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All Grown Up
With Toy Story 3 released on DVD and Blu-ray this week, FILMINK caught up with John Morris, the voice artist better known as Andy Davis in the Toy Story franchise.
Being only seven years old when he auditioned for the character of Andy Davis in the original Toy Story film, a now 26-year-old John Morris reflects upon the initial audition process. "I still remember it quite clearly and I remember the excitement of it and the anticipation," Morris recalls. "I remember the first day that we started the project, just sitting around with the Pixar creative team and talking about the world of Toy Story and really feeling like we were starting this whole exciting process."
Indeed, the Pixar team conjured up an instant classic which not only signalled a pioneering digital animation film but one whose story strongly resonated with audiences. With the first film made in 1995 and the second in 1999, the third film released earlier this year proved to be just as sharp, witty and full of heart as its predecessors.
While Toy Story 3 sees Andy heading off to college, Morris recalls one of the specific challenges in voicing the boisterous young boy in the first film. "I think the hardest thing for me was voice stamina," he says. "I had a lot of energy as a seven year old but when you have a two or three hour session and you're having these vocal extremes of laughter and yelling - it can be a lot on the voice!"
Having grown up with the character, Morris has developed a special affinity and relationship with Andy over the years. "I think that in approaching Andy, each time I definitely feel like I'm stepping into his shoes," he explains. "That said, I feel like there are a lot of ways in which Andy is an extension of myself - like how I used to play as a kid and how I feel like I have quite a bit of creativity and imagination. In that way recording the final scene for Toy Story 3 with Woody saying goodbye to Andy, and Andy saying goodbye to childhood - I was reflecting on saying goodbye to childhood myself - it was very emotional."
In light of the massive popularity of the three Toy Story films over the years - Toy Story 3 has recently staked the claim of being the highest grossing animated film of all time - Morris goes on to describe the elements that he believes have contributed to this success. "I think in a way people relate to the toys on a much deeper level," he explains, "because I think a lot of the qualities of the toys are actually pretty much human in nature. We relate to Woody and Buzz and all of the characters as we do with family and friends - they become very personal in a way."
Morris is honoured to have been involved with such a loved franchise. "I feel so proud to be a part of it," he smiles. "If you had asked me when I was seven if I thought that this was going to be the outcome, I would have been shocked. It's just been very surreal but in the best possible way."
Toy Story 3 is now available to buy and rent on DVD and Blu-ray. To watch an interview with Morris - which features exclusively on the Blu-ray disc, click here.
