Toy Story 2 3D

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about Toy Story 2 3D's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Toy Story 2 3D completed by The Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 27 January 2010.

Overall comments and recommendations

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines.

ACCM review

This review of the movie Toy Story 2 3D contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• themes
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• product placement
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

When Andy’s (John Morris) family decides to have a garage sale one of the toys from Andy’s room gets put into the sale box. While the rest of the toys keep watch at the window Woody (Tom Hanks) launches a rescue mission to save it. With the help of the family’s dog Woody saves the toy, but loses his grip and falls to the ground. Al, (Wayne Knight) a greedy collector and the proprietor of Al’s Toy Barn, finds him and can hardly wait to buy him, as he has spent years searching for this exact replica of Woody. Andy’s mom (Laurie Metcalf) tells him repeatedly that Woody is not for sale and locks him in the money box for safe keeping. Undaunted, Al takes the money box, breaks the lock open and steals Woody.

Andy’s toys, lead by Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), launch their own rescue mission to save Woody and bring him home. This is easier said than done, especially when they find they have to repeatedly outwit the Evil Emperor Zurg (Andrew Stanton) who is pursuing Buzz.

Meanwhile Woody learns of his origins, that he is part of a collectors set and that he is the star of his own TV show. As he gets to know his co-stars Jessie (Joan Cusack) and Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer) and their history Woody is drawn towards them and away from his old life in Andy’s room. When his rescuers finally show up he must decide between being adored from afar forever, or loved by a child for a short time.

Themes

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Commercialism, kidnapping, growing out of childhood

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie including:

• Buzz is surrounded by an alien army with lasers who are advancing towards him in a menacing way. He uses his own lasers and a battle begins with lots of shooting.
• Buzz and Zurg fight and Zurg is hit in the head with a steel plate.
• Zurg, using lasers, blasts Buzz in half.
• Broken doll pieces strangle Woody and drag him down inside a carry case.
• Mr. Potato Head is nearly crushed by a rolling concrete pipe, when the toys cause an accident while crossing the highway.
• Jesse attacks Woody and they scuffle before Stinky Pete explains what is going on.
• Al shoves a toy repair man out of the way.
• In a TV show Jessie is trapped in a mine shaft with live dynamite that is about to explode. The show is cancelled and the outcome is unknown.
• Two Buzz Lightyears fight and the old Buzz is shoved into a box and trapped there.
• Two boxing toys punch each other.
• A dinosaur’s head is used as a battering ram to open a gate.
  Zurg bashes Buzz into the side of a wall.
• The toys are told by Zurg to “prepare to die.”
• Stinky Pete punches Buzz.
• Stinky Pete rips Woody’s arm with his pick axe.

Material that may scare children

Under five

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including

• The film opens with Buzz battling Evil Emperor Zurg and his alien army. Buzz is defeated when Zurg blasts him with a laser and he explodes in half. We soon learn that this is part of a video game and that the real Buzz is not really dead. Regardless, some children may find this disturbing.
• There is also a scene where Zurg’s eyes are glowing red. It is somewhat creepy and this coupled with the fact that he is known to be evil and dangerous may frighten some young viewers.

Aged five to eight

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

Some children in this age group may also be disturbed by the above-mentioned scenes.

Aged eight to thirteen

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

Children over eight are unlikely to be disturbed by anything in this film.

Over the age of thirteen

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Nothing of concern

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in this movie

• Twister
• Candyland
• Cheezels
• Barbie dolls
• Mr. Potato Head

Sexual references

There are some sexual references in this movie, including

• Mr. Potato Head repeatedly tells himself that he “is a married spud” when Tour Guide Barbie takes the wheel beside him.
• During the end credits Stinky Pete is chatting up two Barbies who have squeezed into his box with him.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:

• A group of Barbies are having a pool party dressed in bikinis.
• Two Barbies in mini skirts show a lot of thigh.

Use of substances

None of concern

Coarse language

None of concern

The movie's message

Toy Story 2 3D is an animated adventure, featuring more realistic special effects than its original version thanks to the 3D technology. Fans of the original films are likely to enjoy seeing this.

The main messages from this movie are

• be there for your friends when they need you
• change is inevitable
• sometimes it is better to be truly loved, even if it is only for a short time, than to live your whole life being admired without true affection

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

• helping others in need
• resourcefulness
• faith in those you love
• compassion and forgiveness
  

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children the importance of helping those in need and being prepared to understand the feelings and actions of others.