Disney UK has released a new Toy Story short just days before Toy Story 5 arrives in theaters. The new short, Jessie Saves the Day, follows a nervous young girl waiting for a foot X-ray. As she looks for comfort, her Mr. Potato Head and Jessie the Cowgirl figures help transform the moment into something less frightening.
Jessie, Mr. Potato Head, and Buzz Lightyear take their own X-rays and place them where the girl can see, turning an anxious hospital experience into one filled with imagination and joy. Watch below:
The short is part of The Magic of Movies, a Disney program that partners with charities to screen films in hospitals, operate mobile movie theaters, and offer Disney+ subscriptions to patients, families, and medical staff.
“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,” said Lee Jury, marketing SVP for The Walt Disney Company EMEA.
“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,” Jury added. “Through initiatives like Disney Movie Moments, we’re delighted to share a little Disney magic with even more families across EMEA.”
Fans can nominate a hospital for the chance to receive support through Disney’s EMEA website.
Jessie Saves the Day is available to watch on YouTube and arrives as Disney and Pixar prepare for the release of Toy Story 5 on Friday, June 19.
The new film brings back Jessie, voiced by Joan Cusack; Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Tim Allen; Woody, voiced by Tom Hanks; and the rest of the toys. This time, the gang faces a new threat to playtime when Bonnie becomes absorbed by a frog-like smart tablet named Lilypad, voiced by Greta Lee.
The film also features a new original song from Taylor Swift, I Knew It, I Knew You, written from Jessie’s perspective. The song was reportedly kept secret from much of the crew, with an internal version of the film shown as a decoy before the reveal.
VFX supervisor Thomas Jordan said during a panel at SXSW London that only a small group knew about the track before it was announced. “Turns out, Taylor Swift is a huge Toy Story fan like many of us,” Jordan said, according to Variety. “She actually saw an early version of the film. She asked to see it before it was finished, wrote the song, and then asked us if we wanted it. And we said, ‘Uh, yes! Yes, we do.’”
Directed by Andrew Stanton, Toy Story 5 continues one of Pixar’s defining franchises more than three decades after the original film changed the future of animation.
With Jessie Saves the Day, Disney is using the characters’ emotional connection with audiences for a different kind of mission: bringing comfort to children and families in hospital settings while building anticipation for the toys’ next big-screen adventure.
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