Toy story continued

yesterday I talked a lot about what Toy Story meant to me, and why I am so happy about this movie if you look at what the culture is like today, and how other franchise I love have failed.

today, lets talk about how this stands up as a franchise.

Toy Story was as I said released 15 years ago.
It was the first full lenght animation movie to ever be made, so even though we today have got so much animation that most of us is almost drowning in it. at the time it was completly new.

in the same manner Disney came out with Snow white all does years ago, a film people did not think possible but with the right kind of story telling, it was stunning. The movie hold up.

Years before toys that had come alive have been used so much in childrens programmes for children in the age 0-5 but this movie was what Disney lacked as they took their dip for the worse. this movie had soul, and the characters had soul, flaws, human emotions and purpose.

It's the human story about the toy cowboy woody who much now accept that he is not longer the top dog.
And the toy space ranger Buzz, who must discover that he is not a space ranger, but only a piece of toy, and there after discover that's it okay only to be a toy.

The story sat limitations to the characters, and therefor their struggle became more impressive.
At the time, this movie did not only raise the bars for animation, and the possibility with computer animation. but also the bars for story telling.
Disney did have deep stuff back then, things like Lion king and the little Mermaid, which have scenes in them that still leaves me depressed.
But by using toys they had a frame that is normally only for children so small that they need their parents to change their poopy diaper. And used that frame to really trick people and tell an emotional and heart felt story about finding your identity.


then 5 years after, 10 years ago the sequel came out.
It was the first, and up untill now with Cars 2 10 years after, the only sequel Pixar had ever done.
That was the movie my grandmother was convinced she would hate, but she loved it. honestly.
The first movie was about finding and accepting your identity. and the second movie was as well. though setting that same theme under another light.
Go for the amazing opportunity or do what you are meant for.
Though, as the first movie was equally Woody's and Buzz's story. This movie was more about Woody than anybody else. the mental transformation took place in him, the new character Jessy and their horse. for everybody else it was just getting from point a to b.
But it worked, because getting from point a to be was such an inventive and fun journey. and Woody's and Jessy's emotional journey was able to carry the whole film.
Is stood up as a stand alone movie, it stood up as a continuation and it stood up as being a part of a franchise.

As this movie was being released. Disney also made a short cartoon series for it's disney hour.
I remember watching that clearly. It was making the television show that Buzz was actually from.
So it had nothing to do with toy story, other than showing where Buzz came from within the show from the movies... or... erhmm.. confusing continue!

I remember it to be a fun watch, it delibarately spoofed and made fun of all the big sciense-fiction space adventure franchises. I was not aware of it at the time, but now when I am geek lots of stuff makes better sense to me.
As like, when Buzz's comrades travel into a mirror univers where everything is oppersite, they meet an evil Buzz who have a goat beard.
That story is clear a take off from the classic TOS star trek episode "Mirror mirror"
Or the Buzz Zork story arch, that is a clear take on Star Wars with Zork being a silly cartoon Darth Wader, and Buzz his son, they even had the light sabers.
I especially love the fact this little cartoon series was years before planet 51 in the idea of having a normal human being the alien as he by mistake drops down on a alien planet who only reached 1931, as Buzz actually do drop down on such a planet filled with green people with antenas, who all wants to burn Buzz alive as they see him as an alien force.
It was a fun nice watch for what it lasted, and a nice part of my childhood.

And it was a kind of cool idea that as we actually saw in some seconds what Woody's tely show had been like in the movie, we now really do see what the Buzz show is, cause they made it entirely. I want to see that Woody show to.

anyhow, then the break happened. for 10 years we all thought, well now there is no more to give with Toy Story, and Pixar is such a wise studio that they know it and wont bother.
then it was announced there should be another sequel.
Honestly I had no idea what to think about that. part of me dreaded it and thought, god now, did pixar now also falling into the money trap? is nothing sacred any more?
part of me had such a great faith in Pixar as a studio, that I could never believe it would be a part movie, luckily that part of me was rewarded. you can read all about my thoughts upon the movie in yesterdays post.

All I need say now is, it holds up as a stand alone movie, it holds up as a continuing plot from the last movie, and it differently holds up as a part of a franchise.