Toy Story 3: Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned

[@gabrielblacklock3921]

Fascinating to hear about how one of the best-written movies of all time came together. It really makes you realize how important quality storytelling was to Pixar at that time.

[@petermiao8970]

That moment when you realize that Toy Story 3 shares so many elements with The Brave Little Toaster, and all the points discussed about creating a strong inciting incident to move into the 1st act break applies so well to both films.

[@thesoundofcoolness]

Your videos are better than 90% on screenwriting advice online combined. Perfect level of clear, applicable templates without being weirdly specific ("on page 5 the character has to save their uncle from a tsunami"). Please keep it up.

[@sofiasurreal.]

So true!

[@seventyeight4237]

Just 90%? Where's this other 10%? I've been looking for yonks and haven't found much that's better. Please enlighten me.

[@plisskenetic]

Amen! Coz he's REALLY a guy working in Hollywood, unlike the would-be indie/ teachers out there!

[@Biscuits..]

"Re-define life in ways that are deeper, more generous, more poetic... and that's what storytelling is." Standing ovation.

[@tedsowards]

You can't stop making these! I would take a semester where you dissect a different movie each class.

[@Tutorial7a]

Well, guess I have a new "refer back to this every six months" resource. Absolutely brilliant breakdown, Michael! The way you put even more meaning into the film by breaking down the details that are really going on under the surface is the sort of intimate mastery over your own work and the intense layers of meaning it contains that I dream of achieving some day. And seeing the problem-solving process first hand, being walked step by step through it, is the sort of "training by doing" that is so hard to get in any other place than the School of Hard Knocks. Thank you so much for sharing this!

[@kaustubhchavan7398]

The most I have ever cried after a movie is after watching toy story 3 and now I know the reason why. The storytelling is pure genius. Thanks Michael and all the Pixar team for this experience. Films like these inspire you to write your own stories and create your own magic. And this breakdown is like pixie dust for that.

[@illinoismotionpicturestudi5065]

As an aspiring screenwriter, I enjoyed your breakdown and the many pains of trying to craft to story. I especially liked the storybook reels, it was fascinating to see how those ideas were incredibly similar to the final product, but with small differences that made a big impact (Such as Woodys speech about what being a Toy is all about to Lotso). It's much more interesting when Woody doesn't have any answer. Plotting backwards is something I often find myself doing a lot. I'll have a specific scenario of what I want to happen, and typically have no idea how my characters will get there. I'm glad to see that even professional storytellers do this, as like you said, sometimes it's better to 'drive knowing where the destination is' than not having a goal in mind at all. I've written many of my own films this way, it's a relief that others have a similar system. My biggest take away from the video, and the thing that resonated with me the most, was when you said 'Not all stories have to follow this process' which was a huge breath of fresh air from most Video Essays. Typically people will say 'My way is the only way' and stuff along those lines, but I'm glad you said, 'These are just my recommendations, not set in stone rules'.

[@theseanwardshow]

What we really need is a video like this, 1 hour+, about the process of writing The Force Awakens. I would so love to hear about the challenges of creating the story out of all the multiple and parallel demands & expectations put on such a project

[@samgilley3160]

I'm sure he's tied down by all kinds of NDAs, especially since his first draft was tossed.

[@youtubeviolatedme7123]

I think Michael Arndt had a less active role in TFA than he did in TS3. For TS3, he seems to have been the head writer for both the drafts and the screenplay, whereas for TFA, Arndt is only credited for having written the screenplay. Although George Lucas trusted Arndt to write drafts for the entire Star Wars sequel trilogy, I think once JJ Abrams came on board and teamed up with Larry Kasdan to use (or disregard) Arndt's treatments in order to piece together a new draft of TFA, the draft must have been so vastly different from Michael Arndt's treatments that Arndt could hardly be credited any longer as a writer for the movie, and perhaps only as a screenwriter for the movie as a courtesy. I mean, it's well known that the decision to let Poe live was made mid-production (btw mid-production rewrites are more common than you probably know), but it's also known that most of the changes to Arndt's treatments were actually made in the second and third acts, so if first act rewrites like a character surviving are considered minor in comparison to the second and third act rewrites, that should put into perspective how drastic those rewrites really were.

[@almendraman]

Michael wasn't involved in the final script. He only received a credit.

[@TheOwneroftheIC]

TFA's final script is just ANH's script ran through google translate and a word processor's autocorrect several dozen times.

