buzz lightyear – The Story Department

Structure: Toy Story 3

Karel FG Segers — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:43:04 +0000

Toy Story 3 is my favorite movie of the year and it will be hard to beat this. Usually when my expectations are high, I end up disappointed. Not here.

The movie pays off on every possible level. It’s fun, emotional and has tremendous depth.

I have seen it three times, each in a different format, and the story easily withstands multiple viewings. A few days ago I shared my views on the various technical formats. In short: I’m not overly excited about the whole 3D thing still. It’s just delivered very poorly.

But rejoice! Today we’re talking STORY!!

Yes, friends, Toy Story 3 is formulaic. Much like Toy Story 1 (See Paul Gulino’s excellent analysis in Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach), it follows an 8-Sequence Hero’s Journey structure with a powerful Mid Point Reversal. Still, it is delightfully complex as you can peel layer after layer from a wonderfully crafted script.

Trust me, this level of supremely high quality screenwriting you don’t get very often in cinemas. A team of the best story brains in the world labored over it for years, including one of the finest screenplayers of our generation. The result: the winner of the 2010 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. I’ll be damned if they don’t win.

I love doing these structural analyses and unfortunately I can’t always justify the time to write my notes with the breakdown. (At the time of this writing, I must apologize for still not having done this for the Gladiator breakdown)

This time, however, I found I had to give you at least something. Toy Story 3 is such an amazing example of successful sequential writing, as well as the pinnacle of Hero’s Journey structure. I know there are a few people out there still resisting the call from this type of structural approach but that’s fine. There’s two kinds of people in this world — Winners…and Losers. (LOL)

— massive spoilers ahead —

W.: Woody
B.: Buzz
MPH.: Mr. Potato Head
J.: Jessie
L.: Lotso
BB: Big Baby

ACT ONE

Sequence A: “Andy is gonna take care of us. I guarantee it.” (15mins)

00.00   Pixar leaders + Title
01.00   W. vs. One-Eyed Bart & Betty (Mr. & Mrs. PH), aliens & Evil Dr. Pork Chop (Hamm)
05.00   Montage of video: Andy plays with toys as he grows up. “Our frienship will never die…”

06.15 A. about to leave for college. Toys in chest, executing plan to get A.’s attention.
07.30 Calling Andy’s mobile – plan fails as he ignores the toys.
08.00 Staff meeting. Woody: “Andy is gonna put us in the attic.” Toy soldiers give up & leave.
10.00 Woody: “Andy is gonna take care of us. I guarantee it.” Looks at old photo.
11.00 Buzz: “Guarantee it? … At least we’ll all be together.”
13.00 Andy opens chest, looks at toys, puts them in garbage bag. Woody & Buzz separated.

14.00 Andy goes to attic, Molly interrupts. Attic closes. Mom takes bag for garbage.

This is the movie’s first sequence climax. It holds both the Inciting Incident (toys to garbage) and Woody’s Call to Adventure (he witnesses the I.I.). He must act. Note that the ensuing action is not about staying together (a Call he is refusing as he’s accepted Andy’s choice to take Woody with him to college), but rather about saving his friends from the garbage truck, so they can go to the attic.

Sequence B: Woody saving friends, caught in car to daycare. (14mins)

15.00   Think, think, think! Dog Buster is no help: fat & old. Garbage truck getting closer.
16.30 Toys escape under. box J.: “I know what to do!” All in car in box to Sunnyside.
17.30   Woody: Mistake! Car door closes, drives off. W.: “You’ll be begging to go home!”
19.00   Looking through handle hole: Butterfly room. Kids playing peacefully with toys.

20.30   Warmly welcomed by other toys. Lotso: Playing all day. No owners, no heartbreak.
22.30   Ken’s Dreamhouse: Barbie in love with Ken. Lotso gives the toys a tour.
26.00   W.: “We need to go home.!” Toys try to convince him, unsuccessfully.
27.30   Buzz: “This is it? After all we’ve been through?” Extends hand to Woody. Woody refuses.

Woody’s final decision to pursue his overall goal (and initial plan) for this movie isn’t formulated until here: to return to Andy and be there for him when he goes to college. His refusal to accept Buzz’ hand is the movie’s second sequence climax and a reminder of the Inner Journey: he must learn to let go of the past and keep his loyalty to his friends, i.e. Stay Together.

Ironically, after Andy’s decision to separate Woody from his friends (in Sequence A) has been overturned, now the choice is put to Woody. He can stay together with them if he wants, but he chooses not to.

