UPDATE (6/5/24): I’m sorry it took me so long to edit this, but I am unfortunately not taking donations at the moment. I totally forgot I hadn’t put this update here and I apologize to people who thought donations were still open. We have enough money for the time being, but I appreciate your guys’ interest and I will inform you all if I reopen for donations.

UPDATE: We’ve reached $1300! Expect an update soon, regarding what’s next as well as addressing some recent events that need addressing.

Howdy partners!

PM me if you’re interested in donating!

I have recently purchased a full 35mm film print of Toy Story– an absolute classic and one of my all-time favorite animated films– and we’re currently raising funds to have it scanned in 4K. More information can be found below!

We’ve currently raised $1325 out of our $1300 goal. PayPal links are at the top of the post if you’re interested in donating– which please consider doing so. Every bit helps, whether it’s $5 or $100!

This is a huge passion project for me– like I said, Toy Story is one of my favorite animated films ever made, and I’m incredibly excited to see it the way it was originally presented in theaters. Judging from the support so far, it looks like you guys are as well– thanks!

I’ll be posting updates here from now on– consider the previous thread effectively dead, so follow this one if you want to keep posted on progress. Feel free to DM me with any questions, concerns or suggestions you have.

Cheers,
~Tristan

Info/FAQ

What’s the big deal?

This is a really important project to me because Toy Story is an entirely different-looking film on film as opposed to the DVD/Blu-Ray releases. This is because of the unique film-out process Pixar used at the time to print each rendered image onto film, whereas with the DVD and onward they directly transferred the digital files onto the disc.

As a result, Toy Story on 35mm has a very unique look to it, and also looks far better than the DVD in my opinion. The colors have a very filmic look to them, and it makes many of the scenes pop out compared to the DVD version’s vey dull palette. Additionally, the grain present on the film print makes a lot of the low-res textures and makes them look less noticeably fake compared to the DVD.

Here are some comparison images to show what I’m talking about, with screenshots from a scan of the theatrical trailer by FT Depot. Some differences are more subtle while others are plain as day– particularly, notice in the “YOU ARE A TOY” scene how much Woody stands out against the background in the film version. Also, notice in the “Out the window” scene how much redder the glow of the sunset is on film, whereas in the DVD/Blu-Ray film you can hardly tell there’s a sunset.

This is all to say that Toy Story on film was and is an entirely different beast than Toy Story on Blu-Ray, and again, arguably far better-looking. Naturally, the VHS and Laserdisc releases used a film print to transfer the movie, but both are obviously very low-quality by today’s standards, and this scan will give us a nice, clean look at how the film looked in theaters.

The Print/Scanning

Our print of Toy Story is an original theatrical print from Australia (meaning presumably in English). Here’s a link to the eBay listing where you can see pictures of the print– it looks like it’s in pretty nice condition aside from a loose wind in one of the reels. It also seems a bit pink in some of the pictures, although this could just be due to lighting.

Anyways, the print was bought for AU$1500 (just under US$1000 at the time), and is currently being held onto by our Aussie friend Valeyard (RU.08) who will be shipping it to the US when appropriate.

Scanning will be done by Quazza with his Scanstation 6.5k. Ultrasonic cleaning will be done by Flix35.

Donations

UPDATE: DM me if you’re still interested in donating!

Donations are being accepted on PayPal right now– the two links are at the top of this post. Shoot me a PM if you’d like to use another method of payment!

I suggest using Link 1 if you have a PayPal account, as with Link 2 there’s a fee for each donation made. Also, be sure to select Family and Friends instead of Goods and Services, as the latter also incurs a fee.

If you choose to donate and are interested in getting a copy of the print, please include your OT account name if you have one (or just PM me/reply to this thread). Otherwise, try to include any other way I can contact you (email, Discord, etc.), as PayPal messaging is a bit weird and doesn’t really notify you when you get a reply.

I encourage anyone interested and willing to donate, even if it’s just a few dollars. I’ll be equally matching every donation under $5 with my own money, so any amount you send really does count!

yooo this so so hype. Donation sent i cant wait to see the results.

does this have the dolby digital 5.1 track to be scanned on it too or will that need to be sourced from a laserdisc for the theatrical mix?

zerocool said:

yooo this so so hype. Donation sent i cant wait to see the results.

does this have the dolby digital 5.1 track to be scanned on it too or will that need to be sourced from a laserdisc for the theatrical mix?

