Woody Is Balding in Toy Story 5 Trailer—And Yes, You’re Old

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In Toy Story 5, there’s no longer a snake in Woody’s boot—but there is a bald spot on his head.

Pixar released the trailer for the fifth Toy Story movie on February 19th. The trailer shows Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen), and all their toy friends facing a new, major challenge. It also hints that, just like people, toys change over time.

Oh my gosh, you guys, the teaser was EVERYTHING! It started with “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” which instantly made me tear up because it’s Toy Story! And Woody… Woody is BACK! After he left at the end of Toy Story 4 to help those lost toys, I was devastated, but seeing him rejoin the gang… amazing. But then… then he takes off his hat, and… well, he’s got a little bald spot now! It’s so sweet and real, and honestly, it just makes me love him even MORE! It’s like, he’s been through so much, and it shows. I’m already obsessed!

After Woody’s shiny head reflects light and temporarily blinds the toys, Trixie the plastic Triceratops (voiced by Kristen Schaal) quips, “Someone needs a brown marker!”

Later in the trailer, Lilypad (Greta Lee)—the film’s new villain, releasing in theaters on June 19th—teases Woody about his new habit, jokingly asking if he’s “an old man toy.”

Forky (voiced by Tony Hale) decides to explain things to his friend, telling Woody very directly, “She thinks you’re old because you’re bald!”

Honestly, even though Woody’s losing his hair, it’s not going to keep him down! I’m so excited he’s getting back together with Buzz and Jessie – Joan Cusack is amazing, and I can’t wait to see them all together again.

The group works together to prevent Lilypad from introducing Bonnie to technology, hoping to rekindle her passion for playing with toys. Rex, Slinky Dog, Mr. Potato Head, Mrs. Potato Head, Bo Peep, Dolly, and Duke Caboom are all eager to help with this mission.

Buzz explains their purpose is to bring joy to a child, and Jessie emphasizes that Bonnie still needs their help and companionship.

Even after all this time, Buzz and Woody still have a complicated but strong friendship. There’s a scene where they’re hiding under the stairs, planning what to do next, but Buzz won’t take Woody’s suggestions.

“Buzz, you stay here,” Woody says. “I’m going with them.”

Insulted, Buzz ignores Woody’s demand, responding, “You don’t think I can do it.”

Even the other toys notice, as Mr. Potato Head points out at the end of the trailer, saying, “It’s good to see them fighting again.”

Slinky is in full agreement, adding, “It sure is.”

The movie isn’t out until June 19th, but keep reading to discover some fun facts about the world of Toy Story!

The movie Toy Story originally grew out of the short animated film Tin Toy. Tin Toy featured a toy named Tinny who, despite his hesitation, let a baby play with him to stop the baby from crying.

Originally, Tinny was planned as the main character, but the filmmakers felt the toy design looked too old-fashioned. They changed the character into a soldier action figure, and later added the idea of an astronaut as well.

The character’s name went through several changes—it started as Tinny, then became Lunar Larry, and later Tempus From Morph—before the team finally decided on Buzz Lightyear. This final name was inspired by astronaut Buzz Aldrin, as detailed in the 2008 book The Pixar Touch by David A. Price.

Surprisingly, the first version of Woody wasn’t the friendly cowboy we know today. He was originally written as the bad guy – a mean, bullying puppet who mistreated the other toys. As screenwriter Joss Whedon explained to Entertainment Weekly, the initial Woody was a real jerk.

Tom Hanks was always the top pick to be the voice of Woody. Though Tom voiced the character, his brother Jim Hanks has done the voice work for Woody in video games and other related products.

The filmmakers initially wanted Billy Crystal to voice Buzz Lightyear, but he turned down the role. He later admitted it was the one professional decision he regretted.

After Crystal decided not to take the part, several other big names, including Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, and Jim Carrey, were considered. Ultimately, Tim Allen, who was well-known for his popular TV show Home Improvement, got the role. Chase, one of Allen’s comedic influences, was a key factor in the decision.

Since neither Tom Hanks nor Tim Allen had experience with voice acting before, they decided to record their lines as Woody and Buzz together.

Joss Whedon, brought in to improve the weak script for The Avengers, ended up making significant contributions. He not only created the character Rex, but also completely revamped Buzz Lightyear, changing him from a self-aware, happy toy into one who didn’t realize he was a toy.

Joss Whedon, famous for writing strong female characters like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, once pitched an idea to have Barbie save the male leads in the Toy Story movie. However, Mattel, the company that makes Barbie, didn’t approve the idea, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.

Pixar considered making the film a musical, but ultimately decided against it. According to the writer, a musical wouldn’t have worked because the story is about a friendship where the characters struggle to express their feelings. He explained that the film focuses on characters who hide what they truly want, and a big musical number about wanting something just wouldn’t fit. Woody, in particular, wouldn’t be able to believably sing about his desires; he’s too guarded and self-centered to be open and honest. The story is more about the tension and underlying conflict in a friendship, not openly expressed emotions.

When Pixar first began planning a sequel, they originally intended Toy Story 2 to go straight to DVD. This was because most of their animators were already busy working on A Bug’s Life. Surprisingly, the film ended up receiving a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

While making the sequel, the entire film almost disappeared in 1998. A staff member mistakenly pressed a button that began deleting all the files. Luckily, another employee spotted the issue just in time, but about 90% of the film was already gone, and the backup copies couldn’t be located. Fortunately, Galyn Susman, the supervising technical director, had recently been working from home after having a baby and had a backup of the files at her house.

Creating Toy Story 2 was incredibly demanding. A major last-minute rewrite of the movie led to many animators developing carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive stress injuries. In fact, by the time the film was finished, about a third of the Pixar staff had experienced some kind of strain, according to Pixar president Ed Catmull in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Before Disney purchased Pixar, a different version of Toy Story 3 was being developed. In this original storyline, Buzz Lightyear would malfunction, and Andy’s mom would plan to send him back to Taiwan for repairs. It turned out to be a recall, and Woody and the other toys would travel to Taiwan to rescue Buzz and connect with other recalled toys globally. However, when Disney acquired Pixar in 2006 and closed the studio working on this version, the entire plot was scrapped.

After Jim Varney passed away soon after Toy Story 2 came out, Blake Clark stepped in to voice Slinky Dog in Toy Story 3. The producers later shared that they were pleased to discover Varney and Clark had been friends.

Director Lee Unkrich explained that Blake and Jim Varney had been friends for a long time. He said that when Blake records, he perfectly captures the essence of his friend, and has done a fantastic job of continuing the character’s legacy.

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2026-02-21 00:17