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Imagine being 11 years old, standing next to a legendary Hollywood director, and realizing that your one-word line is about to change the entire ending of one of the biggest animated movie franchises in history. That is exactly what happened to Paxton Andrews, the talented young voice actor who plays one of the Jordan twins in the brand-new, highly anticipated movie Toy Story 5.
Even though his character only says a single word at the very end of the film, a simple, casual “Sure,” Paxton’s experience proves a massive lesson for anyone chasing a dream: every single part matters.
Who is Paxton Andrews? Meet the Busy 11-Year-Old Toy Story 5 Paxton Andrews Voice Actor
Before we get into the heavy stuff about Woody, Jessie, and the rest of our favorite toy box heroes, let’s talk about the kid behind the microphone.
At just 11 years old, Paxton Andrews is already building a massive resume in the animation world. You might have already heard his voice without even realizing it! He has lent his vocal talents to:
- Disney’s Robogobo
- Triple Media Film’s animated series Power Pals
- The Museum of Innocence
- Cells at Work!
- Upcoming Project: He is currently wrapping up recordings to play the character Nico in the highly anticipated CoComelon: The Movie.
But landing a role in Pixar’s Toy Story 5 was a whole different ballgame. It might have been one of his smallest roles on paper, but thanks to the incredible team at Pixar, Paxton says he’s never felt like a bigger star.
>>> Read more: Toy Story 5 Trailer
What is Toy Story 5 Actually About? (The Screen Time Battle)
If you haven’t rushed to the movie theaters to see Toy Story 5 yet, you are in for a treat. Co-directed by Kenna Harris and produced by Lindsey Collins, the new film tackles a problem that almost every single modern family can relate to: screen addiction.
The Plot Breakdown: Goodbye Imagination, Hello Lilypad
In Toy Story 5, our favorite kid, Bonnie, is now eight years old. Like a lot of kids her age, socialization doesn’t come easily, and she struggles to make friends. Hoping to help her out, Bonnie’s parents buy her a brand-new, frog-themed tablet named Lilypad.
The goal? Help her connect with kids her age.
The reality? Bonnie becomes completely obsessed with the device.
Before long, Bonnie is glued to her tablet, totally neglecting her classic toys. Jessie, who took over as the official sheriff of Bonnie’s room after Cowboy Woody left in Toy Story 4, is heartbroken. She tries to explain to Lilypad that Bonnie needs real human friends and imagination, not just a digital screen.
In a hilarious and chaotic tech mix-up, Lilypad tries to “fix” the problem by sending a random social media friend request to a classmate named Chelsea. Realizing things are spinning out of control and terrified of losing Bonnie’s love forever, Jessie secretly reaches out to the one guy who always knows what to do: Woody.
Woody makes a dramatic return to Bonnie’s house. Together, the ultimate toy crew goes on a mission to help Bonnie find a real-life friend who values old-school toys, running around outside, and pure imagination over glowing iPad screens.
Enter the Jordan Twins
This is where Paxton Andrews and his scene partner, Hazel Shea, come into play. They portray the Jordan twins, who live right across the street from Bonnie. At the start of the movie, they are the poster children for screen-obsessed kids. They show total disinterest and disdain when Bonnie tries to play with them.
But, because it’s a Pixar movie, we get a beautiful, heartwarming ending. Bonnie and her new friend Blaze finally convince the twins to ditch the tech and join them to play.
“I play one of the Jordan twins who lives across the street from the main character Bonnie,” Paxton explains. “Bonnie doesn’t really have any friends at the start of the movie and really wants to be friends with our characters. By the end of the film, she asks if we want to play and I end the movie with one line: ‘Sure.’”
Inside the Recording Booth: How Director Andrew Stanton Changed the Game
For most voice actors, even adults, the recording process can feel a little lonely. Usually, you stand by yourself in a soundproof room while the director, producers, and audio engineers sit behind a thick layer of glass in a completely separate room. You communicate through headphones, and it can feel a bit disconnected.
But Legendary Pixar director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Finding Dory) wanted things to be completely different for Toy Story 5.
Making a Small Role Feel Like the Lead
Because the Jordan twins represent Bonnie’s ultimate victory over her social anxiety, Andrew Stanton knew those final lines had to hit perfectly. So, he did something Paxton had never experienced before: he jumped right into the recording booth with the kids.
“In my other voice acting roles, when I was recording, everyone else was always in another room or behind a glass window,” Paxton shares. “I’d have to use headphones to listen to them. But this was very different. Andrew was right there with us, and it made the process so much fun and exciting. It made us feel super important.”
By being right there in the room, Stanton broke down the wall between director and actor. He didn’t treat Paxton and Hazel like temporary background voices; he treated them like the emotional anchor of the movie’s finale.
Paxton adds, “Even if you’re the smallest role, it’s still really valuable… I got to work directly with Andrew and he made me feel like I was the lead role.”
Improv, Siblings Rivalry, and Cut “Donut” Jokes
One of the coolest parts of Paxton’s time on Toy Story 5 was that he got to try improvisation (making up lines on the spot) for the very first time.
When Paxton arrived at the studio, he had never met Hazel Shea, the girl playing his twin sister. But instead of letting things feel awkward, Andrew Stanton told them to just go crazy and start riffing off each other to get realistic kid energy.
