Tonight, I finally saw Toy Story 3.  I know…egads!  That movie has been in theaters and to DVD.  Why did I wait this long to finally see it?  Lack of time.  The usual excuse.  So, get your freak outs out of your system that I didn’t see this movie sooner.  Because that’s not what this posting is about.

Toy Story came out when I was around 9 years old.  I remember seeing it in theaters and being in awe of the new animation I was seeing on screen.  It was Pixar’s first hit.  Anyway, I could totally relate to Andy and his toys.  A few years later, Toy Story 2 came out and I saw that in theaters as well.  It was okay.  Not better than the original, but it was okay.  The movies reminded me of my own relationship with my toys.  Being an only child, you had to entertain yourself somehow.
Anyway, most of you who know me, know that I cry easily during movies.  Well, let me rephrase that, I cry easily in certain scenarios.  We all have “that movie” that makes us lose it.  Movies such as Anna and the King, The Chipmunks Movie (specifically during the Mother song), The Iron Giant, The Green Mile, etc.  The list goes on.
I wasn’t expecting Toy Story 3 to affect me the way that it did.   I was a bit embarrassed since I was watching it with a friend.  I made it through most of the movie without crying.  The incinerator scene got me a tad emotional and thank God for the “Claw” line from the aliens to get me back to normal.  But…the scene where Andy’s mom is in his room…that got me slightly started with a few tears.  I didn’t realize it would be a warm-up to what was coming.  When Andy is introducing his toys to Bonnie one by one, I started weeping.  Then when he finally lets go of Woody, I was a mess.  That scene went both ways.  Woody was already in the “college” box getting ready to leave and the rest of the toys were going to go to Bonnie.  But Woody let Andy go, and then Andy finally let Woody go.
And…here I start crying again just thinking about it, I suppose it’s all still fresh.
Then the last playtime with the toys.  Beautiful scene.  The final goodbye though had me in a huge mess.  When Bonnie moves Woody’s hand to say goodbye to Andy, his reaction got me going (good job Pixar).  Andy looks fondly at the toys one last time, he says, “Thanks, guys”…and I had to start wiping my eyes at a faster rate so I could see what was happening on the screen.  Then Woody’s, “So long…partner” finished me.
So why did this movie make me the blubbering mess that writes this to you?
I remember saying goodbye to my own toys and donating them to charity.  I still have my teddy bear that was given to me on the day I was born.  When I was old enough, I named the bear, “Precious”.  Precious went through all my surgeries with me growing up and even has the stitching to match my own scars.  This film represented the final goodbye to my childhood.  I’m sure there is a contrast between the children and the young adults who viewed this film, and I bet they saw two different movies.  I remember there being a Facebook group regarding young adults telling the kids to move over since Toy Story was a part of our childhoods and we grew up with Andy and the franchise.  For me, the film ended beautifully.  It was the perfect closure to one of my favorite Disney stories while I was growing up.
Well, it’s after midnight and I’m exhausted from a day of doing nothing (yay days off!).  So I shall close this post with a classic from my childhood.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB2gPZRsz0Q]