This process, which aims to remind us that the characters from our childhood cartoons grow with us, has a name: aging in real time.
Unlike “The Simpsons”, for example, where Bart has been 10 years old since 1989, or “South Park” where the children have been between 9 and 10 years old since 1992, some sagas make their characters evolve over time.
In “The Lion King”, Simba goes from lion cub, in the first part, to dad, in the second. Harold goes from awkward teenager to young adult, until becoming a bearded dad in the “Dragons” saga. We can also talk about the evolution of the characters of “Ice Age” and even go beyond the animated films by citing “Stranger Things” or “Harry Potter” as examples of series and films which used this concept of evolving temporality very well.
In “Toy Story”, the process has already been used but it concerned Andy. Throughout the episodes, the latter went from child to young adult who entered university. He experienced the same stages as the public who discovered “Toy Story” in the 90s and who can therefore identify with the character. In other words, we’ve all been Andy at one point in our lives.
