Today's Topic: Toys and Imagination
I went and saw the third installment of Toy Story today and I would have to say it has been the best one so far. When Pixar first created the original Toy Story back in the late 1990's, audiences worldwide flocked to see the film, and it became an overwhelming success. Woody, Buzz, Slink, Mr. Potato Head and the rest of the toys were brought to life by the genius work of creative artists who haven't forgot what it's like to be a kid.
These movies would have to be my favourite animation works ever made. I realized that like many of the Pixar movies, these instant classics aren't just for kids. The movie has such magic to it because every single person in that audience can relate to a story about toys. Growing up, I would spend hours upon hours building the most random Lego creations, only to smash them all in a matter of minutes after the Lego townspeople were invaded by evil Lego Pirates or worse; including space aliens or Jurassic Park Dinosaurs (yes, I mixed toy genres.)
But it was all part of the imagination process. And somewhere along the line, most of us all grow up and grow out of our toys and our imagination shrinks into a tiny strand of our daily lives. I wish it was still okay to play with all of my old Ninja Turtles, their van, the blimp and my all time favourite, the turtle-copter. But just like in Toy Story, like the main character Andy, I grew up and went to college and left all my toys in the box downstairs, only to forgot about them and let my imagination shrink.
My girlfriend works at a daycare, so for her, some of the scenes in the movie were priceless (especially when you see day care kids throwing their toys and slobbering over every piece of plastic they find.) It's funny because it's real life. And a part of me is jealous that every day, she gets to watch kids create a world where they control the destiny of so many toys. She gets to step back in the moment, and remember what it's like to be a kid, playing with all of your friends and making a world of toys the only world you understand.
And as I grew older, my imagination and love for toys faded. There would be the odd time where I would look back on childhood memories, and take out my old toys when no one was watching or judging me. And we were all the same, making sure no one heard us playing and making up voices for inanimate figurines and making our carpet in our rooms a jungle or a bed of hot lava. Toys become an escape from the busy routine we set ourselves up for.
Near the end of the movie, a moment happens when Andy reminds us all of the purpose his toys served in his life. And he passes on the magic of the toys for yesterday and steps into a new chapter of his life. Just like in the movie, we all have a moment when we decide where our toys head to, and only hope that some child or group of imagination wild children share in the magic of exploring worlds unknown.
It would be next to impossible to explore the realm of imagination because the mind is an incredible thing. What soothes it, what satisfies it, what makes it real or fake and how we find our comfort. But your imagination is something you should never lose. We are reminded of it through our children of the world, through our dreams, our toys and of course, our beloved people at Pixar who never forget what it's like to be a kid.
Maybe it's just me, but I think at some point we all wonder what it would be like if our toys could speak. And that itself is part of the imagination process. What would they say? What would they want? But for now, the toys get put away, the lights turn off, the lid of the toy box closes or the door is shut. And maybe, just maybe, one of these times I will be able to turn on the light fast enough, open the lid in a split second, or open the door just in time to watch my favourite toys come to life. Even if it's only for a second.
I went and saw the third installment of Toy Story today and I would have to say it has been the best one so far. When Pixar first created the original Toy Story back in the late 1990's, audiences worldwide flocked to see the film, and it became an overwhelming success. Woody, Buzz, Slink, Mr. Potato Head and the rest of the toys were brought to life by the genius work of creative artists who haven't forgot what it's like to be a kid.
These movies would have to be my favourite animation works ever made. I realized that like many of the Pixar movies, these instant classics aren't just for kids. The movie has such magic to it because every single person in that audience can relate to a story about toys. Growing up, I would spend hours upon hours building the most random Lego creations, only to smash them all in a matter of minutes after the Lego townspeople were invaded by evil Lego Pirates or worse; including space aliens or Jurassic Park Dinosaurs (yes, I mixed toy genres.)
But it was all part of the imagination process. And somewhere along the line, most of us all grow up and grow out of our toys and our imagination shrinks into a tiny strand of our daily lives. I wish it was still okay to play with all of my old Ninja Turtles, their van, the blimp and my all time favourite, the turtle-copter. But just like in Toy Story, like the main character Andy, I grew up and went to college and left all my toys in the box downstairs, only to forgot about them and let my imagination shrink.
My girlfriend works at a daycare, so for her, some of the scenes in the movie were priceless (especially when you see day care kids throwing their toys and slobbering over every piece of plastic they find.) It's funny because it's real life. And a part of me is jealous that every day, she gets to watch kids create a world where they control the destiny of so many toys. She gets to step back in the moment, and remember what it's like to be a kid, playing with all of your friends and making a world of toys the only world you understand.
And as I grew older, my imagination and love for toys faded. There would be the odd time where I would look back on childhood memories, and take out my old toys when no one was watching or judging me. And we were all the same, making sure no one heard us playing and making up voices for inanimate figurines and making our carpet in our rooms a jungle or a bed of hot lava. Toys become an escape from the busy routine we set ourselves up for.
Near the end of the movie, a moment happens when Andy reminds us all of the purpose his toys served in his life. And he passes on the magic of the toys for yesterday and steps into a new chapter of his life. Just like in the movie, we all have a moment when we decide where our toys head to, and only hope that some child or group of imagination wild children share in the magic of exploring worlds unknown.
It would be next to impossible to explore the realm of imagination because the mind is an incredible thing. What soothes it, what satisfies it, what makes it real or fake and how we find our comfort. But your imagination is something you should never lose. We are reminded of it through our children of the world, through our dreams, our toys and of course, our beloved people at Pixar who never forget what it's like to be a kid.
Maybe it's just me, but I think at some point we all wonder what it would be like if our toys could speak. And that itself is part of the imagination process. What would they say? What would they want? But for now, the toys get put away, the lights turn off, the lid of the toy box closes or the door is shut. And maybe, just maybe, one of these times I will be able to turn on the light fast enough, open the lid in a split second, or open the door just in time to watch my favourite toys come to life. Even if it's only for a second.
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