Even though I’m actually on vacation at Walt Disney World at the moment, when I discovered this latest interview from Tom Hanks, I had to take a few minutes in my hotel room to share the new information. On a recent episode of the BBC radio program The Chris Evans Breakfast Show, Hanks discussed the ending of Toy Story 4, and echoed many of the same sentiments voiced recently by Tim Allen.
It was the first time that we were going to be recording the end of the movie, and ‘Toy Story’ is going to have an impactful ending. The way you record ‘Toy Story’ is by – you’re in a room with the team that has created it. And when I went in for my last day of recording, I wanted to have my back to them, because usually you’re facing them, so you can look right up, and you can talk about it. But I didn’t want to see them, and I wanted to pretend they couldn’t see me. When I realized what they were going for, yeah, I realized, oh, this is a moment in history.
“Impactful” and a “moment in history” – these are what bring to mind Allen’s previous statements, such as the ending being “very difficult for Woody and Buzz.” But Hanks doesn’t come right out and say that it is sad, or depressing; he only leaves the impression that it is significant, and momentous. While I continue to hope for a positive conclusion to the story, I also can’t help but question whether a movie that is being promoted through children’s books and toy lines could truly end on a negative note, one fraught with uneasiness or unpleasant emotion. And it still surprises me that the two main voice actors are being allowed to give away the ending – but are they, really? Only time will tell if they’re being factual or throwing us off course, and we still have seven more months until we find out the truth of it all.
Hanks went on to talk more about the Toy Story franchise in general:
Here’s the thing about those geniuses that are there at Pixar, and everybody that has ever been involved with any of the Toy Story things – they invented something there. And the extraordinary truth about them all – not only has the technology, but the emotional range of those movies has become more and more deep, and profound, and affecting. And it’s almost a curiosity, of why it is so, cause they’re toys.
I know that I, personally, feel a profound connection with the characters that have been created and developed in this world over the past 23 years, and I look forward to seeing where they take the Toy Story gang in their new movie. And I also believe that this speaks to the genius of Pixar, that they can create characters that have such depth and relatability, in the form of an ensemble of toys.
I’ll continue to check for Toy Story 4 updates, even as I’m spending my days in Toy Story Land over the next couple weeks. If I should find anything new, I’ll still share as I have the time. Nothing would make me happier than to hear some more definite Toy Story 4 news while I’m in the perfect place to celebrate it!
Image © Tom Hanks, logo © Disney/Pixar.
Toy Story Fangirl 
**SIGH** I really do not like these spoilers anymore because I am so scared now that the ending will be depressing and not happy.
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You don’t have to read the updates I post. But I’m not going to stop sharing them. There are others who like to keep informed on the film’s progress.
I don’t know if you’re naturally this dramatic, or if you’ve been trolling me all this time, but I really can’t handle the negativity anymore. I want to look forward to Toy Story 4 with positivity and hopefulness, so I’m afraid I’m going to have to block you from comments from here on out.
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Just because it says ‘difficult for Woody and Buzz’ doesn’t mean it will be sad. Look at the ending of Toy Story 3! It was difficult and sad for Andy to give up his toys-especially Woody!-and it had us sobbing our eyes out. But, it was still a good, happy ending because they were with a new, sweet kid who would love them as much as Andy did, and they were still able to get played with and most of all, be together! So, the end of number 4 might be emotional, the last film certainly was! But it still had a happier note to follow as the end credits rolled. Pixar loves these characters like we do, so I trust that they’ll have something worked out for the ending, for the benefit of us all.
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Exactly! Very well said, and how I’ve been looking at these remarks, too. 🙂 Just because it’s emotional and impactful doesn’t mean it has to be sad – since Pixar’s stories are always creative and not obvious in their plot, the only definite possibility for the movie being sad is if we learn how Woody and Bo got separated in the first place; anything else is wide open. There’s also the chance that the ending involves new characters – it could still be difficult for the main gang, if they had gotten attached to a new toy (or toys). I really doubt that Pixar would let Allen and Hanks repeatedly give away the ending of the film, and wonder if they’re not just throwing us off course to surprise us with a twist – like your example from Toy Story 3.
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