For authenticity and inspiration, the Pixar team engaged in several field trips. With much of the film taking place at Sunnyside, the filmmakers toured multiple day care centers. Figuring that a day care center might feel like prison to a toy, another outing was scheduled for Alcatraz.

The Pixar team also spent hours scouring the local dump for angles.“The Ratatouille artists went to Paris. The Paris of Toy Story 3  is the dump. The Ratatouille crew got a better deal,” said production designer Bob Pauley.