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.

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

 

* In ''[[Toy Story]] 2'', Woody's ''right'' arm rips when pulled against Buzz's ''left'' arm--in the previous film, Buzz's left arm falls off, whereas Woody's right arm falls off later in the film.

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

* 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.]]

* In [[Toy Story]] 3, a [[My Neighbor Totoro|Totoro]] plush cameos, but he doesn't have any lines. But remember, he is likely a Japanese made toy. So the reason he doesn't have any lines ''is because he doesn't speak English.''

*** 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

* The incinerator scene is the most brilliant piece of cinema ever made. Many people (Disney management included) see TS3 as the film that could finally break the glass ceiling for animation as far as being able to win a Best Picture Oscar. The biggest hurdle to overcome with this is of course the [[Animation Age Ghetto]] and people feeling it's an inherently lower art form. Pixar has obviously been the most prolific studio in trying to turn this around, but regardless of how [[Darker and Edgier|dark and edgy]] they make a film. as long as it is made to appeal to any audience they alienate the academy voters who believe solely in the realm of and [[True Art Is Angsty]]. So what do they do at the climax of one of the most beloved franchises of all time? They set it up to [[Kill'Em All]]. When it gets to that point, they end up subverting [[Like You Would Really Do It]] and [[Disney Death]] by playing them entirely straight. You as an audience member are thinking to yourself "there's no way....it's Disney...but then again, it's Pixar...." and they leave you hanging up until the [[Deus Ex Machina]] that is arguably the biggest CMOA in the series. Everyone in the theater is cheering and applauding but the whole thing was just a fake out. You move on from that point to the true ending and realize killing them off in the fire would have been a complete cop out. Sure, people would have cried, but it would have come off as a cheap ending wouldn't have had nearly the same effect as Andy giving them away did. The [[Bittersweet Ending]] ended up having a far greater emotional impact on the audience and did so without resorting to a standard [[Rule of Drama]] resolution.

** Something this troper realized. The reason that everyone survives? They all hold hands to meet their fate. Had they continued to fight and climb the garbage individually its very likely that they would get spread out and the claw would not have saved all of them. Instead, by staying together to the bitter end, they all live.

* 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.

* A [[Just Bugs Me/Toy Story 3|commonly raised point of]] [[Fridge Logic]] about the third movie is that the toys that were sent to the Caterpillar Room were not age-appropriate (in particular, the Potato Heads with their detachable, easily choked-on parts) and should have been removed by the adults. If you think about it, this fits in with Lotso's overall philosophy for two main reasons. Firstly, the toys are not age-appropriate for small children because they ''break easily''; under the rough treatment they receive from toddlers, those kinds of toys would be lucky to last a day or two before being ruined beyond repair and thrown in the trash. Secondly, if by some chance a child did happen to choke or be injured on an inappropriate toy, the most likely result would be that the daycare center would be closed down. What would most likely happen to all the toys? Thrown away, and thus fitting with Lotso's philosophy that humans ultimately don't care about toys and that they're just 'trash'. Lotso is essentially setting up situation wherein his nilhilistic world-view becomes self-fulfilling.

** 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.

 

* I always loved [[Toy Story]], and considered it a wonderful film series, but just that. For a while, most other Pixar movies appealed to me more. It was only hours after watching [[Toy Story]] 3, driving in the car, that I came across several moments of Fridge Brilliance which make [[Toy Story]], to me, the DEFINITIVE [[Pixar]] story:

** First, I realized that the reason Andy only has a mother (his father is probably dead), is because Woody and Buzz Lightyear ARE Andy's Dads - or rather, his divorced, deadbeat biological father and the new one with all the money. Take into account the creator's intention, that Woody was a hand-me-down from Andy's father. Now look at the way he plays with Woody at the start of the first movie - Woody is the hero in all his plays among all the toys. He's the dad who loves his son, who's always there for him. Then in comes Buzz - expensive toy who has all the cool features, like a laser and wings; very similar, in fact, to the wife's new husband who's always able to buy his stepson all the more expensive gifts, which the son pays more attention to - completely ignoring his real dad (Woody) who tries really, really hard to get his son's attention - to the point that his jealousy compels him to drive the rival away (take the 'Pizza Planet' incident, which is like a family outing - Andy picks Buzz over Woody). At that point, the whole movie is about these three characters coming to terms with where they stand. Woody realizes that it's unfair to deprive Andy of a second father figure, with whom he essentially begins to share custody of their boy - he and Buzz are BOTH the heroes of Andy's games. Buzz in turn realizes that Andy doesn't love him because he's rich and gives a lot (ie: is a Space Ranger) but because Andy enjoys his company. And Andy realizes that while he loves Buzz for being brand new, he adores Woody even more, because Woody's always been there for him (in a line in [[Toy Story]] 3, he says that he's had Woody "as long as I can remember").

* 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.]]

== 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]].

* 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?

* ''[[Toy Story|Toy Story 2]]''. Zurg reveals to "New" Buzz he is his father. After Zurg is defeated by Rex, New Buzz, rather than accepting victory over Zurg, mourns the apparent demise of his father. Later, they are seen playing catch together. Why? Zurg didn't have much opportunity for a [[Heel Face Turn]], and New Buzz has only just learned his arch enemy is his father. It's because, unlike Luke Skywalker, New Buzz has decided to join his father on the Dark Side.

 

* 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.]]

** 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.

** The lives toys lead could be perceived as a form of slavery mixed with a dose of Stockholm Syndrome. Think about it. Toys have little or no control over the fates the humans choose for them. Their friends and love interests can be given away, sold off, or tossed out on a whim. The main characters themselves suffered abandonment, abuse, and being shut away in dark boxes for years, all at the hands of these otherwise beloved humans. Even the toy villains had been affected by this treatment by humans, experiencing rejection and abandonment, the very things that turned them evil. Yet these human owners (and “owners” was the term emphasized in these films) are the ones they love above all, even more than their fellow toys.