In the middle of August of 2010 Toy Story 3 officially became the world's highest grossing all-time box-office animated film. At the time Walt Disney Studios released a statement which said the film, released in June of 2010, had taken in $920 million.
By the end of August the film had become the first animated feature to reach the one billion dollar mark in sales. Shrek 2, released in May of 2004 and now in second place, had taken in $919.8 million and still had not reached one billion. Others high on the list include Finding Nemo, Shrek the third, the Lion King and The Incredibles.
Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Toy Story Keeps Climbing to Infinity and Beyond
After Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 3 vaulted into the overall lead and hit one billion the amount continue to climb and may be headed "to infinity and beyond." The film features Tom Hanks as Woody, Joan Cusack as Jessie, Tim Allen as the space ranger Buzz Lightyear, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head and Wallace Shawn as Rex.
As of December of 2010 it is closing on becoming Disney's all-time top grossing film. At that time it was at 1,062,000 and is the second highest behind Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($1.07 billion) and ahead of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland ($1.02 billion) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End ($961 million).
The Toy Story franchise began in 1995 with Toy Story and then Toy Story 2 four years later and now 11 years on Toy Story 3. All three have been critically acclaimed and done well at the box office (the first grossed $362 million, the second $485 million). The first is numbered by the internet movie data base as number 148 in the all-time 250 films, the second number 226 and Toy Story 3 is 12th.
The late actor Jim Varney, who died of cancer in 2000, was in the first two films voicing the character Slinky Dog; that character's voice this time was supplied by veteran actor Blake Clark.
Toy Story 3 on DVD and Blu-Ray in the Fall
The director is Lee Unkrich; Unkrich began in film as an editor and has been working as a co-director in recent years, co-directing both Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc.. This is the first film Unkrich has directed on his own.
While the first two Two Story franchises were up for important Oscars, none were received. Given the box office and the strong reviews - the film garnered an astonishing 99% rating on the 'tomatometer' at rottentomatoes.com - Toy Story 3 has a strong chance to win an Oscar this time around.
In early November Toy Story 3 was released in DVD only box sets and Special Blu-Ray editions.
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