I was extremely impressed by the entire movie, as it was a seamless weave of action and emotion. In particular, I was struck by the number of Christian themes in the movies, whether intentional or not.
At the end of the story, when Andy was reluctantly giving Woody to Bonnie the little girl, he described Woody in this way: “He'll never give up on you... ever. He'll be there for you, no matter what.”
I immediately thought of someone else who never gives up on us, someone else who is always there for us, no matter what: our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That is what makes our Catholic faith so special and so true: that Jesus is always present to us. Whether at Mass in the Eucharist, in the Adoration Chapel, in the Sacraments, in nature, or in other people: it’s not too hard to find him. But we need to be open to seeing him, as opposed to ignoring him or denying him. That’s the challenge.
I strive to be more like him in what I say, what I do, and most importantly, in who I am. That’s what we are called to do as Christians: to bring (or pass on) Christ to the world. And as Andy passed Woody on to Bonnie, I likened that to us passing on Christ and sharing Christ with all those we encounter. So that others may experience the incredible blessings that come from having relationship with him.
Similarly, Woody spent the majority of the movie trying to find his way back to Andy (little did he know that Andy would give him away…haha). Even going against the rest of his toys, Woody looked for opportunities to “return home.” I see this going both ways: as much as I seek Jesus and long to be more like him, I also think that Jesus is searching for me. I see Jesus as thirsting for me and longing to be in relationship with me, just as much as I long to be relationship with him. Again, it goes back to him never giving up on us and always being there for us.
Near the end of the movie, when Woody made the decision to stay with his fellow toys as opposed to with Andy, it showed his ultimate loyalty and sacrifice. Loyalty and sacrifice: sounds like another man who lived around 2000 years ago.
Lastly, and this is more of a youth ministry reference, when Woody was trying to leave Sunnyside Daycare the first time, the horse Bullseye kept following him to the door in an attempt to go with him. Each time Woody denied Bullsye, encouraging him to “stay here,” I thought of the popular “Crucified Again” skit that I’ve both acted in and witnessed at many a parish or diocesan youth ministry event. In the skit, a teenager character promises to spend the evening with Jesus after neglecting him for a while, but then reneges on his promise in accepting an invitation to a party. The skit ends with the teenager telling Jesus to “stay here,” while putting Jesus’ arms in a crucified position. While Bullseye didn’t end up crucified so-to-speak, the parallel was unmistakable to me.
Now, given that there are only so many themes and morals possible in a movie (especially a family-oriented one), it’s probably quite easy to find Christian themes (love, faith, loyalty, sacrifice, etc) if you look hard enough. But these four examples really left an impression on me.
As I prepare to go to Mass in about an hour, I will undoubtedly give praise and thanksgiving to Jesus for so many things: his loyalty, his love, and his sacrifice. But most of all, at least for today, for his friendship.
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