JOSH COOLEY
Were there many different versions of the ending?
At first, Woody, Bo and everybody went to Bonnie’s house; it was kind of a reset, but not emotionally satisfying. Then we tried one that was kind of a Casablanca-type ending, but that had issues as well. So we said, “Let’s go for it. Let’s see what happens if Woody and Bo leave.” I would get emotional just talking about it. It worked.
Were there plans to bring back other old characters?
None that had been main characters, like Lotso or The Prospector. We did have Wheezy [from Toy Story 2] in one version. We saw how all the toys that disappeared between 2 and 3 were given away. Woody went to rescue them but Bo said, “You can’t do that. They’re not Andy’s toys any more. This is what happens.”
How was recording Woody and Buzz’s last scene?
Tom [Hanks] and Tim [Allen] didn’t record it together, but they both got very emotional. Tom requested to turn away from the audience of us watching. At first I didn’t realise why that was, but he wanted to be in his own head. We did a lot of takes, as we always do in animation. Though it wasn’t like a Stanley Kubrick number or anything! [laughs]
Which of the deleted scenes were you saddest to lose?
I don’t think it’s on the [home-ent release] but there was this whole thing where Giggle McDimples explained how her old partner, Officer Rib Tickles, got lost in the antique store a week before retirement… the problem was it was too funny – it felt like a set-up for something else.
Which is your favourite Easter egg in the movie?
There’s one shot where you see a statue in the background, and it’s based on the hand of Ed Catmull, the former president of Pixar. He computer-modelled his own hand, which I think made it into The Wrath Of Khan and a couple of other films. So we took that model and made it into a statue… It’s available to buy in the antique store [laughs].
Will we see Woody and Buzz again?
The quick answer is: I have no idea. But in terms of Woody’s story, I feel like it’s been completed. The reason we even went into
TS4 is that we realised, it’s actually more Woody’s story – we can finish his arc. ML