The Day a Mom Saved Pixar (And Toy Story 2)

In 1999, someone at Pixar hit the wrong command on a Linux file server—no mouse, no graphics, just raw code. They meant to delete a few specific files. Instead, they wiped out everything. It was a full-blown digital apocalypse—90% of Toy Story 2 vanished faster than you can say “to infinity and beyond.”

The backup system? Dead on arrival. Hadn’t worked for weeks. Executives were panicking. Developers were shell-shocked. Millions of dollars and years of animation work… gone.

But then—plot twist—a technical director on maternity leave stepped in like a hero in the third act. She’d been working remotely and happened to have a full copy of the movie on her home computer. They raced to her house, carefully drove the machine back to Pixar, fired it up, and just like that—Toy Story 2 was saved.

A mom, in the chaos of newborn life and spit-up rags, quietly preserved one of the most iconic animated films of all time.

Let’s be honest. The backup system failed. The command line didn’t ask for confirmation. But mom? Mom delivered.

If you’ve ever underestimated someone on “leave” or thought caretakers were on the sidelines, remember this: sometimes the entire story rests on the one person you least expect.

A mom saved Pixar. A tale as old as time.

—Jared West
Your Ohio Real Estate Pro
(614) 633-7119