Tom Hanks and Tim Allen say their Woody-and-Buzz friendship has continued in real life for nearly three decades, with lunch about every three or four months and ongoing phone calls about what makes Toy Story worth returning to.
Tom Hanks and Tim Allen have spent decades bringing Woody and Buzz to life, but the real surprise isn’t what fans hear in the recording booth—it’s what they’ve kept doing off-screen.
During a recent SiriusXM Front Row event hosted by Julia Cunningham. the actors looked back on how their connection started when they first stepped into the studio together for Pixar’s groundbreaking 1995 animated film. Hanks said the friendship at the heart of Woody and Buzz helped spark a genuine bond between the two men.
“We found out that there was wicked importance in the friendship between Woody and Buzz and the stories that were being imagined and brought to us by the Pixar people. ” Hanks said. “So much so. that’s why we sort of started getting together and talking about this and other aspects of life and career.”.
Hanks also shared that the two still make time for one another, even after nearly 30 years of working together. When they get together, he said, it’s usually lunch—and it happens about every three or four months.
“It’s hilarious. When we get together and have lunch—we do it about every three or four months—and people put together that Woody and Buzz are sharing, you know, a club sandwich,” Hanks joked.
He added that fans often can’t help themselves when they recognize them.
“At some point they just come over. ‘I’m sorry, my head just exploded, Woody and Buzz right here.’”
Allen responded with his own playful take, teasing Hanks about what it’s like to see each other in person.
“You’re so much older in person,” Allen joked.
Their friendship is also tied to how they decide to return for more Toy Story movies. Hanks said they don’t automatically sign on the moment Pixar suggests another installment. Instead, the decision comes after conversations where they push for a clear reason to continue.
“Every time they said, ‘Hey, we would like to do another Toy Story movie,’ first of all, they do not have to,” Hanks explained. “No one is saying, ‘Hey, come on, crank out another Toy Story movie.’ They have to come up with it, and they actually have to pass muster with us a little bit already.”
He continued, “[Tim and I] talk about it on the phone. We get together and say, ‘What do you hear? What are the jungle drums that are beating?’ And they sort of have to, you know, prove that there is a reason to be yet another Toy Story film. And they did.”
Allen agreed that the friendship at the center of the franchise is what has always made the movies special.
For fans, the proof is arriving soon. Toy Story 5 will be out in theaters on June 16, 2026.
Tom Hanks Tim Allen Toy Story 5 Woody Buzz Lightyear Pixar SiriusXM Front Row Julia Cunningham Toy Story 1995 friendship