Jessie instantly became a stand-out character in the Toy Story world when she met Woody in the second movie of the series. Introduced as part of a memorabilia collection for the ‘50s TV show Woody’s Roundup along with Bullseye and Stinky Pete, Jessie is loud and enthusiastic but hides a gloomy past rooted in her abandonment by her previous owner.
As the most important character in Toy Story after Woody and Buzz, Jessie made appearances in countless other properties like the Halloween Special Toy Story of Terror! where she steps into the main role, and the video game Disney Infinity.
Who voices Jessie in the Toy Story movies?
Ever since joining Andy’s toy box in Toy Story 2, Jessie was voiced by Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning actress Joan Cusack. The role earned the actress an Annie Award, the most important in animation, for Best Female Voice Acting in a Feature Production.
Cusack reprised the role in both Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4, as well as two of the short films from the 2011 series Toy Story Toons, the aforementioned Toy Story of Terror! and 2014’s Toy Story That Time Forgot. The actress is perhaps best known for her turn as Sheila Jackson in the Showtime dramedy Shameless.
Who else has voiced Jessie?
It’s not actually Joan Cusack singing in that heartbreaking flashback sequence in Toy Story 2 when Jessie tells Woody all about her former life with her previous owner Emily. That voice you hear in the Grammy-winning song is actually Sarah McLachlan’s. The Canadian singer went on to perform it at the Oscars, but despite its Grammy victory in Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media category, McLachlan and iconic Toy Story songwriter Randy Newman didn’t take home the Academy Award. McLachlan has produced a total of nine studio albums, including 1997’s Surfacing and 2014’s Shine On.
In most other instances not previously mentioned, Jessie is voiced by actress Kat Cressida. The experienced voice-over artist lends her abilities to the beloved character in the video game Disney Infinity as well as theme park rides like Toy Story Mania!. Cressida also voiced Dee Dee in Cartoon Networks’ Dexter’s Laboratory.
