Mason began this project after watching “Toy Story 3” in the movie theater. They started by gathering every single toy from the film. One might say they were a little obsessed. Their intent was to thank the creators of their favorite cartoon in some way, leading to the launch of their live-action plan.

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Morgan and Mason are not planning on recreating other movies; they say they need to return to their other creative projects. They are grateful, however, that this project allowed them to experience childhood once again. “We don’t play with toys anymore, but this project gave us one last opportunity to ‘play’ with our favorite characters—just like Andy does at the end of ‘Toy Story 3.’”

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“Toy Story 3” was released in 2010 and remains one of the most popular Pixar movies, with a box office gross of 1 billion dollars. This installment of the franchise deals with growing up. The toys’ owner leaves for college, and the toys are left all alone and no longer needed.

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The remaking of this movie was not simple. There was a lot of planning and work involved. The brothers used stop motion and several other methods while reconstructing the film. They analyzed the movie scene by scene to ensure they didn’t miss anything. Because they didn’t have modern and expensive editing software, they used their phones and other simple equipment to accomplish this. They then synchronized what they filmed with the original movie soundtrack.

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“Many stop motion shots in the film would take over 5 hours straight to complete. The longest was 8 hours, I believe. We would always listen to our other favorite films or TV shows, such as Monsters, Inc., Ratatouille, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Mad Men, and The Office, to keep us sane. Haha,” the brothers shared an anecdote from filming.

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The brothers didn’t need to hire actors; all of the roles were played by their friends and family members. The dedication they all showed throughout those eight years is impressive. Hopefully, it will inspire others to pursue their dreams and never give up, no matter how challenging it may be.

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