[@zhoujo]

Strong contender for the best video on youtube

[@daplace902]

I have watched these movies several times (watched them all again last week). The moment when they are all sitting in the refuse on the conveyor belt & heading over the edge to the Flame never fails to make me cry (even a little now after all the viewings). All the Toys are struggling & when Buzz reaches out to Jesse & takes her hand with that Loving & Final look ... I was flabbergasted the 1st time I saw it. I have NEVER seen an animation achieve the Level of emotion or that Depth of feeling. A phenomenal meeting of writing, animation & "acting". Just Phenomenal.

[@flintfoster8010]

I love whoever voiced the reels, nice impressions 😂

[@Calebtrain]

Thank you for this. Came here from your appearance on the “Script Apart” podcast. Your honest candor about the process was validating, and seeing how you and the story team solved these puzzles is illuminating. Really amazing stuff.

[@AY8ROOK]

"Redefining life in ways that are deeper, more generous, and more poetic-and that's what storytelling is." Goddamn.

[@Paint]

this is so helpful! thank you michael

[@Nextbigching]

Came here after seeing Michael Arndt do a lecture on making a strong act 1 at the Austin Film Fest Screenwriters conference, which was the best panel I attended by far. Absolutely loved this! I think this is the single best explanation of 3 act structure, told in such an entertaining way. The 70 mins just flew by. I hope Michael eventually uploads the act 1 lecture that he did in Austin, because that too was fantastic.

[@Felixman128]

The Toy Story movies are some of my all time favorites. The effort you and the team put in to get 3 as right as possible can't go unappreciated. It's awesome that you chose to share your journey with such a well made video. That earns a sub and a half I think

[@TeodorKuhn]

this is the best video lecture on screenwriting i have ever seen. congrats and thank you mister.

[@iroiro-u9i]

19:46 I got your point on the problems with the scene (although I still don't think it was "bad") but Idk how Woody was being "whiny." That's an interesting critique considering how they handled him in Toy Story 4 but ok. Also, I always thought it was weird that Buzz has zero reaction to Andy literally choosing Woody over him. It's out of character for him to do what he did in the original idea, sure, but Buzz being hurt by it is understandable. To me, it makes more sense for him to at least react. Him dwelling on it the whole movie would obviously be a bit much but if someone you love chooses someone else over you you're not just gonna act like it didn't happen.

[@keepplayingnice]

Very true about Buzz. But how out of character is it, really? As you mentioned, he was momentarily reacting to what just happened in a very understandable way. Imagine if he convinced the rest of the toys except Woody that they're all worthless now like him (considering he's the one Andy explicitly picks Woody over), that would be in line with the story too, wouldn't it? The toys (except Woody) would still have their darkest fears come true, that Andy doesn't want them anymore.

[@MarcusKatzAuthor]

Thank you Michael (and everyone involved) for not only Toy Story 3, which is simply astonishing story telling, but for this breakdown, which is one of the most rich, experienced, useful and informational videos I've ever seen on KZbin. Brilliant, thank you! I'm writing my first fiction at the moment, and this was invaluable and inspiring.

[@DanielGoldhorn]

"Once you've learned to not be selfish, and you've learned to, you know, accept your own mortality, you're pretty much done right? Like, what else is there to learn?" ~Michael Arndt FANTASTIC video! You actually gave me a whole new angle on not just the movie, but also on writing in general. Thank you so much for sharing this, I'm going to reference this in a future video of mine!

[@juancarlosestupinan6286]

This is incredibly valuable. It is so detailed and well crafted... it seems like a great script in itself. Thanks for sharing.

[@braelen9]

Stumbled upon your content a couple weeks ago. Was hitting my head against a script I'm working on for Uni and was completely stuck around page 45. This video and the video about Endings was like a plunger for my brain, revealing to me all of the honest shortcomings of my outline. I have since restructured it, and for the first time in two years, I feel great about my story. All of the literature I've consumed about screenwriting was about how to write (from a syntax POV), what screenplay structure is about, and extrapolating knowledge from completed works. No other content I've engaged with has so thoroughly described the problems with writing a first draft and shown examples of "bad" drafts. For this, I can't thank you enough. I appreciate this a lot. Beyond helpful.

