Toy Story Theme of Community

Unless you're a hermit, everyone wants to be in a group. The toys in Toy Story aren't much different. In fact, they have their own little society—together they form a community with Sheriff Woody as their clear leader. (Hey, he does have a badge.)

That is, until Buzz Lightyear crash lands on the bed. Andy's toys need to figure out just who exactly they are as a group once Buzz appears. Woody's clearly pretty shaken up, but so is everyone else. In the end, everyone learns not to let mob rule seize the day and they live in harmony again. It's one big Kumbaya in Andy's room.

Questions about Community

  1. Are the other toys overly cruel to Woody after he pushes Buzz out the window? Or are they just protecting each other from his murderous plots?
  2. When do you think Buzz truly belongs to the community of toys?
  3. How are all the societies of toys—those in Andy's room, the claw machine, and Sid's room—similar to and different from each other?

Chew on This

Take a peek at these thesis statements. Agree or disagree?

Woody begins the movie as the leader of the toys and ends it as their leader, too… with just a little bit of room for Buzz Lightyear as co-leader.

Even though Mr. Potato Head leads the charge against Woody, he's not a villain in this story. He just made an honest spud mistake.