Where would the internet, or indeed movies, be without fan theories? Sometimes, fan theories can set off unlikely creative sparks. For instance, Captain America fan turned writer Ed Brubaker noted that the presumed death of Bucky Barnes was never firmly established. In 2004, Brubaker resurrected Bucky as the Winter Soldier.
Sometimes, creators themselves play along with fan theories, such as Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s Three Flavours Cornetto movies. A fan had noticed the prominence of Cornetto ice-creams in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, so the pair decided to pun on the Euro-arthouse Three Colours movies and make The World’s End the finale of a retroactive trilogy. When Paul Verhoeven claimed that Robocop was “the American Jesus”, it seems most likely that he was just bullshitting on the hop.
Most often, though, fan theories are little more than the products of the febrile imaginations of nerds with too much time on their hands. For instance, this web article with claims about the characters of the Toy Story movies.
Now, Pixar are well known for hiding jokes and layers of meaning in their movies (for instance, each movie contains an incidental detail foreshadowing the next movie in production), but this theory definitely seems like a reach. Mostly. One or two are plausible. I’ll deal with them in descending order of plausibility.
The Toys’ Existence is a Form of Animism
Animism is the belief that all things possess a soul. It’s the the attribution of conscious life to nature and inanimate objects[…]
The toys have a soul simply because they exist. They instinctively know how to behave around humans and animals. On some levels, these apparently ancient rules must predate them and possibly even toys in general.
Well, duh. That is in fact the whole point of the toys and the fundamental guiding concept of the movies.
The Squeeze Toy Aliens Practice Totemism
Again, well, duh. In fact, the whole point of the Squeeze Toy Aliens is as a joke about religious cults: in this case, the totemic worship of a mysterious object from above.
The Aliens have turned the Claw into a totem with which they have a mystical relationship. The Aliens the Claw takes are believed to have been chosen for a better fate.
Stinky Pete Is A Cult Leader.
Like the others, this is pretty straightforward. Stinky Pete is indeed the kind of superficially charming but deeply manipulative person who ends up running religious cults.
He appears to be kind and affable until Woody attempts to escape — then his true colors shine through. He exhibits many traits that cult leaders use in order to keep their followers in line. A local Sheriff once referred to David Koresh as a “nice guy.” Jonestown followers were captivated by Jim Jones‘ public speaking abilities[…]
Many of Stinky Pete’s darker qualities are shown in his relationship with Jessie. He recruited her to his cause while she was emotionally fragile.
So far, so good. From here, though, the theories become a little wilder – but also more intriguing.
Woody and Christianity
Woody’s very name is evocative of the wooden Christian cross. Furthermore, Sheriff Woody is a symbol of the American West in the nineteenth century. The time frame that Woody represents is the time of tent revivals, a period where many evangelical Christians were crusading to revive the country’s spirituality.
It seems more obvious that Woody is a reflection of the traditional American self-image, which is, as it happens, a deeply Christian one. As such, it is true that Woody exemplifies many traditional Christian virtues: honest, cheerful, helpful to his friends – and steadfast in his faith.
Throughout the movies, Woody is also a study in a belief system that receives many challenges[…] Throughout the movies, Woody learns to trust that there is a higher power and plan for him even beyond his time with Andy.
Indeed, in that respect, Woody might well be considered as an avatar of Job.
Intriguingly, others have noticed Woody’s uncanny likeness to pastor Andy Stanley.
The Humans Are An Example of Dystheism
If Woody indeed is a representative of Christian virtue, even the prophet Job, then it might make sense that the humans he worships are the apparently indifferent God who tests him.
Dystheism is the belief that there is a God, but that God may not necessarily be good or evil. The dystheistic God can range from good to indifferent to completely vile. In the Toy Story universe, the fate of the toys is completely determined by their human owners. Al McWhiggin sees the toys as a means for profit. Emily threw away toys she no longer wanted. Daisy’s parents saw toys like Lotso as being replaceable.
Each of these owners, like Andy, wield absolute power over the fate of the toys.
Then there’s this intriguing tidbit:
The unofficial hymn of dystheistic ideals is “He Gives All His Love,” a song from 1971 which portrays a disinterested God looking down at human suffering. The song was written by Randy Newman, who would later work on the Toy Story soundtracks.
Top Tenz
From here, though, the theory gets more and more stretched. For instance, while Jessie struggles with her faith in the humans far more than Woody, the good Christian does, it seems a stretch to dub her a “backslidin’ Christian”. Similarly, Mr Potato Head a Mormon? Sid as Set, the Egyptian god of violence and chaos? Buzz Lightyear, Scientologist?
As for Lots-O-Huggin’ Bear and the Church of Satan – spare me.
It’s true that Anton Lavey’s The Satanic Bible is less about worshipping the Biblical incarnation of evil than it is about rebellion and freethinking (influenced, as it happens, by New Zealand nutter Arthur “Ragnar Redbeard” Desmond), but that doesn’t gel at all with the character of Lotso.
If humans are God and Woody the good Christian, Lotso is simply the furious atheist, raging against the deities he has lost faith in and mocking those who continue to believe. Lotso’s enraged scream, “Where’s your kid now, Sheriff?” could have been typed by any Reddit atheist.
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