The Hero's Journey in a Disney Movie "Toy Story"

In the Disney movie Toy Story, Woodie, Andy’s cowboy toy, is an example of an universal hero who follows the twelves steps of The Hero’s Journey. The journey all begins with the introduction of the ordinary world, the toys’ life in Andy’s room. Everything is peaceful and all of the toys get along with each other. Then Woodie receives “a call to adventure” with the addition of Buzz to Andy’s toys. At first, Woodie “refuses the call” by rejecting the idea that Buzz would replace him and become Andy’s favourite toy. However, it can be seen through the transition of Andy’s room becoming more “spacey,” replacing the cowboy theme with an astrospace ranger theme, that Buzz is becoming Andy’s favourite. This transition signifies the “cross the first threshold.” With Woodie’s attempt to get rid of Buzz, they both go on a journey after being knocked outside from the car. Woodie encounters tests, allies, and enemies (mainly Sid and his dog), with Buzz as they try to get back to Andy. However, with Buzz still believing that he was a space ranger and not a toy, the journey becomes riddled with difficultes for Woodie. At the pizza place, Woodie and Buzz approach the second threshold when they get grabbed by the crane from an arcade game. The winner was Sid, a horrifying child with a passion to torture toys. At Sid’s house, Woodie and Buzz face their supreme ordeal, escaping Sid and his dog.

Through their time together trying to escape their doom from Sid’s experiments and toy torture, they take possession of their reward, their new friendship. With this, they are able to work together with Sid’s toys and return back to Andy safe and sound. The resurrection and the return with the elixir is signified through Andy’s reacceptance of Woodie and the new friendship with Buzz.