 The original treatment for Toy Story , drafted by Lasseter , Andrew Stanton , and Pete Docter , had little in common with the eventual finished film . It paired Tinny , the one @-@ man band from Tin Toy with a ventriloquist 's dummy and sent them on a sprawling odyssey . Under studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg , Woody was the main villain , abusing the other toys until they rallied against him ; however after Disney executive saw the storyboards they relinquished creative control to Pixar . The core idea of Toy Story was present from the treatment onward , however : that " toys deeply want children to play with them , and that this desire drives their hopes , fears , and actions . " Katzenberg felt the original treatment was problematic and told Lasseter to reshape Toy Story as more of an odd @-@ couple buddy picture , and suggested they watch some classic buddy movies , such as The Defiant Ones and 48 Hrs . , in which two characters with different attitudes are thrown together and have to bond . Lasseter , Stanton , and Docter emerged in early September 1991 with the second treatment , and although the lead characters were still Tinny and the dummy , the outline of the final film was beginning to take shape . 