You might want to see the closing of the car door as the end of Act One, as that’s where the toys are leaving their Ordinary World. This is not a deliberate action by Woody, though.

He doesn’t voluntarily enter Sunnyside and the toys being together at that point is still too much of an Ordinary World, offering our hero a sense of comfort. The real separation only happens when Woody deliberately chooses to leave. It feels consistent with the way the sequence is built dramatically. Woody refusing Buzz’ extended hand is a tremendously powerful setup for the heart-wrenching Crisis scene, in which he will accept Buzz’ hand.

ACT TWO

Sequence C: Woody escapes. Toys see the less sunny side. (12mins)

28.30 Woody escapes: Corridor – Bathroom – Roof – Glider – Tree. Bonnie finds him.
31.00 Rough playtime. Buzz sees the Butterfly Room – contrast of peace.
33.00 Meeting Bonnie’s toys: heaven for Andy. Being played with & being loved.
35.00 Aftermath. Toys in Caterpillar Room lick their wounds. Moving to Butterfly Room!

36.00 We’re trapped! Open door. Buzz follows Twitch and Chunk into candy dispenser.
38.30 Buzz overhears gamblers: “Lucky if they last a week.” B. Caught by Big Baby. To library!

Woody’s escape from Sunnyside is a fun ‘threshold sequence’, in which he travels and overcomes barriers to leave the world of Sunnyside.

If you want, you can see Toy Story 3 as a metaphorical tale about the end of (a toy’s) life.

Throughout the film you may recognize symbols of life and death, echoing religious notions of heaven, hell and purgatory. When Bonnie plays with Woody and throws him gently in the air, the image goes in slow motion, showing an ecstatic Woody. This is clearly heaven to him: being played with and being loved. It is no coincidence that this is where Woody will return after he narrowly escapes a burning hell by taking Buzz’ hand, a symbolic repentance.

The sequence ends on a strong climax with Buzz being in jeopardy.

Sequence D: Mid Point Reversal: Truth behind Sunnyside. (12mins)

40.00   Woody tries to leave Bonnie’s place. Toys protest.
40.30   Buzz questioned, Lotso: “We got a keeper!” Buzz reset to Demo mode.
43.00   Mrs. PH’s ‘other eye’ sees A. & Mom. “Woody was telling the truth! We gotta go home!”
44.00   Lotso: “You’re Not Going Anywhere. Lock ’em up!” Buzz ‘disables’ them.
47.30 W. hears Story of Daisy, Chuckles, Lotso and Big Baby. W: “But… my friends are there!”

Like clockwork, after four of the eight sequences and halfway the movie, the tables are turned.

The Mid Sequence is only the second sequence of Act Two but it falls right in the middle of the story (40mins preceding it, 40mins following it), because Act One is significantly longer than Act Three.

Reversal #1: We have learned that Sunnyside is a very dark place to be, contrary to the first impression the toys had upon arrival.
Reversal #2: As a result of #1, Woody has changed his beliefs about staying with Andy vs. staying together with his friends. (Inner Journey)
Reversal #3: Consistent with the progress in his Inner Journey, Woody changes his Outer Journey approach and in stead of returning to Andy’s place, he will return to Sunnyside and help his friends.

ACT TWO-b

Sequence E: Woody back. Getting out tonight! (16mins)

52.00 Lotso: “Rise and shine, campers! Playdate with destiny.” More rough playtime.
53.30 Woody goes back in. Phone gives W. a 4-pronged strategy: “Get rid of that monkey.”

56.30 W. back with toys: “We’re busting out of here. Tonight!” Explains plan to toys.
58.00 Executing the plan: MPH gone – distraction manoeuvre. Woody & Slinky get out.
59.00 MPH escapes from the Box w/ Tortilla. / Woody immobilizes monkey.
60.30   Barbie: “Ken, would you model a few outfits for me?”
61.00   Monkey mummified – Woody finds the key. / Hamm and Rex catch Buzz under box.
63.00   Barbie: no more games, Ken. / Mr. Potato Head: coast clear, toys come out.
64.30   Barbie gets Ken to speak, then gets manual from library, in space suit.
65.30   MPH (tortilla version) vs. Bird / Toys ‘fix’ Buzz but he goes in Spanish Mode.

