Philosophy of Toy Story Post 3 (Kailey McDonald H1G2)

In my last post I'm going to talk about finding a purpose in life and growing up.

Like I said in my last blog, at the beginning of the first movie, Buzz is confused on his purpose. He has no idea that he is a toy, and he thinks his life mission is to save the galaxy. After a failed attempt at flying, he realizes that he is indeed a toy. He becomes depressed because he feels that he no longer has a purpose. Woody then explains to him how being loved by a child is more important and even more cool than being a space ranger. When he accepts the fact that he was designed to be loved by a child he finds the significance he was searching for.

Buzz : No, Woody, for the first time I am thinking clearly. You were right all along. I’m not a Space Ranger. I’m just a toy. A stupid little insignificant toy.

Woody : Whoa, hey, wait a minute. Being a toy is a lot better than being a Space Ranger.

Buzz : Yeah, right.

Woody : No, it is. Look, over in that house is a kid who thinks you are the greatest, and it’s not because you’re a Space Ranger, pal, it’s because you’re a toy! You are his toy.

In Toy Story 2, Jessie felt the same way about her owner, Emily. She thought that her purpose in life was to be there for Emily and make her happy.

Jessie: Let me guess. Andy's a real special kid, and to him, you're his buddy, his best friend, and when Andy plays with you it's like... even though you're not moving, you feel like you're alive, because that's how he sees you.

Woody: How did you know that?

Jessie: Because Emily was just the same. She was my whole world.

However, Emily grew up and left Jessie. This made Jessie feel much like Buzz did when he realized he was not a space ranger. She felt as if her identity had been stripped away from her. When Woody was added to the collection, he, Jessie, Bullseye, and the Prospector were to be shipped to Japan to be displayed in a museum. Jessie thought this was her new purpose. But Woody wanted to leave to go home to Andy, Jessie realized she was going to be put back in storage. Woody felt horrible and decided to stay. However, Buzz and the gang came to rescue him and take him home to Andy. 

Woody: Nah, Buzz. I can’t go. I can’t abandon these guys. They need me to get into this museum. Without me, they’ll go back into storage. Maybe forever!

Buzz: Woody, you’re not a collector’s item. You’re a child’s plaything. You are a toy!

Woody: For how much longer? One more rip, and Andy’s done with me. And what do I do then, Buzz? Huh? You tell me.

Buzz: Somewhere in that pad of stuffing is a toy who taught me that life's only worth living if you’re bein’ loved by a kid. And I travelled all this way to rescue that toy because I believed him.

Woody: I don’t have a choice, Buzz. This is my only chance.

Buzz: To do what, Woody? Watch kids from behind glass and never be loved again? Some life.

In the end, Woody realizes that the love of a child and his other friends is all that really matters. He goes home to Andy and takes Jessie and Bullseye with him.

For the last section of my blog I'm going to talk about growing up. To refresh my memory on the movie, I watched the final scene from the third movie. It had me crying like a little baby. I'll put it on here in case y'all want to see it again too.

The greatest thing about this series is how relatable it is. Whether it's talking about friendship, jealousy, purpose, or growing up, we can all relate to how the characters are feeling. Here's a visual for how much the characters changed over the course of the movies:

Growing up is scary. For Andy it means going off to college and leaving his toys behind, but for his toys, it means being locked away in the attic or being donated. Donation to a daycare sounded great, they'd never run out of children to play with them! However, it turned into a disaster. This illustrates that sometimes growing up isn't easy. The real world seems awesome and fun, but it can be difficult. People shouldn't rush through their lives, because it will be over before they know it. We should live in the moment and cherish every second we have with those around us.

Prospector: How long will it last, Woody? Do you really think Andy is going to take you to college, or on his honeymoon? Andy's growing up, and there's nothing you can do about it. It's your choice, Woody. You can go back, or you can stay with us and last forever. You'll be adored by children for generations.

Woody: Your'e right, Prospector. I can't stop Andy from growing up... but I wouldn't miss it for the world.

In the end, Andy goes off to college and gives all of his toys to a young girl named Bonnie. He and his toys share a heartfelt goodbye, and he plays with them one last time with Bonnie. The toys will then watch Bonnie grow up and hopefully go to a new owner after that, and a new owner after that. Life is cyclical. Although we must move on from our childhood, someday we may have kids of our own, and we will be able to cherish that experience with them as well. 

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