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Will Tom Hanks return as Woody in ‘Toy Story 6’? Oscar winner doesn’t think Disney needs him

Tom Hanks shares the condition on which he will return to 'Toy Story,' adding that Disney might move on even without him.

'Toy Story' has done it again. The movie had a massive global opening weekend of $312 million, which was not only the franchise's personal-best performance but also the biggest film opening of 2026. The blockbuster business is already speculating about 'Toy Story 6.' Tom Hanks, who has played Woody in the franchise since its inception, has a very strong stance when it comes to returning for a sixth adventure. "If you're gonna do another 'Toy Story,' it better be worthwhile," the two-time Oscar winner shared with Entertainment Weekly. "It better be great. You better be examining some theme that is not just dragging it out because people like the title. I mean, it is a huge corporate business without a doubt; I'm not gonna discount that. But unless it's good, new, fresh, there's no reason to do it at all."

The team behind the movie and several actors have the same opinion. It was possibly to maintain the franchise's quality that the group took years to bring each sequel. 'Toy Story 5' comes seven years after 'Toy Story 4.' However, the current situation is a bit different. In this hyper-competitive market, Disney needs trustworthy IPs like 'Toy Story' to maintain its dominance at the box office, especially when Marvel projects are no longer as much of a sure bet as they were years ago. In such a situation, Hanks understands that things might not be in his control. If Disney wants to move forward with 'Toy Story 6,' they have hours of his voice performance as Woody to create a believable performance through AI. They do not need his input.

Hanks has witnessed the technology being used in several of his projects. His 2024 release called 'Here' used real-time generative AI face transformation to de-age him. "Time is undefeated," Hanks shared about the technology. "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." AI has been both a help and a harm for the industry. For actors, it has posed a challenge. Hanks and his long-time co-star Tim Allen called the idea of AI replacing real-time performances "a scary thought" in  'The Adam Buxton Podcast.' The AI situation has similarities with the plot of 'Toy Story 6' where the toys are put up against technology, in a battle for Bonnie's heart.

The development was not surprising for the actors. "The first time we did a movie that had a huge amount of our own data locked in a computer — literally what we looked like — was a movie called 'The Polar Express,'" Hanks shared. "We saw this coming; we saw that there was going to be this ability to take zeros and ones from inside a computer and turn it into a face and a character. That has only grown a billion-fold since then, and we see it everywhere." Hanks understands that the technology has disadvantages, but he wants to take a more positive approach. He wants to use AI to pitch movies where he could play any age, and eventually increase his options. "Anybody can now recreate themselves at any age they are by way of AI or deepfake technology. I could be hit by a bus tomorrow, and that's it, but performances can go on and on and on and on. Outside the understanding of AI and deepfake, there'll be nothing to tell you that it's not me and me alone. And it's going to have some degree of lifelike quality. That's certainly an artistic challenge, but it's also a legal one," he shared. 'Toy Story 5' is currently running in theaters.