Thank you so much! Glad you’re as excited about it as I am 😁

As far as I can tell the print only has an analogue audio track, so we’ll probably want the laserdisc audio. There was also a DTS laserdisc if we wanted to use that.

happy with this very nice project

happy to have donated

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

yooo this so so hype. Donation sent i cant wait to see the results.

does this have the dolby digital 5.1 track to be scanned on it too or will that need to be sourced from a laserdisc for the theatrical mix?

Thank you so much! Glad you’re as excited about it as I am 😁

As far as I can tell the print only has an analogue audio track, so we’ll probably want the laserdisc audio. There was also a DTS laserdisc if we wanted to use that.

the ac3 track on the laserdisc has a good chance of being the theatrical mix(plus ive got it if its needed 😛) dunno much about the dts mix but laserdisc and even most dvd dts mixes were kick ass. so cant hrut to look into it

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

yooo this so so hype. Donation sent i cant wait to see the results.

does this have the dolby digital 5.1 track to be scanned on it too or will that need to be sourced from a laserdisc for the theatrical mix?

Thank you so much! Glad you’re as excited about it as I am 😁

As far as I can tell the print only has an analogue audio track, so we’ll probably want the laserdisc audio. There was also a DTS laserdisc if we wanted to use that.

The print on the eBay listing does seem to have a Dolby Digital track in between the sprocket holes. But I agree that it would easier to use the laserdisc audio.

zerocool said:

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

yooo this so so hype. Donation sent i cant wait to see the results.

does this have the dolby digital 5.1 track to be scanned on it too or will that need to be sourced from a laserdisc for the theatrical mix?

Thank you so much! Glad you’re as excited about it as I am 😁

As far as I can tell the print only has an analogue audio track, so we’ll probably want the laserdisc audio. There was also a DTS laserdisc if we wanted to use that.

the ac3 track on the laserdisc has a good chance of being the theatrical mix(plus ive got it if its needed 😛) dunno much about the dts mix but laserdisc and even most dvd dts mixes were kick ass. so cant hrut to look into it

Nice, I think it’s for sure worth including both. I also know that metahades has reached out to me and offered to provide other language tracks, which I’ll be following up with him on.

Catsyz said:

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

yooo this so so hype. Donation sent i cant wait to see the results.

does this have the dolby digital 5.1 track to be scanned on it too or will that need to be sourced from a laserdisc for the theatrical mix?

Thank you so much! Glad you’re as excited about it as I am 😁

As far as I can tell the print only has an analogue audio track, so we’ll probably want the laserdisc audio. There was also a DTS laserdisc if we wanted to use that.

The print on the eBay listing does seem to have a Dolby Digital track in between the sprocket holes. But I agree that it would easier to use the laserdisc audio.

Oh yeah, you’re totally right now that I look at it again. Of course as the resident newbie I have no idea where to look for these sorts of things 😛

I imagine it would be easier to just supply the Laserdisc audio assuming there are no differences between the two. Not that I know what scanning a Dolby digital audio track would entail.

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

yooo this so so hype. Donation sent i cant wait to see the results.

does this have the dolby digital 5.1 track to be scanned on it too or will that need to be sourced from a laserdisc for the theatrical mix?

Thank you so much! Glad you’re as excited about it as I am 😁

As far as I can tell the print only has an analogue audio track, so we’ll probably want the laserdisc audio. There was also a DTS laserdisc if we wanted to use that.

the ac3 track on the laserdisc has a good chance of being the theatrical mix(plus ive got it if its needed 😛) dunno much about the dts mix but laserdisc and even most dvd dts mixes were kick ass. so cant hrut to look into it

Nice, I think it’s for sure worth including both. I also know that metahades has reached out to me and offered to provide other language tracks, which I’ll be following up with him on.

Catsyz said:

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

yooo this so so hype. Donation sent i cant wait to see the results.

does this have the dolby digital 5.1 track to be scanned on it too or will that need to be sourced from a laserdisc for the theatrical mix?

Thank you so much! Glad you’re as excited about it as I am 😁

As far as I can tell the print only has an analogue audio track, so we’ll probably want the laserdisc audio. There was also a DTS laserdisc if we wanted to use that.

The print on the eBay listing does seem to have a Dolby Digital track in between the sprocket holes. But I agree that it would easier to use the laserdisc audio.

Oh yeah, you’re totally right now that I look at it again. Of course as the resident newbie I have no idea where to look for these sorts of things 😛

I imagine it would be easier to just supply the Laserdisc audio assuming there are no differences between the two. Not that I know what scanning a Dolby digital audio track would entail.

