In Toy Story, the trope of anthropomorphism is seen through objects constantly hiding their liveliness by pretending to be inanimate in front of the human characters. By adopting a postmodern lens to observe the way toys are presented in the film franchise, we step away from the narrative (Lanier et al., 2013, p. 27). Pixar created a world in the Toy Story film franchise that felt very real and allowed us to explore something that we would normally not see.
Toy Story differs from its anthropomorphic descendants such as Cars (2006), Kung Fu Panda (2008), or Elemental (2023), where the entire film is set in a world that is not human but still taking on human qualities. Instead Pixar’s Toy Story (1995-2019), WALL-E (2008), Finding Nemo (2003), and Monsters Inc. (2001) are all set in human worlds pushing the boundary of what could exist in our reality (Lanier et al., 2013, p. 27).
The Toy Story film franchise depicts the mediated relationship between humans and toys, highlighting throughout the vital role these objects play in our life stages. Building on Baudrillard’s concept of simulacra, Lanier et al. (2013) further describe the unique quality of Toy Story to create animation out of objects that never existed. The Woody doll was not for sale on the market prior to the movie’s release. By animating these toys in a human world and giving them human-like qualities as they remain toys, Pixar engages in complex world-building. As the viewers, we experience something that is real to us which is different to what is real to the toys themselves and the children who engage in imaginative play with them.
Lanier et al. (2013) interpret Woody’s discovery of his backstory in Toy Story 2 as the ability of objects to move beyond their anthropomorphic meaning and situate themselves as mediators between us and the world and the cultural and historical era they represent. “In their desire to bring happiness to children, Woody and his plastic friends simulate a state of lifelessness in front of humans to maintain the illusion of inanimate object,” (Meinel, 2016, p. 45).
Image Credits:
1. Screenshot: Cars. Disney Plus. Copyright Pixar
2. Screenshots: Reddit. Disney Plus. Copyright Pixar