Toy Story: A Case Study in Group Dynamics (Film Analysis)
In the Toy Story series, we are presented with a group of toys: Andy’s toys. These toys experienced many high and lows during the series, and they have grown both together and as individuals.
Through their interactions with each other and their environment, we see how the dynamics of the group play out in each movie. Hence, the series is a good case study in group dynamics, and the principles presented can be applied to human group relationships and dynamics as well.
There are many other groups of toys that exists in the series, such as Sid’s toys, Lotso’s gang, and Bonnie’s toys, but for the purposes of this article, we will only focus on the core group of toys: Andy’s toys.
Group Components
A group has four main components that help define what the group is and what they stand for. They are the following:
The Purpose
The purpose is the reason why the group exists. It is what the group strives for and their reason for being. Without a purpose, there can be no unity within the group, and the group will eventually disintegrate. If the group is united by a common goal, direction, and purpose, they can be at its most effective.
In the Toy Story movies, the purpose of Andy’s toys is, of course, being there for Andy and giving him joy and happiness as a toy. Their purpose eventually evolved into being there for Bonnie in the same way.
The Leader
The leader is the one who sets the direction of the group towards their purpose. They must balance kindness with harshness, strength with flexibility. They must lead by example as well as with counsel.
Woody is the obvious leader of the toys from Andy’s room, however there are times when Buzz, or even Jessie, was forced to take on the role of leader due to circumstance.
The Members
No team or group is complete without the members. Each member contributes different skills and qualities to the group, and each bring value in their own unique way.
The members of Andy’s toys evolved as the series progressed, the way every group should progress and evolve through the addition of new members and the development of each individual member.
The Enemy
The enemy of a group could be another individual, the environment, a concept that contradicts their purpose, a rival group, or even dissidents within their own ranks. Such an enemy can unite a group even more, as they must use all their skills to defeat a shared enemy in order to survive and progress.
The toy’s enemies throughout the series include Sid, Prospector Pete, Lotso and his gang, Gabby, even their own internal doubts about their purpose. All are threats to the unity and harmony of the group.
The Toys
Each toy within the group plays a different role according to their strengths and personality. The role each toy plays within the group are the following:
Woody
Woody is the emotional core of the group. He is the leader, and without him, the group loses their sense of direction. Woody makes sure each toy remembers the group purpose and are united around the same set of values. He is the leader who leads with empathy and kindness.
Buzz
Buzz Lightyear is the strategist of the group. The tactical mastermind, he keeps the group focused, has excellent organizational and management skills, and has good attention to detail. The most physically capable of the group, he is the second-in-command and leads with strength.
Jessie
Jessie is the energizer of the group. She injects the group with positive energy whenever they need it. She enters the group with youthful novelty and unbridled enthusiasm. She is the group motivator and an emotional glue for the group.
Hamm
Hamm is the specialist of the group. He contributes technical know-how about the environment that is key to the group’s success. His worldly knowledge has made him into the group’s main source of outside information.
Slinky
Slinky Dog is the mediator of the group. He is loyal to Woody as the leader and is the go-between for Woody and the other toys. He is key in resolving conflicts within the group, and is flexible (literally) to accommodate any changing circumstance.
Mr. Potato Head
Mr. Potato Head is the gatekeeper and the enforcer of the group. He keeps dissenters in line, and those that wish to enter the group must have his approval. He challenges the leaders of the group if ever they deviate from the group’s purpose, and he makes sure that the group comes first.
Mrs. Potato Head
Mrs. Potato Head is the protective mother of the group. She nurtures and builds the other members up much like a mother does with their children. She is fiercely protective of the group much like a mother is for her children.
Bullseye
Bullseye is the silent worker of the group. He does not say much, if anything at all, but he shows up to do his job without complaint, contributes to the group’s purpose and immediate goals, then retreats back. He is literally the beast of burden of the group.
Bo Peep
Bo Peep is the outside guru of the group. She was never considered as part of the main group, as she is one of Molly’s toys rather than one of Andy’s toys, hence she is somewhat of an outcast. She is an outside well of knowledge the toys can go to for guidance and assistance before she disappears again.
Rex
Rex is the jester of the group. He is more than a burden than a help to the group, not contributing much to the group’s success other than entertainment and some good laughs. He is the common scapegoat whenever the toys run into trouble.
Andy’s Toys Through The Movies
The four Toy Story movies explores how the group changes and adapts to the environment as well as to each other. The group acts as like a formless yet rigid entity, adapting changing and molding itself around their circumstances while at the same time holding firmly to their core purpose of being.
