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Credit: PixarAndrew Stanton, writer and director of Toy Story 5 (2026), has explained the initial decision to scrap Woody from the upcoming sequel.
Toy Story 5 picks up with Bonnie’s toys facing a very modern threat: technology. When Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) becomes absorbed by a brand-new tablet device named Lilypad (Greta Lee), Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and the rest of the gang are forced to confront a tech-obsessed world where toys are no longer the center of playtime.
Of course, anyone who’s seen Toy Story 4 knows that the sequel’s premise poses an immediate problem: Woody was no longer with Bonnie’s toys by the end of Toy Story 4 (2019), having chosen a life on the road with Bo Peep (Annie Potts) after years of defining himself through Andy, Bonnie, and his role as a child’s toy.
Fortunately, Pixar found a way to get around the issue. The Toy Story 5 trailer shows Woody communicating with Jessie via walkie-talkie, suggesting he has stayed in touch with the gang even after leaving Bonnie’s room behind. He’s also shown returning to Bonnie’s room – even if he’s aged during his absence and developed a bald spot.
But as it turns out, that was not always the plan.
Woody Was Originally Cut From ‘Toy Story 5’
Speaking to CinemaBlend, Stanton admitted that Woody was initially missing from the first version of Toy Story 5 because the story had to prove it actually needed him.
“I do admit that I didn’t know how to bring him back at first, and so I just, ’cause I know it’s gonna take so many drafts to get the movie right, I just wrote the first one without him just to see if I missed him,” Stanton said.
The experiment did not last. Stanton said he did miss Woody, which forced the creative team to solve a problem created by Toy Story 4’s ending rather than simply reverse it for nostalgia.
“And, I did,” he continued. “So I said, alright, we’re gonna have to work a little harder and figure out how to make this not just a knee-jerk reaction and make it something that’s earned to make ’em come in.”
Woody’s return could easily have felt like Pixar undoing one of the franchise’s most definitive emotional exits (something fans insist Toy Story 5 does purely by existing, but whether that’s true remains to be seen). Instead, Stanton said the team eventually found a way to make his presence feel necessary to this specific story.
“We finally figured it out and now I can’t imagine it any other way,” he added.
He went on to explain, “My rule is if you take something out, especially a character, would the story be able to happen with or without them? And if it can’t, that means good, that they had to be essential no matter how much, it may not be obvious that they’re the role they’re playing in the movie.”
Woody’s absence was always going to be difficult for Pixar to ignore. Since the original Toy Story debuted in 1995, the cowboy has served as the emotional anchor of the franchise, with each film centering on his evolving relationship with purpose, friendship, and what it means to be loved by a child.
From his initial rivalry with Buzz to his farewell to Andy and eventual departure from Bonnie, many of the series’ most defining moments have been told through Woody’s perspective.
What Do We Know About ‘Toy Story 5’?
Beyond Woody, Toy Story 5 is shaping up to be Jessie’s biggest moment in the franchise yet. Tim Allen previously said the film is “all about Jessie,” with the story reportedly placing her at the center as Bonnie’s relationship with her toys changes.
The cast also includes several other returning franchise favorites, including Forky (Tony Hale), Rex (Wallace Shawn), Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Slinky Dog (Blake Clark, who replaced Jim Varney from Toy Story 3 (2010) onwards), Trixie (Kristen Schaal), Dolly (Bonnie Hunt), Combat Carl (Ernie Hudson), Mr. Pricklepants (John Hopkins, who replaces Timothy Dalton), and Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves).
The film adds television host and comedian Conan O’Brien as Smarty Pants, a toilet-training tech toy. Meanwhile, rapper Bad Bunny has joined the cast as Pizza with Sunglasses and Craig Robinson appears as Atlas, a GPS-themed hippo toy. Alan Cumming will also cameo as an evil version of Bullseye.
LONDON, WE HAVE ARRIVED!
The “TS” Toy Story themed billboard came to the UK with 13 CLOUDS once again 🇬🇧☁️
LONDON, WE HAVE ARRIVED!
The “TS” Toy Story themed billboard came to the UK with 13 CLOUDS once again 🇬🇧☁️ pic.twitter.com/tPXfhSqu7f
— The Taylor Swift Updates (@theTSupdates) May 29, 2026
Recent Taylor Swift rumors have become their own subplot. A cloud-themed countdown on Swift’s website sparked theories that she was connected to the film, though Pixar has since said the ending song is not by Swift.
Since then, billboards have popped up with the initials “TS” (conveniently standing for both “Taylor Swift” and “Toy Story”), accompanied by 13 clouds – a number any fan will tell you is critical to Swiftie lore. The cover of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) has also been updated on Apple Music, replacing seagulls with Toy Story-esque clouds. Notably, 1989 was Taylor Swift’s fifth album – in other words, TS5.
As of now, Pixar has only denied one specific theory: that Swift performs the film’s ending song. Stanton addressed growing fan speculation that Swift had contributed a song to the film in an interview, admitting that Pixar had been surprised by the rumors and said the team would be “frickin’ honored” to work with the singer (via Variety). However, he also appeared to shut down the theory, revealing that the version of the film recently completed by Pixar did not feature a Taylor Swift song over the end credits.
Whether there is another connection will become clear when Toy Story 5 opens in theaters on June 19, 2026.
Are you excited for Toy Story 5?