[@nippyfan]

I'm beyond grateful for you taking the time to do this. I was literally stuck on my sci-fi script for a few months... getting "help" was costly. Couldn't do it. You just unstuck me. I cried about it. Seriously. Whew. Perfection. And thanks for not charging a struggling writer/single Mom for this invaluable breakdown.

[@ryansulak]

god this was such a well made video! the animations, graphs, explanation, everything! especially the midpoint section detailing the 6 story beats. the visuals helps articulate your point so well

[@yasimk123]

Thanks Micahel for sharing the story elements that contributes to an awesome story. This is a timeless classic.

[@jhcrema]

Amazing masterclass, Michael! Thank you for your talent, knowledge and generosity.

[@Madison__]

How this doesn't have more views baffles me. Excellent work. Amazing first ever video/introduction to story telling as a whole.

[@OuterEastLLC]

Fifteen minutes into this video and already learned a lot. Thanks for sharing.

[@senvguild173]

Man, how does this video not have millions of likes and views! I watched the whole video, the quality is so good! Good education. Thank you for making my childhood with this movie, truly thankful. You changed my life with this movie.

[@mainer1755]

I guess this is a bit old now in KZbin years, but thank you for this. I write cheesy westerns and scifi, and this, plus your other lecture, were very, very helpful. Thank you. Really, Thank you. This was a very generous thing to give the writing world. From the cheap seats, thank you.

[@buffluffstuff]

Thank you for this incredible video. For what it's worth I thought Molly singing "I will survive" in the first draft was hilarious.

[@freddyfranchise]

Michael, this was just beautiful. I couldn't imagine a better story on storytelling. The hard lessons shared, the clear, visual aids that were used. Loved the "night mode" a lot (the white on black). The focus on philosophical stakes made it SO valuable since the message of a story is the utmost important part. Thank you so much for sharing the insights of your professional life as a writer. I am humbled and inspired by this deep, soulful and transparent journey through a milestone film project of one of the biggest studios on the planet. I meticulously wrote everything down and will use it to make my screenplays stronger with this new knowledge and perspective. You made me feel better about myself, my tools as a writer and my chances in this brutal market. You are like an unexpected mentor in the first act of my journey, giving me these beautiful gifts. I can't thank you enough. *Cheers, Thank you & deep bow* - Freddy

[@mbagga8440]

An absolute masterpiece of analysis, thank you so much

[@ArichDKC]

Lotso winking at the camera in the storyboard is the funniest shit ever -- thank you

[@easydansvoices5968]

This is interesting, insightful and entertaining. Having just completed a first draft that has been well-received by my producer, this video has found its way into my life at just the right time. Scratching my head to make the 2nd draft even better, Mr Arndt has shone a torch on the way forward. Thank you!

[@TravisPlushProductions]

Absolutely fantastic video

[@DanialTarki]

10:33 Okay, I was not expecting that.😂

[@scotopiapictures]

OMG, thank you for sharing this. I've been banging my head against the floor on my latest project, and this couldn't have come at a better time. Much obliged.

[@drtrolleur3012]

i kinda wish that woody would've stayed in the college box after seeing TS4

[@zadayaz]

my storyboarding professor just showed this to us during a class and its super insightful, even though im not a writer a lot of this still really helpful and interesting, especially liked the bit about facing any inherent dark truths your story has

[@fangsicong]

This is the best video i've ever seen in my whole life

[@vehementlyflat8503]

gosh these videos are good watching, thank you.

[@matthewalvarado8243]

Flipping phenomenal. Thanks so much for putting this together and posting it. 👏🏼👏🏼

[@storlach]

I have watched this a couple of times now - and will watch a couple times more - and it still amazes me. Thank you @Michael Arndt!

[@jonah4588]

I'm so happy you considered that Jessie shouldn't be passive. That's something that Toy Story 4 didn't do and it annoyed me.

[@buzzytrombone4353]

She popped the tyre on the RV though.

[@jonah4588]

@@buzzytrombone4353 what did she do after popping the tire? Nothing! For like, the rest of the movie!

[@buzzytrombone4353]

@@jonah4588 She came up with the idea of bringing the RV to the merry go round lad

[@buzzytrombone4353]

@@jonah4588 Also no need for the exclamation marks no one needs to know that you're shouting at a wall in an apartment that smells of your own semen.

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

@@buzzytrombone4353 Hey, how's about you don't tell them how to use punctuation to express their point?

