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Tom Hanks says he was warned about emotional ending of 'Toy Story 4'

Saying goodbye to Woody, Buzz and the "Toy Story" world was not easy for the Oscar winner.
/ Source: TODAY

Tom Hanks admitted he was warned that recording the ending of "Toy Story 4" was going to be emotional, but still found himself having to turn his back to others while recording the final lines.

The Oscar winner and voice of Woody the cowboy in Pixar's long-running "Toy Story" series spoke with Ellen DeGeneres on her show Wednesday about filming the final moments in the beloved series of movies.

"This is the end of the series and I'd gotten some texts from Tim — Tim Allen, who plays Buzz Lightyear, the astronaut," Hanks said in a preview clip of the interview.

"These texts are saying, 'Have you recorded yet? Have you been in? Have you had a session yet?' I said, 'No, not yet.'

'You haven't seen those last pages?' No, I haven't seen them. 'Wait until you see those last pages. Tough one, tough one.'"

Allen revealed last year that he got choked up while recording "Toy Story 4."

"It is so emotional; it's so funny; it's so big. The idea what they've come up with, I'm startled," Allen told "The Talk" in September last year. "('Toy Story 3') was, I thought, amazing. This, I couldn't even get through the last scene. They've got great characters but a couple of scenes toward the end were really hard to get through."

Hanks broke with his usual protocol of recording his voice-overs while facing the team of creators.

"The last few sessions we were saying goodbye to Woody and Buzz and Bonnie's room and Andy and everybody, and it was emotional,'' Hanks said. "I had to turn my back on them all."

In "Toy Story 4," which hits theaters on June 21, Woody goes on a road trip, where he's reunited with Bo Peep among his adventures.

Even for an actor who has played numerous iconic roles in movies like "Forrest Gump," "Cast Away" and "Saving Private Ryan," he puts the "Toy Story" series right up there with his most famous work.

"It's probably the most rewarding thing I could imagine being a part of because it just has gone on so long,'' he said.

When DeGeneres asked Hanks if the "Toy Story" saga was really done after four films over 24 years, he alluded to her announcement Tuesday that she has signed a three-year extension to continue her show after 16 years on the air.

"Is it over, I don't know,'' Hanks said. "It will live forever, that's one thing about it. I'm looking forward to a possible three-year extension."