Toy Story (franchise)/Fridge: Difference between revisions

== Fridge Brilliance ==

 

* I had a moment of Fridge Brilliance pointed out to me by a friend. In the original Toy Story, Buzz thinks he's a real Space Ranger. So why does he 'freeze' whenever a human is around? Because deep down, ''he always knew he was a toy'', but found living in denial easier.

** I believe it's explained somewhere (might be in the animated series) that it's protocol to freeze at the sight an unknown life form.

* Regarding Sid: In the first movie, Sid was the only thing stopping the toys from reaching Andy in time. But 15 years later, Sid (and his garbage truck) {{spoiler|provided the only way that they ''could'' reach Andy before he left for college! Egad!}} --ndmp45

** Turns into even more fridge brilliance when you relize Sid gave Woody the match in the first movie. {{spoiler|It didn't work though when he needed it to work, but it sparked an idea.}} IT'S A [[Heel Face Turn]]!

** We actually see Woody in despair over seeing Andy's bedsheets have been replaced with those of Buzz later.

 

* ''[[Toy Story 2]]'':

** When the toys are in the luggage conveyors at the airport, why doesn't Jessie intervene at all in the fight between Woody and Stinky Pete? Because she was having a panic attack being locked up in a closed space with no light. When Woody finds her again, she's in a fetal position and shivering.

* A small case of [[Fridge Brilliance]] in [[Toy Story 2]]: Why was Stinky Pete the only Woody's Roundup toy that was still in the box? Because Stinky Pete toys were in such low demand that stores had trouble selling them, so it wasn't difficult to find a surplus of Stinky Pete dolls.

* Anyone else pick up on how Buzz's [[Brainwashed and Crazy|brainwashing]] and shift to Spanish could be slight nods to the ''[[What Could Have Been|original]]'' concept for Toy Story 3? Simply ignore the part of Buzz being recalled, but having a ''malfunction'', and you have at least part of the premise worked into the story.

* When we first meet the Roundup Gang in Toy Story two, they treat Woody almost reverently, the Prospector even referring to him as 'the prodigal son'. That all made perfect sense to me, it meant that they were finally getting out of storage. But the other day I realized there was another layer there. None of them had ever met a Woody toy before, but judging by their reactions they had all seen [[Show Within a Show|the Woody's Roundup show]] before. Woody is the main character of the show, referred to in the opening as 'the very best' and always portrayed as the great hero who saved the day (and their characters) in the end. So here we have these three toys, locked away in the dark for years, with the knowledge that when Woody comes everything will change. And their only image of him coming from a show that builds him up as their savior. No wonder they were so exited to see him!

* ''[[Toy Story 2]]'': Upon rewatching the movie, I saw the "When She Loved Me" sequence and kind of wondered why Jessie never bothered to slide out from under the bed for Emily to find her. It ultimately wouldn't have mattered: even if Emily found her, or even if she simply got another Jessie doll, she still would have grown out her interest. Even if Emily did find her, Jessie wouldn't be played with again, and would just as be good as gathering dust under the bed like the other discarded "Woody's Roundup" merchandise.

* Stinky Pete says Woody's Roundup was canceled because children wanted to play with space toys. In the original film, Woody feels tossed aside because Buzz Lightyear, a space toy comes into the picture.

 

* One thing I noticed in Toy Story 3 was that the room for younger kids was called the "Caterpillar Room", and the room for older kids the "Butterfly Room", the symbolism is obvious there, but connecting the two rooms is a bathroom. The stage between Caterpillar and Butterfly is called a "Pupa", and what does "Pupa" sound like? Poop. [[Don't Explain the Joke|It sounds like poop.]]

**** While dinosaurs don't speak, Rex is quite articulate.

***** Totoro's character, just like Bullseye, is not supposed to talk. Thus, the toy doesn't. It's possible Rex and Trixie are based on talking dinosaur characters, or are not based on anything at all.

