Tim Allen Says 'Brilliant' “Toy Story 5” Isn't a Cash-Grab: 'I Don’t Really Believe It’s About the Money'

“I’m so blessed to be Buzz Lightyear, to be honest," the actor said of reprising the action figure

Tim Allen is ready for Toy Story 5, and believes you will be, too!

In an interview with Collider to discuss his new sitcom Shifting Gears, the actor, 71, opened up about stepping back into the booth to voice Buzz Lightyear for the franchise’s upcoming installment slated for summer 2026.

“I just did the first five-hour session for Buzz, probably a week ago," Allen said in the interview published Friday, Dec. 27. "It’s really, really weird to get back in it. I can’t tell you anything."

The first film was released in 1995 by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, and explored what toys are up to when the kids who own them aren’t around. 

Related: When Is Toy Story 5 Coming Out? Everything We Know About Woody, Buzz and Jessie’s Next Adventure

Toy Story saw a happy-go-lucky cowboy figurine named Woody (Tom Hanks) have his world shaken when his owner Andy (John Morris) received a cool, brand new action figure by the name of Buzz Lightyear.

Allen reprised the role in Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010) and Toy Story 4 (2019), as well as numerous specials and short films. Chris Evans took over the voice of Buzz in the 2022 spin-off Lightyear, which was not as commercially or critically successful as the main films.

"It’s a very, very clever story,” Allen said of Toy Story 5.

“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.”

The Santa Clause actor went on to praise the writing and storyline.

“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],” he said, adding, “It’s really clever.”

Allen admitted “it was really a struggle to get” in the beginning, as the fourth film five years ago, but “then maybe two hours in, I was doing Buzz.” 

Related: Toy Story 5 First Look: Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the Gang Return for Their 'Next Chapter'

“I’m so blessed to be Buzz Lightyear, to be honest. It’s gonna be fun,” the Home Improvement alum continued. “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, guys. It’s really good."

He also spoke about how the film made him and Hanks, 68, go from costars to friends. 

"With Toy Story 4, when I said, ‘To infinity,’ and Tom said, ‘and beyond,’ it was so emotional for the two of us. We’re real close friends, and I loved that,” Allen confessed. 

During Disney’s D23 expo in August 2024, director Andrew Stanton shared details about what fans can look forward to in the film. 

“In Toy Story 5 the toys’ jobs get exponentially harder when our toy crew goes head to head with what kids are obsessed with today: electronics,” he said at the time.

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Concept art revealed at D23 also showed the gang of toys — such as Jessie the yodeling cowgirl (voiced by different actresses) and Rex (Wallace Shawn) — looking sad as their owner seemed more interested in a tablet, hinting at their emotional yet humorous struggles.

Toy Story 5 is slated for a June 19, 2026 release. All four Toy Story films are available to stream on Disney+.