Filmsite Movie Review
Toy Story (1995)
Pages: (1) (2) (3)
Plot Synopsis (continued)

Hannah's Tea Party:

Sid's younger sister Hannah walked into the hallway and discovered the broken plastic toy after stepping on him. Although she was looking for her rag-doll Sally, she was pleased to find a new disabled play-companion and picked Buzz up.

Meanwhile, Woody emerged from the upper hallway closet (entangled in a string of green Christmas lights) after opening the door knob by standing on a pile of boxes. A bowling ball bounced on his head as he hit the floor and then called out for Buzz. Down the hallway, Woody heard Buzz's robotic voice answering: "There's a secret mission in uncharted space. Let's go." Woody (still wrapped up in the string of lights) crept down the hallway to investigate, finding Hannah in her bedroom playing with Buzz. He peeked in and saw that she had dressed him up with a flowery hat (and a frilly apron with a pink heart) for a make-believe tea party. There were two other headless dolls and a beheaded plush bear along with Buzz seated at the table. Hannah had given Buzz a new name - Mrs. Nesbit! Hannah was pouring tea - using Buzz's severed arm as a handle gripping onto her miniature teapot.

[Note: The other two dolls, also victims of Sid's torture, were Marie Antoinette and her Little Sister - a reference to the beheaded Queen of France in the late 1700s.]

Woody called to Hannah and impersonated her mother's voice - to get her to leave the room - and then ran inside. At the tea table, Buzz was sniffling, demoralized, despondent and despairing as if he was drunk:

"Gone! It's all gone. All of it's gone. Bye-bye. Whoo-whoo. See ya....One minute you're defending the whole galaxy, and suddenly you find yourself suckin' down Darjeeling with Marie Antoinette and her little sister." (The two dolls responded by waving)

In order to snap Buzz out of his non-sensical stupor, Woody opened his helmet, slapped Buzz's head with his own detached arm, and then closed the helmet. Buzz admitted as they walked out of the room: "You're right. I am just a little depressed, that's all. I-- I-I can get through this." After a slght pause, Buzz looked up at the window where he had failed to fly and again moaned:

"Oh, I'm a sham!...Look at me....I can't even fly out of a window. But the hat looked good? Tell me the hat looked good. The apron is a bit much."

Woody's Strategy - Connecting Sid's Window to Andy's Window:

Woody quit listening when he was inspired with a new strategy - using the coiled line of green Christmas tree lights to escape out of Sid's bedroom window - positioned directly across from Andy's window: "Out the window! Buzz, you're a genius!" Buzz couldn't stop being discouraged: "Years of academy training wasted!" Woody dragged Buzz back into Sid's room.

At the same time, Hamm and Mr. Potato Head were playing the boardgame Battleship in Andy's bedroom, when they were interrupted by Woody's calls from across the way: "Hey, guys! Guys! Hey!" They both were astonished to see Woody: "Son of a building block! It's Woody. He's in the psycho's bedroom." All the other toys were alerted that Woody was closeby, and Bo Peep asked: "What are you doin' over there?" Woody tossed the string of lights across the gap between the homes, and Slinky caught the end of the line. However, Mr. Potato Head remained distrustful of Woody for his mistreatment of Buzz:

"Did you all take stupid pills this morning? Have you forgotten what he did to Buzz? And now you want to let him back over here?"

When Woody tried to prove that Buzz was fine, the distraught Space Ranger had still not recovered behind him. Buzz was playing 'bombs-away' with his severed arm, and preoccupied while peeling off the plastic sticker-label on his wrist communicator. Woody became frantic to prove that Buzz was alright and with him, and begged: "Buzz, will you get up here and give me a hand?" After Buzz threw his severed arm at him, Woody pretended that the disconnected arm was waving at them (and that Buzz was standing just behind the window frame) - using Buzz's voice. Woody called out: "Hiya, fellas! To infinity and beyond!" He also made it look as if they were together and sharing a "best friends hand-shake," and giving each other a "high-five" slap. Woody was also able to simulate Buzz giving him a hug, and rubbing his back. Mr. Potato Head became suspicious and asked: "What are you tryin' to pull?"

