Tom Hanks Explains Why The Original Toy Story Movie Was “Thrown Out” 30 Years Later

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Tom Hanks recently shared that the very first version of Toy Story was scrapped and completely redone. Hanks, who has voiced Woody since the original 1995 film, along with Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, have both continued to bring these iconic characters to life for over three decades.

During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Tom Hanks discussed the 30-year anniversary of a film. He pointed out that it was actually longer than 30 years, explaining that he and Tim Allen had already recorded dialogue for a previous version of the movie that was ultimately cut. You can find his full explanation below.

You know, it’s actually been over 30 years of Toy Story for me and everyone involved. We recorded a whole movie – about 80 minutes worth! – that ended up being scrapped. It’s crazy to think about all that lost footage!

Tom Hanks has revealed that an earlier, unfinished version of the movie had a completely different plot than the final release. Initially, studio executives wanted Hanks and Woody Allen to be funny, quick-witted, and playfully insult each other – and they tried that approach. However, it didn’t quite work out.

The studio executives—not the people at Pixar, who are fantastic—told us to make the characters funny and spontaneous, encouraging lots of jokes, improvisation, and playful insults. We tried that approach for a while.

Quite frankly, it didn’t work. It wasn’t Toy Story. It wasn’t what Pixar was going for.

John Lasseter, the director of Toy Story, called Hanks and Allen to let them know that the initial work wasn’t going to work and they needed to begin the project again from the very beginning.

So then we began the process all over again, which is about a two-and-a-half to three-year process.

The innovative approach proved successful, launching the incredibly popular Toy Story franchise, which continues to thrive today. It was also Pixar’s first full-length animated film. The original movie was later joined by sequels: Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019).

The next Toy Story movie, Toy Story 5, is scheduled to hit theaters on June 19, 2026. That’s 31 years after the original film came out, and Tom Hanks and Tim Allen will reprise their roles. Joining them are returning cast members like Joan Cusack as Jessie, Tony Hale as Forky, and Ernie Hudson, who will now voice Combat Carl following the passing of Carl Weathers.

Had the first version of the movie been released, it likely would have felt quite different and might not have become as beloved and memorable as Toy Story is today. Most notably, the close friendship between Woody and Buzz – a central part of the entire series – would probably have developed very differently.

If the first Toy Story hadn’t been successful, it could have seriously hindered the future of Pixar. Today, Pixar has created 29 full-length films, and alongside the Toy Story series, movies like Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), Coco (2017), and Inside Out 2 (2024) have all become popular hits.

Tom Hanks sharing details about this early version of Toy Story is sure to spark curiosity about how the movie could have turned out differently. While we likely won’t ever see it, it’s a fascinating piece of the story behind the making of the film and Pixar as a whole.

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2025-11-05 07:49