I Watched Netflix’s Carry-On, And I Can’t Unsee The Parallels Between It And Toy Story 2

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As a child of the ’90s who grew up with VHS tapes and endless viewings of both Disney’s Toy Story 2 and the Carry-On films, I can confidently say that the similarities between these two seemingly disparate movies are more than just coincidental.

Spoilers for Carry-On and Toy Story 2 are ahead!

In my view, Toy Story 2 stands out as the superior Toy Story movie and ranks among Pixar’s finest sequels. As a child, I watched it countless times on VHS, knowing every scene, even the thrilling airport rescue by heart. Consequently, when I recently came across Carry-On, an upcoming Netflix action-thriller in 2024 featuring Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman dealing with a bomb in luggage, it was impossible not to notice similarities with the Disney classic as I watched their intense airport drama unfold.

Currently, these similarities are occupying my thoughts, and after noticing them, they become quite hard to ignore.

At first glance, you might not expect that “Carry-On” and “Toy Story 2” share much in common. While the former, starring Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman, is a 2024 film about a terrorist threat and a TSA agent’s mission to disarm a bomb, the latter sequel revolves around a toy collector trying to sell Woody and other toys from his collection (among various other plots).

In terms of the actual events at the airport, these two films seem incredibly similar to me, quite understatedly.

Initially, both movies share a common scene where characters hastily drive vehicles onto the sidewalk to reach an airport. Interestingly, one of these films is controlled by toys, while the other is driven by a female LAPD officer. In addition, there are instances where a suspicious character argues with an airport staff member about a suitcase. Remarkably, each film also includes a case of mistaken luggage: in “Toy Story”, it’s two green suitcases, and in “Carry-On”, a black one is wrongfully taken. However, the most striking similarities are yet to be discussed!

In the films “Toy Story 2” and “Carry-On,” the climactic scenes involve three thrilling episodes centered around suitcases that occur within specific airport zones: a baggage handling area, the tarmac, and finally, an airplane’s cargo hold. Let’s explore these sequences…

In Toy Story 2, I often ponder the mystery of how luggage makes it onto planes, and Carry-On has only made me think about it more. Just like Buzz Lightyear and his friends darted around airport conveyor belts in the animated film, Ethan, portrayed by Egerton, found himself running away from Bateman’s villain, using similar conveyors and slides to evade him.

Later on, Egerton’s character discovers he has the ability to disarm the bomb only by boarding the departing aircraft and navigating to the cargo area. Given this knowledge, he (as seen in Toy Story 2) makes a daring move by commandeering a tarmac vehicle and pursuing the plane, eventually leaping aboard. Who else does something similar? Well, Woody does too.

In summary, the climactic scenes unfold aboard aircraft that are preparing for takeoff in the movie “Carry-On.” Unlike “Toy Story 2,” where Woody is on a mission to rescue Jessie from the plane, “Carry-On” sees its final confrontation taking place there. The film concludes with Ethan confining Bateman’s traveler within an airtight container, leading to his demise at the hands of his own toxic gas.

Additionally, I should note that Jason Bateman’s character seems to exude similar vibes as the Prospector – it’s another interesting comparison to make.

Without a doubt, it wasn’t meant to be like this, but there are similarities nonetheless, and I have to admit that I appreciate both films even more because of them! If you want to check out these parallels for yourself, you can stream “Carry-On” with a Netflix account, and “Toy Story 2” with a Disney+ subscription.

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2024-12-23 16:07