What Happened When Rooney Mara Watched Toy Story 3 For The First Time

Those damn geniuses at Pixar just know how to get to us. Unless you’re made of stone or have no soul, watching a Pixar movie has probably caused you to deal with some pretty emotional moments. It turns out that nobody is immune to this power. Even movie stars who go through some of the most emotionally draining work in film can still find themselves touched by a beautiful moment.

Rooney Mara admits that she cries very easily at the movies. Having said that, the Carol actress found herself not just crying but "scream-crying" at the end of Toy Story 3, she was so moved by the experience. While the interview for W Magazine assumes she was crying in fear due to the scene where the toys nearly die in a fire, Mara is talking about the end of the film, where the toys, who have spent the whole movie wishing that their grown up owner would play with them, finally get their wish.

Andy brings the toys to this little girl that doesn’t have any toys. So, he takes them out of the box and he starts showing her how to play with them and they’re so...I’m going to cry just talking about it, they’re so happy to finally have, like, one last time with Andy playing with them.

What makes this confession all the more touching, and more than a little chilling, are the circumstances under which she watched the movie. Rooney Mara says she watched the film on her computer during the filming of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Not only that, but it was following the week in which all of the movie’s rape scenes were filmed. Fiction or not, that has to be an emotional experience, and a Pixar movie is either the perfect antidote for that, or possibly the worst idea ever. It’s honestly hard to guess. Do you need something unapologetically happy at that point, or do you need to be left alone in a soundproof room for several days where nobody can find you? It sounds like Toy Story 3 was the emotional catharsis that the actress needed. Check out the full clip below.

While the story of Andy’s ownership of the toys is over, the toys' story is not over yet. Pixar's Toy Story 4 is currently planned for a 2018 release. Someone get Rooney Mara a fresh box of tissues.

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.