Jessie is the heart of Toy Story 5

Back in 2019, Woody the cowboy handed over his gold star badge to Jessie the cowgirl, a literal and symbolic passing of the torch. Seven years later, Jessie is taking center stage in the fifth installment of the beloved Pixar film series as leader of Bonnie's room, going head to head with the sinister Lilypad, a new technology that hypnotizes the kid from day one.

Toy Story 5 director Andrew Stanton says Jessie became central because, "I just felt she had so much unaddressed, that she had a deep well to draw from," and because, "Woody used to have a deep well but we drew so much from him, I just thought he needed a break." Stanton adds that the team "made a conscious point of passing the badge on from Woody to Jessie at the end of [Toy Story] 4," and that starting the new story there "made sense" — a room run by Jessie is a different era and a different kind of character, one whose insecurities of abandonment surface quickly.

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