TOY STORY (1995)

The written companion

Draft companion · Awaiting editorial review

Toy Story: Childhood Affection Does Not Stay the Same for Everyone

Toy Story brings out two different kinds of nostalgia in the group. Cayla remembers the enormous affection she had for it as a small child, but later sequels have complicated her relationship with the first film. Seth remains closely attached to the pleasure it gave him.

Cayla still admires the stretch involving Sid and the toys, especially the childhood satisfaction of seeing a bully confronted by the things he has mistreated. Yet the franchise's continuing expansion makes it harder for her to return to the original without thinking of what came afterward. She gives it six out of ten now, a very different number from the one her younger self might choose.

Seth gravitates toward Woody and the small, playful scenes, including the army men at the beginning. His nine-and-a-half-out-of-ten response is tempered mainly by how frightening Sid's altered toys were to him as a child.

Their responses show how a familiar film can preserve its images while changing its place in someone's life. The sequel argument becomes part of the original's afterlife, whether a viewer wants it there or not.

Can later sequels change how you feel about the first Toy Story? Which memory remains strongest for you: the fun, the friendship, or the toys that were unexpectedly frightening?

Watch their Toy Story discussion ↗

Based on auto-generated captions. Ratings use the episode's original ten-point scale. The source includes plot spoilers.