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Toy Story 2 – Review

Transfiguring Adoption’s Overview:

Toy Story 2 is rated G and can be enjoyed by all audiences: children and adults. Anyone could enjoy this fun but emotional sequel to Toy Story (1995). This movie might be relatable to foster and adoptive families due to the themes of reunification, identity with family of origin versus found family, and building attachment.

This movie can be enjoyed just for the sake of enjoyment. However, this movie can also be used as a tool to discuss how children view their identity in terms of their family of origin versus their identity as a foster youth in your family. Children can also respond to how they might feel about going home or moving to another placement, especially if they (like Jessi) have felt displaced before coming to your home.


** Spoilers Could Be Ahead **


How Is This Relevant To Adoption & Foster Care?

The first Toy Story installment features Buzz’s internal conflict with returning to Space Command and accepting his identity as Andy’s toy. Throughout the film Woody was firm in his identity as not just a toy but Andy’s toy. In this film, though Woody did not choose to be taken from Andy, Woody is confronted with a heart-wrenching choice. Return to Andy, knowing that his love and care may not last forever, or remain with his on-screen companions from Woody’s Roundup to be enjoyed forever by many children for years to come. At first, the choice is obvious for Woody: Return to Andy and the other toys! But, over time and manipulation on a seemingly well-intentioned toy’s part, Woody begins to struggle with knowing where (and with whom) he truly belongs.

Children in foster care always will long for knowledge of and closeness with their family of origin. It makes sense: the family of origin (no matter how short of time spent with them) compose a child’s very first relationships. Families of origin often pass along traits unique to a birth family. Appearance, some degree of temperament, culture, and health history are all things that come from that birth family and will at some point or another be on a foster or adoptive child’s mind. For caregivers, it is important to remember that an interest in family of origin is a chance to celebrate part of who that child is today. Ultimately, Woody did choose to reunify with his “found” family of Andy and the toys and was able to integrate a part of his past (most of which he knew nothing of before the adventure) into his present to develop a wonderful future and tighter bonds with his fellow toys. This is exactly how a foster/adoptive parent can view this exploration without intimidation.


Discussion Points:

  • Reunification
    The number one goal of foster care is often to return a child to a member of the family of origin, whether that be a parent, extended family member, or kinship placement. Woody’s struggle with found family versus family of origin is a real struggle our foster children are challenged with regardless of how their court-ordered permanency plan reads. It’s often hard for foster parents to love and let go after pouring out to our foster children, and though sometimes returning “home” for children is a celebrated step with a child and family team, it can also be hard on children to understand the transition.
  • Family of Origin Culture
    Even if a child does not remember their family of origin, children are naturally curious to learn about their biological family and to hold some connection to this. I have a friend who adopted a child as an infant that is of a different ethnicity from her own. Though her child has no memory of his family of origin, he is constantly looking for information about his ethnic background. My friend does a fantastic job of encouraging the learning journey and taking part, which both helps her child educationally and introspectively by validating his curiosity about his identity. Even if children seem to come from a similar background, their exploration is valid. If adults can be interested in all the trendy DNA tests, why would our children not be drawn to the same mysteries?
  • Foster Care Culture
    Children in foster care very much have their own culture. There is a myriad of terminology, resources, paperwork, relationships, and even memes that make up the unique culture! Our children have challenges unique to their peers that we as caregivers can take for granted if we are not sensitive to our children’s perspectives. For example, when you were young did you have to ask an entire team (sometimes including a therapist) permission to attend a sleepover? While some policies are trying to remedy how intrusive foster care can be to normalcy (such as Tennessee passing Prudent Parenting), there are still nuances that are important to remember and acknowledge when working with children in foster and adoptive contexts.

Cautionary Points:

  • Woody is Stolen
    It is important to remember that our children have gone through many challenges and experiences unique to a foster or adopted child. Sometimes we know pieces of information upon placement, but other times we find out about trauma triggers and problematic survival behaviors after building a relationship of trust and security with a child. Children who view their arrival into foster care or adoption as being “taken” or “stolen” may react negatively to watching Woody literally be stolen toward the beginning of the movie.
  • Unrealistic Expectations of Reunification
    Woody by the end of the film gets to live with his toy family, and Jessi and Bullseye also are added to the toy family. While it would be wonderful if foster children could hold on to all positive relationships after reunification or adoption, in most cases this is not possible. Seeing Woody getting to have the best of both his family of origin and found family may create an unrealistic expectation of reunification for especially young children.
  • Abandonment
    Let’s face it, even Tom Hanks reported crying watching Jessi’s story set to “When She Loved Me” by the queen of tearjerkers Sarah McLachlan. The scene as a whole is hard on even adults. Be prepared to discuss this scene with children regardless of age or foster/adoptive status. Feeling thrown away or left behind is never a positive feeling and can, again, be highly traumatic to children who have suffered immense loss through their experiences in foster care or adoption.
  • Al In General
    Honestly, Al gives me the creeps. He steals Woody, talks down to people, shoves the sweet elderly man who cleans up Woody, and overall is not a nice guy. Children may not respond well to how Al treats others.
  • Stinky Pete Character is Terrifying
    Stinky Pete is very manipulative and emotionally abusive to his fellow toys. He starts out seeming nice and endearing, but as the film progresses, his anger and insults become more intense. Again, we do not often know up front everything a child has experienced, so Stinky Pete may be a hard character to watch.

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Transfiguring Adoption is a nonprofit organization seeking to nurture growth in foster and adoptive families by giving a HOOT about their families. Transfiguring Adoption does not intend for its reviewers nor its review to be professional, medical or legal advice. These reviews and discussion guides are intended to help parents to better be able to connect and understand their children who come from traumatic backgrounds.

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