It was going to be a good night no matter what. EJ and I had intended to take our girl Tey to see the final installment of what is now the 'Story Trilogy' with an extra infant dangling on one arm, red velvet cupcakes cradled in another. We settled ourselves resigned to the fact that this would be another movie where we over exaggerated our nods and stretched out our faces in support of a child's ephemeral joy. But three quarters through the movie, as the remaining toys held hands and accepted the end I found myself wiping away tears behind my 3D glasses.
Now I really don't want to give away any of the movie because I thoroughly enjoyed it -from beginning to end, Woody and Buzz navigate us to Andy's humanizing finale- and you need to watch it. The only thing I will say about the movie is that: Andy is all grown up. Andy is all grown up! In an animated world where time can stand still and Andy could have been six years old forever, they made him grow up. Not only that, he's going to college -the perfect platform for a toy's suicide. This movie had so many on going themes that were very timely...for me, a twenty something adult in the theatre filled with both teenagers that could be Andy's homies and are just about to leave home too, and youngins like Tey who have just been born into the bandwagon.
The movie made me think about my brother who is a thousand miles away from me, and is turning seventeen and going to college next year. He loved Toy Story back when it came out and was still distributed on VHS (remember that?) and every time the movie would finish and automatically rewind, he could just press play again. Now his room is like a Star Wars fanatics' dream and I wouldn't be surprised to find Princess Leia porn under his bed in place of where the old dinosaurs and robots used to be.
This movie also made me think about my own offspring and how a new character in the movie is just about my eldest' age and how fast everything is happening and how if I can't even imagine her going to kindergarten next year, what more with college?! After thinking this, I pretty much needed a paper bag to regulate my breathing.
Time goes by so quickly and before we know it all we have left are toys/objects as tokens of memories. As the last scene of the movie played out and the tears behind my 3D glasses were amplifying the objects that were coming out of the screen, my heart was breaking into a million invisible pieces. This last installment to the 'Story Trilogy' rounded the series into more than just a child's movie -it is now a classic.
Now I know with Disney pictures there are a team of roughly ten thousand writers behind one script, but there's no denying a good screenplay. I didn't expect to reflect on the pace of time as much as I did on the drive home- I held my children tighter, I cherished the smell of my baby's head, I measured my daughter's hand against mine. Now that's a good movie; one that makes you feel. Not just 'feel scared/excited/horny/sleepy/happy' during the movie, but to feel inspiration when you leave the theatre.
Thanks for all the adventures and good times Woody and Buzz, you'll always live on in our hearts and DVD players.
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ReplyDeleteNow I really have to see this movie! Your statement “as the remaining toys held hands and accepted the end” has really piqued my curiosity. WHAT HAPPENED???? I guess I’ll just have to drag dad to go see it to find out!
ReplyDeleteOn a more serious note, life’s progression is a tough animal to deal with, especially if you’re a mother. My mom used to always tell me (as I’m sure yours did, and her mother before her, and so on): “you’ll understand once you become a mother yourself”. No truer statement ever! Motherhood is a very challenging role, and not just physically. It takes the greatest toll emotionally – the worries, anxieties, misgivings, not to mention wanting to freeze time so that our babies will remain just that…our babies forever. That in itself can be exhausting. EJ is going to be 30 years old this year, but I still see him through the eyes of that deliriously happy 21-year-old mom, holding her firstborn child for the very first time. He’ll always be my baby, as will Edward and Joshua. Undoubtedly, predictably, you’ll always feel that way about your children, knowing that one day, they will grow up and grow into their own independent persons…..because it’s part of life’s progression. But, undoubtedly and predictably, they will continue to love you and will want to take care of you, because you showed them how. Remember yours and Tey’s book: “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always”. Perfect
I thought I was the only one wiping tears away! Truly touching. I was definitely touched when all the toys were holding hands, accepting that their lives as toys is coming to an end. But I was even more touched during the scene when Andy's mom was looking at his empty room. I'm already scared sending Joaquin to Kindergarten, what more college for them both?! =/ It's torture, I'm tellin ya!! That scene made me realize how fast our children are growing. We don't realize it cause we our too busy indulging ourselves in moments filled with their presence that we don't see that they're growing before our very eyes.
ReplyDeleteHalf of me is proud that my baby is growing up to be such a funny and smart little girl who always wants Mommy to play with her. The other half is terrified of the day when she's so grown up that I'll be like Andy's toys and she won't need me anymore. It's like a knife in the heart. But I also try and think of the day when she'll be older and maybe a mommy herself. Hopefully, she'll come back around to me and then we can be more than mother and daughter, we can be friends.
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