Pixar Officially Gives First Ever Look of Jessie’s Original Owner in ‘Toy Story’
Pixar’s five-film journey with Andy’s toys, Bonnie, and everyone in between has always been about more than plastic and stuffing. But for the studio’s upcoming June 19 release, the franchise is making its most direct argument yet about where childhood actually lives in 2026 — and the answer, unfortunately for Woody and Buzz, is on a screen.
Toy Story 5 positions a new character named Lilypad, a tablet-like smart device voiced by Greta Lee (known for her breakout role in Past Lives (2023)), as the central antagonist — not a villain in the traditional sense, but something more insidious: a distraction. Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and the rest of Bonnie’s toy collection find themselves competing for relevance against a gadget that’s frankly better at holding a child’s attention. It’s a conflict that will read as uncomfortably familiar to any parent who has watched a tablet win.
What makes the premise land harder than it might seem is the franchise’s willingness to follow through on its own continuity. After Woody’s exit at the end of Toy Story 4 (2019), Jessie has been quietly positioned as Bonnie’s emotional anchor — and Toy Story 5 appears ready to cash in on that setup. The cowgirl moves to the center of the narrative, giving Joan Cusack one of her most substantial Toy Story showcases yet.
That shift is amplified significantly by a piece of news that dropped this week as well as a new Japanese trailer: Taylor Swift has contributed an original song, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” to the film. The track serves as Jessie’s signature number, designed to give her the kind of defining musical identity Woody and Buzz have long carried. It’s a savvy creative move — aligning one of the world’s biggest pop artists with the character being handed the franchise’s emotional reins.
The Japanese trailer, shared via the official Disney Studios Japan account on X, did something the source material had never managed in nearly three decades: it showed Emily. For anyone who grew up with Toy Story 2 (1999), Emily is the name attached to one of the most affecting sequences in Pixar history, the montage accompanying “When She Loved Me.”
Jessie’s original owner’s face was always kept off-screen, her absence part of what made the sequence sting. The new trailer reframes that moment entirely, presenting Emily for the first time and recontextualizing Jessie’s story heading into the new film.
7/3公開『トイ・ストーリー５』
🌟感動の日本版予告解禁🌟ジェシーの幸せな思い出。
そして訪れる辛い別れと仲間との出会い👢新たな居場所を見つけたジェシーが
ボニーのためにできることとは。「トイ・ストーリー」が描いてきた
おもちゃと人間の絆、その答えがここに💫
その答えに涙する― pic.twitter.com/oDMaNm3a6T— ディズニー・スタジオ（アニメーション）公式 (@DisneyStudioJ_A) June 4, 2026
The Disney Studios Japan post read, in translation: “Jessie’s happy memories. And the painful farewell that arrives, along with encounters with friends. Jessie, who has found a new place to belong, What can she do for Bonnie. The bond between toys and humans that ‘Toy Story‘ has depicted — its answer is here. Shed tears at that answer.”
Behind the camera, Andrew Stanton — who directed Finding Nemo (2003) and WALL-E (2008) — co-writes and directs alongside Kenna Harris, with Lindsey Collins producing. That’s a veteran Pixar configuration, the kind assembled when the studio knows the expectations are high.
And the expectations here are very high. Early industry tracking reported by Deadline projects a domestic opening weekend of approximately $150 million, which would surpass Toy Story 4‘s $120.9 million debut. The ceiling, according to those projections, could stretch toward Incredibles 2 (2018)’s $182.6 million opening — still the record for the largest domestic debut in animated film history.
Context matters: Pixar has rebuilt genuine theatrical momentum. Inside Out 2 (2024) crossed a billion dollars globally. Hoppers (2026) earned widespread critical praise earlier this year. The studio is no longer in the post-pandemic theatrical recovery phase — it’s operating from a position of strength.
Toy Story 5 also exists within a broader Disney strategy that has been paying off. When Bob Iger returned to The Walt Disney Company, he announced a slate of sequels to the studio’s most valuable animated properties — Frozen, Zootopia, and Toy Story among them. Zootopia 2 (2025) went on to become the highest-grossing Disney animated film ever made. Whether Toy Story 5 can match or exceed that performance is the question Burbank will be watching closely when June 19 arrives.
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