Disney Deconstructed: Toy Story

When assigned the task of watching a childhood disney film for class a couple weeks ago I did not really think much of it. Due to the limited selection of Disney movies in my possession I was forced to watch Toy Story. It had been quite some time since I had last watched this film or any Disney film for that matter and given the context of the film's examination i really did not know what to expect. Within the first ten minutes of the film the audience is informed that the story revolves around the belongings(toys) of a Caucasian boy named Andy. All of the toys Andy possesses that are made in the image of a humans are white, and not one person of ethnicity, neither toy nor human, is portrayed in the film. I found it very "typical" of Disney to make the both protagonists, Woody and Buzz, in this film personify dominant figures of American society and culture. A few of the obvious traits possessed by these characters overlap such as gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity. They are both heterosexual, white males but they individually epitomize two fundamentally ingrained ideologies of American culture. As a cowboy Woody embodies the traditional, conservative American ideology devoted to a strong work ethic and a sense of self and dignity stemming from maintained domesticity. In contrast, as an astronaut Buzz represents an ideology of advancement and interminable innovation stemming from a want to better oneself and others. As well the only two women that were portrayed in the film were white and single, Andy's single mother and a shepherdess doll named "Bo Peep." The film revolves around the increasing jealousy felt by Woody toward Buzz and is heightened in one scene through the sexual connotations of "Bo Peep" when she replaces Woody with Buzz as a moving partner. In a way I feel that this film reinforces an idea patriarchy through the characterization of its protagonists, as well as the lack of female involvement.