Woody pulled the arm too hard and the disconnected arm was completely exposed as broken-off. The toys reacted with screams and Rex was about to barf. Woody was accused of being a "Murderer...You murdering dog!" by Mr. Potato Head. Once again, Woody had made it seem as if he was guilty of hurting Buzz, and his pleadings went unheeded ("It's not what you think, I swear!"). The string of lights was dropped and the toys threatened to abandon him. Woody was frantic to get them to listen:

"Don't leave! Y-Ya gotta help us, please! You don't know what it's like over here!"

The last to leave the window was Slinky, who lowered the venetian blinds. Woody appeared defeated and slumped over, while storm and thunder clouds moved in and rumbled.

As Woody turned around toward Buzz, the mutant toys converged to surround Buzz. Still holding Buzz's arm in his hand, Woody attempted to repel and stop them: "Go away, you disgusting freaks! All right, back! Back, you cannibals! He is still alive and you're, you're not gonna get him, you monsters!" He didn't realize, however, that during the struggle, the mutants were only trying to help. Babyface had grabbed Buzz's arm and repaired him, and Woody was truly amazed: "Hey, they fixed you." He also noticed that the heads of both Janie Doll and the Pterodactyl had been restored by tape to their rightful positions! As Woody apologized for misjudging them, and tried to thank them for re-attaching Buzz's arm, they scurried back under the bed - they heard Sid's approach. Woody hid under an overturned plastic blue milk-crate, while Buzz was left lying in the middle of the room.

Sid With "The Big One" - An Explosive Rocket:

Sid rushed into the room holding a large mailing box that had just arrived - he had ordered "THE BIG ONE" - a brand-new rocket that was labeled with warnings: "Extremely Dangerous. Keep out of reach of children." Sid asked himself: "Cool! What am I gonna blow?" He at first considered blowing up his "wimpy cowboy doll," but Woody evaded him by hiding in the underside of the crate when picked up. Then, he spotted Buzz conveniently in front of him on the floor and reconsidered with malevolence: "I've always wanted to put a spaceman into orbit." Sid reached for his toolbox and dark gray electrical tape to adhere the rocket to Buzz's back. (He placed his toolbox on top of the milk-crate, thereby imprisoning or jailing Woody inside by its heavy weight.)

His immediate wish to detonate the rocket would have to be postponed - a clap of thunder and lightning brought heavy rain, and Sid was forced to wait for the rain to stop. He play-reported the delayed launch: "Sid Phillips reporting. Launch of the shuttle has been delayed due to adverse weather conditions at the launch site. Tomorrow's forecast? Sunny. Sweet dreams." He set his alarm clock next to Buzz to remind himself of the countdown, and fell asleep.

The Night Before The Davis Family's Moving Day - Andy Misses Woody:

Next door, Andy had just finished packing a large box of his toys in his room with his mother, for their expected move the next day. He was being tucked into bed, and told that all that she had found was his white-laced red cowboy hat. Andy was mourning the absence of his two favorite lost toys. He worried that he would be leaving them behind: "What if we leave them behind?" His mother reassured him: "I'm sure we'll find Woody and Buzz before we leave tomorrow."

While Andy slept, the packed box of toys (with styrofoam 'peanut' packing materials) began to shake, and Rex popped out to speak to his 'moving buddy' Mr. Potato Head: "I need air...I'm sorry. It's just that I get, I get so nervous before I travel." Bo Peep looked up at Andy sleeping in bed, clutching his red cowboy hat, and thought of how much Woody would appreciate Andy's love for him: "Oh, Woody. If only you could see how much Andy misses you."

Woody's and Buzz's Heart-to-Heart Talk - "Buzz, I Can't Do This Without You":

Back in Sid's room nearby where the evil boy was asleep, Woody tossed a steel washer at the dejected and demoralized Buzz to alert him to his dilemma, that he was stuck in the milkcrate with the heavy toolbox on top. Buzz ignored Woody with indifference, resigned to the fact that a rocket was strapped to his back, that he was helpless, and that wherever he was didn't matter:

