We've always been a Pixar watching family. In fact, my husband and I laugh because the first movie we got out to see after we became parents (our first date after the sweet girl was born eight plus years ago) was Finding Nemo. We chuckled a bit sheepishly over the fact that we got a baby-sitter for our newborn so we could have some grown-up time...and then went to see an animated movie. But ah, what animation!
As amazing as Pixar's animation skills are, however, what has always set their movies apart is their amazing storytelling. They give us characters we really care about and compelling tales for them to walk (or run, swim, fly, or "fall with style" through).
We were reminded of that again this weekend when we went to the theater to see Toy Story 3. We don't get to the theater often; this was a belated birthday gift to the sweet girl, and our whole family was blessed by it.
The sweet girl has only become a Toy Story fan in recent weeks. When we realized the third film was coming up, we dug out our old library-sale VHS copies of the first two films and played them for her. (In general, she's more a book-girl than a movie-girl, and somehow we'd just never gotten around to them.) She fell for the characters and stories right away, and has become a particularly ardent fan of Buzz Lightyear. She especially likes to watch the second movie over and over...when she does fall for a story, she tends to like to inhabit it for a while, something I completely empathize with.
What's been particularly fun is watching how the well-crafted story shapes of these films are helping her become more aware of narrative art. She caught on right away to some of the "formula" elements of the tales, noting with great enjoyment how certain things seemed to repeat themselves (like the toys leaving Andy's house and needing rescue) but also got inverted (Woody saves Buzz, then Buzz saves Woody). She noticed more of those elements in Toy Story 3, which does a brilliant job of repeating those old motifs but keeping them fresh and lively. It also does an excellent job of paying off some story moments from the earlier films, including a couple I wasn't expecting.
She's had interesting questions that have actually led to some family discussions about story-telling, especially story-telling in the movies. She wondered why movies get so loud and exciting near the end, commenting on the extended sequences where that happened and where all the problems seemed to get solved. We actually got to introduce the words climax and denouement into dinner-time conversation!
She's also picking up on the joys of good characterization. This morning (the morning after our big Toy Story 3 in the theater moment) she made me laugh. She told me she'd been imagining a new Toy Story scene, this one involving a big bear with sharp claws. "And I know just what all the different toys would say," she said. Buzz would say "LOOK OUT!" The aliens would say "The CLAW!" Rex would say, "That's not just ANY claw, that's a bear claw! We're going to get stepped on!" and Woody would say "NOBODY is going to get stepped on!"
All of which seemed pretty spot-on to me (fan fiction writer in the making? or perhaps just fiction?)!
As for me, I realized yesterday just how far I trust Pixar's storytelling. I won't go into details (in case you've not yet seen the movie) but there's a scene of intense peril toward the end. It looks like all the beloved toys we've come to know are going to die for certain. I heard a plaintive "Mommy!" and turned to see the sweet girl looking thoroughly alarmed. I'm not sure, but I think she was actually physically trembling ~ and it was that intense. I leaned in close and squeezed her hand and whispered "It's all right. Keep watching. It's all going to come out all right," all the time my brain was working on another level. I was trusting that the outcome would be a satisfying one, praying that John Lasseter and the whole creative Pixar team was going to come through again! And on another level, I'd fallen completely into the story myself and was inwardly fretting about the potential outcome for Woody, Buzz and the gang, not seeing any conceivable way out.
It struck me anew how important it is to me to be able to trust a storyteller. That doesn't necessarily mean to trust a storyteller to always deliver a happy ending, or even the ending I exactly expect/hope for. But yes, I need to be able to trust that the storyteller knows what he or she is doing and is going to deliver an ending that's coherent, meaningful and satisfying.
It all makes me grateful, again, that we live in a world whose Storyteller we can trust, and that in the ultimate sense, we inhabit a Story of great coherence, meaning and sense, one we know is heading for a conclusion beyond all we can ask or imagine. And all the best stories echo that big Story, in ways big and small.
5 comments:
They do indeed! And Pixar really have shown time and again what fantastic storytellers they are. I was worried that this outing might not live up to the previous installments, but it absolutely did.
And I'd say those characterizations in the face of intimidating bear claws sound just about perfect! That was a really intense scene at the end, wasn't it? So scary, but so tender too. Very "I'm glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee, here at the end of all things..."
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We loved this film. We thought they did an amazing job of hitting all their familiar notes, but keeping it fresh. And yes, that final scene was incredibly intense! *I* was freaking out, so no wonder S. was.
But what a touching moment when they all joined hands. I hadn't thought of the Frodo quote, but it's perfect!
And that reminds me -- The Chestnut King (last book in the 100 Cupboards trilogy) has a fun reference to Lord of the Rings. I thought of you when I read it!
I'm behind to these comments, but I really, really liked Toy Story 3, and I think, for me, I loved the family (but not married--cuz I'm single :-) ) and community that the toys had made, and the scene in the incinerator was wonderful to me, when they joined hands, together til the end. I'll throw my LOTR quote(well paraphrase) in, too--"I'm going by myself, Sam" "Yes, you are, and I'm going with you". Sam is one of my favorite characters of all time :-).
Edna, I loved the way the toys have really forged a family too!In fact, that ended up being one of my main concluding points in the review I wrote. Even though Woody and Buzz are the "stars" -- this movie, more than any of the others, felt like an ensemble from start to finish. And I was literally in tears when they were holding hands. I think I was especially moved when Jessie cried out in a panic, "What are we going to do, Buzz?" and he just looked at her, with those expressive toy-eyes :-) and reached for her hand. I think it was especially fitting that it was Buzz who made that first move to hold hands, since he's normally the one who is most gung-ho to do something or "fix it."
It rang so true...those moments do come -- in story and in life -- when the only thing we can actually "do" is just be there for one another. And sometimes that's the best thing of all.
And oh, wonderful LOTR quote. Sam is one of my favorite characters of all time too, and as you can tell, Erin is crazy about him. (She's written some wonderful Sam poetry...) If our daughter had been a boy, we were seriously considering the name Samuel, though we often joked that we might end up calling the baby Samwise!
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