I have two boys, 10 and 4. They have literally grown up watching Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Well, mostly Toy Story 2, because we have that...on VHS tape! That is how old these stories are: the sequel was at one time on VHS tape! Our 4-year-old has probably watched that tape at least 3 million times. We received the Toy Story and Toy Story 2 special DVD set a couple of weeks ago and my boys have probably watched it a thousand times... each.

Why are these movies so popular with my boys and many children their age? What is it that captures their imaginations? I could easily write some movie review type things, which I will do later, but let me give you theirperspectives first.

Joshua 10 years old says,

I feel like Toy Story had really good lessons like dealing with jealousy. Woody got really jealous of Buzz because Andy was playing with him more and his friends seemed to like Buzz better. In the end, Woody got over that jealousy by befriending Buzz and finding out he is a really good friend. That is kind of a life lesson that I may use in my own life. The other thing I learned from this movie was working together. Buzz and Woody worked together to escape from Sid's house. They even teamed up with the other toys at Sid's house to escape. Working together is so important because teams can get a lot more done than one single person.

In Toy Story 2 the big lesson for you was sticking with the person who loves you the most. Woody was excited to go to Tokyo and it was a great opportunity, but herealizedhe really needed to stay with Andy and his best friend Buzz. Sometimes love is about the other person and not you... a selfless lesson. That's all I have, Dad.

Jason, 4 years old:

The big things about Toy Story was meeting the new toy Buzz, and Sid being mean to his toys and his sister. I want to be nice to my toys and my brother, not like Sid.

The best part of Toy Story 2 was when the Round up Gang went home to Andy's house. The gang got to stay together, except Stinky Pete; he went somewhere else, and Andy got some new toys!

My brain is broken so I can think of nothing else.

I hope you like those perspectives from my kids. For me these stories are great because they teach kids the things above, but also because they teach us adults as well. I was touched by Toy Story when it first came out because of the stages the main characters went through. Woody went from leader and favorite toy to under the bed collecting dust bunnies in what seemed seconds. Buzz thought he was a very important Space Ranger only to realize he was actually just a toy (even though later he realized he was important to Andy). I too go through stages and they may last, they may not; I think the key is to be content in what ever stage I am at and maybe to make a few friends along the way.

The secondinstallmentof the films still makes my wife and I cry when Sarah McLaughlin starts to sing "When Somebody Loves You." This movie is so good, because as Josh says above, it is about selfless love. These toys literally give their lives (over the top?) for the kid that they serve and yet they find themselves in a donation box when the kid outgrows them. I think about God's love for each one of us and realize in many ways we throw it in a donation box or worse.

If you are like me and you have been living with watching Toy Story and Toy Story 2 on VHS tape or your favorite online movie service, I highly recommend this DVD set. It also comes with some wonderful extra features that also had my kids enthralled. They, and I, really love the in-depth background on how these wonderful movies were made. The sneak peek of Toy Story 3 is great as well. Enjoy.