Toy Story....finally!

The other night- Saturday night to be exact- I babysat for a lovely family. Whilst I was there, I took advantage of the kid audience I was entertaining and put in Toy Story for us to watch. Jacob never even ventured to watch it, preferring to jump outside on the trampoline with his friend. Abby did sit and watch it with me, but when asked if she liked it, she replied "It didn't make me laugh even once."
Well, they didn't laugh, but I did. I honestly believe that Toy Story should rank even higher on the list than #99. The movie is genius!
My favorite scene remains the second one- when the green army men file down the hallway and position the baby monitor inside an able potted plant. The little men are so funny as they scout out Andy's presents, reporting to the other toys what is inside.

SARGENT (O.S.)
(over monitor)
Ok, second present...it appears to
be...okay, it's bed sheets.

MR. POTATO HEAD
Who invited THAT kid?!

I remain captivated by the clever dialogue and realistic conversation-flow.
Who better captivates the human attitude than Woody? He is really a good guy-er- toy. Who wouldn't be jealous of a cocky, disillusioned Space Ranger who took YOUR best friend away from you? I know I would. It is this kind of empathy that makes Woody so darn likable throughout the movie, even when he does nasty things, such as trying to knock Buzz off the bed (which accidentally results in Buzz falling out the window) and acting super selfish.
Buzz sort of represents the innocent kind of ignorance that is hard to find in some respects, yet not-so-hard in others. It is easy to find people who are ignorant, extremely easy to find people who are obnoxious and ignorant. But it is hard to find a person who is ignorant "in the ways of the world", sweet and innocent. And you have to admit, Buzz was kinda sweet.
What do we do when we meet an ignorant person? We try to "educate" them, sometimes by lightly mocking them. Woody and Co.'s efforts to make Buzz realize that he is not a space ranger- merely a toy- are fruitless. It is in Buzz's own journey, in his own time, that he finally comes to terms with it. In the end, he is persuaded that yes, he is a toy. But he is a cool toy, and one who makes a certain little boy happy.
I picked up on some things in Toy Story that I had not noticed before...

• Al's Toy Barn makes an appearance in the Buzz Lightyear commercial that triggers Buzz's I-am-a-toy revelation. As most of you will remember, Al of Al's Toy Barn was the main nemesis of Woody in Toy Story 2.
• In Sid's room, the mutant toys are following Woody's orders to escape and ultimately rescue all of the toys- they unscrew the air vent cover and travel through the ventilator.
  In 2 this figures largely into Woody's escape from Al's apartment.
• Mr. Potato Head is not a likable toy in this one. In the second movie, which finds him married to a Mrs., he is shown in a kindlier light. He even adopts the little squeaky aliens!
• The Evil Emperor Zurg, who duels with Buzz in 2, is briefly mentioned:
  

                          HAMM
 This is a quality sound system.
 Probably all copper wiring, huh?
 So, uh, where are you from?
 Singapore?  Hong Kong?

   BUZZ
 Well...no, actually I'm stationed
 up in the Gamma Quadrant of Sector
 4.  As a member of the elite
 Universe Protection Unit of the
 Space Ranger Corps, I protect the
 galaxy from the threat of invasion
 from the Evil Emperor Zurg, sworn
 enemy of the Galactic Alliance.

I did wonder at the apparent single-ness of Andy's mother. Did his father die? Did his parents divorce? These questions, sadly, are never answered.
I feel like I haven't had much to say about this movie. I love Toy Story, and I can't think of anything that is lacking in the film. I am not much of a critic, I know. But what can you expect?