Tim Allen, who’s reprising his iconic role of Buzz Lightyear in the upcoming Toy Story 5, has revealed he’s begun recording his lines for the Pixar sequel. “Yes, I just did the first five-hour session for Buzz, probably a week ago,” the actor shared in an interview with Collider. “It’s really, really weird to get back in it. I can’t tell you anything.” Allen revealed he’s recorded “up to the third act” and outlined the plan for future recording sessions, which includes providing the filmmakers with additional takes as the movie comes together. While he wasn’t able to share story details, Allen took the time to praise the narrative.
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“It’s a very, very clever story … I don’t really believe it’s about the money,” he said. “I’m sure they want it to be a success, but that’s not why they did it. Had they not come up with a brilliant script, they wouldn’t have done it and they wouldn’t have called me and Tom [Hanks].”
Toy Story 5 was first announced back in February 2023, with Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter promising it will be a “surprising” sequel for audiences. The film, which sees the return of Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the famous gang, is currently scheduled for a June 2026 premiere. Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton, who previously helmed the studio’s acclaimed works Finding Nemo and WALL-E, is directing. While a synopsis has yet to be revealed, Stanton has shared that the narrative involves the main characters dealing with the rise of technology, including tablets, smartphones, and an army of rogue commemorative Buzz Lightyear action figures.
[Related: Toy Story 5 Director & First Trailer Revealed]
Toy Story has been Pixar’s flagship property since the ’90s, with both Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 grossing over $1 billion worldwide. However, the franchise hit a bit of a stumble back in 2022, when spin-off movie Lightyear disappointed. The film, which features Chris Evans voicing the “real” Buzz Lightyear in a somewhat confusing movie-within-a-movie set-up, earned just $226.4 million globally against a $200 million production budget. In the aftermath, Docter admitted Pixar did “a lot of soul-searching” as they tried to figure out what went wrong.
Allen obviously isn’t going to say Toy Story 5 is just a cash grab, but money likely played a role in the movie getting the green light. Lightyear represented a way for Pixar to keep the Toy Story brand alive while branching out from the core series (which seemingly reached a natural endpoint in Toy Story 3 and then again in Toy Story 4). Unfortunately, the experiment didn’t work, so the studio is now pivoting back to the original group of toys viewers know and love. With a prime summer movie release date, the hope is Toy Story 5 can replicate the $1 billion success of its predecessors.
While some are skeptical about Toy Story 5‘s prospects, it is worth pointing out Pixar takes their time between installments; when Toy Story 5 hits theaters, it will have been seven years since the debut of Toy Story 4. That approach suggests the creative team ensures they have a solid story in place before moving forward, which is encouraging. Many were concerned Toy Story 4 would ruin Toy Story 3‘s poignant ending, but it earned widespread positive reviews thanks to a heartfelt tale concerning Woody’s difficulties adjusting to a new life. The premise of an old-school cowboy doll and space ranger action figure squaring off against technology has the potential to craft an engaging narrative about finding your place in an ever-changing world, and also provide humorous social commentary about our relationship with our gadgets. Pixar understands how important it is to get Toy Story 5 “right,” so fingers crossed they add another great chapter to the series.