Act IIb shows a new direction, a clear plan is laid out and a ticking clock speeds up the action. This sequence has a great energy, quite positive for an Act IIb sequence. But this is done deliberately in order to create a stark contrast with the sequence that follows.

Sequence F: Escaping + Woody’s Ordeal & Transformation (15mins)

68.00   MPH (cucumber version) returns. All leave, outsmart Big Baby, who’s on guard.
69.30   Buzz courting Jessie with dance. She is happy to see Woody again.
70.30   Buzz opens the shute. On the other side: Lotso & Co. Phone: “They broke me”.
72.30 L.: “You need to avoid that truck. Join our family again.”
73.30   Woody: what about Daisy? She loved you. Big Baby: “Mama!”
74.00   BB pushes Lotso into garbage container. Alien stuck, Woody helps, is pulled in.
75.00 Too late: toys in garbage truck. Buzz saves Jessie and is returned to normal.
77.00 Arrival at the dump. Aliens run towards claw but are caught by passing truck.
78.00   Conveyor belt. W.: “Stay together.” Woody and Buzz save Lotso.
79.00   We’re all in this together! Daylight! Not daylight but oven.
79.30 Lotso betrays them. “Where’s your kid now!” All going down.
81.00   All toys holding hands, ready for the end. Woody takes Buzz’ extended hand.
82.00   Light from above. The Claw! Aliens are in control.

This sequence creates instant cinema history. At the Mid Point, Woody chose to stay with his friends. In this Approaching the Inmost Cave stage, the hero’s new belief is tested.

The sequence opens light-heartedly, with Mr Potato Head having changed his disguise from a tortilla to a cucumber. Soon the tone changes, with Big Baby’s creepy reference to The Exorcist and before we know the toys are in the garbage truck with a scene that could be a reference to Star Wars‘ trash compactor scene. This could be mistaken for the story’s Crisis but not for long.

Woody and his friends have lived through all the stages of a toy’s life and they’ve arrived at the dump, where the hero will face the Ordeal, in the Inmost Cave. It will be the story’s lowest point, both literally and figuratively. Woody is on his way to hell (the oven) and before he deserves heaven (Bonnie’s room) he will need to redeem himself.

The moment when the toys are all holding hands, facing death, is hands-down the greatest cinematic moment I have seen in a long time. Woody passes the test glowingly as a transformational hero when he redeems himself for rejecting Buzz at the end of Act One.
The tightness of the screenplay is just astounding at this point. The religious reference is obvious when suddenly the light shines from above, but another layer is added in by the fact that The Claw had always represented the little aliens’ God.

ACT THREE

Sequence G: Road Back + Climax. Woody does the right thing (10mins)

83.00 MPH “Eternally grateful.” Lotso onto front of truck. Keep mouth shut!
84.00 W.: “Maybe attic not great idea.” Andy still packing. On garbage truck (with Sid).
85.00   Home, go back in box ‘Attic’. Toys say goodbye to Woody. “Take care of Andy.”
86.00   Andy back in box ‘College’. Mom emotional. “I wish I could always be with you.”
87.00   Woody writes a note. Andy: “Donate?” Mom: “Whatever you wanna do.”
88.00 Andy drives to Bonnie’s place, introduces toys to Bonnie. “Take good care.”
90.30   Bonnie finds Woody: “My cowboy”. Andy confused & conflicted. (Climax)
91.30 Andy’s decision: “You think you can take care of him for me?”

With a Crisis of the magnitude as we’ve seen here, the movie can’t go wrong anymore. Still, surprises keep piling up.

This final installment in the Toy Story saga is different from the others in that Woody interferes with the world of the humans – with lasting impact – more than once. It works perfectly for a number of reasons. I can think of two:

1. If you see the three movies as three acts in the overall arc, it is normal that the hero is more active in the final act. Having Woody change the world of the humans is a fabulous way of making this happen.

2. The toys’ license to interfere with the world of the humans is set up in the very early scene when they call Andy’s mobile phone.

Woody’s final action causes a moment of choice for Andy, similar to Woody’s own journey climax.

Sequence H: A new life for Andy and for the toys.

92.30 Andy: Thanks guys. So long, partner.

93.00 The End.

To conclude, I would like to point out that it is so much easier to analyze a great story – and this is not even a proper analysis, just a rough outline – than it is to write one. The first you can do in a few hours; the last takes a few years. That said, I hope that this analysis helps some people to see the difference between following good writing principles and lazily copying a formula.