Woody: "Buzz, I can't do this without you. I need your help."
Buzz: "I can't help. I can't help anyone."
Woody: "Why, sure you can, Buzz. You can get me out of here. And then I'll get that rocket off you and we'll make a break for Andy's house."
Buzz: "Andy's house, Sid's house. What's the difference?"
Woody: "Oh, Buzz, you've had a big fall. You must not be thinking clearly."
Buzz: "No, Woody. For the first time I am thinking clearly. You were right all along. I'm not a Space Ranger. I'm just a toy. A stupid little insignificant toy."
Woody: "Whoa. Hey. Wait a minute. Being a toy is a lot better than bein' a, a Space Ranger...Look, over in that house is a kid who thinks you are the greatest, and it's not because you're a Space Ranger, pal. It's because you're a toy. You are his toy."
Buzz: "But why would Andy want me?"
Woody: "Why would Andy want you? Look at you! You're a Buzz Lightyear! Any other toy would give up his moving parts just to be you. You've got wings! You glow in the dark! You talk! Your helmet does that-- that-- that 'whoosh' thing. You are a cool toy. As a matter of fact, you're too cool. I mean, I mean, what chance does a toy like me have against a Buzz Lightyear action figure? All I can do is (he pulled on his pull-string: "There's a snake in my boots") - (depressed and despairing) Why would Andy ever want to play with me when he's got you? I'm the one that should be strapped to that rocket."

Buzz glanced down at the sole of his right foot, and noticed Andy's signed name, as Woody added: "Listen, Buzz, forget about me. You should get out of here while you can." Woody turned around and noticed that Buzz was no longer in sight, but then heard a clattering on top of the milkcrate - Buzz had recovered his confidence and his determination to live, and was vigorously pushing the toolbox off: "Come on, Sheriff. There's a kid over in that house who needs us. Now let's get you out of this thing." Woody helped as they both worked together to free him, as the two heard a large moving van pull up next-door in front of Andy's house - it was already morning. Woody was able to escape all by himself by jumping down to the floor when part of the upside-down milkcrate extended over the edge of the desk. However, Buzz kept pushing and toppled the milkcrate and toolbox right over on top of him.

Help From the Mutant Toys - Woody's Clever Plan:

Woody was hidden from view as Sid's alarm clock sounded - he sat up in bed and excitedly said to himself: "Time for lift-off! Whoo! TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!" as he grabbed Buzz and rushed out of his room. Woody was hiding under the toolbox, but then gave chase, but was forced to remain in Sid's bedroom and shut the door to prevent Scud in the hallway from charging at him. Woody thought for a second about how to rescue Buzz, and made a plea to the Mutant Toys to assist him: "We gotta save him. But I need your help. Please. He's my friend. He's the only one I've got." He realized that he had to first avoid Scud so he could get out of the house and reach the backyard. Babyface responded by tapping out on Sid's metal bedpost - in Morse Code - a message to summon the other toys. After huddling together with all of them gathered around, Woody announced: "We're gonna have to break a few rules, but if it works, it'll help everybody."

Meanwhile, a forlorn Andy was alone in his bare bedroom after the movers had cleared it out, clutching Buzz's spaceship packaging-box in his right hand, and his red cowboy hat in his left hand.

Next-door, Sid emerged from his backyard tool-shed with materials to construct a launch-pad.

Upstairs, Woody had created a map-diagram of the layout of the house and yard, using SCRABBLE tiles and DOMINOS pieces, to describe everyone's duties and where they would be stationed. The steps in tricking Scud to be eliminated as a threat included the following:

