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Tear Jerker / Toy Story 3

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As the film tetralogy is emotionally powerful, Toy Story 3 in particular gets a special mention, in which it is so powerful that even hearing the story second-hand is enough to make one break down and weep.


  • The first trailer alone can be counted as one of the saddest moments in the whole series. Randy Newman's "Losing You" playing over footage of young Andy playing with his toys throughout the year perfectly evokes the heart-wrenching nostalgia one might have for the innocence of childhood. If anything, the trailer version of the scene is sadder than how it appears in the actual movie.
  • The incinerator scene. Children's toys accepting oblivion. Even after repeated viewings, tears will no doubt be shed.
    • When the toys were facing death together in the furnace, they seemed to break off into groups, depending on who was closest. So, every toy was huddling close to another, or burying their faces in each other's shoulders (Buzz and Jessie, the Potato Heads), except Woody.
      • Sure, he was holding Buzz and Slinky's hands, but they were too far off for him to really get close. At the very end, when everyone else has someone close, in comparison, Woody is facing this alone. It's then that you realize that, since the beginning, Woody has been the one keeping them all together. And he's still doing that at the very end.
    • Of course, Mr. Potato Head holds hands with his wife, but he also takes Rex's hand. He seems to make amends with him during this moment, as he nods solemnly at him as if to apologize for dismissing him for years. This overlaps with Heartwarming.
    • What makes the scene sadder isn't just the fact that the characters are facing death, but the fact that they have no other choice but to do so. When they first fall into the incinerator, they try in vain to scramble out before accepting their fate with quiet dignity. The fact that they all join hands with nothing more than an exchange of helpless looks shows that they all know exactly what's going to happen. There's a reason animator Tom Sito called it the best-acted scene in all of animation.
      Jessie: Buzz! What do we do?!
      (Buzz just looks at her sadly and silently, hopelessly extends his hand.)
      (Jessie realizes what Buzz is doing and turns to see Bullseye scared of the fire and trying in vain to escape, only for her to place a hand on his hoof to try to offer encouragement.)''
    • The fact that Woody is the last to realize what the toys are doing, as Buzz extends an arm out to him like he did at the day care, only for Woody to wordlessly take it this time.
    • Knowing what is about to happen, they all shut their eyes seeing that they have no choice but to wait for the end. Courage doesn't even describe it.
  • The scene where Buzz is running through the compactor area with Jessie in his arms, triumphant music playing — and then a TV falls on him. The look in Woody's eyes — and Jessie's — that look of sheer, unadulterated horror of facing the prospect that his best friend could be broken.
    • What makes this part gut-punching is Buzz himself. With his lifeless body and closed eyes, it makes you think he's dead, even if he was just knocked out.
    • Also, when Jessie tries to shake him awake, she calls his name twice: the first time, it's really forcing him to wake up, but the second time, she's already starting to lose hope. Before long, her head is buried on Buzz's motionless chest and she's sobbing hysterically. She really believed he was gone for good.
    • The music that plays during this is a low-pitched reprise of I Will Go Sailing No More, further exacerbating the sadness.
  • The ending. To elaborate:
    • Woody leaves a note for Andy to donate his toys to Bonnie. When Andy drives to her house, Andy takes them out and introduces them to her one-by-one.
    • As Bonnie walks over to the box, she finds Woody, instantly recognizing him as her cowboy doll. What makes this more sad is that as Andy is taking the toys out, he takes Woody out last, not knowing how he got in the box (because at least him he had planned to bring along to college). She reaches for him, and when she does, Andy slightly pulls Woody back. It is heartbreaking, as they really were best friends for many years.
    • Andy then tells Bonnie about Woody and how he will always be there for her.
    Andy: Now Woody... He's been my pal for as long as I can remember. He's brave, like a cowboy should be, and kind and smart. But the thing that makes Woody special is he'll never give up on you... ever. He'll be there for you, no matter what.
