"Toy Story 3" Save the Cat!

Beat Sheet

The 15 beats to the Disney Pixar hit are provided by Master

Cat! Ben Frahm. Printed with the Permission of Blake Snyder
Enterprises, LLC.

Opening Image (1)

 We’re reintroduced to all of our favorite characters,

Woody, Buzz, and friends, in an action-packed, train-
robbery, chase sequence. We’re dropped into this world
quickly… and it’s not until after we have some fun and
adventure… that we quickly PULL BACK and:
 Realize… we’re remembering a PLAY EPISODE that
Andy had years ago.
 REVEAL: We’re watching a VCR recording of Andy as a
young child… when he loved nothing more than to play
with his favorite toys. This nostalgic moment seems like
so long ago, and our toy characters long for this
attention that they once had.

Theme State (5)

 Woody tells Buzz that they belong to Andy and that they
will always be his friends. They must go to college with
him, and never lose this bond of loyalty and friendship
that they have with their owner.

Set-Up (1-10)

 Andy is now 17. Andy is going to college. And Andy

doesn’t need his toys anymore. In fact, the only way our
toys can grab his attention is by pretending to call him
on his cell phone, in hopes that he will rediscover them
in a toy chest, and play with them like old times.
 Andy is going to college in only a few days, and per his
MOTHER’S request, he must organize all of the “old
stuff” in his room into piles: 1.) Stuff that should go to the
attic in storage; 2.) Stuff that is no longer needed and

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 should be tossed in the garbage; 3.) And lastly, “stuff”
that will go to college with Andy in a few days.
 Our toys are panicked. Why doesn’t Andy care about us
anymore? Why doesn’t he want to play with us
anymore? Will they be tossed aside and forever
forgotten? They all hope desperately to be chosen for
the college pile, so that they will stay a part of Andy’s life
forever.

Catalyst (12)

 However, this isn’t exactly the case. There’s a mix up.

Andy is cleaning his room and making the various piles
that his mother spoke of… when he puts the majority of
his toys in a pile meant for the “attic.” This plastic bag is
then misinterpreted as junk by Andy’s mother… and
taken outside and put by the road to be taken away by
the junk man. The toys are devastated. They think
Andy’s trying to get rid of them. They are convinced that
they mean nothing in Andy’s life. And this is the worst
possible case for them. However, we see that Woody
was chosen for the college pile, and that he saw Andy
put the toys in the attic pile, and thus he knows that
Andy still cares about them. Woody must rescue his
friends from the junk pile, before they are taken away to
the junkyard, never to be seen again.
 Woody to the rescue: Woody jumps out of the window,
scales the house, and sees that the GARBAGE TRUCK
has just pulled up and is taking away the junk pile. He
runs after the truck and tries to stop it, panicked that his
friends have been taken away when, looking over, he
sees that they’ve escaped to a RECYCLABLE BIN,
where they retreat to safety in the garage.

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Debate (12-25)

 Convinced that they are no longer wanted, the toys find

their way into the back of the minivan, into a new pile of
belongings… meant for Sunnyside Day Care facility.
 The debate is this: Woody says that Andy didn’t mean to
put them in the junk pile and thus still cares about them.
All of the other toys don’t believe this, and think that the
only way that they can continue to feel loved and be
played with by a child is by going to Sunnyside. Woody
warns against this: “We belong to Andy. We always
have, and this is how it has to be.” But our other toys
don’t listen. At least at Sunnyside they will have
someone who cares about them and who will play with
them on a daily basis… unlike Andy.
 Dramatic questions, posed in the debate: Is Sunnyside a
good place? Should toys turn their back on Andy and
give up on the idea of going to college with him? Does
Andy care about them anymore… and did he really put
them in the junk pile?
 These are all questions that FUEL AND PROPEL our
second act, as well as the conflict resolution in the third
act. They are specific, and hold both emotional and
physical stakes to each of our characters.

