Why Would They Change Woody in TOY STORY 5? Director Says …

Published: May 28, 2026

By India McCarty

TOY STORY 5 director and writer Andrew Stanton talked all things TOY STORY, from how Woody has aged to why new character Lilypad isn’t really a villain.

“He has a new purpose of not being devoted to one kid. He’s out in the field and not worrying,” Stanton said of Woody’s new appearance at a recent screening of the movie, per Variety, including a bald spot and some weight gain.

Stanton explained, “The bald spot symbolizes that he’s just worn out from not trying to take care of himself so much anymore — just doing whatever dirty work needed to be done to save a toy.”

He added that the movie’s crew “wanted to make him insanely sun-bleached, but that didn’t make it.”

Tom Hanks, who voices Woody, also weighed in on his character’s physical changes.

“You put a rubber hat on top of a rubber head again and again and again and again, something’s gonna chafe,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “So, yeah, he does have…let’s say a worn area on the back of his head.”

Stanton also touched on Lilypad, a children’s tablet that the rest of the toys face off against in the new movie.

“She is [a villain] to the toys because they’re understandably intimidated,” he explained. “She’s just the next phase in Bonnie’s life. She’s built like a toy in the sense that she wants to help the kid go forward, but she’s got very different skills and zero experience, whereas Jessie has nothing but experience and is probably unprepared for what to do.”

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He continued, “Lots of people at the studio wanted her to be a villain, and it was so hard to strike the balance because I think we all come in with such loaded emotions towards devices. At the end of the day, it never made sense. We’re not getting rid of these devices, no matter how hard we try. I’m always going to have my phone. I’m probably going to be partially addicted to it. So it felt right for the toys to have to grapple with that nuance.”

Greta Lee, who voices Lilypad, told Entertainment Weekly that her character “channel[s] a lot of our own fears and concerns” about technology, especially when it comes to children.

“Playing her was extremely cathartic,” she said. “She’s this thing that has held so much power within my house and has been a very complicated source of consideration.”

TOY STORY 5 premieres June 19.

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