Abstract
Toy Story is one of the most successful film series in the Disney–Pixar enterprise with the friendship between the protagonists Buzz and Woody being central to the franchise’s critical acclaim. However, despite the social phenomenon of friendship and its significance in children’s lives, a dearth of research exists on the types of friendship ideologies these films promote. This study used qualitative textual analysis to investigate the dyadic friendship narrative between Buzz and Woody across the four Toy Story films. Using an inductive and deductive analysis on the behaviours and interactions between Buzz and Woody, three main themes emerged regarding Toy Story’s ideology of friendship. The first theme yields insight into Buzz and Woody’s friendship formation, which were found to be influenced by internal (e.g., self-esteem), external (e.g., peers) and interpersonal features (e.g., self-disclosure). The second theme suggests that friendship is maintained through affective reciprocity, whereas the final theme upholds the notion that (hetero) romantic partnerships supplant close friendships. Practical implications consider the importance for parents and practitioners to engage in critical analysis of popular portrayals of friendship, whereby Toy Story may be used as a pedagogical tool to discuss friendship, including its formation, maintenance and stability over time, with children.
Published Version
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