Farewell, Woody...
Moment Subpages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned.
- The official trailer gives a gut punch by using "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys, a song about someone contemplating life without their significant other.God only knows what I'd be without you...
- The intro where Bo is given away to another family. Woody goes after her and tries to save her, but she is fine with it. And Woody would have joined her were it not for Andy desperately looking for him and you can see a sad version of his "dormant" state as he sees the car drive showing how distraught he is about losing Bo seemingly forever. Then, as Andy finds him, his face freezes back into his dormant state’s usual smile, hiding his pain for Andy’s sake.
- Woody is conflicted whether or not he should go back to his owner again, but the trailer's context implies that this time... he won't. And, as the film itself reveals, he indeed does not.
- Bonnie completely forgetting about Woody in the start of the film, affirming that Andy's heartfelt description of the sheriff to her completely flew over her head, due to her still being a young child.
- When Forky escapes from the RV, Bonnie is completely distraught over his disappearance, and yet she doesn't even notice that Woody is also gone.
- Similarly, when she’s finally reunited with Forky and Woody, finding them inside her bag after realising she left it, she completely ignores Woody’s presence.
- Jessie briefly has another panic attack after being put in the closet which Woody has to help her through. Even after years of happily being a child's companion again, her issues of being abandoned by Emily and locked up for years in storage are still there and will likely never fully go away. And of course, this is very much Truth in Television for these kinds of deep-seated psychological issues.
- Seeing Bonnie break down crying on her bedroom floor, her shyness and social anxiety at an all-time spike due to her kindergarten orientation. Especially when her parents tell her that school isn't a place for toys, despite her toys being her only source of comfort.
- Upon catching up to Forky on the side of the road, Woody tries to get it in his head about the importance of being Andy's toy.Woody: Maybe you don't like being [a toy], but you are one nonetheless, which means you are going to be there for Andy when he-
Forky: Who's Andy?
Woody: (dead silence) ...I mean, Bonnie...- This moment hits home hard for both the viewers and Woody because this shows that after the few years they've been apart, Woody still hasn't gotten over Andy after all the years they spent together while Andy and the audience grew up.
- Woody gets Bo's sheep all excited when he says Molly's name. He has to tell them, "No, no, Molly's not here..."
- After failing to rescue Forky the first time, Woody is adamant to try again despite the previous attempt almost killing his friends. Bo Peep calls him out of it, claiming that Woody is trying to save Forky because of his own selfish desire to make Bonnie happy no matter how much danger he puts himself and his friends through. Woody then coldly states that a lost toy like Bo would never know the concept of loyalty that he has for his owner. Bo is understandably devastated by this, and so does Woody when he finally realizes his mistake, but by then it's too late. Everyone abandons Woody to his futile quest, with only Buzz sticking around with him, and even then Woody still decides to go after Forky, leaving Buzz behind in the process.
- Ducky thinking Bunny was killed. Even when Bunny shows himself to be very much alive, instead of any comical reactions, Ducky simply continues to sob quietly, if in relief, as he hugs him.
- Gabby Gabby in general, especially in comparison to the other antagonists in the series. Sid and Scud were respectively just a destructive kid who didn't know any better, and an excitable albeit intimidating dog. Zurg and Utility Belt Buzz were respectively deluded toys who never realized they were actually just that, Al and Stinky Pete an eccentric Fat Bastard who just wanted to get rich quick, and a Tragic Villain who desperately wanted to be treasured. Lotso was a brutal, tyrannical sociopath who, even with a Freudian Excuse, had proved that he was very far beyond redemption by the time he took over Sunnyside. Stretch, Chunk, Twitch, and Sparks, while none of them were as evil as Lotso, were just incompetent, deluded henchmen who just didn't realize that Lotso was only using them until Woody and Ken called him out. Gabby though, is simply a desperate toy who just didn't want to be alone. She is practically a protagonist who just ended up in a horrible situation: due to a broken voice box, she was never played and is seeking to get an owner in the form of Harmony (which doesn't work, though she eventually finds another child), and the closest she ever gets to actual villainy is that she seeks to get Woody's voice box (which she gets anyway and is sincerely thankful when he ultimately agrees to give her it). Compared to other villains, Gabby is just a pitifully lonely toy who just wants to find a home, an owner that will tend to her, and love that owner back.
- Just the way Woody's face changes through Gabby Gabby's gentle speech to him, going from a look of distrust to a look of solemn compassion for Gabby Gabby's situation is both this and Heartwarming.Gabby Gabby: I was defective right out of the box. I could only imagine what it must have been like for you. All that time you spent with Andy, riding a bike with him for the first time, comforting him when he skinned his knee, proudly watching him grow up. And then you got a second chance with Bonnie, giving her comfort when she's scared at school, helping her when she needs it most. You've been there through all their ups and down. Please, be honest with me. Was it as wonderful as it sounds?
Woody: [calmly yet solemnly] ...It was.
