Toy Story 2, the Past vs. the Future

How do we overcome pain? What is the best way to move forward from hurt in our past? Is there more that can be done by us or do we need others to do the work for us? These are the large number of questions that are asked of us on a regular basis. But what if I told you that a movie from years ago provided all the answers we seek to those questions. And it might be one of the best explanations of how we can learn to overcome what we believe we’re supposed to do with our lives once life disrupts our understanding. So, let’s learn the lessons of Toy Story 2.

Toy Story 2 is, in my opinion, one of the greatest sequels that has ever been made. It expands upon the characters of the first one while acknowledging their past struggles. It adds new characters in a way that doesn’t sacrifice the development of the existing toys. It’s adds lore for both Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen) making them even more interesting and exciting to learn about, and it expands the world beyond the rooms and houses of the first film dramatically. But above all that it teaches us the value of where we belong by putting us right inside of Woody’s dilemma and seeing how we, like him, could be much more than we realize with the right choices.

The big moment when Woody learns that he’s not just some run of the mill cowboy, but actually a rare collectable from a beloved past television show, exposes something in him. He’s never known where he comes from, he’s always been Andy’s toy. And when shown that he’s not only part of Woody’s Roundup but also a part of a set with the other three toys makes him really question his purpose. I know many of us who have had opportunity knock on our doors in such a way that that we consider great changes to our lives, abandoning everything we know for the chance of success. And the alternative of doing nothing special with our lives scares us, we all want to be special, beloved, seen as valuable. Woody does too. But the true secret doesn’t come from the outside world. Our value starts with us.

I think one of the best parts of Toy Story 2 is Jessie (Joan Cusack). She’s charming, spunky, full of energy, but the best part of her character is that she’s hurting. She’s been left behind by her past. It’s one of the harshest forms of hurt there is. The feeling of abandonment is so stark and rough. We all want to belong, to be loved, to be treasured by those in our lives, and to lose that in any form is painful. And the moment we see why Jessie is so desperate to move forward and become beloved is the moment we see her at her lowest. She’s been haunted by her abandonment for so long that she longs to spend a life being loved. And so she believes the lie that The Prospector (Kelsey Grammer) tells her. She believes that she will be happy only being seen from a distance.

The Prospector is such and interesting villain because he’s and incredible contrast from Sid. He’s got real genuine pain. He’s been neglected. And he’s come to see his view, from within his literal and metaphorical box, as the only truth there is. And that’s because he’s closed himself off to the realm of any new possibility because his past, like Jessie’s, has been filled with neglect and pain. He was never the popular toy, he’s a collectible because he didn’t have a chance not to be. And that’s because he never got the chance to explore his purpose. In truth, he’s not evil, he’s hurting. He’s living in a world of neglect and pain, which he has perpetuated in his mind because he refuses to accept that he simply wasn’t wanted. We all want to be wanted. And when we’re not we make excuses and cast blame because we can’t see how we could contribute to it. Pete makes excuses for how children are the problem, and how he’s better off not being played with. He puts up these walls and shields himself from further pain by telling himself, and those around him, lies to keep them all safe.

But the biggest lesson comes from when Woody decides to return to Andy. He sees that his purpose isn’t grand, but it is important. He’s ready to live his life simply being a part of Andy’s life because he knows that love will come. And instead of abandoning his roundup gang, he invites them to join him. He knows that they will be happy and that, from his experience with Andy, they will be loved. And it speaks to the pain that Jessie and the Prospector have gone through for how they react. Jessie is hesitant but she accepts it, she’s known love before and longs to return to that life. The Prospector on the other hand fights it, he’s done trying to convince himself he can be loved by a child. And he refuses to let his fate be ruined by Woody’s delusions. So, he pushes away everyone and further alienates himself eventually turning from someone who was hurt, to someone who hurts. That’s the biggest lesson I think this movie shows, is that in our struggle to keep from being hurt further we often push people away. The Prospector is one of those who has turned pain into dangerous boundaries. But to heal, we have to accept that our past does not define us, and we have to move forward and overcome that pain by accepting that someone someday will love us again. Pain cannot solve pain. And that’s what Toy Story 2 teaches us.

Here is my breakdown for reviewing and ranking the movies in the Pixar series: Voice Performances Storyline Worldbuilding Most Memorable Scene Villain Each category will be ranked on a scale of 10 points for a possible total of 50. So here is my breakdown for Toy Story 2: Voice Acting: The Cast is even better than the first one. Tim Allen plays two different Buzz Lightyears. Hanks is charming as ever as Woody. The additions of Joan Cusack’s Jessie and Kelsey Grammer’s Prospector make for great new characters who add dynamics to the group of characters and especially for Woody. (10/10) Storyline: The story is far more complicated than the first one, but the way it expands upon the previous one makes it really interesting and fun. The building both on Woody and Buzz helps flesh out the characters and makes for an interesting and dynamic plot that is better, more interesting, and more complex than the first. (9/10) Worldbuilding: As I said earlier, the movie expands upon what came before. We spend so much time in the Al’s Toy Barn and then in the apartment that Woody is being kept in that we barely have time to think about Andy’s room and the world we once were in. The use of products from Woody’s Roundup and the Buzz Lightyear of Star command make the world more colorful and really expands upon the things we know without losing any of them (9/10) Most Memorable Scene: The airport rescue is so much fun, between the planes, the conveyor belts, the battle with the Prospector and the other toys, it all works well to make a fun scene that results in a really high stakes climax to the movie. While it could be bigger and do more it is ultimately fun. (7/10) Villain: The Prospector is such a compelling and well thought out villain. He makes the plot of the whole movie so much more interesting than the first one. His motivations are entirely human and completely justified even if he goes too far with them to get what he wants. His story is so very interesting that he could have been expanded into further movies and it’s a shame we only got the one outing with the character. (8/10) Total Score: 42/50 Current Ranking: Toy Story 2 Toy Story A Bug’s Life I think after two successful outings we’ll put the toys on the shelf for a while and looks at a few other movies. But each one still has valuable lessons to teach and stories to explore, so keep coming back and enjoying these insights into all of our childhoods. And as always, thanks for taking the time to get Ploominated!