10 Underrated Pixar Characters Who Were Feminist Heroines

Jessie's a more conspicuous member of the Toy Story team in several aspects. Once Little Bo Peep goes astray, she becomes the dominant female in the films and she's very active in the most thrilling plot points. Yet Jessie doesn't wrangle up nearly as much praise as Andy's favourite duo.

The red-haired cowgirl faces both physical and emotional struggles her male friends never endure. A poignant montage details her estrangement from former owner Emily. Woody stares open-mouthed at her revelation because he's been Andy's prize possession for years.

Likewise, Buzz is fortunate in the fact that he was a recent purchase who quickly escaped his box on Andy's birthday. Jessie wrestles with claustrophobia since she spent a large amount of time in storage. The way Jessie overcomes her fear of confined spaces, trust issues, and a difficult past should earn her quite a few badges.

In successive Toy Story movies, screenwriters provide Jessie with a better feminist platform. She's the protagonist in Toy Story of Terror and frees Woody in the culmination of that sequel. However, it's worth noting that Jessie's first appearance in Toy Story 2 opened the box for other spirited females to join Pixar's tribe. Jessie was riding horses long before Merida and confronting her crippling inner pain well ahead of Inside Out's Riley.

The fiery forerunner with a pull-string should pull the audience's attention away from her male comrades. In the decades to come, her character's likely to help lasso a long-lasting feminist legacy for Pixar.