This article condenses two major themes drawn from Toy Story, first, we take a feminist lens to observe the gender stereotypes that Woody and Buzz embody as well as an imperialist perspective on the cultural implications of choosing a sheriff and a space ranger.
Throughout the trilogy, there is little credit on the filmmaker’s part to diverge from gender/sexual conventions and stereotypes (Herhuth, 2017). The limited exploration that is done does not stray too far from stereotypes, we see a shift in power dynamics and the rise of the female love interests through Bo Peep’s transformation in the third instalment.
The film opens by setting the scene and character dynamics which evoke a sense of nostalgia that is familiar to the audiences. We initially see Woody as a lifeless, limp, and lanky doll that comes to life and speaks only when the string on its back is pulled. This “undermines any sense of masculine authority that is usually associated with a cowboy,” (Cross, 2018).
The introduction of Buzz Lightyear starkly contrasts the masculinity of Woody, the audience is once again reminded of a “hyperreal configuration of masculinity,” (Cross, 2018). Whether it is through motivating the other toys, teaching Rex the dinosaur how to roar, aggressively working out, or fixing his spaceship in a makeshift garage, Buzz embodies conventional masculine norms. Buzz represents the traditional heroic features of American musclemen in the 1980s, through his humorless and strict behavior (Meinel, 2016, p. 49).
Simply observing their contradictory physiques, the plastic, hard-bodied Buzz being shorter, muscular, with a V-shaped upper body and wide set shoulders and the softer-doll Woody who is taller with less control over his limbs, and more lean. They represent the negotiation of masculinity in twentieth-century America. A constant negotiation between old and new can be seen in the film franchise (Cross, 2018).
Space exploration stood on a pedestal and marked the start of an era that valued a “competitive, consumerist, and increasingly mass-mediated world,” (Wooden and Gillam, 2014). Woody represented a culture of one-of-a-kind, exclusive collectable toys that lost mass-market appeal when toys like Buzz that are mass-produced entered the market.
Buzz entering Andy’s playroom contributes to the developing theme of old vs new in Toy Story. As the status gradually shifts between the familiar Woody to the new, flashy Buzz, we see Woody go to extreme lengths to regain this masculine authority. The space-ranger action figure and sheriff doll as they lead the toy communities in the sequel perpetuate white, male privilege (Meinel, 2016, p. 66).
On a larger cultural scale, Woody and Buzz, the sheriff and space ranger, “embody prominent figures of American culture,” (Meinel, 2016). This is especially true when they save Sid’s damaged toys, becoming classic imperialist symbols that defend “the weak and vulnerable,” (Meinel, 2016). The two protagonists overcome their differences and save these toys, which perpetuate the narrative of American imperialism of “liberating an oppressed group,” (Meinel, 2016).