Tom Hanks at the 'Toy Story 4' premiere.

Celebrity

Tom Hanks Once Helped Save the ‘Toy Story’ Franchise From Going Straight-to-DVD

Despite the original success of the first ‘Toy Story’, Tom Hanks was both surprised and confused to learn about the sequel’s fate on DVD.

by Antonio Stallings

Published on April 17, 2023

3 min read

Tom Hanks’ role as Woody in the popular Toy Story series is one of his most memorable characters. But his contributions towards the franchise go beyond just lending his voice.

If it wasn’t for Hanks, the rest of Toy Story might have been straight-to-DVD status.

Tom Hanks was on board ‘Toy Story’ from the get-go

Hanks had a good feeling about the concept of Toy Story when he was first presented with the idea. The movie would be animated by Pixar, a studio which has delivered several highly praised animated blockbusters since its inception. But at the time, Hanks had never seen or heard anything like what Pixar was attempting to do with Toy Story. And that was what attracted him to the film even more.

“There were two things about it. One: it was like, ‘I’m not sure what this is,'” he told BBC Radio 1. “The computer-generated animation itself had a look that was hyperreal, you know? But then also the marriage of the outraged voice of mine inside this outraged body of a toy was — I mean, it was just undeniably great. So I was in from the get-go.’”

Hanks asserted that the chance of Toy Story actually succeeding at the time was uncertain. But the Oscar-winner already had faith in the project when he joined the cast.

“They invited me over to sort of explain this odd unknown quantity of something that may or may not work. And I said, ‘Well, it looks fine to me. Let’s do it!’ And thus it began,” he said.

Tom Hanks once saved the ‘Toy Story’ franchise from going straight-to-DVD

Hanks’ instincts about Toy Story were right. The movie was both a commercial and critical success, and has gone on to spawn several successful sequels over the years.

But despite the film’s theatrical achievements, there was serious consideration behind sending its sequel Toy Story 2 straight-to-DVD. But when Hanks and Buzz Lightyear voice actor Tim Allen got wind of this new plan, they were vehemently against it.

“Tim and I and everybody else connected with it wanted to know why. We said it should be released as a film because it was magnificent and as good as the first one,” Hanks once told Daily Mirror (via Female First).

Hanks thought Toy Story 2 stood out in that it wasn’t like most sequels that just repeated their predecessors.

“Usually sequels are pale imitations and are slapped on video but this was really great,” Hanks said. “Eventually they bowed to some brand of common sense so now we have a Toy Story 3 and will there be a Fourth Toy Story? Why not?”

Toy Story 4 actually hit theaters not too long ago in 2019. Earlier this year, Variety reported that a Toy Story 5 is also in development.

What Tom Hanks thinks of ‘Toy Story’ sequels

Hanks is always surprised by the quality of each Toy Story movie. To him, there aren’t any truly bad Toy Story films, and he finds himself amazed by the filmmakers’ ability to continuously top themselves.

“There is a cohesiveness and an eternal quality to not just the stories and the characters, but the emotional bonds that we all have with each one of them. I have always been dazzled when they come back and say we’re going to try another one. The question is always, really? Ain’t you guys bold. You think? You think you can match that last one we did. Good luck,” Hanks once said in an interview with Mama’s Geeky.