Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks, who voices Woody in Toy Story 5, has stated that voice actors are capable of winning an Academy Award in the current acting categories. Speaking to Gold Derby, Hanks argued that the judging criteria should focus on whether a performance moved the audience, regardless of whether the actor appears on screen.
Hanks on Voice Acting and Oscars
Hanks explained, “I think they have enough categories. The truth is, a voice actor can win Best Actor. The judgment is, 'any performance that moved you'.” He cited Andy Serkis as a prime example, noting Serkis’s performances in the Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes franchises. “Even though he does not appear as Andy Serkis, he gives all the raw material for it. There's been people who have been close to being nominated that do not appear on camera. That could happen to a pure-vocal actor,” Hanks added.
No Voice Actor Has Won an Acting Oscar
Since the first Academy Awards in 1929, no voice actor has ever won in the acting categories. The Academy introduced the Best Animated Feature category in 2002, while the Best Animated Short Film category dates back to 1932, originally under names like Short Subjects, Cartoons and Short Subjects, Animated Films.
Toy Story Franchise History
Hanks’s comments come as he reprises his role as Woody in Toy Story 5, which premieres in theaters on June 19, over 30 years after the original Toy Story debuted in 1995. The franchise follows a group of toys, including cowboy doll Sheriff Woody and spaceman action figure Buzz Lightyear. The series includes six animated feature films: Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4, the upcoming Toy Story 5, and the spin-off Lightyear.
