Toy Story 3 (2010) ft. Terry Bartley

Guest:

• Terry Bartley 

  • Author (https://www.terrybartleywriter.com/), Tyranny of the Fey available on Amazon

  • Host (Most Writers are Fans podcast)

  • D&D Twitch Stream - ESP Productions: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2450557464

  • Previous Episode(s): The Fugitive (1993), Batman (1989)

Cast:

• Lee Unkrich, Director

• Michael Arndt, Writer

• Jeremy Lasky and Kim White, Cinematography

• Randy Newman, Music

• Tom Hanks as Woody

• Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear

  • Javier Fernández Peña voices Buzz in his Spanish mode

• Joan Cusack as Jessie

• Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head

• Wallace Shawn as Rex

• John Ratzenberger as Hamm

• Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head

• Ned Beatty as Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear/"Lotso"

• Michael Keaton as Ken

• Jodi Benson as Barbie

• John Morris as Andy

• Jeff Pidgeon as the Aliens

• Blake Clark as Slinky Dog (replacing Jim Varney who died in 2000)

• R. Lee Ermey as Sarge

• Laurie Metcalf as Mrs. Davis

• Bea Miller as Molly

• Emily Hahn as Bonnie

• Lori Alan as Bonnie's mom

• Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants

• Kristen Schaal as Trixie

• Jeff Garlin as Buttercup

• Charlie Bright, Amber Krone and Brianna Maiwand as the Peas-in-a-Pod

• Bud Luckey as Chuckles

• Whoopi Goldberg as Stretch

• Richard Kind as the Bookworm

Background:

• Toy Story 3 was released on June 18, 2010 making this the 15th anniversary last month.

• On a rough budget of $200 million, Toy Story 3 would top the worldwide box office for 2010 with over $1 billion in ticket sales.

• Critics were overwhelmingly positive at the time, and it was nominated for five Oscars for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay (Michael Arndt), and Sound Editing and winning Best Animated Feature and Original Song (We Belong Together).

• The National Board of Review and the American Film Institute named Toy Story 3 one of the ten-best films of 2010; it also won the National Board of Review's Best Animated Film award that year.

• In 2011, TIME ranked the film at #11 on their list of "The 25 All-TIME Best Animated Films".

• In December 2021, the film's screenplay was listed number forty-four on the Writers Guild of America's "101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (So Far)".

• In 2025, it was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition of The New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," finishing at number 138.

• Toy Story 3 currently holds a 98% among critics on RT, a 92 score on Metacritic, and a 4/5 on Letterboxd.

Plot Summary: Toy Story 3 is a heartfelt animated adventure that follows Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of Andy’s toys as they face an uncertain future. With Andy heading off to college, the toys are mistakenly donated to a daycare center where they meet new friends—and some unexpected enemies. As they struggle to return home, they must confront questions of loyalty, identity, and what it means to be loved. The film blends humor, action, and emotion, culminating in a poignant farewell that resonates with audiences of all ages.

Did You Know:

• A stuffed bear resembling Lotso can be seen in Toy Story (1995) during the staff meeting. Woody asks if the toys "up on the shelf can hear" him, and we see a shot of a big, pinkish bear. John Lasseter wanted to use Lotso in the original Toy Story, but Pixar had trouble getting the fur right.

• Tom Hanks and Tim Allen insisted that they record their lines together, which they had previously done for one day during the making of the original Toy Story (1995), but which is rarely done with animated films. They loved the chemistry their characters shared on-screen.

• For inspiration for the Sunnyside escape, the Pixar staff watched numerous prison movies. Director Lee Unkrich said, "There are a lot of prison movies out there, and I think we watched every single one of them."

• Ken's line "Take him to the library (pronounced as 'lie-berry')" after capturing Buzz was an intentional mispronunciation as an improvisation by Michael Keaton. Director Lee Unkrich liked it so much that he kept it in the film.

• John Morris, who voiced young Andy in Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999), voices the now older Andy in Toy Story 3 (2010). Since nobody at Pixar had spoken to him since he was a child, they weren't sure if his voice would still be suitable for voice acting. They called him up and got his answering machine the first time. Just from hearing his voice on the machine, they knew they had to have him play Andy again. On the other hand, Charlie Bright provides the voice of the younger Andy in the film's opening sequence, and also voiced Peatey, one of the toy Peas-in-a-Pod at Bonnie's house.

• Originally, a sequel was planned when it seemed that Disney and Pixar would split over creative differences in 2004-2005. Disney started up an animation division titled "Circle 7," which would have been in charge of churning out sequels for Pixar films that would not involve the original creators at Pixar. Entertainment Weekly published an article that said that the original plot for Toy Story 3 was going to be about Buzz Lightyear having a defect. Buzz would then be shipped to Taiwan to be fixed, but the other toys find out that the toy company is just replacing the broken Buzz toys with new ones, so they ship themselves to Taiwan to rescue him. This script had to be canned when Pixar and Disney made amends. Part of their agreement was not to further develop projects that had been planned during their fallout.

Best Performance: Tom Hanks (Woody)

Best Secondary Performance: Michael Keaton (Ken)/Ned Beatty (Lotso)

Most Charismatic Award: Michael Keaton (Ken)/Javier Fernández Peña (Spanish Buzz)

Best Scene:

• Opening Western Playtime

• Caterpillar Room

• Lotso's Heel Turn

• Bonnie's Tea Party

• Prison Break

• Incinerator

• So Long, Partner

Favorite Scene: Prison Break/So Long, Partner/Opening Western Playtime

Most Indelible Moment: So Long, Partner/Incinerator

In Memorium:

• David Gergen, 83, American political commentator and advisor, White House Communications Director (1976–1977, 1981–1984)

• James Carter Cathcart, 71, American voice actor (Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, Sonic X)

Best Lines/Funniest Lines:

Woody: So long... partner.

Mrs. Potato Head: [Molly tosses Barbie into the "Sunnyside" box without caring] Poor Barbie!

Hamm the Piggy Bank: I get the Corvette.

Mrs. Davis: [helping him prepare] Look, it's simple. Skateboard, college. Little League Trophy, probably attic. Apple core, trash.

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.

Mr. Pricklepants: Are you classicly trained?

Jessie: Buzz! We're your friends!

Buzz Lightyear: Spare me your lies, temptress! Your emperor's defeated, and I'm immune to your bewitching good looks.

Barbie: Authority should derive from the consent of the governed, not from the threat of force!

Ken: You can't make me talk; you can't. But I'd love to see you try.

Mr. Potato Head: [after spending the night in the daycare sandbox] It was cold and dark, nothing but sand and a couple of Lincoln Logs.

Hamm the Piggy Bank: Eh... I don't think those were Lincoln Logs.

Aliens: The Claw!

Mr. Pricklepants: Sunnyside is a place of ruin and despair, ruled by an evil bear who smells of strawberries.

Ken: No one appreciates clothes here, Barbie! No one.

Hamm the Piggy Bank: C'mon. Let's go see how much we're going for on eBay.

The Stanley Rubric:

Legacy: 9.83

Impact/Significance: 9.67

Novelty: 8.67

Classic-ness: 8

Rewatchability: 7.17

Audience Score: 8.9 (88% Google, 90% RT)

Total: 52.24

Remaining Questions:

• Does Bonnie now own the toys or did Andy loan them to her?

• What happened to all the other toys that were discarded like Weezy?

• Can't Pixar be more creative in its sequel titles?

• Why didn't Molly get the toys?