How the group deals with the events of each movie is almost a mirror of what happens to groups, teams and organizations in the real world whenever they face difficult and ever-changing conditions and strive for their ultimate goals.
Toy Story
In the first movie, the toys have a clear leader (Woody) and a clear purpose (being Andy’s toys). All was harmonious and all was within the status quo.
Buzz then comes, and a power struggle ensues between him and Woody due to their competing ideologies, and this struggle divides the group.
Buzz and Woody then involuntarily leave the group for a while, journeying to Sid’s house on a journey of mutual self-discovery, leaving the group of toys without a clear leader. This forces the other toys to face the crisis of Andy moving houses alone.
Buzz and Woody eventually forge a connection, gain a deeper understanding of each other, and are then aligned together in their mission of returning to Andy and fulfilling their shared purpose.
They return to Andy’s toys, and together as a cohesive unit, face the transition of moving into the new house. Buzz becomes the second-in-command of Andy’s toys.
Toy Story 2
During the movie here, the leader (Woody) is compromised in that he is stolen and taken away from the group. Hence, the rest of the group must take action and prove their loyalty to their leader. The second-in-command (Buzz) temporarily assumes the role of leader in Woody’s absence.
Buzz is eventually diverted from the group, and another Buzz takes his place. This event slows the group down, which is symbolic of when a leader of a group becomes distracted from the group’s main goal, rendering the group as a less effective unit.
Buzz eventually returns to the toys, and they find Woody, who then assimilates Jessie and Bullseye into the group as new members. The addition of Jessie and Bullseye makes the group even stronger and more versatile, as they are valuable members.
The toys are thus able to once again fulfill their purpose as Andy’s toys.
Toy Story 3
Many years have passed since the previous movie, and the toys are close to fulfilling their purpose (being Andy’s toys) as Andy is now set to go to college. With no foreseeable purpose in the future without Andy, the toys must now face the reality of being a group with no direction.
The toys seek a new purpose at Sunnyside Day Care, where they can once again be loved by a child as a toy. Their leader (Woody) is unable to sway them, and thus he leaves the group.
Later on, the toys discover that being at Sunnyside for the kids is a false purpose, as being a multiple young children’s whipping toy is not a fulfilling purpose compared to being loved by one single owner.
They later come under attack from Lotso’s toys, a larger, more powerful group. The group’s newly-appointed leader (Buzz) is turned against them, and he joins the rival enemy group. With no leadership, no purpose, and under attack from a more powerful enemy, the group falls into chaos and is on the brink of destruction.
However, Woody discovers a new purpose for the toys during his time away from Andy’s toys and after spending time with Bonnie’s toys. He realizes he must restore Buzz, his co-leader, and save his group.
The ultimate test of the group’s resolve, unity, and teamwork comes during their escape from Sunnyside, where Woody puts his full leadership ability on display through his clever plans built around his knowledge of each individual group member’s strengths and abilities. The team’s cohesion shines through during this critical event in the group’s history.
Buzz is restored, Lotso is defeated, and the toys make a difficult goodbye to Andy, who has been their shared purpose for so long. They leave Andy to fulfill a new purpose with Bonnie.
Toy Story 4
Woody has fulfilled his purpose with the group, which is to guide them as Andy’s toys. Without Andy, Woody sees that he is not as important as he once was, and that the group is better off with Buzz as the new leader .
Woody continues to try to fulfill his new purpose of making Bonnie happy through him guiding Forky back to Bonnie, but he realizes his limits and that his time with Bonnie is running out.
Woody realizes that the toys will be better able to serve their purpose of being Bonnie’s toys without Woody, and Woody discovers a new purpose as a lost toy with Bo Peep.
Thus, he gracefully leaves the group forever, knowing that they will continue to fulfill their purpose, knowing that he has done his absolute best as a leader, and knowing that they are in good hands.
Group Dynamics in Today’s World
The group dynamics of Andy’s toys have been mirrored in almost every group in society, since the dawn of civilization. We can see the archetypes that each toy represent mirrored in some of our own social groups that we ourselves are a part of. Each groups have people that serves different purposes and bring different qualities to the table, and some a diversity in groups makes the group stronger and better.
Every well functioning group has a clearly defined leader, purpose, members that know and accept their roles, and an internal or external enemy to combat and unite against. A group must also uphold the same values and must be on the same page in order to be at its most effective.
A lot can be learned about groupthink and tribal behavior by watching Woody, Buzz, and the other toys in Toy Story: a case study in group dynamics.
