How Tom Hanks saved ‘Toy Story’ from the DVD dustbin
Tom Hanks is a great guy. Everybody knows that. Alongside starring in some of the all-time great movies, America’s Dad has constantly gone out of his way to be nice to his fans, promote good causes, and generally be an all-around top human being. He’s financed a number of features he’s not been in, including the ‘Mamma Mia!’ and ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ series and, as it turns out, we have him to thank for the 3D animation revolution.
Famously, Hanks lent his voice to Woody, the main character of Pixar’s first full-length film, Toy Story. The adventures of the neurotic cowboy and his delusional spaceman friend Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) were a massive hit and spawned a franchise that currently spans four entries, with a fifth on the way.
The triumph of the original gave Pixar the platform it needed to become one of the biggest forces in cinema. As it stands, their 28 feature films have grossed over $15billion worldwide. Four of them are among the ten highest-grossing animated movies of all time, with Inside Out 2 taking the top spot until the Ne Zha 2 phenomenon recently displaced it. The impact Pixar has had on the world is immeasurable. The studio is responsible for some of the most cherished characters, moments, and songs in the history of cinema, and yet, none of this might have happened were it not for Mr. Hanks.
Following the original ‘Toy Story’ adventure, Pixar’s next outing was A Bug’s Life. At the same time, a smaller team was working on a follow-up to their original film. This was around the time that Disney, Pixar’s parent company, was putting out a slew of direct-to-video sequels to some of its most successful creations. Between 1994 and 1999, Aladdin, Hercules, Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast and more all got ill-advised follow-ups, and this was the plan for Toy Story 2. That was, until they got a call from one of their biggest stars.
As reported by the Daily Mirror, Hanks and his co-star Allen got wind that Toy Story 2 was destined for the bargain bin. “Tim and I and everybody else connected with it wanted to know why,” he said (via Showbiz Cheat Sheet) “We said it should be released as a film because it was magnificent and as good as the first one. Usually, sequels are pale imitations and are slapped on video, but this was really great. Eventually, they bowed to some brand of common sense.”
The bosses at Pixar ended up being very pleased that they listened to their actors. Toy Story 2 was an even bigger smash than its predecessor, grossing over half-a-billion dollars at the box office and finishing 1999 as the third-highest grossing film of the entire year. The franchise was then put on ice for over a decade, but the popularity of the first two films undoubtedly played a huge part in the creation of Toy Story 3 and 4.
Poor Toy Story 2 had a troubled production cycle, but it eventually got the spotlight it deserved. Pixar producing direct-to-video content so early in their lifetime might have damaged their reputation beyond repair. Mercifully, they were spared this fate, and went on to enjoy the bounty of riches they do today.
