Tim Allen says he already recorded the first five-hour session for “Toy Story 5”: 'It's a very clever story'

It looks like Tim Allen and co. are already back in the toy chest for the upcoming Toy Story 5.

The actor revealed in a recent interview with Collider that he already "did the first five-hour session" for his character, space cadet Buzz Lightyear, "probably a week ago." Though he can't say anything about the plot, Allen called it a "very, very clever story."

On expanding the beloved Pixar franchise also starring Tom Hanks in the voice role of Woody the cowboy, Allen said, "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."

Related: Toy Story 4 alternate ending reveals a total 180 for Woody and Bo

"It’s really clever," added Allen. "I’m so blessed to be Buzz Lightyear, to be honest. It’s gonna be fun. I think we’re a year out. I’ve gotten up to the third act. 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. It’s really good."

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The first Toy Story premiered in 1995 and was a box office hit, grossing over $390 million worldwide. It centered on toys that come alive and explored heartwarming themes about growing up, leading to three more sequels and the Buzz Lightyear spin-off Lightyear, released in 2022 as an origin story with Chris Evans voicing the lead role, which actually isn't a toy but an animated human.

Speaking with Extra in 2022, Allen said he didn't reprise his role in that movie because it had no connection to his character — though he was part of discussions very early on. "We talked about this many years ago. It came up in one of the sessions," said Allen. "I said, ‘What a fun movie that would be.’"

Related: Patricia Heaton says Pixar 'castrated' Buzz by not casting Tim Allen in Lightyear

However, "this is a whole new team that really had nothing to do with the first movies," he said. "It's a wonderful story. It just doesn't seem to have any connection to the toy . . . It has no relationship to Buzz. It's just no connection. I wish there was a better connection to it."

Toy Story 5 is slated for a June 19, 2026 theatrical release with franchise vet Andrew Stanton at the helm.

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