The Toy Story franchise has always packed more emotional punch than you’d expect from a bunch of plastic toys. Now, with Pixar’s fifth installment on the horizon, it looks like the studio may finally address a long-standing fan theory connecting Jessie (Joan Cusack) and Andy’s mother (Laurie Metcalf)—one that’s been circulating online for a very long time.
Announced last year, Toy Story 5 (2026) is now in production. The fifth film in the beloved series promises to reunite Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the rest of the gang in a story that pits the toys against the growing presence of technology.
While Disney and Pixar have yet to reveal other plot specifics, one thing was recently made clear: cow girl Jessie will be getting a bigger role in the new film.
Tim Allen, who once again voices Buzz, recently told WIVB that there will be a bigger focus on Jessie this time around. In the interview, the star said, “I can tell you that it’s a lot about Jessie,” adding, “Tom [Hanks] and I do — Woody and I [Buzz Lightyear] — do realign. And there’s an unbelievable opening scene with Buzz Lightyears.
“I can give you that,” he said, “but I can’t give you much more.”
Allen went on to praise the script, calling it “very, very clever,” and emphasizing that the film wasn’t greenlit for money alone. “Had they not come up with a brilliant script, they wouldn’t have done it and they wouldn’t have called me and Tom [Hanks],” he said.
Related: New ‘Toy Story’ Trailer Arrives Ahead of New Film’s 2026 Release
In Toy Story 2 (1999), audiences were introduced to Jessie’s backstory through a heartbreaking montage showing her being abandoned by her first owner, Emily. Eagle-eyed have since pointed out that Andy’s cow boy hat is nearly identical to Jessie’s, rather than Woody’s, who has a different style of cowboy hat altogether.
The theory suggests Emily grew up, kept Jessie in storage, and later became Andy’s mom, gifting her son the hat from her childhood, or at least a match. It certainly holds stock, especially seeing as Andy’s mom has only ever been named Mrs. Davis and nothing more.
While Allen didn’t confirm anything beyond Jessie’s importance in the new film, it’s possible that Pixar is ready to tap into some meaningful theories for longtime fans.
Toy Story 5 is directed by Pixar mainstay Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Finding Dory). Returning voices include Tom Hanks as Woody, Joan Cusack as Jessie, and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear.
The film is set to hit theaters on June 19, 2026.
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