Toy Story 3 - Ending Explained

The film's most significant plot twist is the betrayal of Lotso. After the toys save him in the landfill, he has a chance to stop the conveyor belt and save them from the incinerator. Instead, he abandons them to their deaths, proving his nihilism is total. This leads to the most discussed scene: the toys holding hands and accepting death, only to be saved by the Aliens and 'The Claw.' The final resolution—Woody leaving a note for Andy to give the toys to Bonnie—is a masterstroke that allows the toys to stay together and continue their purpose. The realization at the end is that Woody wasn't just saving the toys for Andy; he was saving them for the concept of childhood joy.

One popular interpretation parallels the film with Dante's Divine Comedy, viewing Sunnyside as Purgatory, the landfill/incinerator as the Inferno (Hell), and Bonnie's home as Paradise. Another interpretation focuses on the film's political subtext, viewing Sunnyside as a critique of totalitarian regimes where the "elite" live in comfort while the masses (the Caterpillar Room) suffer. Critics have also discussed the film's existentialist reading, where characters like Lotso represent nihilism (the belief that life is meaningless once the "creator" abandons you) versus Woody's choice to create meaning through community and shared purpose even in the absence of a "god-like" owner.