You Bet I’m Mighty, Buckaroo!
We knew Woody was Mighty the first time we saw “Toy Story” 14 years ago.
Second, third and fourth time we saw it, too.
Buzz Lightyear—”To infinity and beyond!”—was no slouch either.
You of course remember the story. It all starts when Woody’s owner Andy gets a new action figure for his birthday—the aforementioned space ranger Buzz Lightyear.
Buzz soon replaces the frayed-around-the-edges Woody as Andy’s favorite toy. Woody gets depressed and resentful, and here’s the funny thing: Buzz doesn’t even know he’s a toy!
Oh, you just got to see it again!
At Mighty Writers, we’re all about storytelling whatever the medium (we often pull down our big screen and show film and video clips just to spark conversation) so it’s no wonder we love “Toy Story.”
It’s the “story” part of “Toy Story” that makes us such big fans.
We’re hardly alone.
Animation expert Ellen Besen recently told examiner.com that ‘Toy Story”—and ‘Spirited Away”—were her two favorites because both are “built on strong, coherent themes which speak to children and adults.”
Bensen also believes children can deal with the satiric handling of big issues in animated films like “Toy Story” as long as the storyline is well executed.
“Satire can be an excellent way to engage kids in some surprising discussions,” she says. “I used to enjoy reading the Sunday comics to my daughter and found that in order for her to get the jokes we had to talk about all kinds of interesting things from Biblical references to current affairs.”
“Toy Story” is big fun first, but it can also get you thinking about some pretty big things.
So if you’re looking to rent a movie to pass the time one of these hot summer nights, Mighty Writers recommends “Toy Story” mightily, whatever your age.
In the meantime, check out the following cinematic outtakes from our favorite actors in “Toy Story 2.”
Can these guys make you bust a gut or what?
