Two animated masterpieces—and incredible follow-ups—both about toys.
Toy Story 2 (1999; Disney+ or your library)
When Woody is kidnapped, he discovers his backstory and a new band of friends on their way to a museum—will he join them and leave his old friends behind? This movie takes Toy Story in new directions: new sci-fi references, new character development, new emotional depth. It is remarkably adept at balancing existing character development with introducing new interesting characters. Delightful voices get added to the existing all-star cast: Kelsey Grammar, Jodi Benson (the Little Mermaid!) as Barbie, Estelle Harris. The humor is rich and repeatedly rewarding (“How do you spell FBI?”). And amidst the light dialogue, it delves into powerful themes of love, money and materialism, disability, and facing and coming back from loss.
This movie was up against a lot of challenges. Time, budget, and just the puzzle of how to make a good sequel. It is a perfect sequel. I’ve learned a lot about good sequel writing from watching this movie (and comparing it to bad sequels like Alice Through the Looking Glass, the worst movie I ever saw in theaters). You have to introduce new characters (especially villains), or it just feels like the same story again. You should give your existing characters their own new storyline and development, including your side characters. Here, Rex has his own little adventure and personal growth, and this is entertainingly woven into the primary storyline. (This side story also enriches the movie’s overarching themes, as I will show in my upcoming Toy Story video essay.) The references to the first Toy Story are top-notch, maintaining continuity while deepening the dialogue with new meanings. Rich, quality, worthwhile entertainment.
For sensitive viewers: There are multiple “potty humor” jokes in this movie (belching, passing gas), and doubly so in the “bloopers” in the end credits. A mildly scary dream sequence that used to disturb me when I was Andy’s age.
Pinocchio (1940; Disney+ or your library)
When a toymaker wishes his new marionette could be a real boy, a fairy and a cricket help the puppet learn to be brave, truthful, and unselfish. There is just one problem with this movie: it gets dark. Family-friendly, wholesome, but dark. This may be why the first audiences didn’t love it the way they loved Snow White. The animation is somehow even more impressive than its predecessor, and the songs and music (and delightful smorgasbord of sound effects) leave nothing to be desired. (We all know how popular “When You Wish Upon a Star” is—the eternal Disney theme.) But this protagonist isn’t quite “snow white”—sometimes he leaves his conscience behind, with consequences. Consequences aren’t fun to watch. But grace, love, repentance, and transformation are even better—they’re uplifting.
Snow White gets serious too, but the story structure is different. There, you start off with danger, find your way out of the woods, and then from minute 25-on enjoy slapstick comedy and dancing until the dramatic climax. In Pinocchio, the order is reversed. We start off dancing in the workshop with a kitten and a goldfish, and then 25 minutes in villains derail us. Snow White rewards us quickly enough for bearing with some darkness. But Pinocchio takes nearly the whole movie to get back “where we came in,” as Jiminy Cricket says. I can imagine theater audiences feeling increasingly strained and frightened as the story keeps getting darker instead of turning up. It’s a long journey, but it’s worth it. It’s a story of Eden, sin, redemption and Heaven. It’s glorious, but only after spending three nights in the belly of the huge fish. There’s plenty of transformation to grow into along the way.
That said, the movie really is fun. Pinocchio was literally “born yesterday,” so he’s always asking “Why?” As my dad insightfully observed, “Naïve always works.” A character who doesn’t understand his world and keeps tripping over things is funny, heart-warming, and relatable. Because that’s us, at our best. Learning from hard knocks. Wondering why our world is so strange. Optimistically, cheerfully, like a child. But on top of that, Pinocchio is special because it’s about holding onto hope and faith for becoming more than just cheerful. Becoming a real boy.
For sensitive viewers: Some serious danger, as Pinocchio is locked up, shipped away, and deceived. Cigar smoking and alcohol are prominent (presented as unpleasant).
Nathan’s Writing Update
I am done editing the first 8 minutes of my Toy Story video essay! The sections on Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are complete. As a hint to its topic, Snow White, Pinocchio, and all the other films we’re going to see this month are in the video as well…