1 It Was so Sad!

I know, I know, “Toy Story 3” was supposed to be a little emotional with Andy all grown up and leaving for college. And what Disney movie doesn’t make you tear up at least once? So I was expecting it to be a bit emotional, but I was completely overwhelmed with how heart-breaking it was… I didn’t just have to deal with the “Andy leaving” storyline, but the subplot with the “abandoned toys,” especially the Big Baby story, just killed me! I cried through at least a quarter of the movie, which is the single biggest reason why I felt this sad Toy Story installment was just too depressing for what should have been a fun family watch.

2 It Was Mean

The other two “Toy Story” movies featured bad guys and tricky situations that were somewhat scary and often silly, but rarely genuinely mean. “Toy Story 3,” however, felt very mean-spirited at its core, and that really bothered me. There was no sense of wonder or awe, just a lot of meanness and cynicism… which I didn’t expect from Pixar, and which left me thoroughly disappointed. Unlike previous entries where conflict led to comedic adventure, as I noted when reflecting on how heart-breaking and sad the overarching narrative was, the tone here shifted into uncomfortable cruelty.

3 It Was Creepy

Big Baby? CREEPY! And Ken? Also somewhat creepy. Even Lotso and his strawberry-scented persona turned out to be deeply unsettling! I’m definitely not alone in thinking this, either… my 7-year-old daughter thought they were creepy too. Even Sid and his trove of battered, mismatched toys from the first film weren’t this scary or disturbing to watch on screen.

Here are a few specific elements that made the atmosphere in Sunnyside Daycare feel particularly eerie for younger viewers:

4 Even My 7-year-old Cried…

At first, I chalked up my tears to the fact that I’m a very emotional person… but my 7-year-old daughter, the exact demographic this movie was supposed to be made for, cried her eyes out! She looked at me after one particularly intense scene and asked if we could please leave… and she was so excited about seeing the film before we went to the theater! We stayed until the credits rolled, but to this day, when anyone asks her if she liked “Toy Story 3,” she candidly says, “No! That movie was horrible!” Her reaction confirmed that the creepy characters and dark thematic elements were simply too much for younger children.

5 It Made Me Feel… Old!

I don’t like anything that makes me feel elderly, and I hated “Toy Story 3” because it made me feel ancient. Why? Well, I vividly remember when Andy was little, and Molly was just a tiny baby! Now he’s heading off to college and she’s already a teenager… which is actually kind of a reflection of my own life, with my older daughter away in college… thank you very much! I really don’t need an animated movie to make me feel even older than I already do!

To put the 2010 animated film landscape into perspective, here is how the top family releases compared in tone and critical outcome:

6 Even Though I Hated It, It Still Made Tons of Money

I’m furious that, even though I have legitimate reasons for hating “Toy Story 3,” it still made a massive box office fortune worldwide and went on to generate tremendous revenue on DVD and Blu-ray, as documented on its official IMDb page. It makes me feel slightly unjustified in my critique… but everyone’s entitled to their opinion, right? Virtually any movie Disney puts out, even the wretched “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” will make lots of money simply because it bears the Disney name.

7 There Won’t Be a Toy Story 4… Will There?

Okay, even though I hated “Toy Story 3,” I still secretly wanted there to be another installment, mostly because of how much I adored the original two films on the official Pixar animation showcase. At the time, I was pretty sure there wouldn’t be another movie, with Andy off at college and his beloved toys handed down to sweet little Bonnie. But I wondered: could there be a “Toy Story 4” that follows the toys’ new adventures at Bonnie’s house? As history later showed with the release of Toy Story 4, the franchise didn't stop there—though as I noted when discussing how overwhelmingly profitable the third movie was, money always talks in Hollywood.

These are just the reasons I hated “Toy Story 3,” but everyone’s entitled to their own perspective! Did you like or loathe “Toy Story 3,” and did it deserve to win the Oscar over its competitors? Why or why not? Please share your thoughts in the comments below—I’d love to know that I’m not the only one who didn’t enjoy this movie!