[@erikalobati2139]

Thank you so so much for this inside scoop! This gives me so much interest into screenwriting structure and how to visually represent stakes, turns, peaks, and valleys in a story.

[@sincerelytsola]

is it just me or are the scenes they show much better than the finished product? i genuinely like it more.

[@ryankelly1840]

So glad I stumbled upon this. What a gem. You are a legend!

[@Barrrt]

Hi Michael, I just watched Oblivion (again!) and I wanted to thank you for your contribution to that project. Such an amazing film. Thank you.

[@arongomarfloreshargrove4659]

I just found this out of pure luck, this is very underrated and I will show this to my students sense is extremely similar to what I teach in my storyboard class, thank you!

[@liamwalsh6302]

Thank you. And congratulations, too -- the hard work pays off.

[@ShockwaveFPSStudios]

46:54 Wait, Optimus Prime was originally gonna be in Toy Story 3?! Come on, why wasn’t he in any of the Toy Story movies! I mean it’s not like Hasbro wouldn’t allow Transformers to be in it, they allowed Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head to be in every Toy Story movie, not to mention they allows Battleship Operation Game of Life & Mr. Mike to be in the 1st movie, so why wasn’t there a Transformers character in the Toy Story movies? Pixar could’ve had Peter Cullen to voice Optimus in the Toy Story films, or maybe hire a different actor to play him, like they did to Barbie & Ken. Edit: 47:00 wait the one on the left & right looks like… Darth Vader & He-Man?! We could’ve had Toy Story versions of Darth Vader & He-Man! I mean for Darth Vader’s case, it makes sense, considering that the Toy Story series likes to make Star Wars references, so it could’ve worked. Not sure why He-Man would join Lotso’s side. 47:20 OMG It really is He-Man.

[@plushiesdx]

Though, Hasbro wouldn't like that Optimus is with the villains. Should've used a villainous transformer that would be fun.

[@ShockwaveFPSStudios]

⁠Like Megatron

[@matthewking3041]

Watching this video alone has sparked so many ideas in my mind of how to adapt my screenplay which I’m currently stuck on. Thank you Michael 😁

[@elvishakirova]

It's like an eye opener. Amazing master class, Michael! Thank you very much for sharing your experience with us❤️

[@forkfighter]

This is incredibly helpful. I'm actually working on a screenplay right now, and I kept getting hung up on how or why things happen. Making up a scenario and then plotting backwards sounds pretty smart to me. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@glenn_r_frank_author]

So good. You have given me so many things to consider and look at from a new vantage point.

[@albers1]

Gracias.

[@sofiasurreal.]

This a fantastic video, thank you! So much depth and detail. Very rare to hear about the iterations, and reasoning for the final result.

[@madsketchy9261]

Needs more views

[@VincenzoSZ]

This is such a great video. In face all of your videos are SO helpful, some of my favourite writing resources. Thank you! If you want to make more I would encourage it. :D

[@milincjoshi]

This is really great! Please keep on making more videos like this.

[@rorydiamond2389]

This is amazing, thank you so much for taking the time to make it.

[@sin1stermask]

I love this so much dude ! Thank you for making this video

[@RaymondHulha]

This Video is beautiful!

[@skycreeper0173]

Super freaking awesome video. I really enjoyed it!

[@AScreenwritersJourney]

Thank you for this fantastic, very educational video. Pixar films tell the best stories!

[@joshorganika]

great video! excellent insight on writing stories. hope to apply it to my own one day!

[@groegar8711]

I literally teared up

[@RyanFloom]

Toy Story 3 is in my opinion either the best or 2nd best Pixar movie (or any animated film for that matter) only competing with Up IMO. Ratatouille is a close 3rd

[@BENHOOPERMUSIC]

This was great, thank you.

[@SergioPerez-og9uz]

Thank you so much for this. Made with great care about the work you do and it's inspiring in itself.

[@danabramovici]

These videos are extremely helpful. Thank you.

[@brileywells1628]

Amazing video. Thank you

[@carthur799]

Thanks Michael - as a new writer this is super helpful!!!

[@andallicansayis]

what were you thinking when you made the bear exactly as the prospector - good then bad.. and abandoned by the owner just as jessie was in the 2nd movie?