I don’t know if this is true, but I’ve heard that when Team Negative 1 were releasing 4K83 (Return of the Jedi), they were able to use the analog stereo track on the print. So it could be possible to extract the analog audio from the print, but I don’t have clue how it’s done. Lol

I think using the DTS laserdisc audio might be the best option.
I just think that using the Dolby Digital or analog tracks would be more authentic. 😊

Catsyz said:

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

yooo this so so hype. Donation sent i cant wait to see the results.

does this have the dolby digital 5.1 track to be scanned on it too or will that need to be sourced from a laserdisc for the theatrical mix?

Thank you so much! Glad you’re as excited about it as I am 😁

As far as I can tell the print only has an analogue audio track, so we’ll probably want the laserdisc audio. There was also a DTS laserdisc if we wanted to use that.

the ac3 track on the laserdisc has a good chance of being the theatrical mix(plus ive got it if its needed 😛) dunno much about the dts mix but laserdisc and even most dvd dts mixes were kick ass. so cant hrut to look into it

Nice, I think it’s for sure worth including both. I also know that metahades has reached out to me and offered to provide other language tracks, which I’ll be following up with him on.

Catsyz said:

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

yooo this so so hype. Donation sent i cant wait to see the results.

does this have the dolby digital 5.1 track to be scanned on it too or will that need to be sourced from a laserdisc for the theatrical mix?

Thank you so much! Glad you’re as excited about it as I am 😁

As far as I can tell the print only has an analogue audio track, so we’ll probably want the laserdisc audio. There was also a DTS laserdisc if we wanted to use that.

The print on the eBay listing does seem to have a Dolby Digital track in between the sprocket holes. But I agree that it would easier to use the laserdisc audio.

Oh yeah, you’re totally right now that I look at it again. Of course as the resident newbie I have no idea where to look for these sorts of things 😛

I imagine it would be easier to just supply the Laserdisc audio assuming there are no differences between the two. Not that I know what scanning a Dolby digital audio track would entail.

I don’t know if this is true, but I’ve heard that when Team Negative 1 were releasing 4K83 (Return of the Jedi), they were able to use the analog stereo track on the print. So it could be possible to extract the analog audio from the print, but I don’t have clue how it’s done. Lol

I think using the DTS laserdisc audio might be the best option.
I just think that using the Dolby Digital or analog tracks would be more authentic. 😊

I imagine we can include multiple audio options somehow. I myself would really love to be able to hear the analog track!

Donated, I am really looking forward to this coming to fruition

Looks interesting. It’s probably gonna take me a while to get used to these colors though… XD

TristAndShout64 said:

Catsyz said:

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

yooo this so so hype. Donation sent i cant wait to see the results.

does this have the dolby digital 5.1 track to be scanned on it too or will that need to be sourced from a laserdisc for the theatrical mix?

Thank you so much! Glad you’re as excited about it as I am 😁

As far as I can tell the print only has an analogue audio track, so we’ll probably want the laserdisc audio. There was also a DTS laserdisc if we wanted to use that.

the ac3 track on the laserdisc has a good chance of being the theatrical mix(plus ive got it if its needed 😛) dunno much about the dts mix but laserdisc and even most dvd dts mixes were kick ass. so cant hrut to look into it

Nice, I think it’s for sure worth including both. I also know that metahades has reached out to me and offered to provide other language tracks, which I’ll be following up with him on.

Catsyz said:

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

yooo this so so hype. Donation sent i cant wait to see the results.

does this have the dolby digital 5.1 track to be scanned on it too or will that need to be sourced from a laserdisc for the theatrical mix?

Thank you so much! Glad you’re as excited about it as I am 😁

As far as I can tell the print only has an analogue audio track, so we’ll probably want the laserdisc audio. There was also a DTS laserdisc if we wanted to use that.

The print on the eBay listing does seem to have a Dolby Digital track in between the sprocket holes. But I agree that it would easier to use the laserdisc audio.

Oh yeah, you’re totally right now that I look at it again. Of course as the resident newbie I have no idea where to look for these sorts of things 😛

I imagine it would be easier to just supply the Laserdisc audio assuming there are no differences between the two. Not that I know what scanning a Dolby digital audio track would entail.

I don’t know if this is true, but I’ve heard that when Team Negative 1 were releasing 4K83 (Return of the Jedi), they were able to use the analog stereo track on the print. So it could be possible to extract the analog audio from the print, but I don’t have clue how it’s done. Lol

I think using the DTS laserdisc audio might be the best option.
I just think that using the Dolby Digital or analog tracks would be more authentic. 😊

I imagine we can include multiple audio options somehow. I myself would really love to be able to hear the analog track!

