Tim Allen has been one of America’s most beloved stand up comedians and actors since the 1990s.
Allen has done it all – stand up specials, hit TV shows, and movies.
And now Tim Allen revealed a surprising secret about his career.
Tim Allen returns for Toy Story 5
In 1995, Pixar premiered the original Toy Story movie.
Toy Story told the tale of how toys were secretly sentient beings that lived their own lives when their human owners weren’t paying attention.
The movie depicted the rivalry – and eventual friendship – between Woody, a pull string cowboy toy played by Tom Hanks, and modern action figure Buzz Lightyear, voices by Tim Allen.
Toy Story struck a chord with audiences, becoming a runaway hit, grossing $394 million on just a $30 million budget.
Three sequels followed, with the most recent hitting theaters in 2019.
Each subsequent Toy Story film grossed more money than the previous installment with the last two sequels topping the billion dollars mark.
In an exclusive interview with Collider, Tim Allen confirmed that he and Hanks are back for a fifth installment in the Toy Story franchise.
“Well, I don’t know what I’m supposed to say. Yes, I just did the first five-hour session for Buzz, probably a week ago,” Allen says. “It’s really, really weird to get back in it. I can’t tell you anything,” Allen stated.
Allen explained that while he couldn’t divulge any plot details, the latest Toy Story sequel existed because it was a good story and not just some corporate cash grab by Disney.
“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,” Allen added.
Allen said the movie would probably premiere sometime in late 2025 or 2026 and that he still had several voiceover sessions to complete to finish off the film.
“It was really a struggle to get, and then maybe two hours in, I was doing Buzz. 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, guys. It’s really good,” Allen continued.
When Collider asked which one of the Toy Story films was his favorite, Allen said they all had merit.
“With Toy Story 4, when I said, ‘To infinity,’ and Tom said, ‘And beyond,’ was so emotional for the two of us. We’re real close friends, and I loved that,” Allen said.
Allen eventually gave the nod to Toy Story 3, which ended on an emotional note as Andy, Buzz Lightyear, and Woody’s original owner, donated his toys to a neighborhood girl named Bonnie as he prepared to leave for college and realized he needed to leave his childhood behind and give his toys to someone who would play with them and appreciate them.
“With Toy Story 2 and 3, I’m on a bridge. There’s nothing like Toy Story 1, though,” Allen concluded. “That was such an amazing experience. It’s hard to say. I’d probably give it to Toy Story 3.”
