The Jessie Movie

The Jessie Movie is a 2021 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Owen Laramore Productions, and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Gary Marsh and Roberts Gannaway in their directorial debuts, the film stars Joan Cusack reprising her role as Jessie from the Toy Story franchise, alongside Josh Gad, Danny DeVito, Lupita Nyong'o, Christopher McDonald, Colin Firth, James Cromwell, Jonah Hill, Jon Heder, Jon Hamm, and Dee Bradley Baker. The Jessie Movie is also the second theatrical Owen Laramore film, after Disney In The House.

The film follows the events of Toy Story 3, with Jessie setting out to become brave, with help from a group of new friends to guide her. David Newman composed the film's score. The film was being made when Owen Laramore Productions shut down its direct-to-video division, Owen Laramore Home Video, to focus permanently on theatrically released films.

The film was released theatrically in the United States on July 25, 2021, to largely positive reviews from critics, who praised its music, animation, visual styles, and voice acting. The Jessie Movie was also commercially successful, grossing $499 million on a 156 million budget. The film was nominated for Best Animated Feature, but lost to The Lego Worlds Movie.

Plot
One year after the events of Toy Story 3, Jessie the yodeling cowgirl has always been one of Bonnie's toys. But one day she decides she has had enough of being scared. On a play called "The Fierce Dinosaur", where they have to save the tumbling tower, Jessie, wanting to be brave, angrily destroys the tower and leaves Bonnie's house.

Along the way, she befriends five Chinstrap penguins, a woman warrior named Olivia, a white tiger, an anthropomorphic rhino named Hero Rhino, and the Chinstrap Penguin guru, Fameface. Then they encounter a bank robber named Stan stealing money on a train. Unafraid, Jessie stops the train, gets the money back and Stan retreats.

During the journey, they encounter several misadventures, such as sledding down a mountain, and collecting the Little Pteranodon. As Jessie and the others approach Stan's mine, lava shoots up from underneath the ground, and Hero Rhino barely misses certain death by falling himself and being shot back to safety. The group stops for the night, and Jessie learns that when she's brave, there's nothing she can't do. Jessie is corrupted by a scary dream in which her friends appeared and were all super old and wrinkly.

Meanwhile, Woody, Buzz and the others start to worry about Jessie, so they go out to find her. Upon finding her with her new friends, they think they have brainwashed her and capture them, but Jessie orders them to stop and confesses that she is already brave. Impressed by this, the toys free her team.

Just at that moment, the Great Big Pteranodon arrives and invades the mine. Jessie and the gang use the little Pteranodon as bait to lure the Great Big Pteranodon out of the mine. Fameface and the little Pteranodon are tied onto ropes that Jessie grabs onto. She cannot save them both, so Fameface sacrifices himself, allowing Jessie to rescue the little Pteranodon, and revealing that he was a silver egg on the inside. After the two Pteranodons fly home, Jessie says goodbye to her team and heads back home with her old friends. At a new "The Fierce Dinosaur" play back in Bonnie's house, Jessie saves the day and declares this thing she and all the toys cannot ever forget, "When You're Brave, There's Nothing You Can't Do." Barbie and Ken prepare to go home as the movie ends, and Ken stays to look at the end credits.

Cast
Joan Cusack as Jessie

Josh Gad as Jeremy the chinstrap penguin

Danny DeVito as White Tiger

Lupita Nyong'o as Olivia the warrior

Christopher McDonald as Hero Rhino

Colin Firth as Stan the bank robber

James Cromwell as Fameface the chinstrap penguin guru

Dee Bradley Baker as Rick the chinstrap penguin
 * Dee Bradley Baker also voices the Aliens.

Jonah Hill as Kendall the chinstrap penguin

Jon Heder as Chris the chinstrap penguin

Jon Hamm as Alvin the chinstrap penguin

Jim Hanks as Woody (replacing his brother Tom Hanks)

Corey Burton as Buzz Lightyear (replacing Tim Allen)

Ray Winstone as Mr. Potato Head (replacing the late Don Rickles)

Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head

Wallace Shawn as Rex

John Ratzenberger as Hamm

Blake Clark as Slinky Dog

Frank Welker as Bullseye
 * Welker also voices the Little Pteranodon and The Great Big

Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants

Kristen Schaal as Trixie

Bonnie Hunt as Dolly

Dan Aykroyd as Buttercup (replacing Jeff Garlin)

Jodi Benson as Barbie

Michael Keaton as Ken

Production
On June 23, 2019, Owen Laramore and his fellow filmmakers were having lunch at a cafe, where it was planned, alongside Disney Infinity, The Jungle Book, and Disney Dimensions. On November 27, 2019, it announced the closure of its direct-to-video unit to permanently focus on theatrical films, but at the same time, those four films entered production. The filmmakers set their next film to be about Jessie from the Toy Story films, with Gary Marsh and Roberts Gannaway set to direct.

Casting
In 2020, Joan Cusack said she wanted to reprise the role because she "hasn't played her since Toy Story 4 was released". Later, Josh Gad, Dee Bradley Baker, Jim Broadbent, Jon Heder, and Bobby Cannavale were cast as a group of five Chinstrap penguins that join Jessie on her mission, and Marsh and Gannaways briefly accepted it. Al Roker was considered for the role of the White Tiger, which he later regretted, and Marsh and Gannaway gave the role to Danny DeVito, which he accepted. Lupita Nyong'o was chosen to voice Warrior Olivia because of how suitable her voice was.

For the character Hero Rhino, Laramore tried considering Dick Van Dyke and Patrick Stewart, but those sounded too soft, and Marsh and Gannaway wanted more comedy. Christopher McDonald took the role and explained that his voice sounded very rhino-like. Colin Firth and James Cromwell were cast in January 2021.

Music
The Jessie Movie was the first Owen Laramore film not scored by Mark Mothersbaugh. David Newman composed the score due to Mothersbaugh being too busy with other projects.

Box office
The film grossed $150 million in the United States and Canada, and $349 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $499 million before ending its theatrical run on November 1, 2021.

Critical response
The Jessie Movie received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 100% approval rating. The consensus reads, "Full of dazzling visuals, The Jessie Movie works perfectly". Metacritic signed the film a score of 98 out of 100 based on 45 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".