"Toy Story 5": Joan Cusack highlights female perspective in film; understand

For actress Joan Cusack, who voices animated cowgirl Jessie in Disney's "Toy Story 5," it was important that the film tell a different kind of story - one centered on the girls' experiences.

"I mean, we're half the population," she told Reuters.

Cusack highlighted the value of stories told from a female perspective, saying they bring a distinct emotional depth.

"Girls' stories are great because they offer a different point of view. If you do it well, there's real emotion in them. I think it's real," added the "Secretary Girl" actress.

Alongside Cusack, franchise veterans Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return as toys Woody and Buzz Lightyear.

In the most recent film in the series, toys face a new threat: the rise of electronic devices, which are increasingly replacing them in children's lives.

At the center of the story is Bonnie, a girl who feels pressured to trade her toys for a high-tech tablet called Lilypad to fit into a critical group at her dance class.

The conflict sets off an emotional journey for Jessie, who supports Bonnie as she questions her own place in a world dominated by technology.

"Toy Story 5," directed by Andrew Stanton and co-written by Stanton and Kenna Harris, is the fifth film in the popular Pixar franchise and a sequel to "Toy Story 4," directed by Josh Cooley.

A franchise is vital to Disney, which relies on the popularity of its stories and characters to attract visitors to its theme parks, sell products and grow audiences for its Disney+ streaming service.

The films in the "Toy Story" series have already grossed around US$3 billion (around R$15.37 billion) at the global box office, according to Rentrak.

30 years of "Toy Story": how the franchise remains current for new generations

Source: CNN