The pairing of Woody and Buzz Lightyear is so iconic, you almost forget that they don’t start Toy Story as friends. For much of Pixar’s 1995 game-changer, the cowboy and the spaceman bicker, as they vie for the attention of young Andy – until they’re forced to work together and become the best of friends. As it turns out, it wasn’t too dissimilar for Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, the voices of Woody and Buzz respectively, who got off on the wrong foot back in the early ‘90s when they first met.
In a new joint interview ahead of Toy Story 5, the pair recalled their first get-together. “When I met him,” sighs Allen, “well, I wasn’t all that thrilled with him. Because he ate French fries off my plate.” Despite Hanks’ interruptions, Allen makes his case clear: “I grew up around a lot of children and Tom did not. We did not ever share.” Safe to say, just like Woody and Buzz, the pair were firm friends by Toy Story 2. “We started to realise we were in the midst of something that was quite grandiose, and perhaps we needed a check on our hubris,” says Hanks. “So we started getting together. It’s good for the soul when Tim and I get together. And we cause some really good triple-takes when we’re out.”
Now as they approach a fifth film, and 30 years of Toy Story, Hanks says they’re “blessed” to be a part of the series. “All these generations have come up to me at some point again and again, and they say, ‘I cannot tell you enough about the solace and security, the joy and comfort the Toy Story movies have given me and my family,’” he explains. “That’s an emotional and very important thing that came out of something that Tim and I deserve a tiny modicum of credit for. It’s all been a gift.” Allen agrees: “I just love it,” he says. “I love watching them still. I love going back.” To infinity, and beyond.
Read the full Tom Hanks and Tim Allen interview for Toy Story 5 in the Aliens issue of Empire. Pre-order a copy online here. Toy Story 5 comes to cinemas on June 19.
