Pixar Has Quietly Gone And Deleted A Distinctly Problematic Scene From ‘Toy Story 2’
Looks like they read the room on this one.
Every film is a product of its time — even something like Toy Story 2.
Sure, the jewel in Pixar‘s crown might seem about as light-hearted as entertainment can get, the story of a group of toys that learn the value of friendship, loyalty and the importance of love. But times change, and glib jokes that might have once been acceptable can seem jarringly out-of-touch a mere decade or so later.
Case in point? Toy Story 2 ends in traditional Pixar style with a series of fake bloopers — scripted outtakes that perpetuate the nice joke that animated films are shot the same way as live-action flicks, complete with clapperboards and stars who relax out of their personas when they don’t think the cameras are rolling. Mostly the bloopers are full of slapstick — Woody and Buzz walking into the camera, the grumpy prospector Stinky Pete farting in his toy box, Jessie flubbing her lines.
But then there’s the ‘casting couch‘ segment. In it, Stinky Pete is inside his mint condition box talking to a pair of Barbie Dolls. Giggling lasciviously, Pete then assures the pair that he can get them a role in Toy Story 3, with the unspoken insinuation that they will have to provide something in turn.
This "casting couch" scene from TOY STORY 2 (1999) was quietly removed from the new 4K Ultra HD restoration of the film. I guess "Stinky Pete" (voiced by @KelseyGrammer) is the #HarveyWeinstein of the #ToyStory franchise. #MeToo #TimesUp pic.twitter.com/AwcAimamx5
— Adam Rackoff (@AdamRackoff) July 3, 2019
The joke was never funny, of course — female performers have long faced all kinds of discrimination, including the insinuation that the “casting couch” is the only way they can bag high-profile roles. But it’s particularly unfunny following revelations that emerged during the #MeToo era, which exposed the vast incidents of sexual assault perpetuated by high-profile men. Including, of course, the director of Toy Story 2, John Lasseter, who left Pixar after it was alleged that he created a hostile workplace for women.
Perhaps sensing that the blooper is now particularly egregious, Disney has quietly scrubbed it from the film — all future digital and physical copies of the film will come without the scene.
Good call.