Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 5’ Shifts Focus to Jessie, Co-Director Says
10 reported
According to an interview with IndieWire, Pixar's "Toy Story 5" shifts focus from Woody and Buzz to Jessie as the main character, exploring her backstory from "Toy Story 2." The film is co-directed by Kenna Harris, who grew up drawing scenes from "Toy Story 2" and later joined Pixar, directing the "Luca" spinoff short "Ciao Alberto" and serving as story supervisor on "Inside Out 2." Harris told IndieWire that Andrew Stanton approached them with the first draft of the script and offered them the co-director role, which Harris initially thought was a joke. Harris accepted and also asked to contribute to the writing, leading to their first screenwriting credit on a feature film. The film's story involves the encroaching role of technology in children's development and includes a Buzz and Jessie romance, culminating in a toy wedding. Harris stated that the scene where Jessie discovers Emily named her daughter Jessie was developed in the final year of production, after roughly seven or eight screenings with different versions of Jessie's storyline.
What’s reported
Kenna Harris co-directed "Toy Story 5" with Andrew Stanton.
Harris grew up drawing scenes from "Toy Story 2" and later joined Pixar.
Harris directed the "Luca" spinoff short "Ciao Alberto" and served as story supervisor on "Inside Out 2."
Andrew Stanton approached Harris with the first draft of the "Toy Story 5" script and offered the co-director role.
Harris accepted and also contributed to the film's writing, earning their first screenwriting credit on a feature film.
The film shifts focus from Woody and Buzz to Jessie as the main character.
The story explores Jessie's backstory and the encroaching role of technology in children's development.
The film includes a Buzz and Jessie romance and a toy wedding.
The scene where Jessie discovers Emily named her daughter Jessie was developed in the final year of production.
The film had roughly seven or eight screenings with different versions of Jessie's storyline.
Key figures
Kenna Harris, co-director of "Toy Story 5"
Andrew Stanton, director and co-writer of "Toy Story 5"
Steph Waldo, story lead on "Toy Story 5"
Sources: indiewire.com
