Disney could make Toy Story 6 without Tom Hanks, he warns, thanks to its digital vault
Tom Hanks confronts a chilling what-if: could AI sideline him in Toy Story 6? His warning strikes at the future of voice acting and the fate of beloved characters.
Toy Story 5 is raking it in, and the sequel chatter is already getting loud. Tom Hanks hears it all and, in very Tom Hanks fashion, basically says: Disney might not even need him for Toy Story 6. That is equal parts pragmatic and a little unnerving.
Hanks says Disney could make Toy Story 6 without him
Hanks has been Woody since the beginning, through every movie and every press tour smile. But he told Entertainment Weekly that between decades of recordings and modern tech, Pixar could probably build a new Woody performance without him. Not a recast — a recreation.
'Time is undefeated. The question would be whether or not we could cobble together some version of me. Every word we have ever recorded in time in Toy Story is on digital media somewhere, so they could put together anything they would want.'
He is not wrong. The studio has a mountain of his dialogue from four films and countless shorts, specials, and promos. Both he and Tim Allen acknowledged that the idea of being digitally replaced is, yeah, a bit scary.
He saw this coming back on The Polar Express
Hanks has been here before. On The Adam Buxton Podcast, he said the lightbulb went off during The Polar Express, when a huge amount of his facial and performance data was captured and stored. In his words, once your face and voice live as ones and zeros, someone can turn that back into a character. He clocked that possibility long before today’s AI tools made it feel immediate.
Will he do Toy Story 6? Only if the story is worth it
Hanks is not slamming the toy box shut. He is open to coming back — with one very firm condition: it has to be a real story with something to say, not just a brand extension.
'It better be great. You better be examining some theme that is not just dragging it out because people like the title.'
He also made it clear the franchise ’s commercial muscle should not be the reason to make another. Pixar has generally been picky about Toy Story entries, and he wants that bar to stay high. The wild card is how much AI will evolve by the time a sixth film would actually roll cameras (or, you know, render farms).
Meanwhile, Toy Story 5 is a monster hit
The current movie is not exactly hurting for attention. It opened in theaters on June 19 and took off immediately. One clip even teased Woody’s newly thinning hairline, which is funny and also deeply on-brand for this series’ love of midlife toy crises. As for the numbers:
- $312 million worldwide opening weekend (as of June 21)
- Biggest opening in Toy Story franchise history
- Biggest domestic opening of 2026 so far
- Second-biggest 3-day domestic opening ever for an animated film
It is already among 2026’s top earners, sitting at ninth overall for the year and climbing. So yes, a Toy Story 6 conversation is inevitable — and Hanks knows it. Whether that next chapter uses his voice, his AI clone, or waits for a script that actually earns the cowboy’s return is the real plot point to watch.
Where do you land on Hanks’ AI comments — savvy realism or nightmare fuel? Tell me below.