Who is the rootinest, tootinest, shootinest, hootinest cowboy around? Sheriff Woody. And don’t you f***ing forget it.
Yeah, we know, that’s not a lyric from “Woody’s Roundup.” It’s not exactly a tagline that has ever applied to the leader of Andy’s toys, either. And it’s definitely not one we expect to see on any posters for Toy Story 5. But it’s the one Woody deserves for starring in a ridiculous new fan mashup. This crossover video sends Pixar’s iconic plaything into Red Dead Redemption 2, and the result is some delightful Old West silliness.
YouTube user eli_handle_b․wav combined the magic of Pixar’s animated world with the violent video game realm of Rockstar Studios to create something that has no business being this good. This shoot ’em up edit (which we first learned about at Boing Boing) sees Woody as a sometimes fearsome, sometimes cowardly gunslinger willing to do what it takes to survive a hostile environment. Whether robbing a train with John Marston, playing dead when a grizzly bear shows up, or throwing down with another ruffian, Woody doesn’t look out of place in the open-world adventure game.
Minus the part where he totally does. He still is just a toy after all. There’s only so much Sheriff Woody can do to blend into normal surroundings. That’s exactly why this video works so well.
We don’t need a character who looks like Woody if he existed in Red Dead Redemption 2. He’d be just another character for us to deal with during our trails. But a giant talking toy who sometimes looks like his limbs are made of jelly? Now that’s a memorable figure we want to meet at a random brothel or tavern.
We do not expect to see Woody at any place like that in Toy Story 5, but after watching this video Pixar might agree with us that it sure is fun to see him do just that.