In what is the most incredibly impressive use of teenage years I think I’ve ever encountered, two brothers from Iowa spent the last eight years cobbling together a very elaborate stop-motion and live-action recreation of ‘Toy Story 3’. Literally scene-for-scene, all one hour and 39 minutes of it.
As per their interview with Buzzfeed, Mason and Morgan McGrew came up with the idea of pulling together the massive task when Mason was 12 and Morgan was 15, and spent literally the rest of their teen years and into their early twenties laboriously re-filming it all with toys, plasticine, and even dragging some real and actual humans to play Andy and his family.
Now at 21 and 23 respectively, and both of them working through digital media & business degrees at uni, they’ve finally polished off the massive task and premiered it on YouTube.
Seriously, it’s a full feature film replica of the original 2010 film.
And if you’re wondering, yes it does include the whole part where Buzz Lightyear gets rebooted into Spanish mode and falls in love with Jessie/attempts to woo her.
Oh AND the bit with Mr Potato Head makeshifts a body out of a tortilla.
And EVEN the little credits scenes where Zorg gets sent to Sunnyside. Incredible stuff.
The brothers had their version of Toy Story 3 done a couple of months ago and were waiting to get the all-clear from Disney before premiering it, and god damn I’m so glad the company gave them the go-ahead because this is just so, so special.
Truly, I feel like I totally wasted my teenage years on doing absolutely piss-all, so I’m equal parts impressed and absolutely furious at the sheer talent here.
100% lock in some time to watch this because, although it’s a little clunky (I mean, of course it is) it’s a god damn masterpiece and I hope it’s being considered for a bunch of awards. Please. It’d be a crime to let this one go by without at least an Oscars nod for best animation.
Someone chuck some popcorn on, here’s your next hour and a half sorted.
