Toy Story 3 includes several iconic and memorable moments, one of which was sneakily (and cleverly) parodied in a 2024 animated movie that sadly slipped under the radar. The 2010 Pixar animated comedy-drama film, directed by Lee Unkrich and written by Michael Arndt (based on a story by Unkrich, John Lasseter, and Andrew Stanton), serves as the third installment in the Toy Story movie series and takes place right before Andy is supposed to leave for college. Consequently, Toy Story 3‘s main conflict revolves around what happens to Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toys when Andy grows up.

After a series of unfortunate events, the toys end up at Sunnyside Daycare in Toy Story 3, where they meet the evil Lotso who forces them to be played with unruly toddlers. When they try to break out of the daycare, the toys end up in a dumpster and are taken to a landfill. Because of Lotso’s betrayal, Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the other toys find themselves headed for an incinerator. They are about to accept their fate when the Aliens save them. Despite the relieving outcome, the scene is heartbreaking and one of the Toy Story franchise’s most memorable moments.

Orion & The Dark Perfectly Parodies Toy Story 3’s Incinerator Scene

The Netflix Film Sneakily References One Of Toy Story’s Most Devastating Moments

Orion and the Dark proves how iconic the disturbing incinerator scene is in Toy Story 3 when it features a parody of the heartwrenching moment towards the beginning of its story. The 2024 Netflix animated fantasy adventure comedy film, directed by Sean Charmatz and written by Charlie Kaufman, is based on Emma Yarlett’s 2014 book of the same name and chronicles an 11-year-old boy with severe anxiety. However, everything changes when Orion is visited by Dark, the embodiment of one of his worst fears. But before then, the movie briefly includes a shout-out to Toy Story 3‘s sad ending.

Orion is watching television about eight minutes into Orion and the Dark and is unimpressed by what he sees on the screen. A film or show features anthropomorphic recyclable items heading for a trash compactor and bracing themselves for their doom. Orion mentions how it’s “completely unrealistic” since he believes the objects don’t have feelings or go on adventures. Of course, Orion and the Dark is spoofing the 2010 Pixar movie’s incinerator scene. The parody is subtle and clever as Orion is critiquing a moment similar to Toy Story 3‘s, but his comments will become contradictory as the film continues.

Orion & The Dark Borrows One Of Pixar’s Oldest Tricks

The 2024 Movie Features Pixar’s Classic “What If Anthropomorphic Entities Had Feelings” Trope

The parody of one of Toy Story 3‘s saddest moments isn’t the only thing Orion and the Dark has in common with the 2010 movie. Netflix’s 2024 animated comedy also includes a similar trope that many Pixar stories share — the “What if anthropomorphic things had feelings?” formula. The embodiment of the dark visits Orion in Orion and the Dark and attempts to help the boy overcome his fears. Characters like Dark, Quiet, and Sleep have feelings in the story, just like how the toys have human-like qualities in Toy Story 3 and the emotions in Pixar’s Inside Out have personalities.