Toy Story 5 Almost Gave Jessie a Different Emotional Ending, Writer Reveals

Toy Story 5 originally had a different emotional ending planned for Jessie. The film’s writer and co-director confirmed this in a book covering the artwork.

Pixar nearly gave Jessie a different ending in Toy Story 5

In the final Toy Story 5 ending, Jessie learned that she had a long-lasting impact on Emily’s life despite the latter outgrowing and eventually donating her. She discovered that her former owner named her firstborn daughter after her to honor their strong bond and once inseparable dynamic.

However, the original conclusion was quite different. As fans had heavily speculated before the movie’s release, Jessie reconnected with an older Emily, who by then had become a grandmother.

In The Art of Toy Story 5, Kenna Harris, who co-wrote and co-directed with Andrew Stanton, revealed, “Emily was now a grandmother and introduced her beloved childhood doll to her grandbaby in a touching climactic sequence” (via SlashFilm). She added that she drew a picture, conceptualizing the “special, nostalgia-filled moment.”

Harris stressed that although Toy Story 5 took a “different direction” for the ending, she and the creatives “always knew” Jessie and Emily’s special bond would be crucial to the plot.

Meanwhile, Tessa Abrams, the movie’s story artist, highlighted the scene showing Jessie learn how much Emily valued her by finding the buried lunchbox under the tire of the tree where they used to play together. “We knew from the beginning that this scene was integral to Jessie’s arc,” she shared. “And therefore would be one of the most difficult to execute. So I felt incredibly grateful that our directors entrusted me with the scene.”

Furthermore, Abrams pointed out how Jessie’s understanding of her time with Emily changed. “[She] defined her time with Emily by how it ended — being forgotten and thrown away, but here, she finally understands that it was worth much more than that.”

Toy Story 5 is currently playing in theaters. It opened to $160 million and has grossed roughly $312 million globally, as of the time of writing (via Box Office Mojo).

Source: Comingsoon.net