1995 'Toy Story' Cast Had to Start Over After '80 Percent' Was Done - Here's Why

When we saw the original Toy Story back in 1995, of course there was sequel potential in the air...

Cut to year 2026, and Toy Story 5 is releasing in theaters this weekend. And it's projected to be another hit.

It certainly helps that critics are singing its praises, with the fifth installment currently sitting at an impressive 94% average critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Here's the sneak-peek synopsis offered by the popular website:

"This time it's Toy meets Tech. Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (voice of Tim Allen), Jessie (voice of Joan Cusack) and the rest of the gang's jobs are challenged when they come face-to-face with Lilypad (voice of Greta Lee), a brand-new tablet device that arrives with her own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie. Will playtime ever be the same?"

As expected, the stars have been out promoting this latest addition to the iconic film franchise. Hanks, 69, recently joined The Rest Is Entertainment podcast as one example, and reflected on the original film - which is now more than 30 years old, believe it or not. He shared a surprising anecdote about the behind-the-scenes process:

"We did about 80% of a movie that they threw out. They put it together and they said, 'There is something intrinsically wrong with the DNA that we started off with,'" the Oscar winner told hosts Marina Hyde and Richard Osman. "And I guess they made a painful call to us all saying, 'Everything you've done, we're going to start all over from scratch.'"

Hanks continued, "And then in out, it came a whole different relationship between Woody and Buzz, and our original characters as well. And I had to give that up to that. That's a pretty bold throw in order to make on something that they just wanted to get right."

Check out the Wednesday, June 17 episode in full below.

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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 5:48 AM.