Toy Story 3’s Alternate Ending Detailed By Writer (& It Was Tonally Different)
Toy Story 3 screenwriter Michael Arndt explains how the first draft of the Pixar movie had a more comedic ending. Between the toys nearly being incinerated, and Andy saying goodbye to his toys as he gives them to Bonnie and heads off to college, the third installment is remembered for having a dramatic and deeply emotional ending. The movie contains plenty of comedic moments, but its legacy is the impactful ending that almost becomes shockingly dark before concluding as a tearjerker. Although the franchise has since continued with two more sequels, including the upcoming Toy Story 5, it seems the series could have taken a different turn had it gone with an alternative ending.
While speaking with Script Apart, Arndt shares how different the Toy Story 3 ending was in the first draft, both in terms of content and tone. Check out the video below:
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While both endings follow the toys escaping Sunnyside Daycare and trying to get back to Andy before he leaves for college, the approaches are otherwise completely different. The original idea was that the toys would race to get back to Andy’s room, and they faced a few bumpy challenges with their mode of transportation. The differences that Arndt describes show how much Toy Story 3 changed from the first draft to the finished version that was released in theaters in 2010. Read the full description below:
The original ending that Arndt describes sounds amusing as the toys race to reach Andy while dealing with the chaos of their radio-controlled toy vehicles. The connection to Al Toy’s Barn is also a fun nod to Toy Story 2. Nevertheless, this Toy Story 3 ending wouldn’t have worked as it’s not really about the toys and instead becomes about the literal race to Andy and the various miscommunications and malfunctions. It also shows no growth for either the toys or Andy that would resonate with the realities of growing up and acceptance.
Toy Story 3’s final ending works because it’s about Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the other toys reconciling with what it means to be a toy. This includes facing their own mortality in their incinerator and having to part ways with Andy even after all the years they spent together, making him happy and being there for him. Instead of Andy simply packing them up for college, they must say goodbye and find a new purpose as they will now make Bonnie happy and be there for her.
