I watched this movie for the 673rd time today with my daughter, and there are many parts of the movie which I can complain a bit about after so many viewings. But over all, the movie is very good, I love it compared to the things like the Wiggles, Oodle and Doodle, and a bunch of other dreck that I must suffer through when she wants to watch some TV. So, when Toy Story 3 comes on, I watch it.
But the more I watch the movie, the more I get annoyed at Andy’s mother, who seems obsessed with Andy cleaning out his room before going away to college. Most kids I know who went to college left their bedroom relatively intact, especially if the kid was coming back home over Christmas and summer break. But Andy for some reason had to put all of his toys either in the attic or donate them. Why? He’d be home at thanksgiving at the latest, and he’d come home to an empty bedroom.
And if Andy didn’t get the stuff donated or up in the attic, they were getting pitched in the trash. Why? What an anal bitch.
Besides, Andy was a bit immature when it came to his toys… He had a toy box full of childhood things, but so what if he didn’t play with them? They were neatly tucked away in his toybox, and that should have been enough.
The kid is stressing about going away to school, and all mom can do is bitch at him. Sheesh.
Yay! The first thread on this since I’ve gotten to see it. Unfortunately, I can’t say much except that I agree that it seemed weird, even on my first and only watching. I’d almost forgotten about thinking it was odd. It was as if he was never going to be allowed back in that house again.
I mean, when I first started college, I came home every other week.
How old is your daughter? I know the scene in the incinerator left me an emotional wreck - an amazingly powerful piece of writing, direction and animation. I haven’t seen it since the last time in the theater, and I’m a notoriously soft touch for films.
In the real world, Andy would have gradually stop playing with the toys and slowly built a life separate from his mother’s household. At some point the mother would have decided that Andy had gone away sufficiently that she could throw out his childhood toys and turn his old bedroom into an office or something. The toys would have been packed up and tossed in the garbage that day.
So the story would have been several years of sitting in a box followed by getting thrown in a garbage can. The end.
Not much of a movie in that. So the whole “Andy’s going off to college next week” idea was invented to get across the idea that Andy was going to abandon them but left open a window for the toys to react against this abandonment.
You want a non-villain asshole in a Pixar movie? Gotta be Doc Hudson in Cars, the dude was a four time Piston Cup winner when he had an accident that killed his winning streak. Sad but no one’s fault right?
So he moves to this small town and sets up his little dictatorship where he lords over misfits and the mentally disabled(Mater), so afraid anyone would know where he went or recognize him there is little doubt Radiator Spring’s sorry economic state is partly his fault(to preserve his fantasy of being unknown). He dismisses the case against Lightning outright because he is terrified Lightning might recognize him or bring media attention on the town, he wants him gone and leaves the town with a broken main drag now too.
Once Lightning finally recognizes him and things are going well for the town now he contacts the media just to get rid of Lightning and derail the rebirth of the town which could bring attention to him.
Oh yeah? You want a villain? What about that big bird on a wire? Huh? Hey big bird! Get off that wire! You’re just too big! Stupid evil bird ruining all the other birds’ fun.
I think the idea is that kid sister Molly is going to inherit his bedroom - maybe it’s bigger than hers or something. Still, I agree with you that she’s being way overbearing on this. How about just “Pack your things up so Molly and I can move them - and by the way, this would be an excellent time to throw away or give away things you know you’ll never want again. If you want help, just tell me.”
As someone who has worked in daycare, I also roll my eyes at the way that part is portrayed. First of all, a daycare is a business, not a charity, and if you’re dependent on donated toys, you’re doing it wrong. (Okay, maybe a church-run daycare operating out of the basement of the parish hall would welcome donations - but this is obviously a professionally-run place.) Second and more important, that place would be closed down in a heartbeat for letting the toddlers play with toys that so obviously pose choking hazards.
I do love the movie otherwise. And I have promised my boys that when the time comes for them to go to college, I will NOT go all Andy’s Mom on them. We might move around the bedrooms, but they will have a space to call their own until they’re ready.
Seemed fine to me and pretty well matched my experience. I left for college. I was moving out.
Sure, I was welcome back to visit any time, but when I did I was a house guest, not a permanent resident. I had my own space and life and I essentially moved out. They let me put stuff of value in the garage for a few years but that wasn’t a lot.
Not only was that what was expected of me, that is what I expected. I wasn’t unhappy or anything, but I just expected that come 18 I was going to go be on my own.
So “you can put your stuff in the attic or get rid of it, but we’re going to turn your bedroom into a linen closet so it can’t stay there” seems perfectly fine to me. Offering the attic seems more accommodating than necessary.
I know that this is a movie, and the story wouldn’t move unless the toys were in some jeopardy, but I think they could have done it without her heavy handed application.
This is one of the funniest posts I’ve read in a long time. How do you expect ME to get over something so trivial when you’ve analyzed Cars at this level? !
This was a sad thing to read. Sorry you had to go through that. I can see graduating college and the “get you out of the houes plan” being put into motion, but right after HS seems a bit harsh. At lease to me. Anyway, you seemed to be fine with it, so that is all that counts.
I’m not sorry I had to go through that. I honestly can’t understand people who WANT to continue living at home once they’re an adult.
I understand that obviously people do and I don’t really judge anybody for it. But I loved having the cord cut. That I had no real choice (and didn’t want one) but to go and live my own life. Sure, I knew that if necessary coming back was possible (and both of my younger sisters did so a couple times). But that is what it would be, “coming back,” not “never having really left.” They wouldn’t even have kicked me out if I hadn’t had somewhere to go (though I would have been expected to start supporting myself). It was just never a question in my mind. Finish school, leave home, start my own.
And I did come home for holiday breaks and for longer stays in the summer (though I stayed at school as much as possible to work). I was welcome, I enjoyed it. I even slept in the same room I always had. It was just no longer “my” room.
So that part of Toy Story 3 seems completely fine to me. Normal even.
I had one toy left when I went to college. A Powermaster Optimus Prime. I hid it in my closet. Deep in my closet. Underneath cheap luggage, behind a wiffleball bat.
I came back fall break. All that was left was the head. Rest of my room? Perfectly intact. Mom hated toys.
I can also assume Andy’s mom was far too used to him promising to take care of things, “later,” or, “soon.” She knew that if she didn’t make Andy do it now it wouldn’t get done.