Toy Story 3 ticks more boxes than any movie I have seen in recent times, yet it does it in a refreshing way. It also shows that even if you know all the principles, it will still take you years to come up with a story that is worth telling on the big screen.

If you are willing to put in the hard work and understand how an audience’s perception of story works, you can learn how to make your stories work. Just don’t expect to find any shortcuts, anywhere.

Now it’s time to add your comments below!

– Karel Segers

Karel FG Segers

Karel Segers wrote his first produced screenplay at age 17. Today he is a story analyst with experience in acquisition, development and production. He has trained students worldwide, and worked with half a dozen Academy Award nominees. Karel speaks more European languages than he has fingers on his left hand, which he is still trying to find a use for in his hometown of Sydney, Australia. The languages, not the fingers.

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A Story within a (Toy) Story

Karel FG Segers — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:00:34 +0000

In great movies, structural principles apply to more than one level: story, act, sequence etc.

Once you understand how drama functions, you can apply it to EVERY level of the story.

Earlier we have looked at how the Mentor Sequence in The Untouchables was conceived as a mini 3-act story.

Today we’ll go a step further and see how Pixar plays with the Hero’s Journey story stages.

It is no news that the guys at Pixar know their Journey inside out. But you may be surprised to see how accurate the paradigm is followed.

As a matter of fact, by the time we reach the Inciting Incident (Call to Adventure) in Toy Story 2, you will have seen two almost complete hero’s journeys.

Let’s focus on the first one.

The film opens with Buzz Lightyear approaching the planet of the Evil Emperor Zurg.

The following three minutes are a textbook example of the Second Act within the Hero’s Journey, or stages 5 to 9:

5. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

Buzz enters the atmosphere. He crosses the Threshold into the Special World, which is the planet of Zurg.

Insofar the Crossing of the Threshold symbolises the Hero’s decision to act, this has already happened (in Toy Story 1) as we know what Buzz’s mission is: ‘to defeat the evil emperor Zurg’. In other words: we don’t need to see the scene in which Buzz commits to the journey. We know his character and purpose.

6. TESTS, ALLIES & ENEMIES

Before he embarks on his mission to find Zurg, he has to pass a number of Tests: 1) fly through the belt of asteroids unharmed, 2) land safely and 3) dodge the falling debris.

While he records his mission log (Ally?), he is surrounded by enemy droids (Enemies), protecting Zurg’s stronghold.

The tests continue as we commence the …

7. APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE

While Buzz is looking for a way to enter Zurg’s headquarters, a Cave Guardian in the shape of a video camera notices him. Buzz has to eliminate the Guardian before he can proceed.

Now a secret entrance opens up. When Buzz jumps in, he crosses the Second Threshold. The approach continues underground. More tests follow, one of which is the crossing of the abyss (to the tune of Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra, a reference to Kubrick’s 2001).

Now we have a brief scene from Zurg’s POV: “Come to me, my prey!”. This is the ‘antagonist high point’, which always immediately precedes the Hero’s lowest point, i.e. the Ordeal.

9. THE REWARD

In this journey, we see the Reward before the Ordeal: the ‘Source of Zurg’s Power’ – a battery – is floating in a magnetic field. It is clear that this is the item Buzz is after. But first he’ll have to face Zurg….

Note that a similar technique – revealing the Reward before the Ordeal – is used in The Incredibles, where we see the video projection in the Cave, showing the information the Incredibles need to fight Syndrome in Act Three. But first they have to survive the Ordeal.

8. THE ORDEAL

In the Ordeal, Buzz and Zurg fight. A proper Ordeal confronts the Hero with death. Here it seems frighteningly literal, when Zurg blows off Zurg’s head and torso – a scary image.

The Second Act has come to a down ending, without Buzz reaping the reward. Only now do we enter the real story of Toy Story 2 and realise it was only a video game; a story within the story and and entire Hero’s Journey Act Two in only just over 3 minutes!

So, what’s there to learn?

When beginning writers talk about structure, most of the time they mean the 3-act structure and they don’t get any further than that.

The screenwriting industry is hellishly competitive. I believe it would increase your chances of selling your work or getting a writing job if you understand how you can make stories exciting by using structure creatively WITHIN the Act, the Sequence and the Scene.

Is there a danger that all films will end up the same? It depends on what your criteria are. If you find that all Pixar movies are the same, then yes. If you find that all Cameron movies are the same, then yes.

Anyhow, the audience doesn’t seem to mind.