Tim Allen, who voices the Buzz Lightyear character in the immensely successful Toy Story franchise, has teased that the fifth chapter has a "clever story", adding that he is confident about the film's success of the film.
"I just did the first five-hour session for Buzz, probably a week ago. It's really, really weird to get back in it. I can't tell you anything," said the 71-year-old actor in an interview with Collider.
"It's a very, very clever story. 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," he added.
Allen has been a most loyal player in the franchise since the first Toy Story released in 1995. An instant hit with kids and adults alike, it told the story of an amusing band of toys with distinct character traits, led by Sheriff Woody, a classic cowboy doll, and Buzz Lightyear, a futuristic spaceman.
Woody is voiced by Tom Hanks in the movies, including Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), Toy Story 4 (2019), and the 2022 spin-off film Lightyear.
Allen said he has been fortunate to play Buzz Lightyear continuously, an opportunity for which he is grateful.
Sharing more on the new film's progress, he says: "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."
Pixar Animation Studios is backing Toy Story 5, with Andrew Stanton handling writing and directing duties. He collaborated as a writer on the previous four films.
The studio has set a US release date as June 19, 2026.