    • When Andy finishes, he asks if Bonnie will take care of Woody for him. When she nods yes, he passes Woody on to her. Andy then plays with the toys and with her for one last time. He even gives Woody a piggyback ride at one point in the playtime montage.
    • One of the last shots of the movie is Andy, about to drive off to college, waving goodbye to Bonnie as she stands on the front porch, Buzz and Woody in her arms. As she waves goodbye, she picks up Woody's arm to make him "wave" goodbye. Andy was surprised because, for a moment, it seemed like Woody was ACTUALLY waving goodbye to him, which, he WAS. And, if you really think about it, Woody wasn't just waving goodbye to Andy, he was waving goodbye to everyone who had grown up with the Toy Story movies.
    • Andy also looks back at his toys for one final time, before saying "Thanks, guys." and driving off.
    • As the toys watch him drive off, they gaze at his car wistfully before we get to hear the most emotionally powerful line in the franchise (do we even need to say it?).
      • Look at Woody's expression. While all of Andy's toys have solemn expressions, he looks as if he's about to burst into tears.
      • Also, when he speaks, look at Rex. He raises his hand and waves slowly. Yep, that's right. He waves.
    • The final shot of the film is a shot of the sky that resembles the wallpaper of Andy's room. It provides a moving bookend for the film and the series as a whole: Evoking Woody and the gang's time as Andy's toys and that those times are now over.
    • Overall, this ending is a true farewell to childhood. In fact, the older you get, the more emotional this ending becomes, especially if you are a high school graduate and are preparing to start college soon. It hits too close to home with a major demographic for the movie, and that is college students, or people who have just recently crossed the thin line into adulthood from childhood.
  • Lotso's backstory is tear-jerking, too. Here, it's revealed that he, Chuckles the Clown, and Big Baby were once owned by a little girl named Daisy, but were accidentally left behind one day. They eventually made it back to Daisy's house, but they discovered that she had another Lotso. Lotso himself instantly became a bitter recluse, and the three were left homeless and all alone before they found Sunnyside. Even if this doesn't justify what he would eventually do later on in the movie, it's still tragic to learn of the circumstances that turned him into a monster.
    Chuckles: Yeah, I knew Lotso. He was a good toy. A friend. Me and him, we had the same kid, Daisy. I was there when Lotso got unwrapped. Daisy loved us all, but Lotso? Lotso was special. They did everything together. You'd never seen a kid and a toy more in love. One day we took a drive, hit a rest stop, had a little playtime. After lunch, Daisy fell asleep. She never came back. Lotso wouldn't give up. It took forever but we finally made it back to Daisy's. But by then... it was too late. Something changed that day inside Lotso. Something snapped. [...] We were lost. Cast off. Unloved. Unwanted. Then we found Sunnyside. But Lotso wasn't my friend anymore. He wasn't anyone's friend. He took over Sunnyside and rigged the whole system.
    Woody: So, how did you get out?
    Chuckles: I got broke. Bonny found me, took me home. Other toys, they weren't so lucky. It ain't right, what Lotso done. New toys, they don't stand a chance.
    • The music that plays during this scene definitely tugs at the heartstrings.
    • What was the first thing Chuckles said after Lotso's Start of Darkness and his declaration they were replaced? "No, she only replaced you!" It's not made clear whether it was just very bad wording, or Chuckles briefly being desperate enough to brush Lotso off to get back to Daisy, but it did not help Lotso's embitterment one bit.
    • Comparing the three toys from this scene to their current conditions now is quite shocking in a way but it's worst with Big Baby. Before being lost Big Baby was a normal baby doll, wearing a light coloured romper and bonnet. The journey home dirties him, he loses his bonnet (and breaks his lazy eye) when they reach Sunnyside and now in the present day he's just a naked baby doll with a dirty cloth body scribbled all over with pen and never had his eye fixed up. It really shines a light on just what events can do to people and how it can change them drastically.
  • The toys saying goodbye to Woody before he gets inside the college box (or, so they thought).
