Toy Story and Globalization
A Political and Cultural Study
By Pam Andes and Krunal Thakore
18 March 2016
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You’ve Got a Friend in Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB2
gPZRsz0Q&feature=PlayList&p=4968F
6FAF1F34B24&playnext=1&playnext_f
rom=PL&index=20
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Toy Story
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18 March 2016
Toy Story is a 1995 American
computer-animated family/buddy
film, directed by John Lasseter
and featuring the voices of Tom
Hanks and Tim Allen.
The film was produced by Pixar
Animation Studios and was
distributed by Buena Vista
Distribution.
It was written by Joss Whedon,
Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and
Alec Sokolow, and featured music
by Randy Newman.
It was the first feature film
released to use only computergenerated imagery.
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Outline
1.
Political Plot Summary
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•
2.
Globalization and McDonaldization
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•
•
3.
Cost Effectiveness and Industrialization
Film’s use of music
4.
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Grobalization and Glocalization
Pixar and Disney
The Grobalization of Nothing and Disney
Film technical approaches: computer animation
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5.
6.
Americana vs. Modernization
Independent Value or Dependent Value
Echoes Political point
Script Writing
Conclusion on Globalization and Pixar
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Toy Story’s Plot
• Woody is a wooden
cowboy doll that has
been in the family and
passed down to Andy, the
child owner of all the toys
• Andy loves Woody but
Andy receives a new toy
from his Birthday party,
Buzz Lightyear, the latest
toy from a popular kids
show about spacefighters
• Woody becomes jealous
of Buzz Lightyear
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Toy Story’s political and cultural
messages
• Woody represents Americana - authentic (imagined) America
– He reflects the value of hand made items that are made locally, using
traditional skills.
– He’s probably from the Fifties, but typically difficult to locate in time
– He’s wooden and probably hand-made, having human input, possibly
family-made
• Buzz Lightyear represents Modernity
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–
–
–
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He is from outer space, but more probably from China
He claims he can fly (but he can’t)
He’s very likeable, though appearances are deceptive.
He’s muscular, with an idealised male body shape
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Toy Story’s Plot
• The Other toys believe that Woody pushed
Buzz Lightyear out the window
• Woody and Buzzlightyear fight between
themselves
• Woody and Buzzlightyear must work
together against the evil kid, Sid, who
destroys all of his toys
• Woody and Buzzlightyear become best
friends
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Toy Story Film: Buzzlightyear’s
arrival to Andy’s room as the
New Toy in Town
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
QDREV3O3mH0&feature=related
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Woody vs. Buzzlightyear
• Hero from the fifties
• Has cowboy hat
• Hand-Made from
Wood
• Is liked by everyone
and seen as a leader
• Skinny
• Andy’s favorite toy
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• Hero from the future
• Can fly and has
futuristic weapons
• Plastic made by
machine
• Everyone is awed by
him
• Muscular
• Starting to be Andy’s
favorite toy
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So what’s it about?
• After viewing the movie, one wonders did
the movie make me appreciate all things?
• What is this movie really about?
– Products and consumerism?
– Globalization and Industrialization?
– Tradition and modernity?
– The old and the new have equal value?
• Did Pixar influence people or did People
influence Pixar?
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Globalization and
McDonaldization
• George Ritzer (2004), defines McDonaldization
as the process by which the principles of the fast
food restaurant are coming to dominate more
and more sectors of American society as well as
the rest of the world (p.1).
• The principles of this system, Ritzer (2004), are
Efficiency, Calculability, Predictability, and
Control through Nonhuman Technology (p.6 –
15).
• In essence, it’s fast and reliable. McDonalds is a
global icon that is used but can also be replaced
with Starbucks or for our purposes
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Globalization and
McDonaldization
• Ritzer (2004), stated that McDonaldization
is “one of many Globalization processes”
where he defines Globalization as a
“diffusion of practices, expansion of
relations across continents, organization of
social life on a global scale, and growth of
a shared global consciousness” (p.160).
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Glocalization and
Grobalization
• . Ritzer (2004) utilized the globalization theorist,
Roland Robertson’s term, Glocalization, the
interpenetration of the global and the local,
resulting in unique outcomes in different
geographic areas, and Ritzer offers his own
coined term, Grobalization, the imperialistic
ambitions of nations, corporations,
organizations, and the like and their desire,
indeed need, to impose themselves on various
geographic areas (p. 163 - 165.)
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Glocalization and Grobalization
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1.
2.
3.
4.
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Ritzer, further, separates them into 4 distinct
types of these Globalizations:
Glocalization of Something such as Local
Crafts or Craftsperson
Glocalization of Nothing such as Tourist
Trinkets or Souvenir Shop Clerk
Grobalization of Something such as Museum or
Touring Art Exhibit
Grobalization of Nothing such as McDonald’s
restaurant and Big Mac
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Glocalization and Grobalization
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
18 March 2016
Ritzer, further, separates them into 4 distinct
types of these Globalizations:
Glocalization of Something such as Local
Crafts or Craftsperson
Glocalization of Nothing such as Tourist
Trinkets or Souvenir Shop Clerk
Grobalization of Something such as Museum or
Touring Art Exhibit
Grobalization of Nothing such as McDonald’s
restaurant and Big Mac
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Toy Story’s Globalization
• In addition to DVD releases, Toy Story-inspired
material has run the gamut from toys, video
games, spin-offs, and merchandise. The film
was so successful it prompted a sequel, Toy
Story 2, which became an even bigger hit than
the original. Toy Story is set for re-release in a
double feature with Toy Story 2 in Disney Digital
3-D on October 2, 2009, and Toy Story 3,
scheduled for release on June 18, 2010, is in
development.
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Toy Story
Grobalization of Nothing?
• The reality is this, my
house is filled with many
Buzz Lightyears and only
2 Woodys.
• But the point is not that
my 5 year old has more
Buzz Lightyears than
Woody’s.
• The point is that I have
many products from this
movie such as shirts,
shoes, toys, and even
eggs!
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Conclusion
• People are realizing their own grobalizations and
grocalizations of nothing
• This thought trend has influenced Pixar into capturing
the value of Americana and things that are made at
home or locally in their film, especially Toy Story 2.
– When she loved me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APD7JC7KVxo&feature=relat
ed
• But the reality is that it is only a political thought because
Pixar is just as guilty as I am for creating grobalizations
and grocalizations of nothing.
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Additional Clips
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px0j1E
HF8Y0&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB2gPZ
Rsz0Q&feature=PlayList&p=4968F6FAF1
F34B24&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&i
ndex=20
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