Break into Two (25)

 Arrive at Sunnyside Day Care. Despite the warnings of

Woody, this place seems pretty good, right? Everybody
seems nice enough. There are a lot of new toy friends.
Cool facilities. And there are tons of playmates that will
give them lots of love and attention… something that
Andy is no longer capable of…

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  Meet LOTSO, the fuzzy leader of Sunnyside. He’s
welcoming and kind, and happy to meet the “new guys.”
 However, something in Woody still doesn’t feel right. He
knows that he belongs to Andy, as do all of them, and
he tells them again that Andy still cares about them.
They of course don’t believe him, still convinced they
were put in the junk pile. So, Woody has no other
choice… he says goodbye to all of his friends, and sets
out on a journey to get back to Andy’s house and make
it back into the “college pile” where he will be reunited
with his owner.
 (AGAIN: THEME, THEME, THEME: issues of friendship,
loyalty, separation, moving on in your life… we see this
with the peripheral story lines. The A Story just said
goodbye to the B Story… and Woody has left his
friends).

B Story (30)

 Woody heads out on a journey to get home to Andy.

And of course there are complications. He gets stuck in
the bathroom. He tries to fly away via the roof. And then
gets caught in a tree… and noticed by a LITTLE GIRL,
BONNIE, who attends Sunnyside. She is intrigued with
Woody and takes him home with her.

Fun and Games (30-55)

 The acclamation of our characters into Sunnyside: there

is something new and appealing to this place. Our toys
are starting to like it here. This is going to be a lot of
fun…
 That is, until the rambunctious PLAYMATES return from
recess… and have one KILLER SESSION of intense,
rowdy, aggressive play. Our toys are thrust around.
Painted with. Smashed against each other. Eyes pulled
out. Ears tweaked. They’ve never experienced free play
like this before.

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 Meanwhile, our B STORY is home with Bonnie, having
some fun IMAGINATIVE PLAY in her yard. She’s a
caring, kind girl, who comes from a loving family. But
Woody still misses his real owner.
 (And note: a good fun ‘n games, always has the back of
forth of the A AND B STORIES… as they both propel
and forward the plot).
 Nighttime is setting in Sunnyside, and our characters
are fully exhausted after a play session from hell. Buzz
and friends realize that they’re not in the “age
appropriate” Child Care rooms, and go to ask Lotso if
they can move to an older group, as they’re used to
playing with Andy, who’s a lot more mature and
considerate.
 However, when they go to find Lotso, they see that he’s
up to no good. Lotso is really an evil character, and
plans on holding our toys hostage, as he’s the boss, and
ruler of Sunnyside. And MR. KEN BARBIE, the guy who
BARBIE met earlier in the second act, who seems like
only a gentleman, is really on Lotso’s side and is his
right hand man.
 Lotso and Ken seize BUZZ LIGHT YEAR, and take him
to the back, where he is REPROGRAMMED, and his
authentic, lovable self is erased. Now Buzz is on Lotso’s
side.
 But our other toys don’t know this, and get caught up
by Lotso and Buzz, and locked away, like they’re in
Shawshank prison.
 CUT BACK TO OUR B STORY: Woody is getting ready
for bed after a day of play, when he meets some of
Bonnie’s other toys. These toys know of Sunnyside. And
they warn against the dangers of that place. As well as
the evil Mr. Lotso… who, we come to learn, has a back-
story that has influenced and created him as a monster.
You see, Lotso feels abandoned by his play owner, and
this has created the mistrust and sadness that fuels his
anger as an antagonist. (Again, even our BAD GUY, has

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 a story line that deals with friendship, abandonment,
loyalty, etc. Michael Arndt, the screenwriter, is a smart
dude who really understands how to tell a focused and
clean story, thematically).
 Now, Woody knows his friends aren’t safe at Sunnyside.
He must return to get them. And help them back to Andy
before he leaves to college in a day.

Midpoint (55)

 Is the intersection of our A AND B stories: Woody

comes back to Sunnyside to rescue his imprisoned
friends.
 And it is now… that we are also introduced to a
TICKING CLOCK.
 Via Mrs. Potato Head’s missing EYE, that was set-up
earlier in the story: her eye was missing and stuck under
Andy’s bed… we learn that Andy did NOT in fact want to
throw away his toys, but only wanted to put them in the
attic pile. And, also, there’s the ticking clock element…
where we all see that Andy is now only a day away from
going to college.
 This new information allows our characters to feel the
need and pressure to get out of there now. And also,
allows for them to have emotional closure, and realize
that Andy still does care about them.
 Plan: tonight, we have to break out of here.