    • Initially everybody was too focused on hurrying home and getting themselves into their proper boxes before Andy noticed. But finally, Woody gets a moment and realizes that this may be the last time they see each other, if not at least for a very long time. So he starts with Buzz, finally shaking his hand after denying him earlier at Sunnyside and promises that it isn’t goodbye.
    • Slinky and Hamm tell Woody to have fun in college, and Rex tenderly asks Woody to take care of Andy. Both of the Potato Head’s concur, with Mr. Potato Head being the one to say that Andy is a good kid, for all the ups and downs he’s gone through as his toy.
    • Woody gets to Bullseye and Jessie, and both of them are giving him the most adoring look to hid him farewell.
    • Finally, when they hear the humans are coming, Woody looks at Buzz, unsure. Buzz only smiles and salutes him, and Woody goes to Andy’s last box for college and shares a mutual Long Last Look with his friends, who all bittersweetly smile at him before they shut the box, resigning themselves to a new life in the attic, but content that Woody will be where he wants to be.
    Buzz: You know where to find us, cowboy.
  • When Woody learned Buzz wasn't coming with him; the absolute hurt on his face that he didn't even have his best friend anymore summed up with his refusal to shake his hand.
  • What Lotso's cronies did to the poor Telephone. The sad, resigned look on his face as he gave the following line. Woody and his friends can only look in sadness.
    Chatter Telephone: I'm sorry, cowboy. They broke me.
  • During the end credits, this Spanish version of "You've Got a Friend in Me" plays during a special end scene. As much of a Funny Moment as the accompanying scene is, it's also both beautiful and heart-wrenching because you've known these characters for years now, and now it's time to say goodbye.note 
  • When Andy's dog comes onto the screen, all old and sleepy, when in the previous film he was so full of energy. Oh Pixar, you broke the hearts of college kids the world over.
    • Sort of a Fridge Tearjerker, but anyone who's grown up with a pet will recognize that the puppy that was so vibrant and energetic in Toy Story 2 is, well, not long for this world in Toy Story 3. Given his condition, it would be surprising if he lasts through Andy's first semester. Not bad enough? Towards the end, Andy can be heard playfully asking Buster if he'll wait for him until he gets back.
    • To add to this now that most of the pack is gone now (toys included), Buster, being a pack animal, is going to be very depressed indeed... and at such a vulnerable stage of his life.
  • Andy's mom gasps as the realization that her son is really leaving finally sinks in. And then her line shortly after the gasp. It's failproof. Anyone going through Empty Nest Syndrome can relate to this:
    Andy's mom: I know. It's just... I wish I could always be with you. (chokes up)
  • After "Operation: Playtime" fails, Woody slowly opens the toy chest, a look of absolute devastation on his face. His last shot at playtime was never even a shot at all. And Rex's reaction is horrifyingly sad despite Rex's usual comedic side.
    Rex: He held me... HE ACTUALLY HELD ME!
    • The look on Woody's face when Andy answers his cell phone. He so badly wants to say something, but knows he can't break the rules.
  • After the staff meeting, Woody sadly goes and looks at the picture of young Andy playing with the toys. Buzz approaches and calls him on how he guaranteed Andy would take of them, and Woody admits that he has no idea what Andy will do with them, and he had no choice but to pretend otherwise for the group’s sake. This is Woody of all people admitting that yes, Andy could very well give, sell, or throw them away by the end of the week. Andy’s given him little reason to believe otherwise.
  • The fact that this movie came out the weekend many high schools across the US had their graduation ceremonies. The movie's timing can be even more powerful for people who saw the first film while in grade school, and got to see the last one after graduating from college. They grew up with Woody, Buzz, and all the other toys, and the third film was truly the end of childhood: They have to go out into the wider world and find their own place in it. The final scene of the movie, when Andy says goodbye to all his toys, isn't just him saying goodbye: It's all of us, who followed the toys for all those years, saying goodbye, not only to them, but to our childhoods, and our teenage years. When Woody waves to Andy, he also waves goodbye to all of us, who shared the journey with him (as mentioned before).
