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Tom Hanks on Toy Story, Sequels and The Scene He Regrets
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The Toy Story Emotional Contract and Multigenerational Magic
At 10:10 · chapter starts 9:00
A listener named Charlotte asks what Hanks struggles to let go of, inspired by the Toy Story 3 incinerator scene that made her promise never to throw away her daughter's toys — a promise she has kept for 17 years. Hanks responds warmly, confessing to a battle between Marie Kondo's joy principle and the 'diabolically sounding' Swedish death cleaning practice, concluding that some items — like the sweatshirt he wore the day he moved his son into college — simply cannot be discarded regardless of their condition. [1] — Tom Hanks "56-year-olds who grew up with Toy Story: Tom Hanks noted that Toy Story's original audience has now aged to 56, and those fans are now shar…" 09:54 He then speaks with genuine emotion about the multigenerational reach of Toy Story: the original audience is now in their mid-50s and sharing the films with their own children. This leads to a vivid anecdote about meeting Keir Dullea of 2001: A Space Odyssey — turning into 'a babbling fool' — and his elevator trick with young children who can't compute that Woody is real until he asks them to close their eyes.
Pixar threw out 80% of the original Toy Story because the DNA was fundamentally wrong. Starting over from scratch — changing the entire Woody-Buzz dynamic — was the decision that made the franchise what it became.
Pixar threw out approximately 80% of the original Toy Story during production, deciding there was something intrinsically wrong with its DNA before starting over.
The original Toy Story audience is now in their mid-50s. They're watching the films again with their own children, who are the same age they were at the first viewing. The emotional contract renews itself with every generation.
Tom Hanks noted that Toy Story's original audience has now aged to 56, and those fans are now sharing the films with children who are the same age they were when they first saw it.
Tom Hanks has watched 2001: A Space Odyssey 119 times and always found something new. When he finally met its star Keir Dullea, he became a 'babbling fool' — proof that even Hollywood's biggest star gets starstruck.
Tom Hanks told Keir Dullea — star of 2001: A Space Odyssey — that he had seen the film 119 times and always found something new.
When Tom Hanks meets children in elevators, his identity as Woody simply doesn't compute — until he tells them to close their eyes and imagine Woody. The moment their face explodes with recognition is, he says, the production of high art.
