Catholic Movies for Families for Easter: Toy Story 3 and Good from Bad

This month's Catholic movie for families is Toy Story 3. While it's not a Christian movie, this secular movie can illustrate very Catholic themes. This month, we are exploring Romans 8:28: "“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.”

As your family watches this movie together, remember: God doesn’t promise that everything will be easy, but He does promise that He can bring good out of anything when we trust Him.

Before the Movie:

Say the following to your kids: "We are going to watch a movie that you may have seen before. This movie is fun but can also be sad at times and even scary at times. We are showing you this movie because it teaches us something. It teaches us that sometimes God allows us to experience sad or scary things because he's got something even better planned! As we celebrate Easter, I want us all to remember that the Resurrection reminds us God works all things for good for those who love him."

Ask your family:

• Have you ever had to say goodbye to something you loved?

• What’s something that felt really hard at first, but later turned out to be good?

Catholic Movies for Families: Easter Themes to look for During the Movie

Letting Go & Trusting God’s Plan

Andy is growing up, and the toys face an uncertain future. Everything they've known is changing. Many are scared and unsure, yet they cling to what they know: One another.

How can we learn from this?

• As Catholics, sometimes we don’t understand what God is doing, but we are called to trust Him and cling to one another in our Catholic Community. After all, we are one body in Christ!

• Like the toys, we may feel “left behind,” from time to time, but God is still guiding the story.

Optional Discussion questions:

• Is it hard to accept change? What should we do when change is happening, but we don't want it?

  
  

Suffering Can Lead to Good

The toys experience fear, loss, and even betrayal at Sunnyside Daycare. It's even tempting to give up all hope because it seems it's one bad thing after another for the toys! But we know that's not how the story ends...

How can we learn from this?

• God allows suffering, but He can transform it into something meaningful. It often involves our trust and our surrender and our patience.

• Holy Week is a great time to ponder this, where something terrible (Death of Jesus) became the greatest good (His Resurrection).

• Optional Discussion questions:

  • What were the hardest moments for the toys? Have you ever had a hard moment?

  • How did those moments eventually lead to something good?

The Power of Sacrificial Love

The toys stick together, even when things are dangerous. God knows that, "It's not good for man to be alone," so he's blessed us with one another.

How can we learn from this:

• True love means putting others before yourself (like Jesus).

• As a family, practicing selfless love can help us through tough times.

• Optional Discussion questions:

  • Which character showed the most love or sacrifice? Have you ever seen someone in our family love selflessly?

  • How can we love others like that in our family more often?

    
    

New Life Comes from Letting Go

In the end, Andy gives the toys to Bonnie, leading to a new beginning. After all that doubt, sadness, and even chaos, it worked out even better for the toys.

How can we learn from this:

• Letting go can lead to unexpected blessings. (see picture below).

• God often writes new chapters when we release the old.

• Optional Discussion questions:

  • Is it hard to give up what you want sometimes?

  • What new good came from that moment?

Conclusion:

In the movie, many things went wrong: being donated, Sunnyside, being lost. In our own lives, many things can go wrong. Sometimes we have really bad days.

But in the end, everything led to a better home, deeper friendships, and new joy for the Toys. Likewise, if we surrender our lives, the good and the bad to Jesus, he can show us how to bring good from bad!

Optional Discussion Question:

How did “all things work for good” in the story?

Can you think of a time in your life where God brought good out of something hard?

Family Prayer:

We hope you and your family enjoyed this month's Catholic Movies for Families: Easter Edition.

Please feel free to gather the family and read the closing prayer: "Dear God, Thank You for always being with us, even when life is hard or confusing. Help us to trust that You are working all things for good, even when we cannot see it. Teach us to love like You, to stay close to one another, and to have hope in every situation. We give You our worries and our fears, and send your Holy Spirit to encourage us to look for the good you have promised. Lead us always to Your good plan. Amen."