Prepare for more Pixar tears: Tom Hanks teases emotional 'Toy Story 4' ending

By Ethan Alter

Toy Story fans shed one last tear — actually, a lot more than one — for Pixar’s foundational franchise when it seemingly drew to a close with 2010’s Toy Story 3. It’s hard to imagine a more emotional ending for plastic pals Woody and Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, respectively) than the final moments of that film, but it sounds as if our collective waterworks will be turned back on when Toy Story 4 arrives in cinemas next year.

Although the latest instalment has been the subject of some behind-the-scenes drama — most notably the high-profile departure of its original writers, Rashida Jones and Will McCormack — Woody’s alter ego is here to reassure moviegoers that the finished film is all heart. Speaking to Chris Evans (the BBC journalist, not the First Avenger) on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show, Hanks issued this vow: “Toy Story is going to have an impactful ending.”

In fact, the actor found Toy Story 4′s ending so impactful, he couldn’t look at any of the filmmakers while he was recording it.

“When I went in for my last day of recording, I wanted to have my back to them. … I didn’t want to see them, and I wanted to pretend they couldn’t see me. When I realised what they were going for, I realised, ‘Oh, this is a moment in history.'”

Hanks quickly added that he didn’t want to “build up expectations,” but that was too little, too late for Evans and those of us listening, who are already hoarding Kleenex for the movie’s opening day on June 21, 2019.

Hanks is the second person to tease major Toy Story 4 tears. In September, Tim Allen said he “couldn’t even get through” the movie’s last scene without crying. Ever the generous spirit, Hanks credits the minders of the franchise at Pixar with allowing the series to mature with each instalment.

“The emotional range of those movies has become more deep and profound and affecting. It is a very, very, very special collection of movies that have been put together that, I think, hits each one of us in a completely individual way,” said Hanks. “We carry all of our entire emotional lives in the memory of our own individual toys.”

Toy Story 4 opens in cinemas in 2019.

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