If we hurry, we can get him before they lock him up.Toy Story 4 · 2019 — Chapter 17 of 22 · 2'02" · B1
Woody Refuses to Abandon Forky, Explained: cling to
The group barely escaped, and no one wants to go back for Forky. Woody insists anyway, and the argument turns personal: "You need Bonnie!" against his "It's called loyalty." One by one, the others walk away.
What happens
Forky is trapped in the antique store, and Woody wants the group to go back in and rescue him. The others refuse, having barely escaped and seeing no reason to risk it again. Woody argues that loyalty is the point, and they leave him behind.
Listen for
leave behindcling toit's better ifit's called loyalty
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Now
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Phrase of the scene
cling to
to hold on to someone or something too tightly
牧羊女点破伍迪其实还困在邦妮身上，说他不能只围着那个自己抓着不放的孩子转。
He is still clinging to a job that no longer fits him.
Also in this scene
- leave behind
to go away without taking someone or something
- it's better if
used to give gentle advice
- it's called loyalty
naming a value to make a point
Everything marked in this scene
29 notes across 50 lines
We barely got out alive.barely for a narrow escape
We barely got out alive.liaison
We barely got out alive.Woody, it's better if we wait.it's better if for advice
Woody, it's better if we wait.No, no, no. There's no time. We can easily get back inside.We outnumber them. So we have the advantage.We outnumber them. So we have the advantage.weak form
We outnumber them. So we have the advantage.Nobody is with you. It's over, okay?No. No, no, no. We are wasting time. We can do this.Come on, Pull-string. GIGGLE: It's not worth it.- Why? - Just because!Because it's all I have left to do!So, the rest of us don't count?So, the rest of us don't count?That's not what I meant.Open your eyes, Woody.There's plenty of kids out there.to hold on to someone or something too tightly
It can't be just about the one you're still clinging to.can't be about for a firm denial
It can't be just about the one you're still clinging to.Let's get out of here.You're crazy.Woody, you did all you could.to go away without taking someone or something
I don't leave toys behind, Buzz.simple present for a principle
I don't leave toys behind, Buzz.Not now. Not ever.stress
Not now. Not ever.Woody Refuses to Abandon Forky, explained
What's really going on
The scene is the argument the whole film has been building toward: what is a toy for? Woody's answer is duty to one kid, and he defends it with the phrase that ends the debate, "It's called loyalty." But the others hear something else — that their company does not count, that Woody would trade them all for the child he cannot let go of. His confession, "Because it's all I have left to do," makes the stakes clear: without a mission, he has no idea who he is. The friends are not villains for leaving; they are naming the cost of his devotion. The line "I'm not the one who's lost" turns the old insult back on him, and it stings because it is partly true.
Theme
DutyWoody refuses to leave Forky behind, treating loyalty to one kid as the duty that defines him.
IdentityWoody admits he has nothing else to do, and the others say he is the one who is lost.
Listen for
- got out alive — liaison
- outnumber them — weak form
- Not ever — stress
Because it's all I have left to do!Woody's raw admission that the mission is not only for Bonnie; it is what is left of his purpose.
It can't be just about the one you're still clinging to.A friend's challenge: his loyalty to one child has narrowed his whole world.
I'm not the one who's lost.Woody turning the accusation around, refusing to be called the aimless toy.
I don't have anything else.The plain follow-up that reveals how empty his life feels without a task.
Questions about this scene
Why does Woody want to go back for Forky?
Because Bonnie needs him, and Woody believes leaving a toy behind is a betrayal. He also has nothing else to do, which makes the rescue his whole identity.
Why do the other toys refuse to go back?
They barely escaped and think the risk is not worth it. More than that, they feel Woody is asking them to risk everything for one child he cannot let go of.
What does cling to mean?
It means to hold on tightly to something and not let go, whether an object or an idea. The others use it to describe Woody's grip on his old purpose.
Does Woody go with the others when they leave?
No. He stays behind, still insisting that he does not leave toys behind. The group moves on without him, which sets up the choice he faces next.
Who is the lost toy in the argument?
Both sides use it as an insult. To Woody it means someone without loyalty; to the others it is Woody himself, a toy who cannot let go of a kid who has moved on.
Toy Story 4 · 22 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 18right out of the boxGabby Gabby Begs Woody
Chapter 1done forWoody Rescues the Lost Toy
Chapter 2go to a good homeBo Peep Is Given Away
Chapter 3sound like a broken recordWoody Worries About Bonnie
Chapter 4go on a road tripBonnie Makes Forky at Kindergarten
Chapter 5trust me on thisWoody Introduces Forky to the Toys
Chapter 6throw yourself awayWoody Keeps Forky Out of the Trash
Chapter 7like it or notWoody Teaches Forky He's a Toy
Chapter 8wouldn't that be somethingGabby Gabby Meets Woody
Chapter 9cut one's lossesWoody Reunites With Bo Peep
Chapter 10gotten over himA Toy's Name on His Feet
Chapter 11join the clubDucky and Bunny Attack Buzz
Chapter 12follow my leadDucky and Bunny Get a Kid
Chapter 13stay out of my wayBo Peep Breaks Into the Antique Store
Chapter 14the only one that canDuke Caboom Joins the Mission
Chapter 15sell yourself shortBo Peep Explains the Lost Toy Life
Chapter 16reach for the skyGabby Takes Woody's Voice Box
Watching · Chapter 17cling toWoody Refuses to Abandon Forky
Chapter 18right out of the boxGabby Gabby Begs Woody
Chapter 19come trueHarmony Leaves Gabby Behind
Chapter 20sit on a shelfWoody Talks Gabby Off the Shelf
Chapter 21Got a visual onGabby Helps a Lost Girl
Chapter 22happy trailsWoody Says Goodbye to BuzzChapter 17 of 22 · about 14 min to go