Instant Sibling Energy
“Our characters are supposed to be riffing on each other, so I just got into it, mocking my sister and teasing her,” Paxton laughs. “We didn’t even know each other. I’d just met Hazel that day and we immediately started trying to embarrass each other. I’d never done anything like that but I wasn’t nervous. Andrew made it feel very natural and I thought it was a really cool experience.”
The Deleted Easter Egg: “Andrew Smells Like Donuts”
When you get creative minds together in a room, hilarious things happen that don’t always make it into the final cut of the film. Paxton revealed that they almost sneaked a hilarious real-life prank into the movie as an Easter egg.
During a moment of improvisation, Andrew Stanton told Paxton to whisper something slightly rude about him to Bonnie’s character.
“We were all just messing around and having as much fun as we could,” says Andrews. “There was even an idea Andrew had about putting a small Easter egg in the film through one of my lines. He told me to say something rude about him so there was a part where I whispered to Bonnie, ‘Andrew smells like donuts.’ But that got cut out.”
Even though the donut line ended up on the cutting room floor, that loose, fun, and experimental environment is exactly what makes Pixar movies feel so genuine.
The Secret History of Pixar’s Natural “Kid Voices”
Pixar actually has a massive, decades-long history of doing whatever it takes to get authentic, real-kid reactions rather than forced, over-rehearsed lines.
The most famous example of this is the character of Boo (voiced by Mary Gibbs) in the 2001 classic Monsters, Inc. Boo didn’t speak in full, perfectly scripted sentences; she cooed, babbled, giggled, and cried like a real toddler. Why? Because she was a real toddler, and the crew had to adapt to her world to get the lines.
The Story Behind Voicing Boo
Nathan Stanton, who spent over 20 years at Pixar working on legendary films like Cars 2 and Finding Nemo (and is now the assistant director at Sunrise Animation Studios), recalled how they cast Boo back in the day.
“It was our friend’s daughter who did the voice of Boo because he was the only friend in our friend group that had a kid,” Nathan shares.
To get those iconic recordings, the crew couldn’t just tell a toddler to read a script. They had to turn the entire studio into a playground. Nathan’s wife, Esther Pearl (a former Pixar crew member and now the CEO of Nell Productions), remembers the chaos fondly:
“I remember we’d all be running around the room with Mary to make her laugh and I’d take things away from her to make her cry.”
Nathan Stanton agrees that this special environment made the studio what it is today: “Those recordings were always a really fun time. Pixar was a company full of a lot of young people who were as interested in creating great friendships as they were in creating great movies.”
Decades later, that same culture of friendship, fun, and respect for young actors is alive and well, as proven by Paxton’s amazing time working on Toy Story 5.
Why Every Small Part Matters: Paxton’s Advice for Aspiring Actors
It’s easy for people to look at a massive Hollywood production and only care about the actors whose names are at the very top of the poster. But just like Jessie’s short flashback scene with her old kid Emily in Toy Story 2 left a massive, permanent emotional scar on millions of viewers, Paxton’s short time in the booth carried immense weight for him.
He hopes that his journey inspires other young creatives, actors, and dreamers who feel like they aren’t getting the “big” roles just yet.
Paxton’s Top 3 Tips for Breaking Into Voice Acting:
- Prioritize Having Fun: Animation is all about bringing imagination to life. If you are having fun in the booth, that energy shines through your voice.
- Embrace Being Silly: Don’t be afraid to make weird noises, improvise, or tease your scene partners. Being completely silly is often the exact thing that catches a director’s ear and lands you the role.
- Don’t Get Discouraged by Rejection: The entertainment industry is tough, and you will hear the word “no” a lot. But Paxton looks at it with incredible maturity.
“If you want to get into voice acting, my biggest advice is to have fun,” says Paxton. “Being silly will probably help you get the role. And don’t get discouraged if, even after the audition, you don’t get the role. Because even getting the audition is a big deal. It’s all practice and it’s all important. No part is too small.“
Toy Story 5 Quick Facts & Cast Overview
To wrap things up, let’s look at a quick snapshot of the incredible team that brought this modern masterpiece to life:
| Role / Position | Name | Known For / Notes |
| Director | Andrew Stanton | Directed Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Finding Dory |
| Co-Director | Kenna Harris | Brought a fresh, modern perspective to the classic franchise |
| Producer | Lindsey Collins | Veteran Pixar producer handling the massive scale of the film |
| The Jordan Twin | Paxton Andrews | Delivers the final, hopeful line of the movie: “Sure” |
| The Twin Sister | Hazel Shea | Partner-in-crime for the booth improvisation sessions |
| Key Toys Returning | Woody, Jessie, Buzz, Bullseye | Navigating a world dominated by modern tablets and tech |
Final Thoughts: The Future of Toys and Kids Looks Bright
At its core, Toy Story 5 isn’t just a movie about plastic action figures coming to life when humans leave the room. It’s a reflection of our world today. It addresses the very real fear that modern technology might be stealing away the magic of a creative childhood.
But through characters like the Jordan twins, Pixar reminds us that all it takes is a little effort, a good friend, and a simple “Sure” to turn off the screens, open up the toy box, and start playing again.
Make sure to catch Toy Story 5 in theaters now to see Paxton, Woody, and the whole gang save playtime once again!
Source: awn
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