Cast Away tells the story of Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks), a Federal Express engineer who devotes most of his life to his troubleshooting job. His girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt) is often neglected by his dedication to work, and his compulsive personality suggests a conflicted man. But on Christmas Eve, Chuck proposes marriage to Kelly right before embarking on a large assignment. On the assignment, a plane crash strands Chuck on a remote island, and his fast-paced life is slowed to a crawl, as he is miles removed from any human contact. Finding solace only in a volleyball that he befriends, Chuck must now learn to endure the emotional and physical stress of his new life, unsure of when he may return to the civilization he knew before.

Awards
-58th Golden Globe Awards
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (Tom Hanks)
-6th Critics' Choice Awards
Best Inanimate Object (Wilson)

Nominations
-73rd Academy Awards
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Tom Hanks)
Best Sound Mixing (Randy Thom, Tom Johnson, Dennis S. Sands and William B. Kaplan)
-BAFTA Awards
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Tom Hanks)
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (Tom Hanks)
-2001 MTV Movie Awards
Best On-Screen Team (Tom Hanks and Wilson)

In the film, Wilson the volleyball serves as Chuck Noland's personified friend and only companion during the four years that Noland spends alone on a deserted island.The character was created by screenwriter William Broyles, Jr. While researching for the film, he consulted with professional survival experts, and then chose to deliberately strand himself for one week on an isolated beach in the Sea of Cortez, to force himself to search for water and food, and obtain his own shelter. During this time, a volleyball washed up on shore. This was the inspiration for the film's inanimate companion. From a theatrical point of view, Wilson also serves to realistically imply dialogue in a one-person-only situation.
One of the original volleyball props was sold at auction after release of the film for $18,500 to the ex-CEO of FedEx Office, Ken May. At the time of the film's release, Wilson Sporting Goods launched its own joint promotion centered around the fact that one of its products was "co-starring" with Tom Hanks. Wilson manufactured a volleyball with a reproduction of the bloodied handprint face on one side. It was sold for a limited time during the film's initial release and continues to be offered on the company's website.Additionally, many near-identical replicas of Wilson are available for sale.