And he does it in ways that make it hard not to relate his experience to what’s happening - or rather, what should be happening - in the real world. Woody struggles with this a lot throughout the film it’s really the movie’s primary conflict. He had his time as leader of the toys, and that time has passed. What changes is that Woody realizes, eventually, after a lot of kicking and screaming, that it’s best for him and for everyone if he retires. One could argue that Buzz Lightyear is showing signs of mild dementia in Toy Story 4, but my counterargument is that Buzz Lightyear has always shown signs of mild dementia.
It’s not like Woody suddenly gets wrinkles or Slinky Dog finally experiences the joint pain that has seemed inevitable throughout the franchise. But in general, those first three movies adhere to a modified version of that famous Matthew McConaughey line from Dazed and Confused: The kids get older.
There’s a slight shift in the story arc from Toy Story 3 when Woody finally accepts that, with Andy going off to college, his purpose is now to make a new child happy. (Lest you think there is no creepy entity holding Woody and Forky hostage, please know that in keeping with creepy Sid, creepy toy-collector Al McWhiggin, and creepy bear Lotso, Toy Story 4 features multiple ventriloquist dummies who live at the antique shop and act like they weren’t ripped right out of R.L. Once he does, they both get stuck in a small-town antique shop, prompting the rest of the toys to try to rescue Woody and Forky. Toy Story 4 follows that same basic story trajectory but in a Bonnie context: When Bonnie’s new beloved DIY toy Forky tries to escape during a road trip, Woody goes off to find him. All of the movies inevitably involve a rescue mission designed to get Andy’s toys back where they belong. In the first three Toy Story films, the focus is always on maintaining the toy status quo for the sake of a child who needs to have her best manufactured friends by her side. It also marks a shift in the point of view of the Toy Story movies.
Whatever you want to call it, it’s a Pixar movie version of a real-life phenomenon in which older men refuse to step aside so that a new generation can step up, take charge, and prove that they are capable of running the show as well as capitalizing on opportunities and benefits that older men have enjoyed for decades. But watching Woody’s insistence on inserting himself into a situation where he’s no longer needed made me think: God, that’s such a baby-boomer move. So when it’s time for kindergarten orientation, he sneaks into Bonnie’s backpack, insistent that he must go with her because she’ll need a friend in this unfamiliar environment, even though Bonnie has made it clear that if she needed a friend, she probably wouldn’t choose Woody. All the other toys beg him not to go. Still, Woody is determined to do his part. She even takes Woody’s sheriff badge and pins it on Jessie instead. When Bonnie wants to play, she often leaves Woody behind on the floor of her closet. Dolly, the purple-haired rag doll who’s got seniority on Woody in this new workplace of sorts, assumes the authority-figure role among the toys. He was Andy’s favorite, the chosen one who got to go on trips to Pizza Planet and develop the closest bond with the boy of the house.īut at Bonnie’s place, things are different. Under the Andy regime, Woody was always the head organizer and leader of the other toys. Just kidding! But seriously: There are big-time spoilers ahead.Įarly on in Toy Story 4, it becomes clear that Bonnie, the adorable preschooler who inherited all of Andy’s toys in Toy Story 3, doesn’t have much use for Woody anymore.
Make sure you avoid the part about Woody’s untimely demise. Warning: Major Toy Story 4 spoilers ahead.
Either that or they’re trying to figure out how to rescue a spork. Woody and co., pondering the purpose of their existence.