Tim Allen was told 'Buzz sounds a little old' in Toy Story 5 recording: 'I didn't know how to tak...

&34;I had to learn the process of warming up,&34; the 73yearold says. Tim Allen was told 'Buzz sounds a little old' in Toy Story 5 recording: 'I didn't know how to take that' &34;I had to learn the process of warming up,&34; the 73yearold says. By Nick Romano :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/NicholasRomanoauthorphotoadc9b60763e34711935cbf7b3d768d24.jpg) Nick Romano Nick Romano is a senior editor at with 15 years of journalism experience covering entertainment. His work previously appeared in Vanity Fair, Vulture, IGN, and more. EW's editorial guidelines June 16, 2026 12:00 p.m.

"I had to learn the process of warming up," the 73-year-old says.

Tim Allen was told 'Buzz sounds a little old' in Toy Story 5 recording: 'I didn't know how to take that'

"I had to learn the process of warming up," the 73-year-old says.

By Nick Romano

Nick Romano

Nick Romano is a senior editor at ** with 15 years of journalism experience covering entertainment. His work previously appeared in Vanity Fair, Vulture, IGN, and more.

EW's editorial guidelines

June 16, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET

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Buzz Lightyear and Woody in 'Toy Story 5'. Credit:

- Tim Allen received an unexpected note when he came back to record Buzz for *Toy Story 5*.

- "I didn't know how to take that," he says of being told, "Buzz sounds a little old."

- "I had to learn the process of warming up," Allen says of getting paired with a voice coach.

It's been more than 30 years since Tim Allen first recorded the role of Buzz Lightyear in Pixar's *Toy Story*, and there was one moment returning for the fifth movie where he felt it.

In an interview with costar Tom Hanks for **'s mini *Toy Story* reunion, Allen shared the unexpected note he received when he got back into the recording booth for *Toy Story 5*.

"Early on when we did this first radio plug for this one, *T5*, in a nice way some of the engineers were going, 'Buzz sounds a little old,' and I didn't know how to take that," Allen says. "So I got together with a voice coach from New York City Opera [that] they put me with. She said, 'You're not old. Don't get that in your head. You do have to warm up at your age. You can't just get right into [it].'"

Tim Allen at the 'Toy Story 5' premiere in Los Angeles.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Allen was 42 when *Toy Story* opened in theaters as the first entirely computer-generated animated film. He's now 73 as the fifth movie is about to open on Friday.

The actor, known for *Home Improvement* and *Last Man Standing*, notes the "very specific modulation" of playing Buzz. "It doesn't seem very different than the one I'm speaking in, and there were some vocal exercises," he says.

'Toy Story 5' faces tech age as a Pixar legend comes full circle (exclusive)

Pixar's Andrew Stanton reveals details of his conversation with Tim Allen about 'Lightyear' feedback (exclusive)

"I don't know why. Maybe it's because I'm 900 years old now," he adds. "And with some vocal exercises that opera singers do, Broadway people — that's a lot of exercise, so I had to learn the process of warming up."

"I have to get out of my neck and come from the diaphragm," Hanks says, "'cause that's [shouts] *all Woody does*!"

*Toy Story 5*, directed by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton (*WALL-E*, *Finding Nemo*), is a film about the arrival of tech into the household and that fragile age when kids realize it's no longer considered cool to play with toys.

Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) is now 8 years old and the only kid on her block still playing with toys. Everyone else has a smart device known as a Lilypad. When Bonnie's parents get one for her (voiced by Greta Lee), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and the gang must figure out how to get rid of her before they become obsolete.

Watch EW's full interview with Allen and Hanks in the video above.

- Animated Movies

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Animated"

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Source: Animated

Published: June 16, 2026 at 09:38PM on Source: PRIME TIME

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