KrashingWaves

Toy Story’s nostalgic hold on childhood and Lightyear’s feeble attempt to bring it back.

We all know the infamous line said by Buzz Lightyear of Disney & Pixar’s Toy Story (1995) and it was a major point of contention all over Beyoncé’s internet when the first official trailer for Lightyear premiered earlier this year. It wasn’t news that the movie was coming out since the Disney Investor Day announcement back in late 2020. With few details on what the project actually was, Chris Evans (my husband) posted an image of a different-looking Buzz along with a caption that was really long (I had to read between the lines) but got the gist of what it could be about.

*He has since deleted said post from his IG for some reason*

Here’s what I thought: the former First Avenger (and Massachusetts native) would be a part of something to do with the “human” version of Buzz, knowing his toy character’s name was in honor of the (irl) astronaut Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 13). I have no idea how it was gonna work but it’s Chris Evans and I’m in it ’til the end of the line with him.

If you’re anything like me, a kid of the ’90s who grew up during the Disney animation renaissance (and knew how to operate a VCR by the time you cold walk), Toy Story and its sequel were staples in your VHS collection. As much as the first Toy Story is obviously a classic and untouchable, I prefer its successor. Adding the loud and quirky Jessie doll to the gang was what made the film it for me.

When Toy Story 3 was announced almost 20 years later, I was confused as all hell. Why would they make another one when the 1999 ending felt pretty conclusive? Come to think of it, the start of the 2010s was the beginning of movie reboots and remakes, probably one of the WORST ideas Hollywood has had (in my humble opinion). But that’s a rant for another time.

It wasn’t hard to get excited about a piece of media that had a huge impact on your childhood come back as you’re growing up. Nostalgia wins every time. But I didn’t watch it in theaters. When I found out Andy grew up and gave his toys away, I almost lost it.

Andy?!?! Grown up!?!?! Why would Pixar do that (to me)?!?!

I felt personally victimized by Disney as the company was the curator of my childhood, the main reason for my self-diagnosed Peter Pan syndrome. Why grow up when you can be a kid forever? I never thought I’d age past 17, but hey.

The Andy of my childhood loved his toys, enthusiastically played with them all, and they loved him back. Not that they could tell him, exactly.

The Andy that appeared in my teen years was grown, like me. Buzz and Woody looked no different from their first appearance back in 1995 but Andy (and I) were… old. Older. The trailer for the film showed Andy’s face and I decided not to watch it. I didn’t want the reminder that we, as humans, grow and change. At least, I wasn’t ready to accept it.

When I finally gave it a chance a few years later (I might’ve been 17? 18?), my jaw was on the floor for the majority of the movie. Aside from the obvious shift in animation quality, watching the third installment had my emotions on a roller coaster.

Excitement when hearing Tim Allen and Tom Hanks’s voices again.

Hesitance with the idea of Andy being grown.

Disbelief when the toys were donated to a day care facility without Andy’s knowledge.

Grief from accepting the toys going to be obliterated right in front of my eyes.

Relief when they weren’t.

And absolute rage when Andy gave the Toy Story crew of my childhood away. Of his own accord. Willingly.

I am not alone in my sentiments.

Andy’s toys were at the bottom of his toy box, discarded and forgotten. I’d gotten rid of my toy box years ago and my Bratz dolls a while before that. His childhood playthings were given away to younger kids as mine were given to my little cousins as hand-me-downs. There wasn’t much left of my childhood in my possession since I got rid of things over the years, thinking I was “too grown” for them and threw it away without a second thought. And those that remained were practically destroyed from years of play in the hands of my cousins.

Maybe I was being dramatic, I was a teenager after all, and hey, it’s ME. But the insane wave of nostalgia that hit me at the time was overwhelming. I was getting ready for grown-up life like Andy was and I didn’t like it. Yeah, the thought of being an adult was cool in theory but I always wanted to stay a kid. Being a kid has its own sense of freedom that adulthood doesn’t give you that I wanted to cling to for as long as I could.

Toy Story 3 was a message from the corporation that fueled the days of my youth that it was time to grow up. The irony.

I don’t think I watched Toy Story 3 for a long time after that first viewing. I might’ve re-watched it in my (now) 20s because I couldn’t recall the plot for the life of me. I was soon reminded of why I only watch the first and second of the franchise when the need arises (thanks, Disney+).

Getting back to my original point, the new Lightyear movie (released in theaters June 17th, 2022) was obviously gonna get a watch from me since it’s Pixar’s newest release and I am nothing if not loyal. Cherry on top, of course, was gonna be sitting through an hour and a half of Chris Evans as the main animated character!

With Liam (my adventure buddy, youngest cousin, and Disney-loving companion) in tow carrying his own toy Buzz and new Sox plush companion, we headed to the theater on the Monday following its premiere weekend to start off the summer break.

Isn’t he beautiful?

In true Kass fashion, I got us matching t-shirts to commemorate the first time I took him to the movies all by himself! He has two older siblings in their teen years so the seven year age gap is a little hard to ignore. I try to hang out with Liam (turning 10 this year!) as much as I can (before he becomes a teen) since he’s the baby of the family. I love him.

The movie itself was pretty good, I liked the underlying message of learning to accept help from others because you can’t always do it alone. As a proud lone wolf myself, that’s a lesson even in adulthood I’m still trying to learn. My favorite part of the movie was whenever Sox was on the screen. He’s definitely my new favorite “animal” sidekick and would absolutely benefit from having a real one to help me out.

While watching Lightyear, it was interesting to think that this was the movie Andy saw back in ’95 that made him love the space ranger so much that he was gifted the toy version on his birthday later that year. On that same note, how did Andy get Woody? Isn’t Woody the main toy we meet in the first movie? Where’s his back story in relation to Andy? I definitely would’ve liked to have seen a Woody’s Roundup movie or TV show after Toy Story 2‘s brief glimpse of Woody’s show that inspired the doll itself. A jump straight to Buzz was a little ehhhh. I do remember the 2D animated show Buzz Lightyear of Star Command that only lasted for a few months at the end of 2000. I think I even had the VHS with all of the episodes! But nothing about the dear ol’ sheriff.

As far as a Pixar film goes, I much rather would’ve liked to have seen Luca or Turning Red in theaters instead. It felt more like a supplemental addition to the Toy Story franchise that didn’t need all the fanfare it’s receiving, like a really long Pixar Short. The animation of the Black characters’ hair was so nice to see finally being implemented in a more realistic way than previous films (if there were any Black characters at all). But, all in all, I could’ve watched it on my couch with Liam in our pjs and a bowl of popcorn.

Liam enjoyed it, which is what really matters. He even got to take home a poster!

I can appreciate the experience of going to see the movie with my favorite little human and loving every second of it. You only get so many of those kind of moments and they’re often fleeting since kids grow up so damn fast. I blinked and my little buddy is almost as tall as I am! I mean, I am 5’1″ but still.

What Lightyear didn’t give in cinematic value (wow that sounds harsh) it did give a great bonding moment with my little buddy. And, honestly, that’s what matters most to me.