In an extremely poignant moment for Pixar fans everywhere, Sunday night Woody and Buzz Lightyear presented the Oscar for Best Animated Feature to Inside Out.
The duo was featured to honor the 20th anniversary of the Oscar-winning Toy Story, which premiered November 22, 1995. The moment included original animation of Woody and Buzz, with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen reprising their voices.
Inside Out director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera accepted the award. It was the second Oscar win and eighth nomination for Docter and the first win and second nomination for Rivera.
In their inspirational acceptance speech, Docter concluded by saying:
This film was really born from watching our kids grow up, which is not easy. Anyone out there who’s in junior high, high school, working it out, suffering: There are days you’re going to be angry. You’re going to feel sad. You’re going to be scared. That’s nothing you can choose, but you can make stuff. Make films. Draw. Write. It’ll make a world of difference.
This wasn’t the first time Woody and Buzz have appeared at the Academy Awards. In 1996, John Lasseter left them on stage after accepting a Special Achievement Oscar for the creation of the world’s first full-length computer-animated film.
They later appeared with Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Jessie, and Bullseye in 2000 to present the award for Best Animated Short.
You can watch Docter and Rivera’s full acceptance speech for Inside Out, complete with Woody and Buzz’s appearance, on the official Oscars website.
Congratulations to everyone at Pixar Animation Studios on a job well done!
Edited by: Hannah Wilkes