With the classic PIXAR (Pixar) jumping light title in the "dissolve" clip, the camera turns to a rainy night, "Toy Story 4" kicked off, since the first "Toy Story" was released in 1995. , "Toy Story 2" (1999) and "Toy Story 3" (2010) have brought unforgettable memories to the audience. Now, after a lapse of 24 years, "Toy Story 3" is almost perfect. After the incredible success of its ending, Toy Story 4 is back.
Many wondered whether Disney (Pixar) needed to restart a series that seemed to have ended, fearing that the sequel would turn into a dog tail. What's more, "Toy Story" is not an ordinary IP, but the first animated feature film in the true sense of Pixar during the Steve Jobs period , and also the starting point of Pixar's legendary career. The importance of "Toy Story" to Pixar is beyond doubt. Facts have proved that Pixar never let us down. "Toy Story 4" did not indulge in the discussion of the relationship between toys and people in the first three films, but turned the focus to the heart of toys and the relationship between toys, with a liberalism. The story of respecting personal inner choices from the perspective once again won applause and tears from the audience.
(1) Analysis of "Toy Story 1"
"Toy Story 1" is about how Toy (Woody) faces the rivalry between the owner and the new member after the new member (Buzz Lightyear) joins. The crisis and theme that runs through the whole film is "Will the new toy take away the owner's love and attention?" The key words are friendship and cherishing, cherishing childhood toys, playmates and fond memories, and competition between toys They helped each other and eventually became best friends.
"Toy Story 1" focuses on the relationship between the self and the other (the owner and other toys). In the relationship of the other, the relationship between the toy and the owner belongs to a more important position. There are many ethical issues in the "me-other relationship field" to discuss , which includes some thoughts on philosophy of mind (do toys have feelings similar to the human mind?) and ontology (what is the world? What is the essence of existence?) .
(2) Analysis of "Toy Story 2"
"Toy Story 2" is about a toy (Woody) who finds himself in his former glory and faces a choice between being an exhibit and being a master toy. Is it liked by many audiences, to be a model with infinite scenery in the exhibition hall? Or is it just loved by the owner (Andy) alone? This love has a definite shelf life, knowing that as Andy grows up, this love will fade or even disappear, but he still has no turning back and is unwilling to miss every moment he spends with Andy. Therefore, the theme running through Toy Story 2 is: "Is it worth giving up something for love, without regret?"
"Toy Story 2" focuses on the relationship between the self and the heart, which is the "field of self-cognition" , and discusses epistemological and ontological questions such as "what is the meaning of my existence?" Happy, but children grow and get bored, toys break and age, which is irreversible from a deterministic point of view. The paradox between the mission of toy companionship and the child will eventually grow up will make us empathize with the situation and choice of toys, and have some other thoughts.
(3) Analysis of "Toy Story 3"
"Toy Story 3" tells the story of toys that were mistaken for trash and dumped in a horrific kindergarten, and then returned home and faced parting with their owner (Andy) who was about to go to college. The theme throughout is: "When the owner grows up, how do the toys face? " Finally, when Andy passed the toys to Bonnie, who also loves toys, the nostalgia and reluctance he showed deeply moved many audiences. It also drew a very beautiful end to the trilogy (the third part was thought to be the end of the series at the time)
"Toy Story 3" focuses on the relationship between self and happiness , and belongs to the category of philosophy of life, that is, "What is a truly worth living life?" Although toys are not required to live "contemplative", "unmoved", "Rational" life, but if toys have self-awareness, is discarding, parting or forgetting the fate of toys? After all, it is rare to find the next toy that loves their owners. How will the abandoned toys face themselves or find a new purpose in life?
At the same time, "Toy Story 3" also involves the discussion of the moral issue of "justice" in philosophy through the bear's kindergarten , that is, how the society balances the relationship between freedom and equality when pursuing the maximization of the interests of the majority, It also leads to the differences between building a regime based on the individual (the pursuit of laissez-faire also risks laissez-faire social injustice) and the construction of a regime based on the collective (the pursuit of equality also has the risk of lack of jiquan and development vitality). Kindergarten's "bad" teddy bear pursues extreme "utilitarianism" (that is, it is moral to argue that the greatest benefit for the greatest number of people is moral). Even a small number of toys are oppressed at all costs; and the toys headed by Buzz Lightyear are undoubtedly more inclined to the concept of justice of Kant's "Deontology" and Rawls ' "Theory of Justice".
(4) Analysis of "Toy Story 4"
"Toy Story 4" doesn't want to spoil, but it finally breaks out of the rut centered on the relationship between the toy and the owner. The relationship between the toy and the new owner Bonnie is no longer the focus of the plot. The whole movie is based on the structure of a road movie. A lively and interesting adventure story, Woody encounters a group of new toys with different personalities and encounters (both abandoned and looking for new owners), reunites with former loves, and more importantly, explores In the process, by listening to his inner voice and respecting his inner choice , Hu Di made an unexpected and reasonable choice, abandoning his mission and personality as a toy, and truly seeing what is true for himself. What is important and cherished, begin to pursue the happiness and self-fulfillment you want.
"Toy Story 4" still focuses on the relationship within the self , and explores what people (toys) will use to define and construct themselves (emotion? Desire? Or rational?) Stray toys' concerns about their own existence and "home" , Woody 's inner inquiry is intertwined, forming the main thread that runs through the film. In the end, liberalism's "listening to the inner voice" and "free will dominate everything" stood out. Although it is not necessarily the best result, it is the best answer that can be given by today's social ideology.
The villains in the four films also have their own characteristics. There are evil owners who abuse toys, and toys who want to be exhibited. Of course, most of them are toys that are abandoned, abused, or have never been loved by their owners. Series movies Through the evil side, it shows the social roots that create different character sides such as selfishness, cold-blooded, and violent .
(5) Disadvantages and conclusion
Of course, this film also has shortcomings. According to the play rules of "Chekhov's Gun": "A gun appears in the first act, it will be fired in the third act" , every new character in the film has an important role to play. It plays an important role in promoting the plot, expressing opinions, etc., but there are too many new characters (toys) in "Toy Story 4". Even though the director has spent a lot of pen and ink to shape the characters, there are still some new characters (toys) that appear insignificant. Great value, meaningless to the development of the plot, too many newcomers cause the newly added group portraits of characters (toys) to appear blurred and lack character arcs. On the contrary, it also reduces the space for depicting the emotions between the protagonists and the characters of the original series, which is a bit more than the loss. Of course, aside from the censure of too many new characters, the overall quality of the film is still worthy of recognition.
I vaguely remember that in 2010, when I was sitting in the cinema, I was deeply moved by "Toy Story 3". Nine years later, "Toy Story 4", with its sincere emotions, is still a masterpiece that touches people's hearts. It is the best Oscar this year. A strong contender for the best animated feature films, it is recommended to watch the movie after reviewing the first three films.
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