** This Troper had a minor moment of Fridge Brilliance concerning ''Toy Story 3's'' marketing. Remember [[Thin Lizzy|The Boys Are Back in Town]] being used to advertise the film. It's more than just a lame pun. Listen to the second verse. It's about remembering the good ol' times. And if the final scene is any indication, it's a major theme of ''Toy Story 3'' as well. - Baronofbarons

** Another Toy Story 3 bit. It seems like the toys are being a little self-centered in immediately requesting a transfer to the older kids' playroom (''somebody'' has to play with the Caterpillar kids) - but given their cast by that point, they genuinely ''aren't'' made for toddlers. An old-school Mr. Potato Head with individual eyes, for instance, can be a serious choking hazard to very young children. The same would go for Buzz with his detachable limbs and wings.

** In this same vein, the Aliens taking control of the crane seems like a pretty awesome [[Brick Joke]] as it is. However, when you remember that the Aliens were the ones who worshiped The Claw and believed that it controlled their destiny, it suddenly takes a whole new meaning when you realize that in a way, the Aliens are taking control of their own lives and have basically [[Screw Destiny|learned to do things for themselves]]. Considering that this is a film about growing up and the Aliens were arguably the most childish of the talking characters, it serves as an excellent metaphor for learning rely on yourself, which is a huge theme in growing up.

* I couldn't stop wondering why Andy obsessed over Woody any more than his other toys in Toy Story 3, after all, the rest were just as beloved. Then it hit me - Andy isn't exactly stupid, he probably ''knew'' about the age and value of the Woody dolls, after all, a large museum in Japan willing to pay many zeros worth of money for the toys isn't exactly going to go unnoticed. He was reluctant to give away Woody not only for sentimental value, but for intrinsic value as well - [[The Real CJ]]

*** Also, not only is it unlikely that a kid Andy's age in the first two movies would be aware of the value of collectible toys (particularly in an era before the Internet was widely used), but if it was the case that Andy was planning to sell Woody in the future, he would have avoided playing with him to preserve his value.

* I just had one about, you guessed it, Toy Story 3. Anyway, it was one that seemed like it could be obvious to most people, but just now occurred to me. The last scene, specifically, {{spoiler|on the part where Andy is introducing each toy to Bonnie.}} It wasn't just the [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]] [[Tear Jerker]] it was because it showed that Andy still valued and remembered his toys... it's because he described each one exactly how that toy would've wanted, even if it wasn't quite accurate to the toy's real personality.

* Why didn't Buzz go back to normal when the toys switched him back to play mode? Because since he was reset to demo mode, he would have lost the memories he'd learned during the 12 years of the first two movies. Ouch. How he got those memories back after getting hit by a TV is another matter that [[Eric W]] cannot figure out.

** Rex accidentally switched him into Spanish mode by holding the button "for more than 5 seconds," and his memory was rebooted via [[The Power of Love]] just like [[WALL-E]].

*** His memories were there all along, as evidenced by him being smitten with Jessie no matter what mode he was in; even when he was [[Brainwashed and Crazy]], he called her a "temptress" and was "immune to her bewitching good looks".

** He got his memories back from the T.V. because that's how he realized he was a toy in the first movie!

*** In the context of kids being like gods, Lotso's last major quote gains an interesting significance: "Where's your kid now, sheriff?"

** In the end, the toys are rewarded with reincarnation as they are given to Bonnie. - Beacon80

*** Wood does keep saying that it'll be okay if they all stick together... and because they do, it is.

* Anyone notice the final shot of the third film was the same thing as the first shot of the first film? The cloudy wallpaper opened the first movie and ended the last one showing that this ending is just another beginning.

** Also a great way to make [[The Reveal]] more shocking.

* Lotso says to Ken in the midst of the latter's [[Heel Face Turn]], "She's a ''Barbie doll!'' There's a hundred million others just like her!" And Ken turns and says, "Not for me, there's not." There's a lesson in there. Sure, it's [[Played for Laughs]], sort of, but think about it: we all pigeonhole people into fitting into certain categories: the [[Alpha Bitch]], the [[Jerk Jock]], the [[Brainless Beauty]], the [[Granola Girl]], [[Hollywood Nerd]] - all the time. But no matter how "stereotypical" someone seems, when you get to know them, and love them, they're instantly one-of-a-kind, totally irreplaceable. And that's true for toys and people.

