Toy Story 5 follows Jessie as she reluctantly returns home to where she lived with her first owner, Emily. After heading back to the tyre swing they'd play together at, Jessie unearths a memory box buried by Emily's daughter, who, it turns out, was named Jessie, in tribute to the cowgirl.
The implication is that Emily might have passed away a long time ago, and Blaze, who later befriends Bonnie, now lives in the house with her family. However, for those of you who were expecting Jessie to be reunited with her former owner, it turns out that was originally planned for the movie's ending.
In The Art of Toy Story 5 book (via The Artbook Collector), it's confirmed that Emily was set to return as a grandmother who introduced her grandchild to the toy she loved so much as a child.
Co-director and writer Kenna Harris explained, "Emily was now a grandmother and introduced her beloved childhood doll to her grandbaby in a touching climactic sequence. I drew this in exploration of that special, nostalgia-filled moment."
"Though the film ultimately went in a different direction, we always knew that Jessie's special connection to Emily would be key to Toy Story 5," she added.
It's common for ideas like this to be left on the cutting room floor, particularly as a movie's story develops. For example, back in 2024, we heard that the army of technologically advanced Buzz Lightyear dolls would be Toy Story 5's primary antagonists.
In related news, Deadline is reporting that Toy Story 5 opened to $312 million at the worldwide box office this weekend. That's the second-best debut—without China—for a Pixar movie since 2024's Inside Out 2 ($384 million).
The movie, which is expected to remain at #1 this weekend despite tough competition from Supergirl, sat in front of Disclosure Day ($35.7 million worldwide second weekend, $160.4 million cume), Obsession ($25.1 million worldwide sixth weekend, $333.2M worldwide cume), and Scary Movie ($15.8 million worldwide third frame, $202 million cume).
"A moving, hilarious, and unmissable addition to the Toy Story franchise," we wrote in our ComicBookMovie.com review, "Toy Story 5 is one of Pixar's most relevant movies and ranks among the studio's best efforts, proving you're never too old to love (these) toys."
You can see what might have been in Toy Story 5 below (via Toonado.com).