Gabby Gabby: All I want is a chance for just one of those moments. I'd give anything to be loved the way you have. - Gabby's entire goal through the movie is to replace her voicebox so that she can be fixed and go home with Harmony, the girl she loves. She does a number of dark things to achieve this goal, and after she at last succeeds, she gets Harmony's attention, and the shop owner offers to let Harmony take Gabby home with her. ... and Harmony simply says "Nah" and tosses her aside.
- Gabby, utterly broken by Harmony's rejection, quietly offers Woody his voicebox back.
- Woody giving up his voice box. It's at this moment you know and realized that he won't be going back with Bonnie. Woody's voice box is his main feature and what made Bonnie notice him in the first place. If he went back to her without it, any chance of her playing with him again would be slim at best. For all intents and purposes, he's a broken toy.
- Just the way Woody's face changes through Gabby Gabby's gentle speech to him, going from a look of distrust to a look of solemn compassion for Gabby Gabby's situation is both this and Heartwarming.
- Seeing the lost little girl crying all by herself before she finds Gabby Gabby. Like with Bonnie, it's heartbreaking to see a child like that looking distraught.Girl: [sobbing, then spotting Gabby Gabby] Are you lost too?
- The much-anticipated - and dreaded - tragic scene that brought both Tom Hanks and Tim Allen to tears (according to the commentary, the former was so emotional that he couldn't even bring himself to look at anyone during the recording session, and the latter was so personally shaken by the twist that he tried proposing another ending where the farewell wouldn’t be final): Woody's final goodbyes with his group.
- To elaborate: Woody makes a choice between staying with Bo Peep to aid lost toys as he did for Gabby Gabby, or simply returning home to Bonnie with the other toys. Woody chooses the former, reluctantly so as he acknowledges that he may not see the others again, and thus leaving practically every friend he's had over the series.
- Initially, Woody was going to return home to Bonnie with the other toys. Seeing how depressed Woody is about leaving Bo again, Buzz tells him she'll be okay, then clarifies by "she", he means Bonnie, and Woody should stay with Bo. Buzz knows he's doing the right thing by giving Woody the chance to be happy, but is clearly miserable about it as it means he'll be saying goodbye to his best friend.
- Bo and Jessie are reunited. This is the only time we’ve seen them interact and it’s just when Bo is about to leave. Their reactions when they hug each other imply that they were as close as Woody and Buzz.
- Woody takes one last, bittersweet look at his assembled friends from Andy’s room - Rex, the dinosaur who he always comforted when he was panicking; Hamm, the wisecracking window-watcher who helped Woody keep tabs on what was coming; Slinky, the dog who looked up to him like any pet would their master; Mr. Potato Head, who spent so much of his time decrying him but loved him nonetheless; Mrs. Potato Head, a loving den mother to the team who paved the way for their final farewell with Andy; and Bullseye, the noble steed who was willing to suffer untold years of solitude in the attic if it meant staying by his side. And Woody still says goodbye to them all even after they literally nearly died together - and his loyal friends accept his choice and wish him well.
- Bonnie never brings the Squeeze Toy Aliens on her trip, meaning that they never had the chance to properly say goodbye to Woody. While it's unknown exactly what their relationship with Woody was in the first place, it is sad to think that a member of Andy's group of toys never had the chance to say goodbye and likely never will.
- Woody passing on his sheriff's badge to Jessie. Afterwards, she hugs him almost exactly the same as she did when they first met in Toy Story 2.
- Once they realize what he’s decided to do, the group rushes him in one final, warm group hug, knowing they’ll never see their leader and protector for the last two decades again, but happy for him nonetheless.
- And then Woody and Buzz embrace like brothers. It’s the page image for obvious reasons.
- It's his final words with Buzz, however, that hits the absolute hardest. These two had started off with a Teeth-Clenched Teamwork in the original film, but slowly began to bond with one another until they became practically inseparable best friends. To see them finally go apart is not only heartbreaking to them, but to everyone who's grown up with the two for over 20 years. As the group leaves Woody for the last time in the RV, they give one more uncertain look as they ponder Woody’s future. But Buzz, having nothing but faith in his best friend, assures them he’ll be alright. You can hear Tim Allen choking up in his last two words.
- This scene can hit even harder if you've ever been in a situation where you've drifted apart from a friend or a significant other - you would always hold them in your heart, but you have to deal with the heartbreaking fact that you are never going to see them again, for the rest of your life. Even though Woody made the choice for the greater good, he now has to live with the fact that, as far as the old gang goes, he and Bo are now alone.
- With Woody leaving his gang to live with Bo at the end of the movie, it means that the "Toy Story" franchise is now truly and fully over.
- Or maybe not
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- Or maybe not
- It's kinda hard not to feel sorry for Duke Caboom when you find out his backstory. He used to have an owner only to be abandoned on the same day he got him (which was Boxing Day) because of the fact that Duke couldn't replicate the stunts that were shown in a commercial. This scarred him for years and when he brings it up himself he falls to the ground crying. Bonus points go for Keanu Reeves' heartbreaking performance during this scene, as it shows how broken Duke sounds during this harrowing flashback.
