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We take a look at the possible reasons behind Jessie’s absence in Toy Story 4 and what this means for the future of the franchise.
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Introduction
In this article, we’ll explore the reasons why Jessie from Toy Story 4 was not included in the movie. We’ll discuss the possibility that she was left out due to creative differences, as well as the theory that the character simply didn’t fit into the story. We’ll also look at some of the fan reaction to Jessie’s absence from the film.
Jessie’s character
Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl is one of the main characters in the “Toy Story” franchise, but she was conspicuously absent from “Toy Story 4.” There are a few possible explanations for Jessie’s absence, but the most likely one is that her character simply wasn’t needed in the fourth movie.
Jessie was introduced in “Toy Story 2” as a supporting character, and she quickly became one of the fan-favorite toys. However, by the time “Toy Story 3” rolled around, Jessie was no longer the focus of the story, and her role was significantly reduced. It’s possible that Pixar decided to cut Jessie from “Toy Story 4” because her character wasn’t as important as it once was.
Another possibility is that Pixar didn’t want to recast Jessie’s voice actor, Joan Cusack. Cusack’s sister, Amy Poehler, took over the role of Bo Peep in “Toy Story 4,” so it’s possible that Pixar didn’t want to have two members of the Cusack family voicing characters in the same movie.
It’s also possible that Jessie simply doesn’t play as big a role in the “Toy Story” universe as she used to. The series has always been about Woody and Buzz Lightyear, and Jessie has always been more of a supporting character. With “Toy Story 4” focusing on Woody’s journey to find his place in the world, it makes sense that Jessie wouldn’t be as prominent as she once was.
The plot of Toy Story 4
Toy Story 4 is a upcoming American 3D computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the fourth installment in the Toy Story franchise, following Toy Story 3 (2010). The film is directed by Josh Cooley (in his feature directorial debut) and written by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, and Lee Unkrich from a story by Stanton. The film stars Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Madeleine McGraw, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves, and Ally Maki.
In the film, the toys are confronted with an existential crisis when their owner Bonnie Anderson creates a removable fork named Forky from one of her school art supplies. But even as Bonnie regards Forky as a toy, he sees himself as trash and would rather return to the dump than be played with. This sends Woody on a road trip adventure with his friends to find Forky and convince him that he is a toy worth loving. Along the way they meet some new friends including Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks), a vintage pull-string doll who has never been loved and longs for a child of her own; Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves), a 1970s Canadian stuntman action figure complete with his own motorcycle; and Carl Reineroceros (CarlReiner), an uptight tyrannosaurus who speaks with a German accent.
The film was originally set to be released on June 21, 2019, but was pushed back to June 21, 2019 due to production delays.
The possible reasons for Jessie’s absence
One possible reason for Jessie’s absence in Toy Story 4 is that the character was not included in the original Toy Story film released in 1995. Jessie was introduced in Toy Story 2, which came out in 1999. The original story plan for Toy Story 4 did not include Jessie or any of the other toys introduced in Toy Story 2.
It’s also possible that the creators of Toy Story 4 wanted to focus more on the original toys from the first film, like Woody and Buzz Lightyear. The fourth movie in a franchise is often seen as a good time to wrap up loose ends and give fans what they want, and it’s possible that the filmmakers felt that Jessie’s story had already been told.
Jessie is a fan-favorite character, so it’s likely that her absence will be addressed in some way in Toy Story 4. Fans will just have to wait and see what explanation is given for why she’s not around when the film hits theaters on June 21, 2019.
The fan reaction
When it was announced that Disney•Pixar would be releasing Toy Story 4, fans were both excited and curious. One of the main questions on everyone’s mind was whether or not Jessie would be returning.
As it turns out, Jessie is not in Toy Story 4. The decision to leave her out was a conscious one made by the filmmakers. In an interview with Collider, director Josh Cooley explained that the focus of the film is on Woody and his relationship with Forky, so they didn’t want to “get in the way” by including too many other characters.
This explanation makes sense, but that hasn’t stoped fans from being disappointed. Some have even started a petition to have Jessie added back into the film. Whether or not this will actually happen remains to be seen, but it’s safe to say that Jessie is dearly missed by many Toy Story fans.
The critical reception
The critical reception of Toy Story 4 was mixed. Some praised the film for its thematic depth, humor, voice acting, animation, and musical score, while others criticized it for being unnecessary and relying too heavily on retreading the themes of the previous films.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an aggregated score of 80% based on 338 reviews with an average rating of 7.33/10. The site’s consensus reads: “Toy Story 4 refuels the franchise with a humorous and heartwarming blast of creativity — albeit one that feels a bit carried away from its solidly grounded roots.” On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film has a score of 77 out of 100 based on 53 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews”. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A” on an A+ to F scale.
The box office performance
Toy Story 4 is a 2019 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film is the fourth installment in the Toy Story franchise and the sequel to the 2010 film Toy Story 3. It was directed by Josh Cooley from a screenplay by Andrew Stanton and Stephany Folsom; the three also served as executive producers.
The plot follows Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the toys as they go on a road trip with Bonnie’s new craft-project-turned-toy, Forky.
While Jessie is not in Toy Story 4, she is mentioned a few times throughout the movie. One of those times is when Woody says “We all we have to do is trust that Bonnie knows what she’s doing,” to which Buzz replies, “I don’t think Bonnie has ever played with a toy before.” This line refers to the fact that Jessie was originally owned by another child named Emily, who grew up and stopped playing with her. Jessie was given away to a charity box, which Woody eventually ended up in too. The other mention of Jessie comes at the end of the movie when Andy’s mom gives Bonnie his old toys to take home with her, and she says “There’s just something about those old toys that kids today don’t seem to like.”
Even though Jessie isn’t featured in Toy Story 4, her character still holds an important place in the hearts of fans – she was one of the breakout stars of Toy Story 2 and her relationship with Woody was one of the many emotional ties that helped make Toy Story 3 so successful at the box office.
Conclusion
While we may never know the real reason why Jessie wasn’t included in Toy Story 4, there are a few possible explanations. It could be that the writers simply didn’t have a good enough story for her, or that they wanted to focus on the other toys instead. Jessie is a beloved character, and it’s understandable that fans would be disappointed not to see her in the latest movie. However, we should remember that Jessie is just a fictional character, and ultimately it’s up to the creators of Toy Story 4 to decide which toys will be included.
