Pixar has a hard earned reputation of making some of cinema's most heartbreaking films. Toy Story shows that they were proving this point right from the beginning.
All spoilers are unmarked per site policy. You Have Been Warned.
- First and foremost is the "I Will Go Sailing No More" sequence, in which Buzz learns that despite everything he believed, he is indeed a toy that can't fly, and Star Command doesn't exist.
- And immediately after, when Buzz tries to defy reality by flying off the stairwell railing. After crashing to the floor, he stares in shock at where his arm popped off at the ball joint, and completely loses all hope.
- Especially the way Randy Newman slowly sings the lyrics towards the end.
- And how the sudden uplift makes you hope that somehow, in spite of him being a toy, Buzz will pull it off. You maybe even think that he will for a moment...
- There's also Randy Newman's much darker first draft on the song, "Plastic Spaceman," which borders on Sanity Slippage.Three little words, and all was gone/These bitter words/"Made in Taiwan."
- There's also Randy Newman's much darker first draft on the song, "Plastic Spaceman," which borders on Sanity Slippage.
- Especially poignant is a line included in the Buzz Lightyear commercial, which is required by U.S law (and most other western countries). If a toy is shown doing something it can't actually do in the ad, they have to put in a disclaimer.''NOT A FLYING TOY!'
- Also, "Strange Things". Woody starts off playing with Andy and then suddenly Buzz is taking his place and Woody is staring around in shock at the way the room, and effectively his whole world, is changing so rapidly around him...
- It's not just Andy either. The other toys start to favor Buzz over Woody, seemingly not acknowledging him. Even Slinky Dog, Woody's right hand man, ditches playing checkers with Woody to hang out with Buzz.
- Bo Peep watching Andy sleep without either of his favorite toys. What really hurts is the fact that Bo and Slinky were the only ones who believed that Woody was innocent (technically, Rex questioned the other toys' judgement of Woody, but still sided with them out of pressure)."Oh Woody. If only you could see how much Andy misses you."
- Slinky's heartbreak when he believes he's just seen undeniable proof that Woody really did kill Buzz (or so he and the other toys think). Slinky was unquestioningly loyal to Woody right up to that point, and he and Bo were the only ones on his side. He looks so betrayed and sad.
- Not to mention, Woody is essentially begging him to just hear out his explanation as to Buzz's severed arm. But Slinky, unable to even look at him at this point, can only respond by closing the blinds to Andy's window, leaving Woody to shout his name in despair: "SLINKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
- The scene where Woody tells Buzz he (Woody) should have been the one strapped to the rocket, not Buzz. The main reason being Buzz is more modern than he is and eventually will replace him as Andy's favorite toy, which is disheartening when considering that kids nowadays prefer stuff that looks cool and flashy whilst eschewing the older, uncool, and obsolete ones simply because they're past their prime and yesteryear’s trend; hence why Buzz at the time is considered the hottest commodity for kids, as revealed in an earlier TV ad. This also ironically brought Buzz down to Earth hard with the fact that, yes, he is indeed another regular toy that cannot do otherworldly things, just as Woody had been attempting to knock on his head many times earlier. Shortly after, Woody looks over to Buzz only to find he is no longer there. The saddened look on Woody's face sets it. Then he hears a noise and finds Buzz pushing the toolbox.
- This scene also hits home for Woody as well, as he finally realizes that his jealousy and insecurities over Buzz have gotten them both into this mess with Sid, and cost him his livelihood, reputation, and essentially all of his friends amongst Andy's toys. In his mind, if he had just let Sid find him and strap him to the rocket like he'd originally planned, perhaps Buzz would have a chance to get back to Andy. That way, at least Andy could have just one of his favorite toys and the rest of his toys could still have a good leader. And Woody himself would've perished alone, possibly forgotten and even still deemed a pariah, but at least he would've gone out knowing he did something to make up for his mistakes.
- When Woody is stuck under the milk crate and tries to get Buzz to help him escape.Woody: Buzz, I can't do this without you. I need your help.
Buzz: (dejected) I can't help. I can't help anyone. - The equally miserable reply to Woody's encouragement over being a toy; "Why would Andy want me?" Not only is Buzz broken about being a mere toy, but doesn't even consider himself one worthy of entertaining the young boy he accompanied days before.Woody: Buzz, you've had a big fall. You must not be thinking clearly!
Buzz: No, Woody. For the first time, I am thinking clearly. You were right all along. I'm not a Space Ranger. I'm just a toy. A stupid, little, insignificant toy.
Woody: Whoa, hey, wait a minute! Being a toy is a lot better than being a Space Ranger.
Buzz: Yeah, right.
Woody: No, it is! (points through the window to Andy's room) Look, over there in that house is a kid who thinks you're the greatest. And it's not because you're a Space Ranger, pal, it's because you're a toy. You are his toy!
