Toy Story v. Class Readings
This section of the website serves to analyze the connections between the concepts presented in the class and the film. Toy Story includes underlying references to heroes, power, and power structures.
- Toy Story v. "From Beowulf to Batman: The Epic Hero in Pop Culture"
Rollin's idea of "incarnating the good" in the hero figures is also prevalent throughout the film. All the toys, but specifically Woody, is always seen as a "good" toy. Although Woody deals with jealousy, his flaw is never seen by Andy. He seeks to be perceived as "good" specifically by him, and strategically only seeks to get rid of Buzz in manners that allow him to maintain this perception - hence, Buzz's "accidentally" falling out of the window. Even though Woody is jealous, he still ultimately incarnates good by learning from his flaw. This is evident when he begins to accept Buzz Lightyear and disregard his jealous ways. His transformation allows him to be seen as "good" not only to Andy, but the other toys as well. Also, because Sid (Andy's neighbor) is seen as ultimate evil in the film, essentially all the toys are considered to be good.
- Toy Story v. The Prince
- Toy Story v. "The Social Institutions of Symbolic Power"