Tom Hanks’ brother Jim is the voice of Woody on Toy Story Mania

Jim Hanks has been voicing Woody for toys, video games and theme park rides since 1994. He calls his version “my impression of Tom yelling at his kid.”

The next time Woody talks to you in line at Toy Story Mania, listen closely. That’s a Hanks, but not the one you’re thinking of.

Woody’s voice on the Disney Parks ride belongs to Jim Hanks, Tom Hanks’ younger brother, per TouringPlans. Jim has been Woody’s official stand-in for just about everything outside the movies for more than 30 years.

“I’ve always said that my Woody is my impression of Tom yelling at his kid,” Jim Hanks told Collider.

Who voices Woody on Toy Story Mania?

Jim Hanks. He’s also the Woody in a lot of places fans never think about.

Per Collider, Jim has voiced Woody for pull-string toys, video games, Disney on Ice shows, action figures, and amusement park rides. So if you’ve played a Toy Story game or pulled the string on a talking Woody doll, there’s a good chance you heard Jim, not Tom.

Toy Story Mania opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney California Adventure in 2008, and it now sits inside Toy Story Land in Florida.

When did Jim Hanks start voicing Woody?

In 1994, before the first Toy Story even came out.

Disney needed a Woody voice for the talking toys that would hit shelves alongside the 1995 movie, per Collider. Recording that much extra dialogue with Tom Hanks, one of the busiest actors in Hollywood, wasn’t practical or cheap.

“I’ll get my brother, Jim, you know, he’ll do it,” Tom said, per Collider.

It worked so well that Jim has kept the job ever since, through four sequels and three decades of merchandise.

Why does Jim Hanks sound so much like Tom Hanks?

They’re brothers, and they sound alike naturally. Collider notes they look alike, too.

Jim’s take on playing the character is more about attitude than impression, though. “Woody never talks down to anybody,” he told Collider. “Woody, to me, is like everybody’s favorite teacher who talks to you as a person.”

That’s a pretty good description of the Woody in the films, too.

Does Tom Hanks still voice Woody in the movies?

Yes. Tom Hanks is still Woody in every Toy Story feature, including Toy Story 5, which is now streaming on Disney+.

Jim’s Woody fills the gaps between films. Rides, toys, and games need a lot of lines, and they need them on a schedule that doesn’t wait for a movie star to be free.

Jim’s Woody even crossed over to Disney+. He voiced Woody in Lamp Life, the 2020 Pixar short about Bo Peep’s lamp, per Wikipedia, and in the 2018 video game Lego The Incredibles.

Has Jim Hanks doubled for Tom Hanks before?

Yes, on camera too.

Jim, born in 1961, was Tom’s body double in Forrest Gump (1994), per Wikipedia. There’s an even stranger twist: Tom reportedly based some of Forrest’s mannerisms on a character Jim played in the 1993 comedy Buford’s Beach Bunnies.

So the Hanks brothers have been borrowing from each other for a long time.

What else is new with Toy Story at Disney parks?

Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios keeps growing. Earlier this week, a Taylor Swift song made its debut in Toy Story Land’s background music, per Disney Tourist Blog, and Roundup Rodeo BBQ serves as the land’s sit-down restaurant.

Toy Story Mania is also one of the most popular rides at the park, and it still regularly posts waits over an hour.

So when you’re in that line and Woody cracks a joke from the screen, you’ll know. It’s the family business.

Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.

Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Hat Tips:

• Collider, Jim Hanks’ Woody work, start date and quotes from Jim and Tom Hanks

• TouringPlans, Jim Hanks as Woody on Toy Story Mania

• Wikipedia, Jim Hanks’ Woody credits, Forrest Gump body double work and Buford’s Beach Bunnies

• Disney Tourist Blog (Sept. 25, 2026), the new Toy Story Land music

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