1995’s Toy Story was the first feature-length CGI production, but before that, Pixar almost found itself at the helm of a Roald Dahl adaptation that bombed at the box office. Every Pixar movie is built on the shoulders of Toy Story‘s success. If the groundbreaking movie hadn’t flourished as it did, it’s possible the studio may not have become the giant of animation that it is today. While Roald Dahl movies also tend to enjoy commercial success, they pale in comparison to the profitability of Pixar’s body of work. Ultimately, Pixar’s fate took a very fortunate direction.

Although there is often a relationship between a movie’s quality and its commercial success, not all box office bombs are necessarily an indicator of the film itself being bad. Similarly, a well-reviewed movie can also lose money at the box office. While Toy Story did very well across the board for Pixar, the Roald Dahl adaptation to which the studio was almost attached wasn’t quite as fortunate. It remains to this day as one of the best live-action versions of the iconic author’s work, but the box office figures don’t reflect that, and Pixar’s involvement may not have been enough.

Pixar Pitched A James & The Giant Peach Movie At The Same Time As Toy Story

James and the Giant Peach was one of 3 options pitched to Disney

Speaking at D23 about Pixar’s earlier years, Toy Story 5 director Andrew Stanton explained (Via Vulture) how Pixar pitched Toy Story to Disney. Under instruction from then-Walt Disney president Jeffrey Katzenberg, Stanton and his colleagues came up with some ideas about what Pixar’s first movie could be. The options were rather disparate, but all aligned with Disney and Pixar’s family-friendly approach. Included in the trio of ideas was an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach.

The 3 Pitch Ideas Pixar Presented To Disney

• James and the Giant Peach
• Dinosaur Bob and his Adventures with the Family Lazardo
• “Something about toys coming to life?” – Andrew Stanton, D23

At D23, Stanton confirmed, somewhat redundantly: “Disney was most excited about option number 3.” While Disney eventually went on to make James and the Giant Peach without Pixar’s involvement, the underformed idea that went on to become Toy Story captured Disney’s attention more at the time. Although Pixar wasn’t directly involved with the production of the 1996 Roald Dahl adaptation, it’s possible the studio’s enthusiasm brought the story’s potential to Disney’s attention. So, Pixar arguably deserves at least some credit for both movies being made.

How Pixar’s James & The Giant Peach Movie Would Have Differed

Pixar’s version would likely have been a little less dark

Pixar’s entire reputation and artistic approach is built on the studio’s aptitude for productions made using CGI animation and no other medium. So, it’s reasonable to assume that if Disney had greenlit Pixar’s James and the Giant Peach, that the movie would be entirely animated using computers. Such an endeavor had never been achieved before, and so it’s possible the groundbreaking approach could have resulted in Pixar’s version performing much better at the box office than the version produced by Disney alone.

One of the actual movie’s most fascinating aspects is the use of both live-action footage and stop-motion animation within the same production. This hybrid approach had been used before 1996, but James and the Giant Peach did it brilliantly. Plus, although Tim Burton’s role in the movie was limited to that of a producer, his signature aesthetic still permeates the finished product – especially in the stop-motion sequences. If Pixar had made the movie, it’s unlikely that Burton would have been involved, which would have been a huge loss.

Not Making James & The Giant Peach Worked Out Very Well For Pixar

The Toy Story franchise has been very successful and profitable

Given how well Toy Story was made, Pixar would undoubtedly have made a brilliant version of James and the Giant Peach. However, Disney’s decision to greenlight Toy Story instead worked in Pixar’s favor. After the Roald Dahl book had been adapted, that would have been the end of the line for that particular story. Although Pixar made 1998’s A Bug’s Life its second feature-length production, 1999 saw an immediate return to the Toy Story universe and the birth of a legendary movie franchise.

Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 both passed the $1 billion mark at the box office, and Pixar has also achieved that same feat with other projects outside the Toy Story series. Pixar’s first movie inarguably opened up the door for the studio’s lengthy and ongoing spell of success. If James and the Giant Peach had been selected by Disney during that pivotal pitch meeting all those years ago, there’s no guarantee that Toy Story would have happened at all, let alone so soon into Pixar‘s existence.

Source: Vulture