When Buzz Lightyear first uttered the words “To infinity and beyond” way back in 1995, Tim Allen probably didn’t expect that meant he’d still be playing the iconic Pixar character 30 years later.
But that’s exactly how things played out for both the comedian and his co-star Tom Hanks, who are set to return for “Toy Story 5” in June 2026.
Ahead of the premiere of his new ABC sitcom “Shifting Gears,” Allen revealed he has indeed already returned to the recording booth for the fan-favorite Disney character — and picked his favorite film in the franchise in the process.
“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,” he told Collider in an interview out Friday. “It’s really, really weird to get back in it. I can’t tell you anything.”
“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,” Allen elaborated. “It’s really clever. 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 … It’s a really good story, guys. It’s really good.”
In addition to teasing the future installment, the voice actor was also forced to choose a favorite from the existing four films.
“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 answered. “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.’”
“Toy Story 5” is expected to launch into theaters on June 19, 2026.
