The lack of variety in the series is slowly becoming really unpleasant.
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For nearly 30 years, the Toy Story gang has kept coming back for “one more adventure,” as Pixar finds new ways to break our hearts by showing Woody and the gang adapting to changes in the lives of their children – first Andy and then Bonnie. Change and growth are so ingrained in the DNA of the franchise that it’s starting to get odd that Pixar and Disney seem so hesitant to keep Toy Story going.
We know that Disney has instructed Pixar to focus on safer bets like sequels that require less marketing because they feature established characters and settings. And that formula is clearly working if the absurd box office numbers of Inside Out 2 are any indication. Since Toy Story is the most famous and iconic Pixar franchise, it makes sense that they would tap into that success again. But the more they bring back Wood, Buzz and the gang, the more forced and counterintuitive it feels.
It’s not that I don’t find the Toy Story movies magical and captivating; it’s that the last two Toy Story movies have been about the importance of moving on and embracing change. Woody seems to chronically unlearn that lesson in each new installment. Andy goes off to college in Toy Story 3 and Woody, like a father, must accept a world where the child he’s spent his whole life taking care of no longer needs him. It’s a relevant and touching lesson that is promptly disregarded in the next movie, as Woody becomes obsessed with taking care of his new child, Bonnie.
By the end of Toy Story 4, Woody realizes he wants a life outside of being a kid, to be happy with the toys he loves and have his own adventures. Again, it’s a beautiful message that’s a solid capstone to the character’s journey of self-actualization that reflects every parent’s journey frighteningly well – but is immediately undone by the promotional image released during D23, which shows Woody (again) alongside the old gang in Toy Story 5, watching in horror as Bonnie becomes addicted to screens like the rest of us.
I’m torn about this upcoming film. I think it’s a great topic for many parents (myself included) to grapple with. Screens are ubiquitous in children’s lives, but the dangers of overuse are increasingly documented. So the toys returning to their traditional parental role in Toy Story would not only be grappling with being replaced by a tablet associated with the horrors of YouTube, but also with how to protect their child from becoming addicted to the flashing lights and dopamine rushes these devices bring.
And yet, Woody’s presence unnerves me. Pixar continually refuses to let a series that is about moving on and embracing change move on or change. Let Woody have his adventures with Bo. Let someone else (Jessie) fill the leadership vacuum left by Woody’s departure. The series’ stagnation is frustrating because it undermines the message the series is built on.
By relying on sequels to get Disney back on its feet after a lackluster theatrical release in 2023, Pixar is forcing its characters to unlearn and relearn the same lesson every time we see them.
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