Toy Story 5 is on the way, and Disney has finally revealed why Woody is returning in the upcoming Pixar sequel. The status of Woody has been one of the biggest questions throughout Toy Story 5‘s development, as the Tom Hanks character left the gang at the end of Toy Story 4. However, Woody is back now in Toy Story 5, and the movie has already added an explanation.

As part of an exclusive presentation that ScreenRant attended in New York City earlier this month along with other media outlets, Disney gave a preview of the upcoming slate of Pixar films. Toy Story 5 was a major topic, with some story details being shared. The upcoming film will be about toys vs. technology, with Bonnie getting a Lily Pad that acts as the antagonist of the film. The Lily Pad wants to separate Bonnie from her toys, wanting to make her more social. Jesse, who is now in charge of Bonnie’s toys, decides that they need help, leading her to ask Woody to come back. Pixar also shared concept art, which can be seen below.

What Woody’s Return Means For Toy Story 5

& What It Means For Jesse

Toy Story 5‘s Woody return is a big deal, as it means that Jesse thinks only he can solve the problems that the Lily Pad is creating. Woody’s knowledge of Bonnie or simply his history of being a leader of the toys could contribute to this. The preview also revealed that it has been a while since Woody has seen the rest of the toys. Upon his return, Woody is once again ʙuттing heads with Buzz Lightyear, while Ham, Rex, Slinky, and Mr. Potato Head look on.

Woody’s return also reveals the interesting fact that Jesse took his place. Many Toy Story fans ᴀssumed that Buzz would be the natural next leader of the toys. However, Jesse stepped in instead, with her being the one who decided to bring back Woody. While it has not yet been revealed why Jesse took the reins from Woody instead of Buzz, this will surely be explained when Toy Story 5 is finally released.

Our Take On Woody’s Return In Toy Story 5

Our Biggest Worry Has Been Releived

The reasoning for Woody’s return has always been one of the biggest worries about Toy Story 5‘s story, so it is nice that this detail has finally been revealed so far ahead of time. However, it does raise some other questions. It still isn’t known why Jesse thinks that Woody is needed to solve the Lily Pad issue. It also isn’t known how Jesse gets to Woody to ask him for help, or what he has been up to since the ending of Toy Story 4. However, it will be nice to finally see him back in Toy Story 5.