Sony Pictures Releasing
Tom Hanks believes that the Toy Story series could continue without him, as artificial intelligence could replicate his voice in 30 years time.
The Toy Story franchise has been around since 1995, with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen providing some of the most iconic lines in animated movie history.
2026 marks the release of the fifth Toy Story movie, with sees Buzz and Woody taking on modern toys this time in the form of an iPad parody. The new movie is on track to be the biggest release of the year so far, but Dexerto isn’t quite sold as it lacks the “magic” of previous movies.
There have already been rumblings of a sixth instalment in the franchise as well, with Toy Story 5 writer-director Andrew Stanton wanting to see a ‘perfect’ trilogy for Bonnie, just like they did previously for Andy.
Tom Hanks thinks Toy Story could be made with AI
However, speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Hanks admitted that Toy Story could go on, long into the future, without the need for him to voice Woody anymore.
“Time is undefeated,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “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.”
PixarToy Story 1 and 2 both have 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Hanks also told the San Francisco Chronicle that he ‘worries’ about people being shown something totally AI-generated and not caring too.
“There is a certain type of human element that is required in the contract between the audience and the filmmakers. And if one side of that doesn’t care about that contract…” he said. “I am more worried about the wearing down of the popular taste to where it just doesn’t matter.”
Toy Story 5 review: Woody & Buzz are back, but the magic isn’t
Toy Story 5 is on track to beat the Mario movie for the year’s biggest debut
Oscar winner Guillermo Del Toro also called AI a “natural stupidity” that is creating “cinema illiteracy.”