The analog track should be the same stereo mix thats on the laserdisc’s pcm track. but as far as getting the audio off the film. The scanner will scan the optical/analog audio track while it does the film and convert that to pcm to go along side the film’s video scan. If the scanner has the ac3 attachment it would work the same. so if nothing else the film scan should come with the analog/optical audio track along side the video.

As far as the DTS laserdisc track. IF it is the same mix as the ac3 laserdic its higher bitrate/fidelity would make it the best track to listen to. but if its a different mix than the theatrical/ac3laserdisc 5.1 mix then it would just be a neat curiosity not the best way to listen. we’d have to get a dts disc and have it captured and compare everything about them to tell.

I’ve just donated. I’m really excited to see this project become a reality. 😁

zerocool said:

TristAndShout64 said:

Catsyz said:

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

yooo this so so hype. Donation sent i cant wait to see the results.

does this have the dolby digital 5.1 track to be scanned on it too or will that need to be sourced from a laserdisc for the theatrical mix?

Thank you so much! Glad you’re as excited about it as I am 😁

As far as I can tell the print only has an analogue audio track, so we’ll probably want the laserdisc audio. There was also a DTS laserdisc if we wanted to use that.

the ac3 track on the laserdisc has a good chance of being the theatrical mix(plus ive got it if its needed 😛) dunno much about the dts mix but laserdisc and even most dvd dts mixes were kick ass. so cant hrut to look into it

Nice, I think it’s for sure worth including both. I also know that metahades has reached out to me and offered to provide other language tracks, which I’ll be following up with him on.

Catsyz said:

TristAndShout64 said:

zerocool said:

yooo this so so hype. Donation sent i cant wait to see the results.

does this have the dolby digital 5.1 track to be scanned on it too or will that need to be sourced from a laserdisc for the theatrical mix?

Thank you so much! Glad you’re as excited about it as I am 😁

As far as I can tell the print only has an analogue audio track, so we’ll probably want the laserdisc audio. There was also a DTS laserdisc if we wanted to use that.

The print on the eBay listing does seem to have a Dolby Digital track in between the sprocket holes. But I agree that it would easier to use the laserdisc audio.

Oh yeah, you’re totally right now that I look at it again. Of course as the resident newbie I have no idea where to look for these sorts of things 😛

I imagine it would be easier to just supply the Laserdisc audio assuming there are no differences between the two. Not that I know what scanning a Dolby digital audio track would entail.

I don’t know if this is true, but I’ve heard that when Team Negative 1 were releasing 4K83 (Return of the Jedi), they were able to use the analog stereo track on the print. So it could be possible to extract the analog audio from the print, but I don’t have clue how it’s done. Lol

I think using the DTS laserdisc audio might be the best option.
I just think that using the Dolby Digital or analog tracks would be more authentic. 😊

I imagine we can include multiple audio options somehow. I myself would really love to be able to hear the analog track!

The analog track should be the same stereo mix thats on the laserdisc’s pcm track. but as far as getting the audio off the film. The scanner will scan the optical/analog audio track while it does the film and convert that to pcm to go along side the film’s video scan. If the scanner has the ac3 attachment it would work the same. so if nothing else the film scan should come with the analog/optical audio track along side the video.

As far as the DTS laserdisc track. IF it is the same mix as the ac3 laserdic its higher bitrate/fidelity would make it the best track to listen to. but if its a different mix than the theatrical/ac3laserdisc 5.1 mix then it would just be a neat curiosity not the best way to listen. we’d have to get a dts disc and have it captured and compare everything about them to tell.

Ok, that all makes sense. Not that I expect the analog track to be anything unique, but I nonetheless think it’d be cool to have scanned

Catsyz said:

I’ve just donated. I’m really excited to see this project become a reality. 😁

Yay, thanks!! I think that puts us pretty close to $300 🙂

TonyWDA said:

A friendly reminder that with any mix— Dolby Digital or analog— on the actual print itself, you’re likely getting the “far field” version of the soundtrack, with mixing choices and dynamic range better suited for listening in large auditoriums. In contrast, that same mix is typically adjusted for “near field” listening in significantly smaller environments for the film’s home video release. The former mix is prepared knowing it will play from speakers a considerable distance from the listener(s); it also considers the architectural impact of the soundtrack in that room to give the audience a full, reflected acoustic effect. The latter is more direct and sometimes may even sound more detailed— or, at least, unmarred by the aural impact of a large auditorium because you’re sitting much closer to speakers with smaller drivers in a smaller room.

