Friday’s movie pick – Munchkin inspired
Last night, the Munchkin discovered the wonders of another Pixar movie, Toy Story. It was on the Disney Channel, though we do own it and Toy Story 2 on DVD. Now, I personally think that Toy Story 2 was one of those rare movies that surpassed the original. But you can’t have the sequel without the original. That would be like trying to have apple pie ala mode without the pie. Ice cream’s great, but the pie is necessary as a base (and homemade by my mother with a granola topping, it is extra-tasty).
Toy Story is wonderful for a few reasons. First, it indulges every kid’s belief that their toys are alive when they’re not looking. Second, it was the first full-length computer animated movie and it still holds up today, ten years (ack!) later. And lastly, it has great songs. The Randy Newman songs just fit in this movie (none of the characters actually sing, which is a refreshing departure) and provide an emotional connection and catchy tunes. This is something that would show up even more powerfully in Toy Story 2 with the heart-wrenching song “When She Loved Me” (which should have won the Oscar that year for Best Song) that gave the movie such depth of feeling. It also made me want to dig out all my Strawberry Shortcake dolls and apologize to them.
Both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are rated G, though they do have a few “scary” moments (in the first movie, Sid is not exactly child-friendly, and in the second there is enough danger in chase and escape scenes to make kids wince). I completely recommend them as wonderful movies for families to enjoy together.
Mariners in Oakland this weekend – good luck, guys!
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