The Voice of Woody in Toy Story Video Games and Toys Is a Hanks, but Not Tom

The Big Picture

• Toy Story was groundbreaking due to its animation, story, and cast, becoming a massive success.
• Jim Hanks, Tom Hanks' brother, voices Woody toys accurately, capturing Tom's portrayal.
• Jim Hanks' impression of Tom yelling at his kid became the voice for Woody, an integral part of the character.

In 1995, Tom Hanks was already one of the biggest movie stars on the planet thanks to films like Big, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, and Apollo 13, with Hanks winning Best Actor Oscars for the middle two. Then came a role that is arguably the biggest he's ever done, one where you never see his face at all. Pixar's Toy Story was revolutionary due to its type of animation, but it also had an exciting, heartwarming story, and a big-name cast, including Home Improvement's Tim Allen. Hanks was the lead as the heroic cowboy sheriff toy, Woody, who must find his way back home to Andy, the kid who owns him, after he and Buzz Lightyear (Allen) accidentally get left behind. Toy Story was the third-biggest film at the box-office in 1995 (Apollo 13 actually came in at number two), leading to three even more successful sequels.

The popularity of Toy Story resulted in a toy line, of course, as well as video games and amusement park rides. For that, new dialogue was needed for Woody, but with Tom Hanks' busy schedule, having him come in to record lines over and over wasn't feasible, and probably not affordable. Still, if you have a Woody doll and pull the string, he sounds exactly like the Woody from the movies. So how did they make that happen? By casting someone who looks and sounds just like Tom Hanks: his brother, Jim.

Toy Story

A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's bedroom.

How Did Jim Hanks Land the Role of Playing Woody in 'Toy Story' Merchandise?

In an interview with Jace Diehl, Jim Hanks said he knew his brother was doing something in the early 90s with an animated movie but didn't know the particulars. Those particulars were a little movie called Toy Story from some company most people hadn't even heard of named Pixar. It would end up becoming revolutionary thanks to its computer animation, with its jaw-dropping images and box office success leading to the style becoming the norm, sadly bringing a near end to hand-drawn animation.

With any successful feature film geared towards kids, especially an animated one, that meant a lot of merchandise was soon to follow. Now, it's normal for soundalikes to voice toys, and while the consumer understands this, we can also tell that it's not the same actor's words coming out of the head of some plastic six-inch tall action figure. Woody in Toy Story was different because he sounded exactly like Tom Hanks, but it couldn't be him. That's where Jim Hanks came in. Although not a megastar like Tom, Jim, who is five years younger, is an actor as well. What he may be most known for to those who've seen his work, however, is how much he looks and sounds like his famous brother. Imagine Tom Hanks with a shaved head and there you go.

Jim told Jace Diehl that he began doing the voice of Woody for toys in 1994, before the first movie had even come out. As for how he got the gig, it was rather easy. Disney, who was in a partnership with Pixar at the time, before the home of Mickey Mouse bought them in 2006, called up Jim's agent and asked him if he could do it. He said yes, and the rest is history.

Jim Hanks Found a Way To Capture the Voice of Tom Hanks' Portrayal of Woody

Jim Hanks sounds a lot like Tom, but it's not exact. There is enough of a difference to be able to tell them apart with your eyes closed, although Jim slips into a near impersonation of his brother at times. In his interview with Jace Diehl he said he never knew he sounded so much like him until he saw videos of himself talking and said, "Oh my God, I do sound like him, even though I'm not trying."

Jim explained how he found the exact voice of Tom Hanks, and in the YouTube interview, his entire face changes, and out comes the former star of Bosom Buddies. According to Jim, when Tom speaks, he pushes with his nose and diaphragm at the same time, resulting in his voice feeling like it's coming from down deep and also nasally. Jim Hanks said he can find Tom's voice quickly by doing an explosive, 'Hey, hey, HEY!", because early days Woody had a lot of power in his voice. Jim Hanks summed it up with, "I've always said that my Woody is my impression of Tom yelling at his kid."

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After doing the voice for the first pull-string toy of Woody, Jim Hanks then voiced him for the Disney on Ice shows, but there are some challenges to doing the voice that Tom doesn't have to face. Because of the echoes of a large arena filled with people, or the mushy sound that comes from toys, Jim had to over enunciate to make sure that he could be understood. On Disney on Ice, Jim Hanks even had to sing, and then later again for a Woody action figure, which he struggled with until he sang in character.

Tom Hanks Speaks About His Brother Jim Hanks Playing Woody

Over the years, Jim Hanks has become just as integral to the character of Woody as Tom Hanks is, and it's someone he now understands, rather than just imitates because he sounds like the original actor. Jim told Jace Diehl that for one amusement park ride he was supposed to speak to two and three-year-olds, but no one knew the words or tones he should use. Jim did though, telling them that, "The thing about Woody is, Woody never talks down to anybody. Woody, to me, is like everybody's favorite teacher who talks to you as a person."

On The Graham Norton Show, the host got out a pull-string Woody toy and asked Tom Hanks if that was really his brother's voice and not him. "No, that's my brother, Jim," he said with a proud smile. He then revealed how Jim got the job of playing Woody. "There are so many computer games and video things, and Jim, he just works on those all year long. They said, 'You don't want to do this.' I said, 'I'll get my brother, Jim, you know, he'll do it.'"

Jim Hanks has been doing it since 1994. You've been hearing him as Woody from Toy Story just as long as you've been hearing Tom. While Tom Hanks might be returning soon to voice Woody for the announced Toy Story 5, get ready to hear more of Jim Hanks as your favorite cowboy sheriff.

Toy Story is available to watch on Disney+ in the U.S.

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