[@andrem.8433]

Thank you Michael for sharing your arduous and rewarding journey. My son who has autism, is an aspiring illustrator and storyteller, was sooo excited to share your video with me! So excited, that my wife and I were talking on the phone with each other while I was away on business and he grabbed the phone out of my wife's hand and said, "Dad, you gotta watch this video! I sent you the KZbin link!" He was talking so fast and was so excited he was running out of breath! I just finished watching...not gonna lie...couple of tears during the epiphany scenes but I muscled through it. Sent my son an encouraging message regarding his pursuit in writing. His reply made me...well, verklempft Thanks for making my son excited about the craft of storytelling...Bravo! Continued success, -Jesse's dad

[@Pcoxproductions]

3:08 script -> reels -> screening -> brain trust. The iterative beta-testing proccess for a story that pixar uses

[@alepzix9278]

I loved this !

[@tezzag818]

Thank you, that was amazing!

[@Ally_Whitlock]

Why is this video not viral??

[@jameschen2308]

wow, that was amazing.

[@РоманМищиряков]

It was brilliant!

[@mrbriandclark]

Thank you for sharing all this. Been stumbling around and not feeling any of my story choices were worth it. Had many scenes and ideas I could write, but none of them making me feel hey had to be written. Maybe these will benchmarks and ways of thinking will help. Onward. Scared. Onward.

[@uh_itsnerfornothin]

The midpoint section is at the midpoint hahahah so clever

[@actoranthonybradford]

this was amazing. thank you for sharing this!

[@hamzamohamedgamal9427]

i just stumbled on your channel and it's really a goldmine thank you alot for sharing your knowledge i have a couple of questions regarding little miss sunshine which is one of my favourite movies . how did the process of rewriting the ending of the movie since i've seen multiple alternate endings . and was there any scenes for sheryl tony colette's character that did not make it to the shooting script or final edit and one last thing how was the pre production process of little miss sunshine from selling the script to collaborating with joanathan and valerie . thank you alot

[@C-White-88]

I loved toy story 3 . I believe you that was the process for how toy story 3 was made but I can believe they used the same process for toy story 4. so much from beginning to end made no sense or went against everything already established in the previous movies. Anyway thanks for this best wishes to you and yours.

[@GameTesterBootCamp]

11:30 I must be a terrible writer (so far) because that opening didn't seem so bad to me.

[@isaiahwilliams2642]

It isn't bad. It's just not ideal for Pixar. The point of the story meetings is to tighten and streamline the story so that at least the majority of general audiences can be hooked. A scene like this is great for, say, an indie drama. But for a family comedy adventure, it does drag.

[@iroiro-u9i]

@@isaiahwilliams2642 If you say so

[@youngmanoldman32]

See this scene according to him would work if the entire movie was about the toys *hammering out their differences with each other* and then deciding to finally agree on their expectations _within andy's room_ but doing it this way they would need a different inciting incident, second act and third act and you wouldnt have the story with lotso. this intro already expects you to be far too invested in the characters at the start and doesnt set up why it really matters that much when they can just spend their time idling in the room.

[@yever4635]

This is Golden!!

[@plushiesdx]

10:33 I liked the Molly joke

[@RyanFloom]

It makes you wonder how certain Pixar films went through this process and are just not good at all… Toy Story 4 for instance

[@Arowrath]

I'm seriously going to try the reels method when I make my first feature. Cause why not use it for live action? Storyboards work for live action too.

[@greeff100]

Thank you

[@MrIrdatlan]

I really did not like the last 2 toy story movies, both endings felt really sad while the first 2 had great endings where everyone had all that nice years ahead. The first 2 felt like early teens and 20s and the last 2 felt like late 50s early 60s in a persons life...

[@raymond18]

Did The Brave Little Toaster ever come up in any of those discussions?

[@KEP1983]

This is an awesome video, but I just realized that Up and Toy Story 3 have their epiphany moments at different times. Toy Story 3 put it at the climax, right in the heart of act 3. But Up has the epiphany moment at the second act break, with 23 minutes still remaining in the movie. Obviously both still work. But it deems like this shows the epiphany moment CAN come earlier than the climax. Now to go watch the best films of all time and see if their epiphanies typically occur at the second act break or the climax. Hmm 🤔

[@dutchchann9317]

46:51 What the hell is that red and blue figure?

[@exitmult]

Most important question. Was that the score from Aliens they used a temp track for the 1st act break? 29:49. BTW- Thanks for these videos. They're great.

[@savannasdoodles]

👏👏👏