Just watched Toy Story again really, and I think we picked up on this a little in the Fan Commentary, but the way the other toys treated Woody when he ‘got rid of’ Buzz does seem quite harsh considering how immediately they turned against him, and especially considering he was meant to be the popular one and the leader of the gang in a way.
Does this imply that the other toys (aside from Slinky, who really seems disappointed in his friend, and the same goes for Bo Peep) never really liked Woody at all? It’s quite saddening to think that Woody probably never realised just how against him the other toys were until he lost it with Buzz.
Or perhaps the timing of the film just makes it seem really immediate, whilst really it was happening over a longer period of time? We see Andy’s room slowly change into a Space Ranger Kingdom of sorts, so that can’t have happened right away. Perhaps Woody was slowly getting more and more frustrated with Buzz, and as he grew more angry, the other toys liked him less and less until RC tells them what Woody did, and that becomes the perfect excuse to get rid of him. Maybe, ironically, they were jealous of Woody in the same way Woody was jealous of Buzz?
I think it does have to do with timing, Lizardgirl. The screenwriters probably never thought of it. It probably took about a year to write Toy Story, and you’ve been watching it for about 13 years.
I think that’s one of the beauties of toy story in all honesty. How human everything seems to be, and the toys turning on woody is no different.
It’s quite possible that they had resented him long before Buzz ever came along. Woody throughout the beginning does seem to flaunt his leadership about quite freely. And perhaps some of the other toys found Woody being the favourite to be quite discomforting themselves. Also, one of the main turn offs (not in that way) for the other toys could have been how Woody reacts over the whole situation in the first place. He constantly acts as though he is Andy’s favourite and deserves to be where as Buzz just seems oblivious to the whole thing because he feels he’s still part of Star Command
So to Buzz, the idea of being anyone’s favourite seems like a bizarre concept to him where as Woody thinks of himself than nothing more than a toy. Perhaps that’s why the other toys find Woody’s actions to be so strong and unnecessary.
But as I originally said, sometimes people just dislike whoever appears to be the most popular, and there’s an in built resentment in there somewhere. Which could be why toy story is so easy to relate to, based on how developed and human the toys feel as characters. It’s no wonder Pixar gets so much recognition and high regard when so many of their movies provoke examinations like these. It’s a good topic! why aren’t more people weighing in on it?
On the other hand, time could very well have something to do with it
It seems possible to me the other toys may have been jealous of Woody, but if they harbored any hostile feelings toward him I cant say they would. Potato Head seems the most vocal about what he’s thinking whether it comes out fully, or as sarcasm or a joke. I would say he’d be the most likely, in my mind, to be jealous of Woody.
I think that Mr. Potato Head always hated Woody. When Woody gave his speech in the film’s beginning, Mr. Potato Head called his a “butt kisser” (he pulled off his lips and put the to his ahem “rear-end”)
Lizardgirl that thought brought some strange thoughts in my mind… So I referred to my Bible and particular the Chapter According to St John of Toy Story
(To Infinity and Beyond: The Pixar Story)
In looking through what Iwerks says on the movie, I’ve got a feeling that something that was changed from original story boards was missed in the re-shuffling of Characterization.
I’ve read that originally Woody was supposed to be like a School Bully, the popular one who uses and abuses the other toys (There’s a concept picture of Slinky licking Woody’s boots clean).
As a result of this concept could the animosity as highlighted by yourself and Dan*E’s observation early on in the movie be justified, and the actions of Woody could be seen as an attack on the toy’s hero.
And as a result of the characterization re-shuffle from “Bully” to “High School Quarterback” still could that have been overlooked in the movie as a whole…
Some interesting thoughts. TAMATER, that’s a good point, but I was more referring to the time within the film- we’re watching all the important scenes, but I guess a lot of stuff that is deemed unnecessary is missed out from the film so what we see happen in the time frame of a few minutes might’ve actually been a few days or weeks or whatever.
I agree, Mark-E. In being popular you sort of put yourself up to being secretly disliked, which is a strange situation but very plausible in this case. And yeah, Buzz’s naivity of the toy world might make him even more appealing to the other toys. He’s popular without really knowing it, and those people are always the more likeable ones. You’re so right, it’s one of the great things about Toy Story that we, as humans, can really relate to the toys.
Yeah, Mr. Potato Head obviously doesn’t like Woody…I feel as though there was something that happened in the past between the two of them that might’ve caused these feelings in the first place. Or maybe Mr. Potato Head is just saying what everyone else is thinking? It’s difficult to know.
Captain Pan- I honestly thought you meant you actually had a Pixar Bible for a while then.
That’s really interesting! I knew Woody was meant to be a meaner, more horrible character, but I didn’t realise he was originally characterized as a bully. Perhaps you’re right, maybe those at Pixar were still in the mindset that the character they were dealing with was more bully-ish than the viewers might first have thought, so his treatment by the other toys seems less radical and more justified to them.
Oh yeah, he actually did… made a slight error there. Slinky was talking about Woody like, “Woody’s always there for us… he’ll get us through whatever,” blah blah blah. Thanks for correcting me, and welcome to Pixar Planet!
Woody wasn’t always nice to the other toys too, like when he calls Mr. Potato Head a Preschool toy. Of course, he was pretty upset at the time. However, I never thought the toys were being too harsh, they just really liked this super cool new guy. With Woody getting so jealous about him, it was natural to turn toward the guy they thought did no wrong.
Yeah, the toys were really hard on Woody (enough to have the Etch-A-Sketch threaten to hang him), but then compare to Toy Story 2 and you can see how much Woody and Buzz’s friendship had changed them as Buzz leads them on a selfless mission to rescue their friend. They even show feelings of regret when Buzz reminds them how they threw Woody off the moving van and Mr. Potato Head says “Oh, you had to bring that up!”.
Slinky was talking about Woody like, “Woody’s always there for us… he’ll get us through whatever,” blah blah blah. Thanks for correcting me, and welcome to Pixar Planet!
in just a few days he went from being the head of the toys, where everyone respected him to the bottom of the stack 