Here is a full synopsis.
We went to see the movie because of the endorsement of someone we respect, but we did not stay for the end. The sentimental premise attacked our understanding of the human soul. The toys were like slaves or colonial peoples, used and exploited by the whims of those who do not understand them and who often have less developed souls than they. The toys were like children, except the ones who have joined the dark side. There was a Rousseauian theme that we do not sin as much as become corrupted by human institutions.
My daughter, like many children, has had hundreds of toys. Some were carefully purchased. Many were gifts. Many were handed out by the thousands at restaurants. Almost all were mass produced.
To foster sentiment for the unrequited love of toys is to confuse the idea of the eternal soul. To project souls upon everything is demean the dignity of the human soul as created by our Incarnate God. Yes, we could make a movie of what it feels like to be dumpster, but to cultivate sentiment for dumpsters is to distract us from the "problems of the human heart in conflict with itself."
My daughter hated the movie more than we did. Her moral and aesthetic sensibilities have been shaped largely by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, who animate characters without projecting naturalistic or postmodern views of the human soul. We missed the entire Toy Story train until yesterday. We got off after a very brief ride.
Three thumbs down.
5 comments:
neat blog! follow mine @
http://jenniferscavone.blogspot.com/
TQ, did you see the first two Toy Story movies? They set the context for this one (which, I confess, I loved). The conceit of toys having interior lives invisible to humans is not a new one; there are many examples from classic children's literature. Pinocchio and the Velveteen Rabbit come to mind, as well as some children's books by the great Catholic writer Rumer Godden.
We like the Velveteen Rabbit. Perhaps if I had known Woody years ago, I would have been prepared for the premise and the story.
Having parachuted into Toy Story in its third movie, I was disappointed.
This is not the first time I have missed a movie bandwagon, jumped in late, and jumped off quickly.
It's too bad you didn't stay for the end. It was quite moving, and really was about universal themes of loss and healing, and "putting away childish things." I think you would have liked it.
My daughter is the worst age to take in a movie about giving up toys. She didn't want to stay for the end, and I cannot say I was enjoying it myself. We left as they told the story of the corruption of the bear.
Post a Comment