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"So the years went by, I stayed the same. But she began to drift away. I was left alone."
—Toy Story 2

"Why must you leave? Why do you not stay?"
—Majora’s Mask

"Don’t go where I can’t follow."
—The Lord of the Rings

"Even if we’re apart, I’ll always be with you."
—Pooh’s Grand Adventure

Made this one years ago while I was writing the article Immortal Childhood [link] , which analyzes the symbol of the tree. The images are from The Lord of the Rings, Majora's Mask, Toy Story 2, and Pooh's Grand Adventure. I was initially going to compare the themes of these four stories before I changed the direction of the article.

These four stories are about mortality and the temptation of immortality, or "Death and the desire for deathlessness," as Tolkien puts it. Or, as Pooh puts it: [link] Their plots involve Navi vanishing from Link's life, Christopher Robin vanishing from the Hundred Acre Woods, and Woody and Andy's inevitable separation. "The flow of time is always cruel..."

Majora's Mask's moon symbolizes death, a fate the player can escape by reliving the same three days interminably. The One Ring promises an escape from death, but it would leave its wearer as an invisible, undying wraith, not unlike the spirits haunting Ikana. Woody considers leaving for a museum where he will last forever behind glass, but he instead decides to savor his time with Andy while it lasts, even if he ends up being discarded at the dump someday.

Christopher Robin leaves for school, though Pooh misunderstands and thinks he has gone to "Skull". The imagery of a skull is then used throughout the movie, alluding to the theme of death. At one point Pooh climbs a dead, withered tree, saying "I used to believe in forever." [link]

The symbol of the tree as used in this context is pretty common and universal. When it appears, it's often a sign that the story has something to say about death and the desire for something to last forever.

Other examples include Up (Ellie collapses while climbing a hill with a tree atop it), Super Mario Galaxy (Rosalina tells the story of her mother buried beneath the tree on the hill), Never Let Me Go (the tree appears during the movie's ending monologue), and Prince of Persia (Elika dies inside a colossal tree) .

Description
"So the years went by, I stayed the same. But she began to drift away. I was left alone."
—Toy Story 2

"Why must you leave? Why do you not stay?"
—Majora’s Mask

"Don’t go where I can’t follow."
—The Lord of the Rings

"Even if we’re apart, I’ll always be with you."
—Pooh’s Grand Adventure

Made this one years ago while I was writing the article Immortal Childhood [link] , which analyzes the symbol of the tree. The images are from The Lord of the Rings, Majora's Mask, Toy Story 2, and Pooh's Grand Adventure. I was initially going to compare the themes of these four stories before I changed the direction of the article.

These four stories are about mortality and the temptation of immortality, or "Death and the desire for deathlessness," as Tolkien puts it. Or, as Pooh puts it: [link] Their plots involve Navi vanishing from Link's life, Christopher Robin vanishing from the Hundred Acre Woods, and Woody and Andy's inevitable separation. "The flow of time is always cruel..."

Majora's Mask's moon symbolizes death, a fate the player can escape by reliving the same three days interminably. The One Ring promises an escape from death, but it would leave its wearer as an invisible, undying wraith, not unlike the spirits haunting Ikana. Woody considers leaving for a museum where he will last forever behind glass, but he instead decides to savor his time with Andy while it lasts, even if he ends up being discarded at the dump someday.

Christopher Robin leaves for school, though Pooh misunderstands and thinks he has gone to "Skull". The imagery of a skull is then used throughout the movie, alluding to the theme of death. At one point Pooh climbs a dead, withered tree, saying "I used to believe in forever." [link]

The symbol of the tree as used in this context is pretty common and universal. When it appears, it's often a sign that the story has something to say about death and the desire for something to last forever.

Other examples include Up (Ellie collapses while climbing a hill with a tree atop it), Super Mario Galaxy (Rosalina tells the story of her mother buried beneath the tree on the hill), Never Let Me Go (the tree appears during the movie's ending monologue), and Prince of Persia (Elika dies inside a colossal tree) .