Brothers team up to create real-life version of 'Toy Story 3'

ByRachel Schwartz WLS logo
Saturday, November 21, 2015
The characters of "Toy Story 3" in a scene from Morgan and Mason McGrew's real-life version of the film.
Morgan and Mason McGrew

This weekend marks the 20th anniversary of the first Toy Story film premiering in theaters. While children and adults alike have grown to love Woody, Buzz and all of Andy's toys over the years, two Iowa brothers are showing their love for the films in a truly unique manner -- an unbelievably real, live-action remake of the series' third installment.

Morgan, 19, and Mason, 16, McGrew weren't even alive when the original Toy Story made its debut. But the brothers from Ankeny, Iowa grew up watching Pixar's classic computer animated series and consider the characters a part of their family.

The brothers feel particularly connected Toy Story 3, which tells the story of the toys adjusting to a new chapter in life as Andy gets ready to head off to college.

"I love the story ... It shows a lot of development in the characters, a lot of change. It shows them going through a lot of tough stuff, like we all do in life, and I really like that," Morgan told ABC.

The McGrews have been working on their project since 2011. They've built their own version of Andy's room in their family home, replicating it down to the posters and stickers that decorate the walls and even building a custom headboard that is almost indistinguishable from the one in the movie. Morgan, who is a full-time college student, began sharing their work online for a class project and it has received attention from Toy Story fans all over the world.

Morgan and Mason say their family and friends are supportive of their mission, although at times they find their commitment to detail excessive. They hope to finish their movie by 2017 and share it with other Pixar fans all over the world.

"Toy Story 3 is a really beautiful thing and it's really touched us," Morgan said. "We think it is, in our opinion, the best movie ever."

Follow the McGrew's progress on their real-live Toy Story 3 by following their Tumblr page, The Pixarist.

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