Toy Story's Main Character Change & Woody Replacement After 31 Years Has Saved The Franchise's Future

Published Sep 25, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT

Simon Gallagher has worked in movie and TV journalism for more than 17 years. He has written more than 6000 articles and reviews, and edited thousands more. He is an expert in the entertainment industry, particularly in the golden age of screen superheroes. Simon is also a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic.
 

Despite the huge success of the franchise, when Pixar announced Toy Story 5, the reactions online were split between wild enthusiasm and weird cynical. Toy Story 3’s ending had been the perfect crescendo for Andy’s generation, and Toy Story 4’s success was nothing short of miraculous. To bring the team back again after so long with Woody no longer part of the group was just too much for some.

But let’s be honest, Pixar and Disney were never going to let this property sit in a vault; not with the strength of the IP and the box office draw of Woody, Buzz and the other toys. And any brand that Hollywood sniffs billion dollar potential in will return as long as that endures. So Toy Story 5 eventually arrived, exploring the interesting idea of modern technology’s infringement on playtime. And again, the supposedly difficult sell became yet another victory lap.

The key to Toy Story 5’s success, crucially, wasn’t tied to Woody’s sacrifice being undone, or a phoned-in sequel trading on the tried and tested formula. It might have still done a lot of money, admittedly, but renewal of any franchise requires change. And by positioning Jessie as the main character and heart of the story, Toy Story 5 went further than simply justifying its existence to grumpy online commenters.

Woody's Arc Was Done After Toy Story 4

There are lots of major franchises that have held onto characters or ideas past their expiration dates: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator was obviously great, but he delivered diminishing returns by the end. In contrast, the Rocky franchise transforming its own formula and phasing Syllvester Stallone’s iconic character out proved a genius move.

Alongside Buzz Lightyear, Woody has always been the stand-out character in Toy Story: Tom Hanks’ vocal performance is one of the best in animated movie history, and his arc from being anxious toy room protector through to accepting the fleeting nature of life was beautifully captured. But it was also a complete story. His decision to put aside his own ego and assumption that Bonnie couldn’t manage life’s obstacles without him and reunite with Bo Peep as a broader sort of superhero for lost toys was the perfect creative choice.

It was the ultimate realization of his destiny, moving him past serving a single child to helping lost toys and their children everywhere. Finding a way to make him rejoin Bonnie’s toy room for Toy Story 5 and take over the leadership again for another crisis of his own confidence would have been detrimental to that ending. That’s not to say his part in Toy Story 5 isn’t great, of course, but he’s far from the main event, and his arc fits his newly realized role.

Jessie Is The Biggest Reason Toy Story 5 Is So Good

In Woody’s place, Jessie stepped up as the lead character and it was one of the smartest decisions Andrew Stanton and co-writer Kenna Harris could have made for Toy Story 5. As revealed by her heartbreaking debut in Toy Story 2, Jessie had one of the most complex backstories in the franchise, and her development from fear of rejection to finding a home was beautiful.

And it was always clear that Jessie’s trauma was never quite resolved. Even with Bonnie’s commitment to her, her new owner was always going to age out of playing with even her most favorite toys, and the specter of her abandonment was always going to return. Toy Story 5 taking that on head-on, while also exploring how peer pressure almost forced Bonnie to grow up too soon was inspired.

That more modern idea fit very well with the foundations of Jessie’s story set up way back in her first appearance. And her leading the charge against the insidious invasion of smart tech fed right into her vulnerabilities. With Woody, who was never really replaced as traumatically as Jessie was by Emily, the battle with Lilypad would have been a moe conventional “toys vs tech” setup, but Jessie’s story added heart.

Jessie Becoming Toy Story's Main Character Was Also Great For Buzz Lightyear

After he was somewhat sidelined by Toy Story 4, the prospect of Toy Story 5 finding a great story for Buzz without his best friend and sparring partner as heavily involved felt a little iffy. But moving Jessie into the lead role actually had the great side effect of giving him a welcome boost. He was rescued from being comic relief as Jessie’s second in command, while giving him a new dynamic to play off.

Perhaps because Woody had to be more central focus in Toy Story 4 because of his history with Bo Peep, Buzz’s intellect was downgraded to make his arc funnier in the name of balance. That proved an unpopular choice among fans, and Toy Story 5 thankfully reversed it, making him more of a collaborator with Jessie. The script did, admittedly, emphasize his nervousness around his wife-to-be, but it actually worked well and didn’t victimize him.

That redemption was also helped by the introduction of the army of new Buzz’s with higher tech capabilities, particularly with the Zurg pay-off at the end.

Toy Story 6 Should Continue With Jessie As The Main Character (But Still Include Woody)

Now that Toy Story 5 has once again resoundingly proved that there’s more than a little life in the franchise as a box office megapower, Toy Story 6 feels inevitable. Crucially for Pixar, the huge audience who took it past a billion dollars also proved they were willing to follow a new lead. And that offers a clear path for how to continue the franchise.

The worst mistake Pixar could make for another sequel would be going back on the new formula and reverting back to the Woody-centric approach. Jessie still has story to tell, especially as she’s already navigated the integration of tech, while Woody turning his back on his responsibilities with Bo would betray his ending. How will Jessie navigate Bonnie getting older? What if Bonnie gets sick of Buzz now that Jessie’s married to him? These are obviously still existential crises, but why change the excellent Toy Story formula entirely?

Also, none of this means writing Woody out of the lore entirely. He is still a foundational pillar of this world (and a huge merch seller for Disney) and his presence as a sort of roaming elder statesman outside the confines of a traditional bedroom adds a nice dynamic. He can easily remains a key part of the narrative, without having to compromise what made Toy Story 5 so good.

Toy Story 5 is streaming worldwide on Disney+ now.

Toy Story 5