Joan Cusack made her first red carpet appearance in 11 years at the United Kingdom premiere of Toy Story 5 on Thursday at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London.
The upcoming Disney-Pixar animated film introduces a digital tablet that challenges the traditional roles of the classic action figures.
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Cusack, who has voiced the character Jessie since 1999, joined fellow lead cast members Tom Hanks and Tim Allen at the event.
The actor previously stepped away from Hollywood to reside in Chicago, where she operates a local gift shop called Judy Maxwell Home.
Before returning to the public eye for the franchise premiere, Cusack reflected on her family lifestyle choice outside of Los Angeles.
"As my kids would say, 'Chicago is awesome!'
It has rich culture and history, as well as some of the best museums, architecture and restaurants in the world," said Joan Cusack.
"Plus, it prevents our family life from revolving around TV and the movies. In L.
A.
, it's easy to get caught up in what you look like or how much money you have, and those aren't values I want my kids to adopt."
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Plot and New Characters
The fifth installment of the franchise positions the original toys against modern technology when their eight-year-old owner, Bonnie, receives a frog-shaped digital tablet named Lilypad, voiced by Greta Lee.
The plot follows the characters navigating the digital distraction while attempting to regain the attention of their owner.
Lead actor Tom Hanks, who voices Woody, revealed that the upcoming film features an emotionally intense sequence involving a young girl experiencing cyberbullying.
"These movies, they end up speaking [to] and puts in words [and] stuff that everybody is thinking anyway," said Tom Hanks.
"She doesn't understand why," he noted.
"She doesn't know what she did wrong, but it hurts, and that is a very prescient thing to have in a motion picture today about little kids and toys."
The project also introduces several new voice cast members, including Conan O'Brien as Smarty Pants and Alan Cumming as Bullseye.
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The movie is scheduled for theatrical release in the United States on June 19, 2026.