  • The scene where Woody decides to return to Andy and the other toys refuse, out of a combination of the fact that Andy isn't going to play with them again even if he didn't throw them away, and that Sunnyside looks like a good place to live (it's not).
    Woody: (bitterly) So this is it? After all we've been through?
    • Rex sadly ponders the idea that Andy doesn't care about them anymore. To hear such an upbeat, funny character so sadly ponder if Andy doesn't love him anymore is depressing. The tenderness in Woody's voice as he desperately assures Rex that Andy cares about him is heart wrenching as it's clear that Woody is as heartbroken as we are to hear Rex sound so hurt.
    • Bullseye is the only one to take up Woody on his order to return home. Woody sadly orders Bullseye to stay, clearly moved, since he doesn't want Bullseye alone in the attic while he's away at college.
      • This scene shows the extent of his loyalty; Bullseye seemed to be willing to suffer years of loneliness in the attic.
    • Buzz extends his hand for a goodbye handshake, but Woody just angrily adjusts his hat before walking off. It hurts to see him do it not just for Buzz himself, but to everyone who has ever felt any attachment to the duo.
    • When Woody leaves, he looks back sadly before walking out of the door. This shows that, despite calling them selfish moments ago, it still pains him to leave all of his friends.
  • Sarge's speech about how he and his two remaining troops will be the first to be thrown out "when the trash bags come out". It could be summed up in one phrase, "we're screwed". Who'd have thought R. Lee Ermey could say something so moving?
  • The scene where the toys use Andy's cell phone to get him to open the toy box. When Andy answers the phone and tries to ask who's there, the look on Woody's face as he contemplates answering back is just heartwrenching.
  • At the beginning of the film, Woody tells Slinky to gather everyone for a staff meeting. Slinky's response? Everyone is already gathered. For anyone who grew up with the first two films and remembered all the toys that attended Woody's staff meeting, seeing such a large population reduced to just under a dozen — combined with Slinky's response — gave the scene an eerily post-apocalyptic feel.
  • The tone and timing of the music during this brief, early exchange make it necessary to gulp and get a firm grip on your throat if you want to hang on for the rest of the film's tear jerker parade:
    Woody: (trying to sound reassuring) Yeah, we've lost friends along the way. Wheezy and... Etch... and... uh...
    Rex: Bo Peep?
    Woody: Yeah, even... (tremor) even... Bo...
  • Don't deny it: you felt bad for Big Baby when he remembered his previous owner, Daisy. After Woody gives him back his old "My Heart Belongs To Daisy" pendant, he realizes that due to Lotso's lies, he lost his only chance to reunite with her back when he had the opportunity and will never see her again. In one moment, Pixar had just turned what is probably the literal biggest Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant of the film into the (also literal) biggest Woobie of said film.
  • For those who see him as a Jerkass Woobie, the fact Lotso will never realize it was a symbol of Daisy's love for him. Clearly, he was the only toy Daisy reacted so badly to losing that her parents had to buy a new one almost the next day. Worse still; Lotso had a perfect chance to redeem himself in the incinerator scene, but he threw it all away when he abandoned Woody and friends to die.
    Woody: Wait! What about Daisy?
    Woody: Daisy? You used to do everything together?
    Lotso: Yeah? Then she threw us out!
    Woody: No! She lost you!
    Lotso: She replaced us!
    Woody: She replaced you! And if you couldn't have her, then no one could! (holds up Big Baby's pendant) You lied to Big Baby, and you've been lying ever since!
    Lotso: Where'd you get that?
    Woody: She loved you, Lotso!
    Lotso: SHE NEVER LOVED ME!
    Woody: As much as any kid ever loved a toy!
  • How Andy's toys give up on him and Daisy's toys give up on her is harsh when you think about it.