* Now, in Toy Story 3, Bonnie is obviously supposed to remind us of a young Andy. But there's one moment in particular that shows how much she reminded ''Woody'' of Andy. The shot where she scoops up all of her toys exclaiming "You saved us cowboy! You're our hero!" and hugs them all to her chest is nearly identical to a shot at the beginning of the film where young Andy does the same thing. Woody is even in the same place. It's a brilliantly subtle visual cue showing Woody's feelings about Bonnie.

* In the first movie, Sarge says earlier on that "a good soldier never leaves a man behind." Later in the movie, when Buzz gets stuck in the fence, Woody refuses to leave him behind.

* When Woody tries to highlight the advantages of living in the attic, he mentions how fun the Christmas decorations are. The Potato Heads don't entirely agree (not much is made of it). Don Rickles and Estelle Harris are both Jewish and play it up in their entertainment work.

 

*** Actually, it's been stated that Andy has only a mother because a two-parent family would be "too perfect". It's a cue to vulnerability. Your theory could have been interpreted in that though.

** Third, it's through ''these'' particular realizations that it hit me why Lotso is the trilogy's last and ''best'' villain. He is Woody - or rather, he is what Woody could have BECOME, if his jealous streak in the first film had been allowed to fester throughout. Remember that Lotso was replaced - with a look-alike, no less. This to him is like a child who doesn't respect what he was to her - a little girl who no longer cares about her parent and gets a new model, rather than respecting his memory or waiting for him to get back. For all WE know, Lotso and his friends may have been walking for just a day before they returned, to find that Daisy has abandoned him. Compare this to Andy, who held out hope that he could find Woody AND Buzz - he was even seen to cry at the thought that he'd leave them behind. As such, Lotso ultimately became evil not just because he was hurt, but because he believed that he had no reason to exist - and he took out this bitterness on other toys to try and validate his own worth. Think about Stinky Pete's words in the second film, how children destroy and forget their toys when they grow up - they don't need them, just like they don't need their parents anymore. Lotso sees toys in general as disposable to those they give their hearts to - their children, just like the kids who live off their parents and never show their apreciation. Andy, however, is one of those whose heart is always in the right place - the child who doesn't need his parents anymore, but will still remember to call or visit them just to check up. All the kids with names are different interpretations of how kids view their parents. The Sids of the world don't really care in the long run, as long as they can get their immediate thrills; the Emilys throw away the old when they don't need them anymore; and the Daisys replace them. And then we have the Andys and Bonnies - the kids who recognize that everything they are is because of their parents, who have been with them their whole childhoods, watching over them. Woody finds a reason for being in making the children happy (which drives his decision to be donated to the sweet, loving Bonnie). Lotso has no reason to go on without Daisy, and does terrible things to try and find one - in turn, becoming a [[Complete Monster]], and therefore, an empty being who is "not worth it". He spends the rest of his foreseeable life in the dump. My God, the writers at [[Pixar]], especially John Lassiter, now really ''are'' my favorite filmmakers in the world.

* In Toy Story 3, Woody shows just how old of a toy he really is. When informing Bonnie's toys that he's off to college with Andy, he says that he'll "see you[Dolly] at the 'sock hop'", sock hops being a type of dance held at high schools and colleges in 1950's. Being a 60 year old toy, his knowledge young people's habits outside of what he observed with Andy would in fact be incredibly outdated! Also, in response to the previous statement, Dolly calls Woody "Potsie", a reference to the character on the show [[Happy Days]], which was set in the 1950's! Finally, during the credits when Buzz and Jessie are dancing, and all the other toys are dancing in place around them, Woody is snapping his fingers and slightly shaking his hips left to right, dancing almost like someone from the 1950's would!

