Published May 25, 2026
Jim Hanks revealed that he stepped in to voice Woody for several Toy Story side projects whenever his brother, Tom Hanks, was unavailable.
Speaking on the Love It podcast, the 64-year-old talked about replacing his elder brother in some Toy Story gigs over the years, including video games, talking toys, and even theme park attractions.
"The first thing I ever did was one of the pull-string toys from the first movie where he's saying 'You're my favorite deputy' and 'There's a snake in my boot' and stuff like that," Jim recalled. "They had processed the voice so much that they needed a cleaner [version], so I come in and do it."
He explained that the production team sometimes needed cleaner voice recordings because Tom’s original audio had been heavily processed.
Jim said he feels “immensely grateful” whenever he gets the opportunity to work as Woody and always tries to remain faithful to the character created by his brother.
In addition to Tom and Jim, the Hanks family also includes brother Larry, an entomology professor, and sister Sandra, who has worked in radio and reportedly lives in Italy.