Pixar Explains Decision To Cut Tom Hanks' Woody From 'Toy Story 5'

Pixar Explains Decision To Cut Tom Hanks' Woody From 'Toy Story 5'

Andrew 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-obsess…

Pixar's Andrew Stanton Opens up About Cutting Woody From 'Toy Story 5' : Disney Fanatic

Toy Story 5 will reunite Woody with Buzz Lightyear and the rest of Bonnie's toys, but Pixar nearly took a very different approach to the sequel. According to writer and director Andrew Stanton, the franchise's most iconic character was absent from the earliest draft of the film as the creative team worked through how to continue Woody's story following the events of Toy Story 4. Credit: Pixar The revelation comes as Pixar prepares to return to o…

'Toy Story 5' Update: Why Pixar Scrapped Tom Hanks' Woody

Toy Story 5 brings Woody back into the spotlight, but that wasn’t always the case. That revelation comes as Pixar prepares to reunite the franchise’s most iconic characters for another adventure, seven years after Toy Story 4 appeared to give Woody a definitive farewell. Credit: Pixar The upcoming sequel places Bonnie’s toys in unfamiliar territory. Instead of competing with another toy for a child’s attention, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and…