Plot problem in Toy Story 2 (SPOILERS!) (1 Viewer)

[Richard Kim]

After watching Monsters Inc. I would have to agree that its biggest weakness is its plot. I then thought about Toy Story 2 and the ending in which the toys make it back safely back to Andy's room, which I have problems with.
Firstly, at the yard sale, Andy's mom puts Woody in the cash box after which Al steals him. Now she definitely would have found out that Woody was missing when she opened the box to count her earnings. But then we see her with Andy fixing Woody's arm, as if nothing ever happened.
Second, what about Jessie and Bullseye? Andy thinks that his mom bought him those toys, but she probably doesn't know anything about them. Imagine the following excahnge:
Andy: Thanks for the new toys, Mom!
Mom: I didn't buy you any toys.
Andy: What the $^#%$?
Don't get me wrong, I still love TS2, it's just that I've noticed these inconsistanceies, while nobody else has mentioned them. Anyone else bothered by it?

 

[Scott Weinberg]

I also wondered about that at the end of Toy Story 2. Eventually someone would mention the presence of the "new toys"!
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Scott Weinberg
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http://members.home.net/scott2915/_vti_txt/ofcs

 

[Edwin Pereyra]

The so called "weakness" in the plot you mentioned didn't bother me at all. If one can accept the toys being able to drive to and back from the airport, the plot points you mentioned are not that big of a deal.
quote: Firstly, at the yard sale, Andy's mom puts Woody in the cash box after which Al steals him. Now she definitely would have found out that Woody was missing when she opened the box to count her earnings. But then we see her with Andy fixing Woody's arm, as if nothing ever happened.[/quote]
She was surprised to see Woody at the yard sale to begin with yet you didn't mention that as a weakness in the plot as she never picked him up from the shelf in Andy's room. Surely, she would have remembered doing so if she did. As to whether she would have found out about Woody missing from her cash box, by the time she counted her earnings from the garage sale, she would have forgotten all about Woody even being at the yard sale to begin with.
As to Jessie and Bullseye, it's one of those endings that is open to interpretation rather than a plot weakness. Since the exchange between Andy and his Mom never took place, we'll never find out what actually happened. Do we?
Maybe they'll make a Toy Story 3 to clear this all up. Stay tuned.

~Edwin
[Edited last by Edwin Pereyra on November 04, 2001 at 01:33 AM]

 

[Calvin Cullen]

Second, what about Jessie and Bullseye? Andy thinks that his mom bought him those toys, but she probably doesn't know anything about them.

It is obvious just from the sheer size of the supporting cast that no human could keep track of Andy's obscenely extravagant toy collection. It is not unreasonable to suspect that a small, clearly mentally-challenged child (like Andy) or a woman busy raising two unruly kids would have trouble identifying the source of a few new toys. His mother probably would have suspected that Andy got them at cowboy camp, another luxury of the spoiled wealthy class.
Of course, the symbolism in the cash box scene and the fact that news toys are voraciously assimilated into the collection hit at the key theme of the film. The toys, like the people that own them, are merely slaves -- playthings if you will -- of the capitalistic machine that spawned them. They are freely bought and sold (at places like Al's Toy Barn) and then unceremoniously abandoned (like Jessie, or Andy being shipped off to camp). In fact, only by defying Al, the very symbol of capitalistic greed and gluttony, does Woody truly gain a small measure of freedom. Perhaps this brief glimpse of liberty will lead to a full-fledged toy revolution if a Toy Story III is ever made.

 

[John Miles]

ROFL!

Chomsky himself couldn't have said it better.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Oh, come on guy's it's all in good fun! But I will say this, Calvin is right about one thing, I think their must be something really wrong with Andy to still be playing with those types of toys at his age in that film, what was he, like, 9 or 10!?

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God bless the USA and the men and women of our military and their families!

 

[DaveF]

These aren't plot problems, to me. A busy, single mother, raising two kids, dealing with a garage sale (and the loons that show up at such things ) would likely not even notice the missing toy until later, and then assume she had already put it away or some such. Think back to Home Alone and the family forgetting Culkin's character; it's funny because it could happen.
Also, in the DVD commentary, the the film-makers talk about the ending:
- how in the world did the toys drive the airporet luggage tram back to the home, with no one noticing?
- how is Al back doing a live commercial, the day after he was flying to Japan?
- How did the Barbie dolls from the Toy Barn get there?
They don't know, and don't care. It's a movie, and makes for fun story telling.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I think Toy Story 1 and 2 were kinda like K-PAX: its not getting it that counts, its what you get from it. Only problem is, I got nothing from TS1 or 2.

 

[Derek Miner]

Think back to Home Alone and the family forgetting Culkin's character; it's funny because it could happen.

Yeah, once perhaps, but if it ever happened twice... oh, wait a minute....

= Derek =

 

[DonMac]

The plot flaw that I noticed in Toy Story 2 was Woody was said to be a longtime family toy, apparently passed from father to son, yet he seemed to think Andy was the only owner he ever had. And, when Jessie told her story of being neglected, Woody should have remembered being neglected too, as he most likely spent quite a few years stuffed in the closet between when his original owner (Andy's father presumably) outgrew him and when he was eventually passed down to Andy. Yet Woody was totally unaware that he would be outgrown one day.
But, although this lapse in logic is definitely a plot flaw, it's still a great movie and, IMO, one of the few sequels that clearly surpasses the original.
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"It is the customary fate of new truths to begin as heresies and to end as superstitions." - T. H. Huxley

 

[Jesse Skeen]

The BIG problem I had with this movie right away was what was Andy doing playing with Woody if he was really a rare collector's item, and for that matter why would they still be making bedsheets and stuff with Woody's picture on them if he'd been discontinued a long time ago? That's even before taking into account the point that if Woody is an old toy he should remember his previous 'owner'.
They never explain what happened to the dad either, did he run off after the baby was born? They still seemed to have enough money without him, anyway, though they don't explain what mom did for a living either.
I always think of laserdisc as Woody, and DVD as Buzz Lightyear

 

[Todd Hochard]

I'm with the Commie on this one.
Todd

 

[Brian_J]

Calvin, you need a few winks and smileys in your post.
Brian
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[Keith Mickunas]

Clearly when Andy took posession of Woody he took him into town and has his memory wiped. That toy belongs to him now, and nothing more needs to be said on the subject.
Andy's mom also never repaired Woody. You'd think she'd remember to fix her son's favorite toy.
Of course, it is just a cartoon. Pretty soon you all will be questioning why the Road Runner could go through tunnels painted on the sides of mountains, but Wile never could. And that would just be sad.

 

[Bjorn Olav Nyberg]

I watched Toy story 1 yesterday. And the thing that dawned on me, was that Buzz never tried to move when Andy was in sight, even though he did not believe he was a toy. It is quite clear that the toys can move in front of people if they want to, so why doesn't Buzz do it? Sub-concsiousness?
Of course, he doesn't do it in front of anybody until Woody says they have got to break a few rules to teach Sid a lesson and get out, so at least I needed about 10 viewings to catch this...
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[Josh LeClair]

The real plot problem with TS 1 and 2 was the fact that the toys frickin TALKED. When the heck did this start happening? Do other people's toys talk to them? Is this normal? Did my toys just not like me???
ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

 

[Bjorn Olav Nyberg]

Josh,
Just look to Sid on Toy story for evidence that you should be glad your toys never talked to you. You probably treated them good
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