Warning! This post contains spoilers for Carry-On and Toy Story 2.
Netflix’s popular new thriller starring Jason Bateman,Carry-On, and Disney’s classic movieToy Story 2have a surprising number of similarities.Carry-Onwas released exclusively on Netflix on December 13th, 2024.TheCarry-Oncaststars Taron Egerton as Ethan Kopek, a TSA worker, and Jason Bateman asCarry-On’svillain, the Traveler. The thriller takes place almost entirely within the airport, with Bateman’s Traveler forcing Ethan to allow a suspicious package through security by threatening to kill Ethan’s pregnant girlfriend, Ethan’s friends, and eventually Ethan himself.
While this may not sound all that similar to the children’s Disney movie starring Woody and Buzz Lightyear,Carry-OnandToy Story 2shockingly share many commonalities. On the surface, they are linked because each movie includes a major arc involving luggage in an airport, but the similarities run much deeper.Based on their plots and their key characters,Toy Story 2andCarry-Onare actually quite similar, even as their stakes and their target demographics are worlds apart.
How Netflix’s Carry-On Is Very Similar To Toy Story 2
The Movies' Connections Go Beyond The Airport Setting
InToy Story 2, the toys must rescue Woody from Al, a man who stole Woody from Andy’s house to sell him to a toy museum in Japan. While being painted, sewn up, and prepped for travel at Al’s house, Woody also meets Jessie, Bullseye, and the Prospector (or “Stinky Pete”). What Woody doesn’t know is that the Prospector is willing to go to any lengths to make sure the four toys end up on that flight, even knowing that Woody wants to get back to Andy and the other toys.
This comes to a head in the final showdown,during which Jessie and Woody must escape off a plane as it is taxiing on the runwayafter fighting with the Prospector to free themselves from the luggage. Although this is not exactly the same asCarry-On’sTraveler intending to release a deadly gas and kill everyone on a flight, both movies have a dramatic conclusion on the airplane itself, withCarry-On’sendingbeing particularly gruesome. In fact, as Riley Utley ofYahoo Entertainmentexplains in detail, there are a number of connections between these two stories.
Among the biggest similarities are a sequence in which characters drive on sidewalks to arrive at the airport, accidental suitcase mix-ups, and tension built specifically around takeoff. Utley also highlights that the specific locations that are heavily featured in each movie overlap, particularly when it comes to conveyor belts and the cargo areas of the planes. If these connections weren’t enough,the main villains in each movie are also surprisingly similar.
Toy Story 2’s Villain Secretly Predicted The One Part Of Toy Story 3 That Made Us All Cry
There’s an interesting connection between Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 that was set in motion by a franchise antagonist in the 1999 Pixar sequel.
Even Jason Bateman’s Carry-On Character Has A Lot In Common With Toy Story 2’s Villain
Arguably, Al is the main villain ofToy Story 2, as he kidnaps Woody and plans to sell him and the other three toys for a major profit. However, Al doesn’t really know what he’s doing. He has no idea that toys are alive, so, while his theft of Woody was immoral and his business practices are a bit below board,it’s really the Prospector who isToy Story 2’strue villain. Despite knowing full well that Woody is going against his will, Prospector tries a number of tricks to shore up his future at the toy museum.
Obviously,Carry-On’sTraveler is much more insidious, as he’s willing to kill innocents for a job, but the characters' personalities are actually quite similar. Both are cold, self-serving, and condescending, and both believe their actions are justified. Even their names, Prospector and Traveler, share some similarity. While the two movies of course have some pretty major differences, shockingly,Carry-OnandToy Story 2do have more in common than one might expect.
Carry-On
Cast
Carry On is a film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, focusing on a young TSA agent who is coerced by a mysterious traveler into allowing a dangerous package onto a Christmas Eve flight. As events unfold, he must use his wits to resolve the perilous situation.
Toy Story 2
Toy Story 2, released in 1999, is the sequel to the beloved original, where Woody is kidnapped by toy collector Al McWhiggen, prompting a rescue mission by Andy’s toys. As the toys embark on this adventure, Buzz Lightyear encounters a formidable counterpart, and Woody faces decisions about his true place in the world.