  • Legs and Ducky removed a metal face-plate from a heating vent in the wall, and then entered the duct
  • Several of the mutant toys (Babyface and Rockmobile) stacked themselves up (with Hand-in-the-Box positioned on top), in order to be able to reach the bedroom's door-knob
  • Woody (riding atop Rollerbob's skateboard) ordered Pump Boy to prepare Frog by winding him up
  • Legs and Ducky reached a junction box in the heating duct; there, they ripped it from the floor and then pulled up on the box, causing the wiring attached to the box to also raise a connected front porch light socket through its mounting hole; Ducky peered down through the open hole to check to see if the coast below (around the front door) was clear
  • Ducky was lowered through the socket hole by being dangled on Legs' fishing line reel; he then began swinging back and forth on the line; eventually, the swinging allowed him to reach, depress, and ring the front doorbell
  • Woody signaled: "Go" - the wound-up Frog was released through the bedroom door (opened by Hand-in-the-Box), and it slipped through Scud's legs as it raced down the hallway, descended the stairs, and exited the front door
  • once Scud was distracted, the rest of the mutant toys were free to leave the bedroom; they all joined Woody atop Rollerbob's skateboard
  • Sid's sister Hannah called out that she would answer the doorbell: ("I'm coming, I'm coming"), but found nobody out on the front porch; as she stood at the open front door, Scud knocked her over as he raced outside after Frog
  • Ducky grabbed Frog on the porch, and both were reeled back upwards through the porch light socket opening by Legs, and the light socket fixture was repositioned
  • annoyed and exasperated at Scud, Hannah yelled: "Stupid dog!" and locked Scud out of the house by shutting the front door on him
  • Woody and his entourage of mutant toys on Rollerbob sped down the stairs and into the kitchen, where they performed a 'wheelie' to propel themselves through a doggie door; they ultimately landed in bushes near the backyard where Sid was preparing his launch; they were joined by Legs, Ducky, and Frog who appeared through a drain-pipe's down-spout
  • the mutants dispersed to various places in the yard to now thwart Sid's torture of Buzz

The group of toys listened as Sid - in the toolshed - play-acted newscaster-styled narrations while communicating with 'Mission Control', including the count-down to the launch. From the backyard, he also yelled to his mother: "Where are the matches?" but then found them. The launch pad in the backyard was a strange collection of items: Buzz (with the rocket strapped on his back) was standing in the middle of a dart board that laid flat on an upside-down milk-crate. Nearby was a red-striped, A-framed saw-horse barricade (with a blinking warning light and battery pack) with a garden rake leaning against it. Under the barricade was an empty blue water jug, that was connected via a long vacuum-cleaner hose-pipe to a red rubber funnel (aimed at Buzz).

When Sid emerged from the shed, Woody went limp on the ground in front of Buzz. Sid noticed Woody, thought it was odd that he was outside, and then picked him up and tossed him onto a BBQ grill: "You and I can have a cookout later." He placed a wooden stick match in Woody's empty holster.

Thwarting Sid's Rocket Launch - Woody's Threat to "Play Nice":

The 10-second countdown commenced after Sid lit one of his matches - and as he was reaching launch-time (3-2-1), he heard a robotic voice coming from Woody's direction - a string of voice recordings: "Reach for the sky! This town ain't big enough for the two of us. Somebody's poisoned the water hole." Sid picked up Woody and noted that his pull-string hadn't been activated. He was about to toss him away, claiming he was inoperable and "busted," when Woody confronted him - with his own non-programmed words:

"Who are you callin' 'busted,' buster?...That's right. I'm talking to you, Sid Phillips. We don't like bein' blown up, Sid. Or smashed. Or ripped apart....That's right. Your toys."

As Sid watched, the army of mutant toys rose up from various hiding spots, awakening and emerging as if they were undead zombies coming to life, to approach toward Sid. One of the toys that Sid had blown up earlier but was now resurrected, was a Night of the Living Dead Janey Doll - a one-eyed rag doll that repeatedly cried out: "Mama!" She was joined by Walking Car (or Pump Boy) and Red Pickup Truck - a broken-down Toyota truck that appeared from under a huge pile of sand in Sid's sandbox. Two broken dismembered Combat Carl action figures rose up from a deep mud puddle after being awakened by Frog. One was armless with a nail through his head, and the other was headless and had a twisted bent-over body. From under Scud's red food dish, a soiled Troll toy popped out. As Sid backed away toward a clothesline and gasped, Babyface lowered itself onto his head, and the Hand-in-the-Box grabbed his foot. Rollerbob and more toys rolled out from under a picnic table and also attacked. The toys began to converge and march toward Sid and surround him, as Woody threatened:

"From now on you must take good care of your toys, because if you don't, we'll find out, Sid. We toys can see everything. (Woody's head rotated 360 degrees, homage to The Exorcist (1973), and then became animated for a split-second) So play nice!"

Reacting frantically, Sid screamed, tossed Woody into the air, and ran for the house. Woody commended the toys: "We did it! We did it! Yes!" Inside, Sid ran up to Hannah (with a new unmutilated brunette doll named Sally in her hand, a replacement for her blonde doll Janie) and yelled out to her in fear: "The toys are alive!" Hannah further tortured the now-frightened Sid by holding out Sally and chasing him upstairs to taunt him further: "What's wrong, Sid? Don't you wanna play with Sally?"

The Frantic Chase After the Moving Van:

After Buzz thanked Woody with a sincere hand-shake, they heard the Davis mini-van honking nearby in the driveway as the family was leaving. Woody and Buzz (with the rocket still strapped to his back) sprinted next-door, and in just the few seconds it took for Woody to help Buzz through the fence, they were unable to jump onto the van's back fender. They stood in the middle of the street as the car drove away. And then from behind, they heard the roar of the giant moving van truck coming at them and passing over them when they ducked. The two tiny toys then ran after the truck - passing by Scud sleeping on the Phillips' front porch and growling at the sight of them. The faster-sprinter Buzz jumped up and caught onto a leather strap dangling from the rear of the truck, followed by Woody. By this time, Scud had chased after the truck and was snapping at one of Woody's legs. When Woody was about to give up and let go, he cried out to Buzz: ("Take care of Andy for me!"), but Buzz refused to leave his pal. As an act of self-sacrifice, he jumped onto Scud's large snout. Soon after, Scud flung Buzz off his face and sent him tumbling under a parked car.

The moving truck pulled away, leaving Buzz and Scud on the street, as Woody scrambled up onto the moving van's rear bumper, unlatched the van's back door, and lifted the heavy door to open it. When the van came to a halt at a red light, Woody scanned the contents of the van and spotted a cardboard box with the handscrawled label: ANDY'S TOYS. Woody opened the box to reveal many of the toys, as Rex asked: "Are we there already?" Frustrated by not finding what he was looking for, he pushed the first box aside and located a second toy box - he dug out RC - the remote-controlled car, and pushed it from the back of the van onto the street. Rex screamed: "He's at it again!"

With the remote-controller, Woody steered RC back to Buzz, who jumped on before the car reversed course back to the van - they were still being pursued by the barking Scud. Inside the van, Mr. Potato Head and the other toys misunderstood what was going on - they feared that Woody was up to his old tricks and yelled out: "Get him! Come on!" They tipped over their box and charged at Woody, who protested their assault. Rocky picked up Woody and spun him around while he was still attempting to control RC with the remote control to help Buzz (the RC also spun around in circles). Hamm jumped high into the air and screamed: "Pig pile!" before landing on Woody, causing RC to hop high into the air. At a busy intersection, RC (with Buzz atop) managed to maneuver through the cars and emerge on the other side unscathed after a multi-car pile-up, while Scud was trapped between two crashed cars.

In the back of the moving van, Rocky carried Woody above his shoulders to toss him out, as Woody tried to explain: "No, please! You don't understand! Buzz is out there! We gotta help him!" He ended up on the pavement - where RC (with Buzz) ran into him going in reverse - and Woody found himself sitting next to Buzz: "Well, thanks for the ride." They had to swerve to avoid the tires of another car before Woody announced: "Now let's catch up to that truck!" He set RC to "TURBO" speed and they began to gain on the moving van. The toys in the back of the van were congratulating each other for ousting Woody, but then changed their tune when Lenny spotted them: "Guys! Guys! Woody's riding R.C.!...And Buzz is with him!" Bo Peep defended Woody: "It is Buzz! Woody was telling the truth!" Rex realized he was wrong: "Great! Now I have guilt!"

Rocky lowered the back ramp of the van, sending sparks flying when the ramp hit the pavement and barely missed RC. Slinky's front end jumped onto the ramp to reach out and grab Woody's hand, but the slinky, wiry middle-section of his body began to stretch as RC's batteries began to run out and it began to slow down. The further Slinky's body stretched, the RC car began to swerve to the right and left behind the van. Slinky was distressed: "I can't hold on much longer!"

In the Davis family vehicle (where everyone was listening to "Hakuna Matata" from The Lion King (1994)), baby Molly smiled and squealed after looking in the side rear-view mirror and spotting RC (with Woody and Buzz).

Eventually, Slinky was forced to let go, and the front of his body boomeranged back into the rear of the van. RC came to a slow stop in the middle of the road as the moving van disappeared from view.

Rocket Power:

Although seemingly defeated, Buzz had an idea: "Woody! The rocket!" Woody struck the match put into his holster by Sid to light the rocket's fuse, but a passing car blew out the flame. Then, Woody realized that Buzz's helmet could function as a magnifying glass to focus the sun's rays and produce heat. He positioned Buzz's helmet to project the sunlight as a white-hot dot onto the fuse. Once the fuse lit, Woody commented ("Wait a minute. I just lit a rocket. Rockets explode!") - and the two of them rocketed forward toward the moving truck through oncoming traffic. Lenny saw their approach and told the other toys in the back of the van: "It's Woody and Buzz coming up fast!" As RC approached closer, the speedy roadster began to soar into the air and Rex yelled out: "Take cover." RC smashed into Mr. Potato Head and disassembled him, as Woody and Buzz separately went hurtling straight up into the sky. Woody screamed in terror: "This is the part where we blow up!" But Buzz reassured him: "Not today!" He pushed one of his chest buttons to activate his wings that severed the tape holding the rocket. The rocket separated from them, sailed off, and exploded, while Buzz (holding onto Woody) glided and gracefully floated downward. Woody cried out to him in amazement:

Woody: "Hey, Buzz! You're flying!"
Buzz: "This isn't flying. This is falling with style." (This was a repeat of Woody's words earlier)
Woody: "To infinity and beyond!"

When they soared over the moving van, Buzz explained why he purposefully missed that target: "We're not aiming for the truck." He steered them to the Davis family vehicle (directly ahead of the van) with an open sunroof. He dropped them through the sunroof directly into an open cardboard box on the back seat next to Andy. When the boy heard a thud noise, he looked in the box and was overjoyed to see his two favorite toys sitting there. Mrs. Davis was relieved: "See? Now, what did I tell you? Right where you left 'em." Woody and Buzz winked at each other.

Epilogue - Christmas in Andy's New House:

In the new Davis family home during their first Christmas season, the camera view came forward through a window into the living room, where Andy and Molly were opening presents. There was a closeup of a red Christmas bulb decoration behind which Sarge was hiding. He activated the baby monitor microphone to send an audio signal to the receiving end of the monitor sitting on the nightstand in Andy's upstairs bedroom. Hamm and Buzz listened as Sarge reported to them, using code-words: "Frankincense, this is Myrrh." Hamm spoke to the other toys: "Hey, heads up, everybody! It's show time!"

Bo Peep corraled Woody's neck with her hooked cane and drew him closer. She wished him "Merry Christmas" - and the two dipped down and kissed (off-screen) under a mistletoe, dangled above them on an upper shelf by the sheep trio (Billy, Goat and Gruff). There were smooching and giggling sounds. Moments later, Woody was seen woozy and with lipstick marks on his cheek.

In Andy's bedroom, it was clear that both Buzz and Woody were fairly equally represented by the decor and other items

Woody
Buzz
One Pillowcase One Pillowcase
Comforter at Foot of Andy's Bed Andy's Bedspread
One Cowboy Poster Two Buzz-related Posters
Drawings on Bulletin Board Two Window Curtains
Indian-Decorated Wastebasket  

There was speculation about what the new presents would be. Rex thought: "Maybe Andy'll get another dinosaur, like a leaf eater. That way I could play the, uh, dominant predator!" Over the monitor, Sarge announced Molly's first gift: a Mrs. Potato Head. Hamm reacted: "Way to go, Idaho." Mr. Potato Head also responded: "Gee, I'd better shave" - and tossed away his detachable mustache. When Andy's first present in a large box was about to be revealed, Woody smiled at Buzz:

Woody: "Buzz. Buzz Lightyear...You are not worried, are you?"
Buzz: (denying being worried) "Me? No. No. No, no, no, no, no, no. Mm-mmm....Are you?"
Woody: (chuckling) "Oh, now, Buzz. What could Andy possibly get that is worse than you?"

The view pulled back through the bedroom window after Woody asked Buzz the question. When they heard that Andy was thrilled that his present was a new puppy - the camera zoomed back through the window with a close-up of Buzz and Woody reacting to the news. The two tentatively and uncomfortably smiled and chuckled at each other.

As the closing credits scrolled, Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend" was reprised.


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