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Like many millennials, I saw Toy Story 3 in theaters when it originally came out. I grew up watching the films and felt all the emotional gut punch of what many expected to be the end of the trilogy. After rewatching Toy Story 3, I think it’s the best Toy Story movie. In general, the Toy Story films are some of Pixar’s best movies. Toy Story 3 highlights why these movies are entertaining, emotionally impactful, and brilliantly written and animated. They also teach valuable life lessons to all age groups. Great villains add to the appeal of Pixar films. And I would argue that Lotso (Ned Beatty) is the best Pixar villain.
Rewatching Toy Story 3 just solidified my opinion on the subject. He’s such a memorable and complex character who’s simultaneously horrific and sympathetic. Let’s discuss Lotso and why he’s such a fascinating bad toy.
Lotso Has A Heartbreaking Origin Story That Makes Me Sympathize With Him
I think what makes Lotso stand out so much is that he isn’t born evil. He isn’t an evil toy from creation, but one that develops his psychopathic characteristics from experience. That’s a running theme throughout the Toy Story movies. We see this in Toy Story 2 with Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer) and Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) in Toy Story 4. However, Lotso’s backstory feels more tragic because his owner doesn’t consciously choose to hurt him.
Daisy doesn’t plan to get rid of Lotso. Some carelessness from her parents results in Lotso, Big Baby (Woody Smith), and Chuckles (Bud Luckey) being left. Daisy may not even know that Lotso was lost. Her parents may just replace him with a new version and Daisy may never have known the truth. Unlike Jessie’s (Joan Cusack) former owner Emily, Daisy never intentionally leaves Lotso behind.
It’s easy to understand Lotso’s pain. The person he loved the most replaced him (even if it was not her choice). Additionally, what makes it more painful is how much he endured to get back to her. It has the same level of tragedy as books and movies where a husband or wife is thought to be dead, only to return home to find their partner has completely moved on without them. Because I can understand Lotso’s pain, it almost makes me not want to hate him.
And I don’t hate Lotso but I can also understand that his actions are unforgivable. He inflicts the same trauma and pain on others just because he has this warped view of life and love. He also has an “if I can’t be happy, no one else can” spirit.
My favorite villains are the ones that make you understand how they became corrupt. It’s the ones who had life break them down that are so memorable and scary. They represent that anyone can become a villain if they feel wronged by life enough. These are the most compelling villains.
He Makes Me See What Could Have Been For Woody, Jessie, And Other Toy Story Characters
Woody (Tom Hanks) almost found himself replaced by Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). It started to turn Woody a little dark. He had to go on a life-threatening adventure and bond with Buzz before he went too far into the realm of jealousy and envy. Jessie adopted a similar worldview to Lotso when Emily abandoned her. She wasn’t a fan of children and closed her heart to loving a child again.
Woody and Jessie could have become Lotso but several things stopped them from turning towards darkness. These things include the family they built with the other toys, Andy’s (John Morris) love for them, and their choice to see the good in children and the world. It all comes down to choice. Lotso had some really bad experiences, but so did Woody and Jessie, but they chose to see the good in continuing to love children.
Lotso’s evil ways offer an interesting look at how perspective can change one’s view of the world. If you focus on the trauma you endure and do not heal from it, or only focus on the darkness in the world, then you may turn into a Lotso, a selfish, vindictive, and cruel person.
Lotso’s Cuddly Appearance Highlights The Cleverness Of The Franchise
The Pixar writers and animators make Lotso such a cuddly, cute stuffed toy, This is hilarious because his appearance doesn’t match his inner self. It also shows you can’t judge someone by their looks. The cutest things can be devious.
This is another clever touch from the Toy Story team. You would never associate a cute pinkish teddy bear with a crime boss. Toy Story 4 repeats this route by making Gabby a sweet-looking doll with a sinister persona.
The cutest toys having the darkest souls is just such brilliant storytelling. They go against expectations by showing that not every pretty thing has a pure soul.
I Love The Irony Of His Ending
Lotso basically gets what he wants in the end. He gets someone who loves him and would never toss him away. However, he also gets treated like something with low value. He will have to endure so much while strapped to the front of a vehicle, including bugs, bad weather conditions, and things flying into him. He will no longer have the comfort of being indoors. He also no longer has control. It’s what he deserves.
Toy Story 3 Is Better Because Lotso Doesn’t Get A Redemption-Arc
I can admit that I often love a good character redemption arc, especially when it’s a baddie that I’ve grown to love and don’t want to see die. Sometimes characters are better when they redeem themselves. However, sometimes you have to let a bad guy stay a bad guy. It fits the story better and you can still like essentially evil characters.
I really like Lotso as a character but I never wanted him to change into a good toy. His story is so much more impactful when he continues to manipulate Woody and take advantage of his kindness. He is too lost and too far gone to change in a few minutes, if ever. Pixar doesn’t take the easy route by suddenly changing Lotso. It takes the darker road of him continuing to hate the world and even attempting to kill Andy’s toys. It’s very sadistic behavior and I am glad a family-friendly movie shows it. Families should see the dark side of humanity so they can appreciate the kindness and caring side of humans.
Toy Story 3 creates one of my favorite villains in cinema with Lotso. He’s the perfect cute but diabolical evildoer.