{"id":147530,"date":"2025-11-22T03:46:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T03:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/147530\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T03:46:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T03:46:07","slug":"toy-storys-andy-30-years-later-meet-the-voice-that-defined-a-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/147530\/","title":{"rendered":"Toy Story\u2019s Andy, 30 years later: Meet the voice that defined a generation"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the end of Toy Story 3<\/a>, a young adult named Andy sits in the grass with a box of toys in his lap. He lifts them out one by one and tells a young girl why each of them mattered to him \u2013 what made them special, and why he held on to them for so long \u2013 before giving them away to her forever. <\/p>\n

For anyone who saw the first film as a child, that moment cut straight through the years. It was the instant we realised we were still Andy \u2013 the young boy whose toys once came to life \u2013 and that growing up didn\u2019t mean losing the child inside us. It meant learning how to let go without forgetting who we were.<\/p>\n

Thirty years ago today, on November 22, 1995, Toy Story introduced the world to that boy. And for John Morris \u2013 who has voiced Andy since he was a child \u2013 the connection to him never really faded.<\/p>\n

During our conversation, Morris lifts the Andy Funko Pop from his desk. \u201cI was so excited when that happened,\u201d he tells The National. After spending years playing a boy whose whole world was toys, this was the first time he\u2019d had one of himself. \u201cHe\u2019s holding Woody and Buzz, and he has the signature red hat. I love that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morris was slightly older than Andy when he recorded the first film. Pixar\u2019s directors guided him through who Andy was meant to be. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey said he\u2019s a good kid with a good heart,\u201d he says. The details were easy to relate to. \u201cHe\u2019s close with his family, especially his mum and his sibling, and he has a dog. I\u2019ve always had dogs. There were certain things I related to and I could draw on.\u201d His task was simple: think younger, stay present, and let that warmth come through. \u201cI tried to bring that out in my voice, stepping into him.”<\/p>\n

Despite voicing one of the most recognisable characters of the past three decades, Morris grew up with a low profile. <\/p>\n

“As a voice actor, you can kind of fly under the radar when you want to,\u201d he says. The only time it came up was when someone picked up on his voice. \u201cUsually someone would say, you sound familiar \u2026 and then it would spread.\u201d <\/p>\n

Most of the time, he was just a kid. \u201cI was playing soccer and going to birthday parties,\u201d he says. \u201cI was proud of it, but I would usually wait for people to bring it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

But as the years passed, he thought he might never return. When Toy Story 3 was going into production, a full decade had passed since the second film. Morris was 25 years old and didn’t expect to be called back to the role that had shaped his career.<\/p>\n

Then director Lee Unkrich called \u2013 a call Morris missed and quickly returned, leaving Unkrich a message. \u201cFrom my voice mail, he knew I could come back and voice Andy,\u201d Morris says, laughing. \u201cThat was my audition, or reaudition.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he returned to the studio, Morris had to find Andy again \u2013 this time coming of age to a similar phase to life as Morris was in himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, Andy\u2019s a teenager. Andy\u2019s 17. What has happened in between? Where is he now? And what does he sound like?\u201d To prepare, he watched the earlier films \u201ca few times, just to get really back in the world\u201d. <\/p>\n

By then, Morris had trained at UCLA. He was a more accomplished actor and, along with the help of the filmmakers, gave new layers to Andy that weren’t there in the first film \u2013 and far more emotional heft.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really felt more like stepping into Andy\u2019s shoes in a more significant way,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

But he knew from the start nothing mattered more than Andy\u2019s goodbye.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had two sessions for the final scene,\u201d Morris says. \u201cLee said we\u2019re going to take our time with this, because it\u2019s really important.\u201d To help him reach the emotion the moment needed, Unkrich gave him one direction: think of a time when you said goodbye to something or someone and knew you wouldn\u2019t see them again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did tap into personal experience,\u201d Morris says. \u201cI was teary when I was recording that. It was incredibly emotional and personal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Viewers felt it too. \u201cI hear that from a lot of people \u2013 that it really touches them emotionally. They cry. It\u2019s cathartic,\u201d he says. \u201cI felt it too.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time Andy drove away to college, the story had shifted. It was now the story of the young girl he’d given his toys to in the grass. It was now time for a new generation. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know the focus now is sort of Bonnie, and Bonnie\u2019s chapter, if you will,\u201d Morris says. Andy\u2019s role had reached its end \u2013 a clean, honest arc that mirrored what older audiences themselves were living.<\/p>\n

What came next for Andy has never been confirmed, and Morris believes Pixar prefers it that way. \u201cIt seems like Pixar doesn\u2019t answer all the questions because they want to leave things open-ended for fans and viewers,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The questions he gets now reflect that blank space. \u201cPeople ask, what did Andy major in college? What did he do after college? Is he a dad?\u201d Morris never pretends to know. \u201cI usually turn it back to them \u2013 what does your imagination tell you?\u201d he says. \u201cThere is a lot of interest there, and I personally have the same questions myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s been following the early details of Toy Story 5<\/a>, which will be released in 2026, and he likes the direction. \u201cI think it\u2019s really smart to look at toys versus tech,\u201d he says. \u201cKids are playing in a different way than we did in the \u201990s and the early 2000s.\u201d The film is also expected to explore Jessie\u2019s backstory. As for Andy, nothing has been announced. \u201cDown the road, we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Thirty years on from the original film, Morris still sees Andy clearly. \u201cAndy is such a creative individual with such a strong imagination,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m curious. I would be curious to see what that looks like in his adulthood.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Morris, the character grew with him. He didn\u2019t just voice Andy \u2013 he returned to him at different points in his own life, discovering something new each time. And for the people who grew up watching him, Andy remains the same reflection he was in 1995: a reminder of the imagination we carried, and the moment we learnt to let go without losing it.<\/p>\n

Andy was us. Thirty years later, he still is.<\/p>\n

Basquiat in Abu Dhabi<\/p>\n

One of Basquiat\u2019s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981\u201382), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It’s something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment.\u00a0Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18)\u00a0the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time.\u00a0It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve invited local resident arists, we\u2019ll have spray cans at the ready,\u201d says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi’s Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat’s Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October<\/p>\n

Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200bNajlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books<\/p>\n

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)<\/p>\n

Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit \u2013 Abu Dhabi<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit \u2013 Abu Dhabi<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome \u2013 Dubai<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit \u2013 Abu Dhabi<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit \u2013 Saudi Arabia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At the end of Toy Story 3, a young adult named Andy sits in the grass with a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":147531,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[98771,156,593,409,111,139,69,1177,427],"class_list":["post-147530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-arts-culture-team","tag-entertainment","tag-film","tag-movies","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-standard","tag-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}