Tom Hanks' lookalike brother Jim reveals he ALSO voices Woody as he opens up about Toy Story role he's had for decades

The phrases 'reach for the sky' and 'there's a snake in my boot' are some of the most iconic in movie history. 

Yet Toy Story fans will be surprised to learn that the lines made famous by Tom Hanks' character Woody, aren't in fact, always voiced by him. 

Instead, it's Tom's younger brother Jim who has lent his voice to the role, standing in for his Hollywood star sibling when it comes to recording Woody's lines for the various spin-off projects and merchandise.  

Jim, 65, bears a striking resemblance to his older sibling both physically and audially, making him the perfect stand-in for when Tom isn't available for filming. 

The voiceover artist began his career in B-movies, and told The Daily Mail that when Pixar and Disney struggled to pin Tom down for recording sessions ahead of the 1995 film's release, they came up with a cunning plan. 

'Tom's schedule was crazy busy, so they reached out to me,' Jim explained. 'I had been doing voiceover for a while, and I guess everybody knew that I sounded like him!

'They brought me in, and I did the pull string toy classic lines, "you're my favorite deputy" and all that, and I did it pretty well.' 

Since then, Jim has stepped in for several projects, including recording the lines for the Woody toys sold around the world and doing the voiceover work for recordings at global theme parks. 

And it's not just Jim's voice that Tom Hanks fans may recognise, because he's also stood in for his brother during filming projects too. 

While Tom's Oscar-winning role in 1994's Forrest Gump required plenty of running to capture the character's cross-country marathon, it was Jim who recorded the sprints. 

'I was carted off to different locations to do the goofy run,' Jim recalled. 'There was only one location where Tom was with me on set, and that was in Vermont.

'And that was only because there was one shot where he was running towards camera, you could see who he was. But all the other stuff when you can't see his face, it's me!' 

Yet while Jim has appeared in projects as Tom, they've never filmed a scene together, which he said he'd love to do. 

However, directing him would be a whole different matter, as Jim - who has produced, and filmed several short films - rejected the idea of ever casting Tom in a project, joking it would be a struggle to get him out of his trailer. 

For now, Jim is happy with just recording Tom's lines. 

However, this week Tom expressed his fear that one day voice actors won't be needed at all for Toy Story and producers will make a new film with AI. 

The Cast Away star explained: 'Every word we have ever recorded in time in Toy Story is on digital media somewhere, so they could put together anything they would want... it's a scary thought.'

It's a fear that Jim shares, yet he's confident that it won't become reality anytime soon. 

'I worry how many people could be out of a job, but at this point, I think AI voices are just not up to snuff. They just can't quite read things right, and I hope it stays that way. 

'I'm hoping that there'll always be room for people to want to hear a real voice, because there's something missing in AI voice, but knows, 10 years from now. 

'You hear about all this deep fake stuff and everything. It is scary to think what could happen in a few years.'

It's certainly not what either Hanks brother will want to become reality anytime soon, given there have been calls for a Toy Story 6 following the rave reviews for the fifth film.

While Jim explained he wasn't aware of any plans to continue the franchise, he mused that after Toy Story 5 dealt with the threat electronic tablets have had on the toy industry, a sixth film could deal with the threat of AI, should it continue to develop.

Jim is continuing to champion children playing with toys rather than tablets, through partnering with ODEON for their Play Them Forward campaign, a nationwide toy donation initiative. 

With nearly half a billion unused toys sitting in UK homes right now, the Play Them Forward initiative encourages families to donate their pre-loved toys across 32 participating ODEON locations.

Jim shared: 'I grew up having toys that I really loved it's a shame that they just kind of stopped getting the love that they deserve. So it's great to pass them on, and some little guy or girl will continue to love them. 

'I love the idea. It's kind of like in Toy Story, where Andy hands his toys onto [younger sister] Bonnie! 

'These toys get a new life and that's great. Let's not just toss them out.'

Families visiting participating ODEON cinema locations on 27 and 28 June 2026 are invited to donate a pre-loved toy in good condition at a collection point in the cinema foyer. 

 All toys are collected, assessed and given a second life through a network of approved delivery partners.