** Woody's original TV show, which was black and white and seemed of the same quality as programs like Howdy Doody, would add credibility to the above troper's theory. But a second moment of fridge brilliance was sparked in me after reading the other troper's post. In the second movie, Stinky Pete says that the reason they fell out of popularity was "Sputnik". I had always figured that he was just using a throwaway space term that people would recognize as an allusion, like if their positions had hypothetically been reversed, a space toy might say that the "Lone Ranger" caused his downfall. But in light of the above post, it seems that he was actually referring to ''the'' Sputnik! The cowboy toys had existed before the launch of Sputnik (1957), and Stinky Pete had been minted early enough to actually remember it as the moment that their popularity waned.

* In each of the three films, when the moment of Woody's inevitable [[Cassandra Truth]] arrives, it might seem coincidental that Mr. Potato Head and Hamm are the first or loudest to disbelieve him, except for when you remember that in Andy's imagined games, Mr. Potato Head and Hamm are Woody's two main antagonists. Either Andy was somehow able to sense their already existing mild rivalry with Woody when assigning them roles in his games, or because of their roles in his games, the two eventually came to adopt said mild rivalry with Woody outside of Andy's imagination.

** It's not just Mr. Potato Head and Hamm whose roles in Andy's games affect their 'off the clock' behavior; In the Strange Days montage, Woody is seen as Buzz's foe, and summarily defeated and Bo thanks him for saving her sheep in the initial play sequence. It isn't until after both Buzz and Woody become friends that they are on the same side.

** The toys as individual relations to children as opposed to all as parents seems true. However Buzz does not have to be Andy's step dad. He's more like a cool guy to Andy. Its more like a father finding out that they are not their kids number one hero but some TV cop instead. Buzz later becomes Woody's best friend aka toy father figures best friend. Buzz did not even acknowledge Andy's existence except to note his success at integrating into the primitive culture. Emily and Jessie can be seen many ways. They might have bean more like sisters who used to be close but Emily became a teenager. They used to play together but suddenly Emily made friends her own age has teenage stuff to do and does not want Jessie hanging on. They used to go camping and go to the park now Emily's busy painting her nails and talking on the phone. They could be best friends that grew apart when Emily grew up a lot faster than Jessie. Emily was reminiscing about how they used to play in that park together. Jessie hoped Emily was ready to give up her teenage ways and play with her again but Emily was reminiscing about the good times she used to have and was done with. The way she talks to Woody reminds me of somebody whining about their friend who will not shut up about their boyfriend.

*** [[Kingdom Hearts|Not like Disney hasn't dealt with mixed metaphors before.]]

*** Is it wrong that I read "had missed the truck" and "they weren't aiming for the truck" in Woody and Buzz's voices?

*** Nope.

 

== Fridge Horror ==

 

* Sid probably threw all his toys out after the end of the first film after being traumatized by them. Which means they probably {{spoiler|got incinerated, because there's no way that they'd ever be suitable for play at a daycare center.}}

** It's probably infinitely worse than that. Think about the toys that are simply thrown out and buried in landfills. Forever, and aware. Falls into [[And I Must Scream]] on a massive scale when you think about the number of toys buried in landfills. The premise of ''Toy Story'' is stuffed to the gills with [[Fridge Horror]].

*** He makes a living out of taking toys to Hell. Mull on that for a while. On a similar note, his skull motif shirt makes for a lot of foreshadowing now...

* Fridge Horror from the first movie: You know what Sid is doing when we're introduced to him? Playing ''suicide bomber''.

 

* How long did Jessie have to wait under Emily's bed before she was donated to charity?

 

* Ken's dream tour. He's essentially showing all the ill-fated toys [[What Could Have Been]] before passing them over to the Caterpillar Room, the toy's equivalent of a torture chamber.

** Face it, you've messed around, broken and possibly even mutilated toys. The toys are alive. [[High Octane Nightmare Fuel|Most toys will end up mutilated, dead]] [[And I Must Scream|or much worse.]]

* Also, in the third movie, it is stated that Bo Peep (Woody's love interest) is "gone". Pretty sad already, then you realize she was part of an ornament made of porcelain or the like... so she probably fell and broke into a million of tiny pieces.

