Continuing our summer Disney movie series I am going to share about three press conferences I attended during the Toy Story 4 junket. This is part one. You can read part 2 here.

I sat in the same theater room where we screened Toy Story 4 and in walked members of the Toy Story 4 cast, including the iconic Tom Hanks, voice of Woody.

I sat beside a new friend I met that morning. Zack, who writes for D23. We’d been geeking out about Disney news all morning and now here we were within reach of some Disney legends.

The press conference was only about 15 or 20 minutes. I didn’t even try to ask a question because, well after interviewing Oprah and meeting her at the after party, I decided I was just going to sit back and let others have their big moments. I just wanted to be present and soak it in.

I did share some tweets about the news, and snap a few photos for my instagram stories. But mostly I just enjoyed it.

I’m sure a quick google search will take you to all sorts of articles about the press conference and get you a play-by-play of the entire interview. One of my friends wrote a great one. But I wanted to focus on something that stood out from each press conference for me.

During this press conference it was Tom Hanks talking about what Toy Story means to so many of us. I shared this during the press conference and a lot of you responded to this as I did.

“Woody still is this three dimensional emotional bag that kids carry around with them,” Hank said. “What I have truly appreciated is that no matter how old you are now, when you see one of the movies, you’re the same age you were when you saw the first one. And there is not a bump, there’s not a jolt. There’s no nostalgia. Nothing ages poorly. It’s exactly as it was and sort of always will be.”

This is what I tried to explain when I shared my review of Toy Story 4. It took me back to when I was 9 watching the first movie for the first time. Except this time I was beside my almost 9-year-old daughter. And it was as if we were the same age, enjoying a timeless classic.

He went on to say that it’s not just about the stories or the characters, but the emotional bond we form with them all.

“And I have always been dazzled when they have come back and said we’re going to try another one,” Hanks said.

Yes, the creators were bold. They did it again. And this time, arguably better than the others.

Toy Story 4 hits theaters this weekend! June 21st. Go see it then come back and let us know what you think!

Tags: interview, press conference, tom hanks, toy story 4