Tom Hanks is back in the saddle again, lending his voice to the popular pull-string cowboy Woody. Tim Allen has signed up for his third mission, once again lending his voice to the heroic space ranger Buzz Lightyear in the new DisneyŸPixar 3D comedy adventure “Toy Story 3.” The two spoke briefly about their experiences on the film for GoneWithTheTwins.com.
Q: This is the 11th full-length animated film from DisneyŸPixar. What makes audiences worldwide embrace Pixar films?
Tim Allen: The people at Pixar are great storytellers and great movies start with a great story.
Tom Hanks: The “Toy Story” films accomplish what timeless classics aim for – innocent characters who face an endless trail of adventures. We all know the likes of Woody and Buzz. We wonder who we would be if we were toys. There’s this great logic that John Lasseter and Lee [Unkrich] and Darla [K. Anderson], and all the writers adhere to that makes moviegoers just kind of relax and let themselves be transported to this magical place and time. When you can do that with a movie, it’s amazing. With ‘Toy Story 3,’ you come back to a lovely, familiar and happy place.
Q: What adventures does Buzz encounter in “Toy Story 3”?
Tim Allen: In this third film, Buzz gets to expand his role. When he accidentally gets reset, he speaks perfect Spanish. He’s a conquistador and a bull fighter. It’s pretty hysterical. I really do like being Buzz. He’s a lot of fun to play.
Q: And Woody?
Tom Hanks: There is a huge ground shift in the lives of these toys. In one scene, Woody must watch his buddies get inadvertently thrown in the garbage. It is heart-wrenching for him. Another challenge he must face is when he chooses to walk away from his toy friends because of a temporary difference of perceptions. It is a big, tough decision for him. Without giving too much away, there is this tremendous life-shattering and life-saving adventure.
Q: What other character would you like to play if you could not be Buzz?
Tim Allen: I like Mr. Potato Head quite a bit and I am beginning to really like the new hedgehog character, Mr. Pricklepants. Ken is very interesting and he is real super deluded. However, in the end, Buzz is really who I like to be. It’s a character I developed with John Lasseter.
Tom Hanks: Wow, that’s a very, very good question. Quite frankly, I am of the Slinky dog persuasion. I think Slinky can go places other toys can’t go and he can do things other toys can’t do because of his ability to stretch. I think that would be fun.
Q: Friendship is a major theme in the “Toy Story” films. What makes the relationship between Buzz and Woody work?
Tim Allen: I think their relationship works because they accept each other’s limitations. Woody is honest and he wants to do everything for the group; it’s always about other people. Buzz is a doer and a fixer. Give a job to Buzz and he will get it done. There is an overall respect for each other and this makes for a great relationship. The great thing for me about working on the “Toy Story” films is the great friendships I’ve made with all the people at Pixar and with Tom Hanks. Tom and I really like working together and being around each other. I totally respect his talent and I think he feels the same about me. We really do enjoy each other’s company and I value that.
Tom Hanks: I love the way the relationship between Woody and Buzz has grown. They started off as pure adversaries and learned how to accept each other’s strengths, forgive each other’s failures, and respect each other as individuals. Opposites definitely attract in this case.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about the process of voicing an animated character?
Tim Allen: Being in an animated movie is much more difficult than you might imagine, especially for a live performer. As a comedian, I tend to run on and ad-lib because I get bored very quickly. So it can be long sessions in the recording booth. There are also whole days that you just do grunting and panting and breathing just so the animators can match it to the characters. It’s an incredibly complex mechanical process that ends up on screen as an amazing, fun experience. It’s like watching magic.
Tom Hanks: I have been working on a Pixar movie on and off for a long time. It astounds me every time that it takes about four years to create these films. It seems like every two weeks they call you in to record, but it turns out to be about every six months. When I started doing the first “Toy Story” film, I had two kids; I now have four kids. [LAUGHS]
Q: “Toy Story” was released in 1995. What are some changes to the animation process that you have experienced over the years?
Tom Hanks: For the first one, we were shown the movie through storyboards mounted on walls. So you walked into a building and about a quarter mile later you understood the movie because they literally walked you through every sequence. This time they did this brilliant thing where they just showed us the entire animatic. An animatic is a process where every voice and every sound effect is added to rough animated drawings and it lasts exactly as long as the final movie. So you actually get to go into a screening room with the rest of the cast and you get to see it all at the same time.
Q: What do you think of the technological advances in live-action and animated filmmaking?
Tom Hanks: Motion pictures are just beginning to live up to their true potential of being this immersive experience—going from beyond black and white flickering images to fully immersive 3D color high-definition. You don’t even know where the real world starts and the fake world begins. And yet, none of that’s going to matter unless the story and the emotions that they allow us to become invested in are something that we can recognize. Pixar is able to do this in ways that almost defies speculation. And isn’t it grand that the “Toy Story” films are such a great example of this power to deeply connect with an audience?
- GoneWithTheTwins.com
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