The first trailer for Toy Story 5 has arrived and, while there are certainly going to be a lot of fans excited for the fifth film in this toy-centric franchise to hit theaters next summer, some already have a lot of questions based on that simple teaser. Many questions surround Lilypad, who's voiced by Greta Lee and will seemingly play the chief antagonist to the toys. However, a lot of fans are also asking a different question regarding one of the series' most iconic characters.
The teaser trailer for Toy Story 5 doesn’t show much, but it does show all of Bonnie’s toys recoiling in horror at the sight of Lilypad, Bonnie’s new tablet. Most of the characters we see are to be expected, but then at the end, we get a look at the franchise's dynamic duo of both Buzz and Woody. Fans responding to Pixar’s Twitter post of the teaser are widely responding with confusion over Woody's presence:
- I don't understand. The plot is nice, but Woody stayed with Bo because Bonnie didn't love him and never played with him. Now, he'll come back to experience the same scenario. Why does he come back, knowing he won't be loved and won't be played with? - @rayo130433
- How did Woody get back here so fast. Isn’t he on the carnival with Bo in the previous one - @LengkeyLucius
- I don't get it. At the end of Toy Story 4 movie, Woody stays with Bo Peep at that amusement park, literally leaving the rest of the toys. And, now in Toy Story 5 movie, he is back with them? - @asoiaf_266AC
- All the toys looked so horrified. I do question though: what’s Woody doing here? - @inkboy24
- So is it ever gonna be explained how Woody is back with the toys, and doesn’t him being back make Toy Story 4 completely useless? - @turduken21
- Bro, Woody like left. - @DMM_03xx
The fact that Woody would be returning in Toy Story 5 hasn’t been kept a secret. It’s been known since the film was announced that he would be the in the mix and that voice actor Tom Hanks would be returning. That said, certainly not everybody on social media keeps up on the latest movie news so, apparently, not everyone would become aware of Woody's return until seeing the trailer, which can be viewed below:
But, even among those who clearly knew Woody would be back, there's still confusion. Right now, it's assumeed that Bonnie will receive her Lilypad tablet very early in the film if that’s going to be the story’s main conflict. However, this scene would seem to indicate that Woody has already returned to Bonnie's room before that happened. This would seem to imply that either Woody is already back when the film starts, or his return is dealt with within the first few scenes of the movie.
Of course, there are other possibilities. The scenes of characters looking on in horror, or at least the scene of Woody himself doing that, might not actually be part of the Lilypad reveal. It’s even possible these shots aren’t even in the final film and were just made for the trailer as a way to quickly reveal the basic premise of the film, and include Woody’s appearance.
Even if that’s the case, there's still the big question of how Woody will return. In much the same way, fans of the ending of Toy Story 3 felt the existence of Toy Story 4 was unnecessary; fans who appreciated Woody’s ending in the fourth installment are wondering if bringing him back this time around will somehow sully that ending.
We’ll find out what's going on when Toy Story 5 opens in theaters on June 19 amid the 2026 movie schedule. In the meantime, stream the previous installments and more using a Disney+ subscription.
