The year around the table

1994.

The year the world changed under the four men's feet.

The exact date of the meeting is not on the record. Stanton has said only “the summer of 1994.” The surrounding moment, however, is on the record — and it matters. Hover any event below for detail. Click to zoom.

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Pixar / Hidden City Animation industry The wider world
1994 timeline poster — the year around the Pixar lunch

Hover any vertical line to read its event — or jump to all events as text.

All events as text
  1. Eight months before Nov 1993
    • Nov 19, 1993

      Black Friday

      Disney shuts down Toy Story production after a disastrous storyboard reel. Lasseter asks for two weeks to fix it. Whedon comes in to help with the rewrite. The crew survives.

  2. January 1994
    • Jan 24

      Pocahontas in production at Disney

      Next Disney animated feature underway in Burbank.

  3. February 1994
    • Feb 12

      Norway Winter Olympics

      Lillehammer.

  4. March 1994
    • Mar 5

      Toy Story voice cast re-records

      Hanks and Allen come back after the Black Friday rewrite. Buzz is no longer self-aware.

  5. April 1994
    • Apr 5

      Kurt Cobain dies

      Found at his Seattle home. He is 27.

    • Apr 6

      Rwandan genocide begins

      Plane carrying President Habyarimana shot down. 100 days follow.

  6. May 1994 Lunch window opens
    • May 1

      Senna dies at Imola

      Ayrton Senna killed at the San Marino Grand Prix.

    • May 10

      Mandela inaugurated

      South Africa's first multiracial election.

    • May 21

      Pulp Fiction at Cannes

      Tarantino's second film. Wins the Palme d'Or.

  7. June 1994 Lunch window
    • Jun 12

      Nicole Brown Simpson murdered

      Brentwood, Los Angeles.

    • Jun 15

      The Lion King opens

      Disney's hand-drawn peak. Highest-grossing animated film ever, at the time. Ranft has story credits.

    • Jun 17

      1994 World Cup begins

      First FIFA World Cup hosted in the United States.

    • Jun 17

      OJ Bronco chase

      Slow-speed pursuit. 95 million Americans watching live.

  8. July 1994 Lunch window · the lunch
    • Jul 5

      Amazon.com founded

      Jeff Bezos incorporates Cadabra Inc. in Bellevue. Later renamed Amazon.

    • Jul 6

      Forrest Gump opens

      Zemeckis. Dominates the summer. Hanks's second consecutive Best Actor.

    • Jul 14 (probable)

      The Hidden City lunch

      Lasseter, Stanton, Docter, Ranft. Sketches on napkins. Four films from one meeting.

      The exact date is not on the record. Stanton has said only “the summer of 1994.” July is the most dramaturgically rich window: World Cup in the US, Forrest Gump in theaters, Katzenberg weeks from leaving Disney.

  9. August 1994 Lunch window closes
    • Aug 1

      A Goofy Movie in active production

      Kevin Lima directing. Paris animation. Targeted Nov 18, 1994 (slips to Apr '95).

    • Aug 24

      Katzenberg resigns from Disney

      Eisner passes him over for the presidency after Frank Wells's death in April.

    • Aug 25

      DreamWorks SKG announced

      Spielberg, Katzenberg, Geffen. Each invests $33M. First new major studio in 60 years.

  10. September 1994
    • Sep 23

      Friends premieres on NBC

      Becomes a cultural anchor of the decade.

  11. October 1994
    • Oct 13

      Netscape Navigator beta

      First public release of what becomes the dominant web browser.

    • Oct 14

      Pulp Fiction U.S. release

      After Cannes. Reshapes American cinema.

  12. November 1994
    • Nov 8

      Republican Revolution

      GOP takes Congress. Gingrich becomes Speaker.

  13. December 1994
    • Dec 14

      Toy Story crew at 110

      From 24 a year earlier. Pixar burning $2.4M on $5.4M revenue. Jobs funding shortfalls.

  14. Sixteen months after Nov 1995
    • Nov 22, 1995

      Toy Story opens

      First fully computer-animated feature. $373M worldwide. Three Oscar nominations including screenplay.

    • Nov 29, 1995

      Pixar IPO

      Trades at $39 on opening. Jobs's stake instantly worth $1.1B — larger than his Apple-era peak.

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