The Theory:
Territorialism is a literary perspective that uses human territoriality to explore the artistically imagined relationship between ownership (tangible and intangible “properties”) and constructions of the self.
(courtesy of: Sloan, PowerPoint Presentation)
The Story:
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| courtesy of: http://www.impassionedcinema.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/toy-story1.jpg |
Woody is a pull-string cowboy doll and leader of a group of toys that belong to a boy named Andy Davis, which act lifeless when humans are present. With his family moving homes one week before his birthday, Andy is given a week early party to spend with his friends. The toys stage areconnaissance mission to discover Andy's new presents. Andy receives a space ranger Buzz Lightyear action figure, whose impressive features see him replacing Woody as Andy's favorite toy. Woody is resentful, especially as Buzz also gets attention from the other toys. However Buzz believes himself to be a real space ranger on a mission to return to his home planet, as Woody fails to convince him he is a toy.
Andy prepares for a family outing at the space themed Pizza Planet restaurant with Buzz. Woody attempts to be picked by misplacing Buzz. He intends to trap Buzz in a gap behind Andy's desk, but the plan goes disastrously wrong when he accidentally knocks Buzz out the window, resulting in him being accused of murdering Buzz out of jealousy. With Buzz missing, Andy takes Woody to Pizza Planet, but Buzz climbs into the car and confronts Woody when they stop at a gas station. The two fight and fall out of the car, which drives off and leaves them behind. Woody spots a truck bound for Pizza Planet and plans to rendezvous with Andy there, convincing Buzz to come with him by telling him it will take him to his home planet. Once at Pizza Planet, Buzz makes his way into a claw game machine shaped like a spaceship, thinking it to be the ship Woody promised him. Inside, he finds squeaky aliens who revere the claw arm as their master. When Woody clambers into the machine to rescue Buzz, the aliens force the two towards the claw and they are captured by Andy’s neighbor Sid Phillips, who finds amusement in torturing and destroying toys.
At Sid's house, the two attempt to escape before Andy's moving day, encountering Sid’s nightmarish toy creations and his vicious dog, Scud. Buzz sees a commercial for Buzz Lightyear action figures and realizes that he really is a toy. Attempting to fly to test this, Buzz falls and loses one of his arms, going into depression and unable to cooperate with Woody. Woody waves Buzz’s arm from a window to seek help from the toys in Andy’s room, but they are horrified thinking Woody attacked him, while Woody realizes Sid's toys are friendly when they reconnect Buzz's arm. Sid prepares to destroy Buzz by strapping him to a rocket, but is delayed that evening by a thunderstorm. Woody convinces Buzz that life is worth living because of the joy he can bring to Andy, which helps Buzz regain his spirit. Cooperating with Sid's toys, Woody rescues Buzz and scares Sid away by coming to life in front of him, warning him to never torture toys again. Woody and Buzz then wave goodbye to the mutant toys and return home through a fence, but miss Andy’s car as it drives away to his new house.
Down the road, they climb onto the moving truck containing Andy’s other toys, but Scud chases them and Buzz tackles the dog to save Woody. Woody attempts to rescue Buzz with Andy's RC car but the other toys, who think Woody now got rid of RC, toss Woody off onto the road. Spotting Woody driving RC back with Buzz alive, the other toys realize their mistake and try to help. When RC's batteries become depleted, Woody ignites the rocket on Buzz's back and manages to throw RC into the moving truck before they soar into the air. Buzz opens his wings to cut himself free before the rocket explodes, gliding with Woody to land safely into a box in Andy’s car. Andy looks into it and is elated to have found his two missing toys.
On Christmas Day at their new house, Buzz and Woody stage another reconnaissance mission to prepare for the new toy arrivals, one of which is a Mrs. Potato Head, much to the delight of Mr. Potato Head. As Woody jokingly asks what might be worse than Buzz, the two share a worried smile as they discover Andy's new gift is a puppy.
(courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Story)
The Criticism:
“Toy Story” is about a toy that, after many years of being branded his owner’s favorite, finds himself being threatened by the introduction of another toy who seems to be the new favorite. The main character, Woody, exhibits a gaping flaw in the human nature. When we are, in any manner, inclined to something we love, we refuse to let go, and we treat every introduction as a threat that would take our possession away from us. Woody, upon finding out that the new Buzz Lightyear toy given to Andy as a gift might overthrow him from his status, attempts to dispose of Buzz just to secure his position as the top toy in the bedroom. This goes on for the duration of the film and shows how much Woody despises the thought that there is a new toy in the house and the fact that its continued presence will soon result to him losing his status in the heart of his owner. However, Woody soon learns that no matter what, he holds a special place in Andy’s heart, and decides to help Buzz go back to Andy’s bedroom and escape the hands of Sid, a vicious boy who tortures toys for fun. The sudden change of heart effectively depicts Woody as a functioning individual capable of setting aside territorial issues in favor of the primal instinct to survive.
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