Favorite Fictional Females Countdown # 6: Jessie

"You never forget kids like Emily or Andy... but they forget you." - Jessie

For Your Listening Pleasure: "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" by Emmylou Harris, and "When She Loved Me," by Sarah MacLachlan, to celebrate fabulous female number six - Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl!

Name: Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl (or just Jessie)
Featured in: Toy Story 2 (and, coming in 2010, Toy Story 3!)
Voiced by: Joan Cusack
Special Skills: She's the only Pixar character (and only Disney animated character that I know of) that can yodel, she can more than hold her own in hand-to-hand fighting (she would have beaten Woody even if he'd had both his arms), and she has a strong sense of duty when it comes to "critters" who need help.
Awards: Jessie won the Patsy Montana Entertainer Award from the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, and Joan Cusack won the Annie (Animation) Award for Best Voice Acting by a Female in a Feature Film.
Why She Rocks: Jessie was the first in a memorable line of strong female characters to come from Pixar Animation Studios. Thanks to prompting and suggestions from the movie's female producers and from Joan Cusack herself, the Toy Story series changed from a mostly male affair to a story featuring a strong female in a prominent role. Jessie is a smart, sassy woman who is not afraid to speak her mind or stand up for herself, even against Woody. She's also quite active, full of life, and ready to take full advantage of the chance to stretch her legs outside of her cramped storage box. However, behind Jessie's exuberant and playful demeanor is the broken and wary heart of a toy whose beloved child (a girl named Emily) outgrew her and carelessly gave her away. Indeed, it is Jessie's story that gives Toy Story 2 its heart and its emotional core, providing an insight not only into Jessie's past but also into Woody's greatest fear - that he will one day be cast aside by Andy. Happily, Jessie finds a new home with Andy and all of Andy's toys at the end of the movie and is finally part of a loving family again - and she catches the attention of Buzz Lightyear, who becomes a bit smitten with our girl. Of course, the best Jessie moment in the movie comes at the film's climax, when Jessie and Woody are escaping from the plane. Jessie, in true strong female fashion, saves Woody from falling to a crushing death beneath the wheels by grabbing his arm just as he slips. This part of the scene was, in fact, influenced by Joan Cusack. Originally, Jessie was slated to be the one who slipped from the beam and was caught by Woody, but Cusack suggested they reverse it, not only to show Jessie as a stronger character but also to keep the scene from being too "typical" (way to go Joan!) Jessie also shows strength in her ability to take the (literal) "leap of faith" necessary to trust Woody and let go of the plane, allowing her and Woody to swing to safety.

Woody: Jessie! Let go of the plane!
Jessie: What, are you crazy!?
Woody: Just pretend its the final episode of "Woody's Roundup!"
Jessie: But it was canceled! We never saw if you made it!
Woody: Then let's find out together!
(Jessie looks at Woody for a moment, then lets go of the plane. With a yell, the two swing through the air and land to safety on Bullseye's back)

Check out Pixar's character description here.

Here's a video of "When She Loved Me," the heart-wrenching, Oscar-nominated song that relates Jessie's time with Emily:


And, just for fun, a song for the cowgirl who has some sad memories in her past: