Toy Story 3 - Plot

Plot

Andy, now nearly 18 years old, is leaving for college, and his toys feel like they have been abandoned as they have not been played with for years. Andy decides to take Woody with him to college and puts Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the toys in a trash bag for storage in the attic. However, the toys are accidentally thrown out when Andy's mother finds the bag and puts it out on the curb, causing the toys to think that they are no longer wanted. They escape and decide to climb in a donation box for Sunnyside Daycare. Woody, the only toy who saw what actually happened, follows the other toys and tries to explain that they were thrown out by mistake, but they refuse to believe him.

Andy's toys are welcomed by the many toys at Sunnyside and given a tour of the seemingly perfect play-setting by Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear (simply known as Lotso), Big Baby and Ken, whom Barbie falls for. All of the toys love their new home, leaving a steadfast Woody alone in an attempt to return to Andy. Woody's escape attempt falls short and he is found outside by Bonnie, an imaginative little girl. She takes him home and plays with him along with her other toys, who are well-treated, happy, and readily welcome Woody. At the daycare, Andy's toys are getting played with very roughly by the rambunctious youngest toddlers.

Buzz goes to ask Lotso to transport him and the other toys to a better room, only to be caught by Lotso's henchmen and restored back to his original space ranger persona. At the same time, Andy's toys realize that Woody was right about Andy when Mrs. Potato Head sees Andy searching for them through her missing eye, which was left behind in Andy's room. Before they could leave, they are imprisoned by Lotso and his gang, including a reset Buzz. Back at Bonnie's, Woody learns from one of the toys, named Chuckles the Clown, that Lotso was once a good toy and had an owner named Daisy who also owned Chuckles the Clown and Big Baby. One day, Daisy left them behind on a picnic. The three eventually find their way back to Daisy's house, only to find that she replaced Lotso with an identical teddy bear. When he found Sunnyside, he and Big Baby took it over and ran it like a prison.

The following morning, Woody returns to Sunnyside through Bonnie's backpack. He sneakily reaches his friends and tells them he is sorry for leaving them. They quickly formulate an escape plan. That night, Woody and Slinky sneak through Sunnyside to the main office, where Chatter informed them that a cymbal-banging monkey monitors the CCTV system to prevent toys escaping. A brief fight ensues, ending with the Monkey wrapped in sticky tape and locked in a filing cabinet by Slinky. Slinky signals to the other toys while Mr. Potato head provides a diversion, they make their escape. In the process, Buzz is accidentally reset into a Spanish mode, in which he becomes very flamboyantly chivalrous and his memory is wiped; despite this, Buzz allies himself with Woody's friends, and immediately falls in love with Jessie. The toys reach a dumpster, but are caught by Lotso and his gang. As a garbage truck approaches, Woody reveals what he heard about Lotso, and Big Baby throws Lotso into the dumpster. Seeking revenge, Lotso pulls Woody in the dumpster just as the truck collects the trash. Woody's friends jump into the back of the truck, trying to rescue him and a falling television hits Buzz when he tries to save Jessie, returning him to his normal self. The toys find themselves at the dump and are pushed onto a conveyor belt leading to a garbage shredder. Woody and Buzz save Lotso just in time as he is about to be shredded and Woody and the other toys end up on another conveyor belt, leading to an incinerator. The toys help Lotso reach an emergency stop button, but he leaves them to their deaths. Thinking that this is the end, the toys join hands and accept their fate but are rescued by the Aliens using a giant claw. Lotso makes his way outside, but a passing garbage truck driver finds him and, recognizing he had the toy as a kid, straps him to the radiator grill of his truck. Meanwhile, Woody and his friends board another trash truck driven by an older Sid Phillips back to Andy's house.

In Andy's room, Woody climbs back into the box with Andy's college supplies while the other toys ready themselves for the attic. Remembering his time with Bonnie and her toys, Woody has an idea and leaves a note for Andy on the toys' box. Andy, thinking the note is from his mother, takes them to Bonnie's house and introduces her to his old toys and Bonnie recognizes Woody, who, to Andy's surprise, is lying at the bottom of the box. Andy is initially reluctant to give him up but eventually does so and spends some time playing with her. After Andy leaves, Woody introduces the gang to Bonnie's toys as the camera pans up to the sky.

During the credits, Woody and the other toys learn through notes passed in Bonnie's backpack that Barbie, Ken and Big Baby have improved the lives of the toys (now including an Emperor Zurg action figure) at Sunnyside. Buzz uncontrollably dances with Jessie to a Spanish version of "You've Got a Friend in Me."