Bad Guys Close In (55-75)

 But it’s not going to be easy. Lotso has his men

everywhere. He has a WANDERING BABY patrolling
outside. He has a trained MONKEY watching the video
screens. The bad guys are looking pretty tough right
now.
 Night comes… and the escape PLAN BEGINS…

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  Working together, our friends devise a plan to escape
through the JUNK CHUTE, as this is the only way out of
Sunnyside.
 All the while, Barbie has a plan of her own. She’s
distracting the evil Mr. Ken, and trying to free the
BRAINWASHED BUZZ LIGHT YEAR.
 The plan is going well…
 Everyone’s working together…
 And despite some glitches, it looks like they’re going to
make it through the GARBAGE CHUTE…
when Lotso appears. He’s on to them. He’s caught
them. And they will never escape Sunnyside.
 At that moment, the GARBAGE TRUCK comes and
empties the CHUTE, carrying away, all of our
characters, as well as the evil Mr. Lotso.

All Is Lost (75)

 Their plan has not only failed but it looks like they’re
headed for total disaster… in the back of the garbage
truck, with the evil Mr. Lotso…

Dark Night of the Soul (75-85)

 And if things couldn’t get any worse, our characters are

now taken away to the JUNK YARD, and headed right
for the JUNK FIRE, as Lotso torments and delights in
their situation.
 It’s not looking good for anyone at this point.
 Their goal of getting back to Andy will never be a
reality…
 And it looks like Lotso is going to win… as they’re
whisked away into the JUNK YARD FIRE…
 However…

Break into Three (85)

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  Breaking into the third act, our characters again rally
together and use what they’ve learned with each other
to defeat Mr. Lotso. Woody tells Lotso that he was never
abandoned and that his owner still cares about him. He
knows of his story and he shows him a “ribbon”
that Lotso’s owner used to give him. Lotso is distracted
and this allows our characters to escape.
 Lotso is taken away by one of the JUNK TRUCK
DRIVERS and appears to be a HOOD ORNAMENT on
the truck.

Finale (85-110)

 Our characters must get home to Andy before he leaves

for college…
 And they turn and recognize one of the TRUCK
DRIVERS that we saw earlier in the movie… he’s the
GUY WHO LISTEN TO HIS iPOD at work, and who,
almost took away our characters in the beginning when
they were accidentally taken to the garbage pile.
 Our characters know this garbage guy is on Andy’s
route, and thus, this is their way home…
 (AGAIN, fantastically CLEAN, and specific, and tight
writing from Michael Arndt; everything is a set-up and
pay-off!!!!).
 Everyone returns home to find Andy.
 Our characters now realize that Andy still cares about
them and that they will be happy in the attic, as they will
have each other. Woody returns to his chosen spot in
the college pile, and everyone else jumps in the “attic
box.”
 However, there’s an EMOTIONAL BEAT here with
Andy’s mother. And again, this PERFECTLY ECHOS
and reiterates our THEME.
 Andy’s mother is sad that he’s leaving for college. She
doesn’t want her beloved son to leave. And she’s having
trouble coming to terms with this separation. “I always

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 want to be a part of your life, Andy…” The mother tells
him, trying to choke back tears.
 These heartfelt, and inspirational words change
something in Woody, who jumps from the college pile.
Woody knows that he doesn’t want to be separated from
his other friends, and that he must do something quickly
to change this.
 Woody jumps on the attic box, and we see him writing
something…

Final Image (110)

 It’s Bonnie’s address that Woody just wrote.

 And ALL OF OUR CHARACTERS, still in the box, are
scooped up by Andy and taken to…
 BONNIE’S HOUSE…
 Where Woody has already been… and he’s seen what a
kind, young girl Bonnie is. She lives in a loving family.
And she will appreciate them all as toys.
 Andy introduces Bonnie to all of his toys.
 They have a play session together…
 And we know what Bonnie will be in the perfect person
to inherit these amazing characters…
 And thus, we’ve come a long way from our opening
image. We started our movie, watching Andy, as a
young kid, playing with his favorite toys. And now, the
BATON has been passed, and we’ve introduced a new
life and characters for all of our toys. They will get to
stay together. And just as Andy is going off to start a
new life, with new friends, our toys will be doing the
same…