Toy Story 5 Almost Happened Without Woody — Andrew Stanton Explains Why

Here’s a curveball I didn’t have on my 2026 bingo card: the guy steering Toy Story 5 tried writing it without Woody. Yes, that Woody. Bold? Maybe. Necessary? Turns out, kind of.

So... a Toy Story without Woody?

Writer-director Andrew Stanton says his first draft for Toy Story 5 left the cowboy on the sidelines. After Toy Story 4 sent Woody off with Bo Peep and away from Bonnie, it felt like an ending, and Stanton admits he didn’t immediately see a clean way to bring him back. So he stress-tested the idea.

"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."

He missed him. A lot. That draft did its job: it made clear the story still needs Woody at its center. From there, Stanton and the writing team worked out how to reintroduce him. Bottom line: yes, Woody is in Toy Story 5.

Picking up after that Toy Story 4 goodbye

It’s been almost eight years since the last movie, and Toy Story 4 ended with Woody choosing to stay with Bo Peep instead of returning to Bonnie. That felt like goodbye. Toy Story 5 is now answering the obvious follow-up: how do you continue that story without undoing it? Stanton’s no-Woody draft was basically a pressure test to make sure the franchise didn’t lean on the cowboy out of habit. The result: it leans on him because he matters.

Woody looks different this time

In early footage, Woody looks older and a bit heavier, and when he takes off the hat you can spot a bald patch. Fans noticed. Stanton says that was intentional, not a gag for gag’s sake, and it ties to where Woody’s head is at now: he’s not obsessing over keeping himself pristine. He’s been focused on doing the unglamorous work of helping other toys.

As Stanton put it during a press preview in Anaheim, the bald spot is a visual cue that Woody’s worn down in a lived-in way — less polish, more purpose. The idea came out of a riff session about what aging would realistically look like for toys who’ve been through it.

Co-director McKenna Harris added that they even played with a sun-bleached look for Woody at one point. That was one of several older-toy bits that didn’t survive to the final cut, but it shows how far they went in exploring the character’s new phase.

Quick hits

• Stanton wrote the first Toy Story 5 draft without Woody to see if the story still worked — and realized it didn’t, at least not as well.
• Woody returns, now visibly older, a little heavier, and sporting a bald spot after he doffs the hat.
• The look is symbolic: Woody’s stopped fussing over himself and has been busy doing the dirty work to help other toys.
• A sun-bleached version of Woody was considered and then cut, per co-director McKenna Harris.
• The final trailer is out, and Toy Story 5 hits theaters on June 19.
• It’s been nearly eight years since Toy Story 4, which ended with Woody staying with Bo Peep instead of going back to Bonnie.

The takeaway

Stanton tried the unthinkable to make sure they weren’t coasting. The experiment did exactly what it was supposed to do: prove Woody still anchors this world. And now he’s back — a little scuffed, a little older, and still the heartbeat of Toy Story.