Disney has released a new Toy Story short titled Jessie Saves the Day.
New Toy Story Short
The new Toy Story short, now on YouTube, follows a nervous young girl waiting for a foot X-ray, turning to her Mr. Potato Head and Jessie the Cowgirl figures for comfort. The toys and Buzz Lightyear then take their own X-rays and place them where the girl can see, turning an anxious experience into one filled with joy.
The short is part of The Magic of Movies program, in which Disney collaborates with charities to screen its films in hospitals and provide mobile movie theaters and Disney+ subscriptions, bringing joy, comfort, and hope for patients, their families, and the medical staff caring for them.
Bringing Comfort and Joy
Lee Jury, marketing SVP for The Walt Disney Company EMEA, said, “For generations, audiences have connected with Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and the rest of the Toy Story gang because of the friendship, loyalty and sense of belonging at the heart of their stories.”
“As excitement builds for Toy Story 5, we’re proud to use the power of these much-loved characters to help bring comfort and joy to children who need it most.”
“Through initiatives like Disney Movie Moments, we’re delighted to share a little Disney magic with even more families across EMEA.”
People can nominate a hospital for the chance to receive some magic through the Disney EMEA website.
Toy Story 5
The Toy Story short, Jessie Saves the Day, comes days before Disney Pixar’s Toy Story 5 hits the big screen on June 19th.
The new flick sees Jessie (Joan Cusack), Buzz (Tim Allen), Woody the Cowboy (Tom Hanks), and the rest of the beloved toys under threat as their second owner, Bonnie (Scarlett Spears), gets engrossed with her frog-like tablet Lilypad (Greta Lee).
It features a new original song from Taylor Swift, I Knew It, I Knew You, which is a return to the 36-year-old pop megastar’s “country roots,” and was written from the perspective of Jessie.
Secret Song
During a SXSW London panel on June 5, VFX supervisor Thomas Jordan said a “very small group” knew about the song. It was co-written and co-produced with her 42-year-old longtime collaborator, Jack Antonoff. A “decoy version” of Toy Story 5 was shown to staff, without the song.
According to Variety, Jordan said, “The crew that made Toy Story 5 did not know about this secret until last week.”
He revealed that Swift had approached producers about giving them a song she had written.
Jordan said, “Turns out, Taylor Swift is a huge Toy Story fan like many of us.”
“She actually saw an early version of the film. She requested to see it before it was finished, and she wrote the song and then asked us if we wanted it. And we said, ‘Uh, yes! Yes, we do.’ That was in February, so we’ve had to keep it a secret ever since then.”