Adults Can Learn From ‘Toy Story’
A poignant moment in the movie “Toy Story” comes when Buzz Lightyear discovers that he’s just a toy and not really a space ranger. “I’m a sham!” he exclaims as he plunges into a depression. But with the help of his friend Woody, Buzz Lightyear finally accepts his “toyness” and enjoys life within a community of toys.
How many of you have experienced Buzz Lightyear moments? An image of yourself dies suddenly and the blues descend. You can grow bitter. Or accept reality and move on.
We often don’t use this space to recommend movies, but if you have 77 minutes to spare this holiday season, see “Toy Story.” The movie offers so many messages, you’ll ponder it for days. Your kids will like this G-rated movie, too.
The plot is simple. Andy, the movie’s young boy, has a roomful of toys who come alive when humans aren’t around. Woody, a cowboy with a pullstring (“There’s a snake in my boots!”) is a favorite toy until Buzz Lightyear appears. He replaces Woody in Andy’s affections. Woody, suddenly jealous, tries to get rid of Buzz and then everything goes awry. Woody and Buzz, however, end up best buddies.
The computer animation wizardry alone makes the movie worth seeing. But the movie’s underlying messages make it relevant today, as communities grapple with how to get along when diversity of skin color, age, gender and ideas often separate people. The toys in Andy’s room are quite different from one another. Mr. Potato Head and Etch-A-Sketch have nothing in common. And yet the toys use their different strengths to work together for a common good.
The community shuns Woody when he’s cruel, thereby letting him know that cruel behavior is unacceptable. After Woody tries to harm Buzz, a green plastic soldier asks him: “Where is your honor, dirtbag?” The message? In the best communities, behavior that hurts others isn’t tolerated.
Pay attention to the abused toys in the household next door. All have been mutilated by Sid, a vicious kid. There’s the battered baby doll head attached to steel octopus legs and there’s Roller Bob - a male doll’s head melded to a skateboard. These toys also help others, though, when shown how they can. That scene sends a message that we can’t give up on society’s abused children.
Woody, Buzz, and the other toys - the mutilated and the healthy - are just characters in an animated movie. But sometimes important messages come in disguise. “Toy Story” is one entertaining messenger. Enjoy.
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