Neither is necessarily better or worse than the other (not always, anyway…). Still, it’s always best to consider the differences between what’s on a print and what typically ends up on the home video release. An excellent example of everything mentioned here can be heard in Aladdin’s theatrical and home video versions. In the scene where the Cave of Wonders begins to fall apart, the differences in the intensity of the sound effects are night and day. Pay particular attention to the moment when the lamp shrine bursts into flames. Not even the LaserDisc audio, an otherwise fine track all around, sounds that aggressive. You can hear the DVD/35mm audio comparison here:

All this is to say yes, you will want to include the analog track— for posterity if nothing else. =)

Wow, interesting. That makes a lot of sense though. I’m sure that means parts like the rocket scene in TS will be quite a bit louder/more impactful.

TonyWDA said:

A friendly reminder that with any mix— Dolby Digital or analog— on the actual print itself, you’re likely getting the “far field” version of the soundtrack, with mixing choices and dynamic range better suited for listening in large auditoriums. In contrast, that same mix is typically adjusted for “near field” listening in significantly smaller environments for the film’s home video release. The former mix is prepared knowing it will play from speakers a considerable distance from the listener(s); it also considers the architectural impact of the soundtrack in that room to give the audience a full, reflected acoustic effect. The latter is more direct and sometimes may even sound more detailed— or, at least, unmarred by the aural impact of a large auditorium because you’re sitting much closer to speakers with smaller drivers in a smaller room.

Neither is necessarily better or worse than the other (not always, anyway…). Still, it’s always best to consider the differences between what’s on a print and what typically ends up on the home video release. An excellent example of everything mentioned here can be heard in Aladdin’s theatrical and home video versions. In the scene where the Cave of Wonders begins to fall apart, the differences in the intensity of the sound effects are night and day. Pay particular attention to the moment when the lamp shrine bursts into flames. Not even the LaserDisc audio, an otherwise fine track all around, sounds that aggressive. You can hear the DVD/35mm audio comparison here:

All this is to say yes, you will want to include the analog track— for posterity if nothing else. =)

true, BUT I’ve heard the whole near vs. far field mix thing is a good deal overblown and that a lot of it was pushed by a single mixing studio that apparently wanted to use the idea to prop up their finances and sort of talked all the studios into the ‘critical’ need for it. I’ve read that many say that a lot of the claims pushed to get the whole thing going, upon further examination, didn’t really pan out like they claimed and some say the whole thing caused more trouble and even worse home results in the end, although it seems there is still some arguing over who is correct.

I’ve sent a few more dollars to even us out at $300. That’s almost half-way… good work y’all, thanks for all the donations. Keep 'em coming! 😄

You have no idea how excited I am to see this happen! I can’t wait to see Toy Story in the way it was originally presented in theaters!

TonyWDA said:

A friendly reminder that with any mix— Dolby Digital or analog— on the actual print itself, you’re likely getting the “far field” version of the soundtrack, with mixing choices and dynamic range better suited for listening in large auditoriums. In contrast, that same mix is typically adjusted for “near field” listening in significantly smaller environments for the film’s home video release. The former mix is prepared knowing it will play from speakers a considerable distance from the listener(s); it also considers the architectural impact of the soundtrack in that room to give the audience a full, reflected acoustic effect. The latter is more direct and sometimes may even sound more detailed— or, at least, unmarred by the aural impact of a large auditorium because you’re sitting much closer to speakers with smaller drivers in a smaller room.

Neither is necessarily better or worse than the other (not always, anyway…). Still, it’s always best to consider the differences between what’s on a print and what typically ends up on the home video release. An excellent example of everything mentioned here can be heard in Aladdin’s theatrical and home video versions. In the scene where the Cave of Wonders begins to fall apart, the differences in the intensity of the sound effects are night and day. Pay particular attention to the moment when the lamp shrine bursts into flames. Not even the LaserDisc audio, an otherwise fine track all around, sounds that aggressive. You can hear the DVD/35mm audio comparison here:

All this is to say yes, you will want to include the analog track— for posterity if nothing else. =)

HOLY SHIT, THE 35MM MIX IS AGGRESSIVE AND DETAILED AS HELL!! Sorry for that freakout, but God damn, that mix sounded amazing on my headphones right now.

AwesomeJ said:

You have no idea how excited I am to see this happen! I can’t wait to see Toy Story in the way it was originally presented in theaters!

It’ll be as close as we can get anyway. the print still has ~28 years of fading and aging on it but from what we’ve seen it should still be kick ass.