  • Look closely at Stretch's face during the entire sequence when Lotso's giving his motive rant and abusing Big Baby. She's clearly beginning to second-guess herself and the look on her face when Lotso orders her to push Andy's toys (and Barbie and Ken) into the trash is a mix of reluctance and fear. This seems to imply that she's beginning to regret what she's doing but is too scared of Lotso to disobey.
  • When Andy chooses to take Woody with him to college over Buzz. Sure, we get proof that the Prospector was wrong about Andy. But Buzz's reaction is heartbreaking. Buzz, the positive leader and role model for the toys, is clearly genuinely hurt. As selfless and understanding and wise as he is, he is truly hurt at being passed over and left behind by Andy.
    • When Woody and Buzz talk later, Buzz is much more subdued than usual when addressing Woody. It seems that while Buzz was trying not to hold it against him, Buzz may in fact have been jealous of Woody.
  • The very beginning of the movie, which is probably just as melancholy as the ending. It may not be as heartbreaking as the beginning scene from Up, but good god is it tearful. Not only are we shown the Andy we know playing with his toys through an old betamax tape which constantly reminds us this is all in the past, not only do we see him aging over time, or that we see that his entire toy family is decreasing, BUT this is all accompanied with the original "You've Got A Friend In Me". It turns right into Tear Jerker territory as the song starts fading WAY too soon, and ends on a line that makes your heart drop like a stone:
    • Arguably made even more heartbreaking in some of the translations. For instance, the Latin American Spanish translation replaces that line with "Nuestra gran amistad el tiempo no borrará" (literally "time will not erase our great friendship")...
  • Jessie briefly succumbing to her old abandonment issues when it looks like Andy is throwing all the toys out, having to breathe into a bag. She's remembering when Emily left her under the bed for years, and then one day put her in a donation box and drove away without even looking back.
    • When you think about it, the reasons for a lot of Jessie's actions are quite sad. Her anger towards Andy and Woody (while unwarranted) is understandable given her previous experience with Emily and the thought of going through it again too much for her to cope with. Her anger towards Andy and refusal to listen to Woody might come across as Jessie being overly stubborn and not listening to Woody but ultimately, they're the actions of someone who is angry and scared of being hurt again.
  • Andy's voice actor has never changed. Ever. The young man who provided Andy's voice in this movie was the same little boy who did Andy's voice in the first two films. This also applies to everyone else who had a role in the first two - the only voices that changed were Molly's (as Molly was just a wee baby before) and Slinky's (due to Jim Varney's untimely death in 2000). Everyone but those two kept their original voices from the first two films.
  • It's just a small thing, but it seems a little sad that in all the years they'd come to know each other, Buzz never built up the courage to tell Jessie how he felt about her (until he had his memory tampered with at least).
  • Andy calling the toys "junk" can be pretty shocking for first-time viewers. It becomes even sadder if you look at it from the toys' perspective.
  • After Lotso, his gang, and Demo Mode Buzz lock up Andy's toys, Jessie tries to tell Buzz that they're his friends, putting her hand on his shoulder, only for Buzz to coldly swat it away, even calling Jessie a temptress and telling her he was immune to her "bewitching good looks". Jessie looks deeply hurt by this statement, as well as Buzz's supposed betrayal.
  • Barbie crying in the donation box on the way to Sunnyside after being put in there by Molly. Not as sad as Jessie's backstory from the previous movie, but still relatable.
    (Barbie sobs as Jessie has her hand on her back)
    Mrs. Potato Head: Oh, it's all right, Barbie. You'll be okay.
    Barbie: (sniffles) Well, Molly and I (tries to smile) have been a part for years. It's just... (gasps) I can't believe she would THROW ME AWAY!! (cries again)
    Mr. Potato Head: Welcome to the club, toots.
  • Jessie looking under her boot at dawn in her prison cell. You can tell by her expression and voice that she's trying not to cry.
    (Bullseye whimpers.)
    Jessie: Oh, Bullseye. I miss Woody too. But he ain't ever comin' back.

So long, partner.

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