Buzz: (Buzz stares at his plastic parts and control panel sticker) But why would Andy want me?
Woody: "Why would Andy want you"...? Look at you! You're a Buzz Lightyear! Any other toy would give up his moving parts just to be you. You've got wings, you glow in the dark, you talk, your helmet does that, that, that whoosh thing! You're a cool toy! (trails off sadly) As a matter of fact, you're too cool. I mean, what chance does a toy like me have against a Buzz Lightyear action figure? All I can do is this... (pulls his Pull String)
Woody's Voice Box: "There's a snake in my boot!"
Woody: Why would Andy ever wanna play with me, when he's got you? I'm the one that should be strapped to that rocket.
- When Scud has Woody by the teeth, he can't get to safety and resigns that he's going to be mauled apart. His last words to Buzz? "Take care of Andy for me!". Thankfully, Buzz makes the safe.
- Sid is not nice to his little sister. It's clear he's always stealing her toys, mutilating them, and rearranging them just to bully Hannah, given how all of her toys appear to be that way. It's just plain cruel. And at the end of the film, Hannah strikes back and starts torturing him with his new fear of toys. Let's hope that this was a phase they eventually grew out of.
- Fridge Horror that leads to a Tear Jerker — right before "I Will Go Sailing No More", while he was being chased by Scud, Buzz sees a man, likely Mr. Phillips, asleep on the recliner and surrounded by empty beer cans. Scud, the terrifying dog from hell, whimpers and reluctantly gives up the chase with Buzz when he sees his master. Combine that with the fact that Sid's door has several locks... is it any wonder that he's so disturbed?
- Sid blowing up the Combat Carl figure, thus marking the one death in the film.
- Slinky, attempting to help Woody and Buzz on RC into the moving van, ends up being pulled so taut he's nearly ripped in two, eventually being unable to hang onto Woody's hand any longer. The others attempt to tend to him in the van, bringing his halves back together while he weakly laments:Slinky: Shoulda... held on... longer...
- This holds up even stronger when you remember that Slinky was the most vocally remorseful when they realized Buzz was alive, and thus they had threw out Woody in the first place for no reason. Slinky really wanted to atone but ultimately couldn't save Woody.
- Upon rewatch, you really can't help but feel bad for Sid's toys. All along they were actually harmless. They even looked hurt when Woody accused them of wanting to eat Buzz. At the very least, Woody goes on to work together with them after realising they’re not as scary as they appear and most likely won’t have to worry of Sid after giving him the scare of a lifetime.
- Minor, but after the van leaves the gas station after Woody and Buzz fall out while fighting, Woody is quite shocked to realize that Andy hasn't noticed:Woody: (disbelieving) D-Doesn't he realize that I'm not there? (gasp) I'M LOST! (falls to his knees; starts to sob) Oh, I'm a lost toy...(cut to overhead view of empty gas station; crickets are chirping)Woody: (sniffles; sobs)
- What’s worse is that Andy and Mom had only returned to the car for a quick moment before driving off. Even if Andy did notice, it’d likely be too late to go back, let alone for him to figure Woody somehow ended up outside the car before they drove off.
- It gets a slight bit more worse; it's implied that, had the truck not began pulling in, Woody would've attacked Buzz right then and there due to a mixture of his lack of reaction and him being what caused him to be separated from Andy:Buzz: (ignoring Woody; opens and talks into his wrist communicator) Buzz Lightyear mission log. The local Sheriff and I seem to be at a huge refueling station of some sort-(cut to Woody, having gotten back to his feet)Woody: (tenses in anger; spins around, eyes wide with fury) YOU!
- When you put the pieces together, you realize something: Slinky is actually the most tragic character in the movie. His friendship with Woody is immense, as he stands up for him whenever the rest of the toys want him out of the house. When Woody shows Buzz's severed arm to the rest of the toys, he's heartbroken at what he's seemed to have done, but even then, he isn't shown to hate him later on in the movie. For example, if you look closely when Woody opens one of the moving boxes, you can see that he's happy to see him. He's also one of the two characters that doesn't help throw Woody out of the van, only staring at them with a puzzled expression on his face. And then, when he tries to help Woody and Buzz by stretching himself towards them and latching onto RC, he eventually slingshots back into the van with his slinky damaged, and yet he only wishes he should've held on longer. In short, it's not hard to sympathize with him.
- Upon being unable to catch up to the moving van, Woody, Buzz and RC Car are distressed of being left behind. Even when Woody realized that he can use the match that Sid left for him to light up the rocket and speed themselves up back to the van, it proved to be pointless as a moving car passes by, causing the flame to burn out on the match before it could even lit the rocket. This nearly drove both Woody and Buzz to fall into further despair, realizing that they will never be reunited with their owner again. Fortunately, Woody soon realizes that Buzz's helmet can redirect sunlight that will make anything burn, so he uses that to successfully lit up the rocket.
