In one of Toy Story's most iconic scenes, Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) are at a gas station trying to find their way to Pizza Planet so as to reconvene with their owner, Andy. Woody expends a great deal of energy attempting to explain to Buzz that he is a "child's plaything" and not a “space ranger.” However, Buzz responds to Woody's reasoning by saying, “You are a sad, strange little man -- and you have my pity.” And thus, an iconic line was born.
Since the film's release in 1995, this line from the original Toy Story has been cited, quoted, referenced and GIF’d across the internet. Even twenty-five years later, the “you are a sad, strange little man” meme (or GIF) is a top search on Google. However, this line isn't just one of the most quoted from any Pixar film: It's also ad-libbed.
In advance of the release of Toy Story 4, Allen noted in an interview that the line -- along with several others in the original film -- was ad-libbed. However, that's not really the case anymore, as the animators generally insist on Allen and Hanks sticking to the script. This may, in part, be due to the how the production process works, as animated ad-libs are much more involved than in live action. With a regular film, the improvised scene can be used just as easily as the scripted ones. In animation, it’s not just about the actor delivering the line, as the animators have to make the character match that ad-lib. Extra animation can be a long and expensive addition to a project.
That being said, Allen and Hanks' input hasn't been disregarded entirely. Allen, for example, says that he will sometimes push back on the script from time to time, giving occasional feedback like: “Buzz doesn't get that excited” or “Buzz wouldn’t say that.” So while ad-lib lines may now be less common in the Toy Story franchise, Hanks (who has seemingly retired from the series) and Allen remained integral to the creative process for the later films.
Directed by Josh Cooley, Toy Story 4 stars Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Keanu Reeves, Annie Potts, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Jeff Pidgeon, Blake Clark, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele and Tony Hale. The film is available now on Digital HD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD.