The internet is no stranger to dramatic demonstrations of fandom — but even by those heightened standards, amateur filmmakers Jesse Perrotta and Jonason Pauley qualify as Toy Story super-fans. Beginning in June 2010, the duo filmed a live-action, obsessively faithful shot-for-shot remake of the original Toy Story, using "150 actors, stop-motion animated effects, puppets, and the film's original soundtrack," reports TIME. (Watch the full-length remake below.)
Posted just three days ago, the video has already amassed more than 3.3 million views on YouTube, and the number continues to climb. What inspired this labor of love? ABC News reports that Perrotta and Pauley first began working on the project after a viewing of Toy Story 3. "We were so hyped up after we saw that movie," said Perrotta in an interview. "We were originally going to remake one scene, but that wasn't enough. It went from being one scene to 'Let's do the whole movie.'"
The final film demonstrates that these are "two incredibly dedicated and talented maniacs," says Dean Putney at Boing Boing. "Can you even imagine the time it took having to painstakingly recreate each and every shot from Toy Story?" says Jill Baughman at The Stir. "It's crazy, and amazing, and mind-blowing, and oddly entertaining. […] Pixar, give these guys a job!"
Judge the final film for yourself:
