Toy Story 5 was almost made… without Woody!

“I wrote the first version without Woody,” admits director Andrew Stanton.

A Toy Story without Woody? Absurd !

And yet, this is exactly what Andrew Stanton attempted to write at the beginning of the development of Toy Story 5.

The Pixar director and screenwriter has just revealed that he had written a first complete version of the film… without the famous cowboy voiced by Tom Hanks. For what ? To check if the saga could really continue without him:

“I wrote the first version without Woody, just to see if I missed him. And I missed him“, explains Andrew Stanton in CinemaBlend.

A fairly radical method, but logical after the end of Toy Story 4which saw Woody leave Buzz and the rest of the gang to start a new life away from children’s rooms. The problem is that even when I tried to construct the story differently, something was clearly not working. As if, without Woody, Toy Story lost a part of his soul. But Stanton also didn’t want to bring it back just for nostalgia or fan service:

“We had to work a little harder to prevent his return from just feeling like an automatic reaction.”

Result: Woody will be at the heart of Toy Story 5. But this time, the character has changed. The film takes place several years after the previous opus and shows an aging Woody. The cowboy now appears with a red poncho, a little rounder, more worn… and above all with a large bald spot in the middle of his head! Yes, Pixar literally decided to make the toy lose its hair… During a screening of the first images of the film in Anaheim (via Variety), Andrew Stanton explained that this development came directly from his new life:

“He found a new purpose. He is no longer devoted to just one child. He lives outside, he doesn’t worry as much anymore.”

His baldness would thus symbolize this harsher and freer existence:

“This bald spot on his head represents the fact that he has become worn down over time, that he no longer really takes care of himself and that he is simply doing the dirty work necessary to help the toys…“

The Pixar teams had also considered going even further into the delirium. Co-director McKenna Harris reveals that a version of the character completely faded by the sun had been imagined before being abandoned.

In the meantime, bald and paunchy Woody is at the heart of the new trailer for Toy Story 5which Pixar has just put online (below).

“Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie and all their companions see their vocation called into question when they find themselves confronted with Lilypad, a connected tablet in the shape of a frog equipped with the latest cutting-edge technologies, which arrives with strong ideas on what should be done for the happiness of young Bonnie. Will her moments of relaxation remain the same?” details the synopsis.

Toy Story 5 is directed by Best Animated Feature Oscar winner Andrew Stanton (Wall-E, Finding Nemo). It is co-directed by Kenna Harris and produced by Lindsey Collins (Red Alert). The legendary Randy Newman, official composer of the films in the saga for 30 years, once again signs the score.

The original voices of Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz L’Eclair), Joan Cusack (Jessie) will also return opposite Greta Lee (Lilypad), Conan O’Brien (Smarty Pants), Tony Hale (Fourchette), John Ratzenberger (Bayonne), Wallace Shawn (Rex), Blake Clark (Zigzag), Jeff Bergman (Monsieur Potato), Anna Vocino (Madame Potato), Annie Potts (Bergere), Bonnie Hunt (Dolly), Melissa Villaseñor (Karen Beverly), John Hopkins (Monsieur Labrosse), Kristen Schaal (Trixor), Ernie Hudson (Carl), Keanu Reeves (Duke Caboom), Craig Robinson (Atlas), Shelby Rabara (Snappy), Scarlett Spears (Bonnie), Mykal-Michelle Harris (Blaze) and Matty Matheson (Dr. Nutcase).

Released on June 17, 2026 in France. Watch the latest trailer for Toy Story 5 below :