In 1998, Pixar Animation Studios faced a monumental crisis during the production of “Toy Story 2.” A critical bug in the company’s servers erased nearly all of the project’s files, a devastating loss that threatened to delay the film and cause huge financial losses. Fortunately, the situation did not end in disaster thanks to an unexpected intervention.
During the development of “Toy Story 2”, an error in Pixar’s servers caused the almost total deletion of the project’s files. This critical situation was compounded when it was discovered that internal backups had also failed, which seemed to jeopardize the film’s completion.
In the midst of this crisis, Galyn Susman, one of Pixar’s employees, was on maternity leave. While at home, Susman had kept a backup of the project on his personal computer. This copy was not stored on Pixar’s central servers, but had been kept by Susman as a personal precaution.
When the Pixar team realized the magnitude of the problem and the loss of official backups, Susman offered his personal copy. Thanks to this intervention, the team was able to restore the film almost in its entirety and avoid a considerable financial loss.
Lessons Learned:
Offsite backups
Experience underscores the importance of having additional backups outside of the main facilities. Having a copy in a location not directly linked to the main systems can be a vital safeguard in the event of serious failures.
Resilience and preparedness
This incident highlights the need to be prepared for unforeseen contingencies and have a robust recovery plan in place. The combination of multi-location backups and proactive contingency measures can make all the difference in critical situations.
Value of personal measurements
Susman’s individual action, while unplanned and unexpected, showed how personal commitment and individual precautions can have a significant impact on recovery from a crisis.
In short, the incident with “Toy Story 2” was a powerful reminder of the importance of multi-layered backups and how preparation and personal commitment can save seemingly unsolvable situations.