* Lotso assigned the new toys to the Caterpillar Room because they were "running low on volunteers" (like he'd care if a toy volunteered or not) and because new toys are stronger and hardier. Here's the thing: he couldn't have cared less whether those toys were safe for the toddlers. Most of Andy's toys are all one piece, but Slink's coil was metal and a kid could have cut his hand. Plus the Potato Heads' pieces are small, and one kid was shoving an eye up his nostril; it would be easy to choke on those. Who knows what other less-than-safe toys got thrown in the Caterpillar Room over the years?

** All the toys you played with as a child were alive. All of them. Those times your parents stepped on them? The time you switched their arms around? They were aware of it all. And when they went into the toy box they were alone. Alone in complete darkness.

** Some of the toys children play with are insane and motivated to seek revenge. They can squeeze through the tightest of spaces and survive far more damage than any living creature. They know where you sleep. They know where you keep your knives. Sweet Dreams.

** Bonnie's mother also works at the daycare centre... the daycare centre which is now, thanks to Ken and Barbie, a 'really groovy place'. Once Bonnie outgrows her toys, they get taken there to live out the rest of their lives happily getting played with a never-ending assortment of children.

 

* Actually, the premise of the Toy Story in general. Toys don't age, and are hypothetically capable of living for centuries as long as they're well cared for. Judging by the third movie, however, it seems that toys possess a natural self-preservation instinct that persists much, much longer than the lifespan of the average toy; even those which have lived extraordinarily long and fulfilling lives still ''intensely fear death''. Put these things together. [[Nightmare Fuel|All toys will one day die violently and in fear]]. This is probably the only way they can die. And even if it isn't: the odds are overwhelmingly against most toys lasting as long as Andy's favorite's do, since humans have no idea toys are living things, and think nothing of subjecting toys to abuse, neglect, product recall, incineration, waste compaction, and burial alive (the last three being what happens to toys sent to a landfill). For every toy in the world that is deeply loved, how many are lonely unfavorites or poorly-made junk doomed to be thrown out when they break three days after purchase? How many are quietly disposed of by retailers after they fail to sell during the holiday season? Did we mention that toys are apparently alive from the point of manufacture, even when they're never removed from their original packaging? And that they're apparently capable of claustrophobia? Oh, wait. Toy Story 2 mentioned both those things in the same scene.

** All the toys you played with as a child were alive. All of them. Those times your parents stepped on them? The time you switched their arms around? They were aware of it all. And when they went into the toy box they were alone. Alone in complete darkness.

** It's hard to know how much pain they feel. They don't seem to hurt when decapitated, or if a limb falls off. But being ripped apart or set on fire is obviously not something they enjoy.

** [[Caught with Your Pants Down|Your toys can see you]] [[A Date with Rosie Palms|playing with something else.]]

*** On that note, imagine what it must be like to be a sex toy in the ''Toy Story'' universe.

**** I somehow imagine sex toys in this universe as being [[Chivalrous Pervert|hilariously perverted but also surprisingly friendly.]]

* Rewatching the first Toy Story movie after watching the third movie brings up two pieces of horror/brilliance that used to be just for comedy the first time around. First of all after Woody's night sleeping in the toy box since Buzz took his spot on the bed, Bo Peep tries to comfort him by telling Andy will always have a special place for him. Mr. Potato Head comes in and snarks "Yeah, the attic." Also, when Andy's mom drives off to Pizza Planet while Woody and Buzz were outside of the car, now it's horrifying to see Woody gasp and cry out "I'm lost! *sob* I'm a lost toy!" especially after we see what happened to Lotso and his gang of lost toys.

* Some more [[Fridge Horror]]: all the toys have distinct personalities and identities. On top of that, the toys don't seem to die unless they're completely obliterated. After all, Wheezy can still speak without a squeaker, Woody doesn't seem to be in immense pain from his arm being only partially connected, and the Potato Heads even have control of their unattached body parts. Now, think back to Sid's toys. Most of Sid's toys were combinations of two or more other toys. Now, what does that mean [[Loss of Identity|for the toys' previous identities?]]

 

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