Pixar's Live-Action Toy Story Remake Potential Gets Honest Response From Tom Hanks & Tim Allen

Tom Hanks and Tim Allen get candid about a Toy Story live-action remake.

Released in 1995, the original animated film remains one of the most beloved and celebrated Pixar movies of all time, launching a franchise that now consists of four feature films, with Toy Story 5 only weeks away. The franchise’s legendary status has raised questions about the potential for a live-action remake, with the format having proven especially popular at Disney over the past decade.

In a recent interview with Jake’s Takes, Hanks and Allen, who voice Woody and Buzz Lightyear, respectively, express skepticism at the thought of a live-action Toy Story. “How could you actually do that?” Allen asks, prompting agreement from Hanks. Allen then ponders the idea further, citing 2022’s Lightyear as an example of how hard it is to make the Toy Story characters more human-looking:

“They did that version Lightyear where it looked like a human form, but it just didn’t translate well. He’d have to get out of the suit and he’s got clothes on and Buzz’s hair. I don’t know how you’d ever do that.”

Hanks, similarly, struggles to see just how a live-action Toy Story could be pulled off. “Would it be animatronic? I don’t know,” he says, before offering a more concrete response. “It’s a conundrum. It cannot be done.”

Buzz and Woody speed down the road on a remote control car in Toy Story

Disney, which owns Pixar, continues to release live-action remakes of its animated classics at a regular cadence. Just last year, the company released remakes of Snow White and Lilo & Stitch, and those followed movies like Mufasa: The Lion King (2024), The Little Mermaid (2023), and Peter Pan & Wendy (2023). Hanks himself is no stranger to live-action Disney remakes, as he played Geppetto in the disastrous 2022 Pinocchio remake.

Though, critically, Disney’s live-action remakes are often met with lukewarm or mixed reception, they continue to be generally successful in a commercial sense, barring some recent outliers. The live-action Aladdin remake grossed $1.054 billion worldwide, after all, and The Lion King leads the pack at $1.66 billion. Last year, Lilo & Stitch was a big hit, grossing $1.038 billion.

It’s worth noting, however, that while Disney continues to mine its own IP, there have been no live-action remakes of any Pixar films. Lightyear, as Allen suggests, is really the closest thing to a remake the company has done (the film is technically an origin story for the human who inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy), and it was a major box office disappointment.

There will come a point, however, when Disney runs out of its own animated movies to remake. With the Toy Story franchise having grossed over $3.3 billion to date, it’s certainly an attractive property for further expansion. Toy Story 5, which releases June 19, is also projected to be a major success.

If a live-action Toy Story movie does happen, Hanks and Allen certainly raise a number of questions about what exactly such a film would look like and how it would work. Though nothing is in the works just yet, it sounds like audiences shouldn’t expect to see either actor if a live-action film ever does move forward.