The number of sequels that were released and disappointed audiences in 2024 is overwhelming, but Tim Allen swears that the upcoming Toy Story 5 will break the mold — and audiences’ expectations!
The voice behind Buzz Lightyear for the last three decades, Tim Allen has just finished an electrifying five-hour recording session for Toy Story 5, leaving him buzzed up about the sequel. Ahead of his new sitcom Shifting Gears premiere, Allen spoke to Collider and spared time to spill some tea on the return of everyone’s favorite Toys on screen. Though he admitted “It’s really, really weird to get back in it,” after a five-year break, Allen boasted of the script to be “really clever.”
Defending the making of a fifth sequel, Allen took the liberty to speak on behalf of the production, claiming that it’s not money driving the team to make the film but the passion for “a brilliant script.” Given the recent trend in Hollywood to mindlessly continue well-established franchises just because it guarantees money, Allen’s assertion might do well for the publicity of the film.
“It’s a very, very clever story. Do you wanna do five of these? I don’t really believe it’s about the money. 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]. It’s really clever.”
The actor also opened up about the challenge of slipping back into character after such a long hiatus, but he still feels “blessed to be Buzz Lightyear.” As for how much of the work is done yet, Allen revealed that he’s already “gotten up to the third act.” The film is currently set to be released on June 19, 2026, so we’d say he’s right on schedule.
“We’ll do the third act. And then, we’ll go back and clean it. And then, I’ll do it about five more times. It’s a really good story, guys. It’s really good.”
After the recording wraps up, Allen would flaunt five Toy Stories in his resume over thirty long years. So, the next question on the interview script was quite predictable — Which movie is Tim Allen’s personal favorite? That’s a hard enough question for us fans who grew up watching those, so it obviously wasn’t an easy one for Allen to answer, but he gave it his best shot,
“With Toy Story 2 and 3, I’m on a bridge. There’s nothing like Toy Story 1, though. That was such an amazing experience. It’s hard to say. I’d probably give it to Toy Story 3.”
So, Allen finds himself torn between the nostalgic charm of the original Toy Story and the emotional depth of the third film. However, we’re now buzzing with hope that Toy Story 5 will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its predecessors. Toy Story 5 has pretty big shoes to fill since the fourth film didn’t just make a splash — it set a new standard, debuting as the biggest animated film launch ever with a staggering $244.5 million and clinching the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Moreover, both Toy Story 3 and 4 soared past the $1 billion mark at the global box office, so we’re expecting no less from Toy Story 5‘s “clever” story.
