Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
Like majority of kids who came to fruition in the 90's, Toy Story and the continuous franchise holds a special place in my heart. It is with this in mind that I approach anything past 2000 with trepidation. Thankfully, I have been met mostly with relief, as the third film proved to be a knock-out of both story and emotions. Even more recently with the special Toy Story of Terror last year, I found plenty to appreciate about its half hour special in which Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl (Joan Cussack) suffered loss and anxiety. I even hold out hope for Toy Story 4. Well, I did until Toy Story That Time Forgot came out and lived up to its name by being the most disposable thing that the series has ever created.
There is one positive note in all of this. I am glad that this wasn't a traditional Christmas Special. In fact, save for a few decorations, I had trouble believing that this was the case. The story itself has little or nothing to do with the holiday or even the values that are jammed into every special. It is a story more rooted in faux gladiator battles involving a new set of dinosaur toys that gives the franchise's regulars Rex (Wallace Shawn) and Trixie (Kristen Schaal) more room to have their own story. Yes, the plot comes across as a more aggressive version of Toy Story 2 with the new dinosaurs not accepting their new surroundings and that they are indeed toys. In fact, there are points in which the episode seems downright bleak. It has peril.
If this was zapped of any Christmas affiliation, this episode could have happened the same way. There's nothing Christmas about this. It may be a small gripe, but considering that this was marketed as a new tradition, it will leave many feeling ripped off. Adding insult to injury, there were Wal Mart commercials advertising the newest creatures that hadn't been in the public's consciousness for more than five minutes. Unless it was cheesy satire, it is a defining element to why this special feels so misguided.
Keeping on the consumerism angle, I want to note that this is what post-2010 Toy Story has felt like in some capacity. While Toy Story of Terror worked as a narrative, the inclusion of a Combat Carl that said Combat Carl so frequently that it had to be a marketing trick gives off the impression that the series is losing its way with the new specials. The new dinosaurs in Toy Story That Time Forgot don't feel like new characters at all. They feel like new characters with boyish qualities. Sure, the special feels fine when taken on those grounds, but the general takeaway seems to be about conforming to the status quo. By the end, clearly pacifist character Trixie seems to not preach anti-war themes in a very creative and interesting battle sequence but more that the dinosaur needs to belong to somebody. It feels like it was going for the Ebeneezer Scrooge route of loving one another but was misguided into a toy commercial.
This makes me wonder, what was the point of it all? There's blatant moments where Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Woody (Tom Hanks) clearly state that they are leaving the episode to their inconsequential involvement. The special feels too self aware of its own menial exclusion of many main characters. In fact, it seems to wipe the slate of the original Toy Story franchise to focus on new characters specifically. While some could consider the replacement of Andy with Bonnie (Emily Hahn) controversial. it does seem reflecting of the show's desire to find a new audience and not be pegged to the past. I am just not sure if it is working.
At the end, I sadly come with an unhealthy takeaway that seems more relevant to a corporation than to Christmas. This feels like it exists mostly to sell toys for characters that don't really matter. Even if this is building a world for the post-Toy Story 3 world (if that's the case, where's Toy Story of Terror's new characters?), it is doing a rather poor job. It also hurts that this is ironically paired with anti-corporate A Charlie Brown Christmas, which contradicts its own subjectivity. I wish that there was more to take out of this. It could have been fun. It could have just been a random special full of faux gladiator stuff. However, it had to try and have meaning, which in the process cost the special its overall purpose. I can only hope that this isn't the turning point for Toy Story and we're entering a world full of new, forgettable and predominantly pointless characters. If we're already putting aside Woody and Buzz, what is to keep most of the familiar gang from disappearing in the near future? The special filled me more with worry than cheer, which may have not been their overall intention.
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