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In Pixar’s original 1995 Toy Story, Buzz Lightyear completes his character arc from arrogant, wannabe space ranger to humble yet confident toy who straps himself to a rocket and saves the day with his new friend Woody. Fast-forward 30 years, and the story couldn’t be more different.
“Toy Story 5” ends with a marriage scene where Buzz, wearing a kilt, is escorted down the aisle while his bride waits for him at the altar before tipping him over for a kiss after they are pronounced husband and wife. Were the writers intentionally trying to feminize Buzz? Or was all this done for comedic effect? I went viral on TikTok and Instagram for asking that very question.
As I type this, my video titled “Toy Story 5 And The Feminization Of Male Characters” has over 2.5 million views between TikTok and Instagram. As the views and comments continue to rack up, it’s clear that I struck a nerve on both sides of the aisle.
Many on the Right are thanking me and saying they now refuse to see the movie. Meanwhile, the Left is saying I’m “overreacting” and that I need to get a life. However, the truth is that I genuinely enjoyed “Toy Story 5” and am by no means calling for a boycott. And no, liberals, I was not “triggered” or “offended” by this movie.
There were simply a few over-the-top optical choices the writers made when it came to feminizing Buzz’s character that appeared to go beyond writing for “comedic effect.” It was too on the nose. Too deliberate. They’re the kind of things you include in a script when you’re really trying to hammer a message home. As I left the theater, I didn’t get the sense that these scenes just “accidentally” made it into the final cut.
I also tried watching this movie from the lens of a parent. Since I don’t have kids myself, I had to imagine how I would feel if I had kids and they saw their favorite strong male characters slowly fade into irrelevance, weakness, and, quite frankly, femininity.
For context — spoiler alert — Buzz’s main “bit” throughout the film is that he is trying to muster up the courage to ask Jessie (the tomboy cowgirl introduced in “Toy Story 2”) to marry him. I obviously had no problem with him being “nervous.” I’d be lying if I claimed I never got nervous in situations like this. Heck, last year in Barcelona I had to circle the block twice before marching back into a clothing store to ask the cute sales associate for her number. We’ve all been there.
So in the first two acts, Buzz is practicing his proposal. He rehearses his speech, his cadence, and his kneel. Fun and humorous. Still no problems.
Then, in the third act, as the toys are on their way to save the day, Buzz stutters while attempting to pop the question. Before he’s able to ask Jessie, she kisses him. During their kiss, Buzz kicks his leg back as a woman would traditionally do in movies.
Was this done for comedic effect? Maybe.
In fact, I’d be very inclined to say “yes” if it weren’t for what came next. Because, as I said at the beginning of this piece, the movie ends with the two main human characters holding a “wedding” for Buzz and Jessie. And that is where they really dialed things up to an eleven.
The wedding scene takes all of the classic imagery of the groom and applies it to Jessie. As you can guess, all of the “bridal” imagery is applied to Buzz’s character. Mind you, Buzz is a character that children have previously seen depicted as a competent, masculine hero in several movies before it.
As the wedding music plays, Buzz is escorted down the aisle while Jessie waits for him at the altar. Buzz is wearing a kilt, making him look even more feminine. Then, Jessie gives Buzz a diamond ring. And when they are announced husband and wife, Jessie is the one to tip Buzz over to kiss him.
Now I’m not saying that this scene is going to make or break your children. But if there was ever an agenda to weaken and feminize strong male characters for all young boys to see, this is how they would do it. Brick by brick, with scenes like this.
But this scene is just one piece of the very large puzzle. Our kids are being exposed to hundreds of woke messages every single day in mainstream programming. Some of it is subtle, some of it is very deliberate. Either way, the seeds are being planted, and they’re having an effect on the minds of the youth, whether they know it or not.
In response to my commentary on this scene, liberals have tried pointing me to a scene in “Toy Story 1” where they claim the writers even feminized Buzz way back then. But as is so often the case, not only did they not make their own point; they made mine.
The scene they’re referring to is when one of the children dresses Buzz in feminine tea party attire. When Woody comes into the room, a distraught Buzz calls himself “Mrs. Nesbit.” Now, why is Buzz acting like this? Simply put, he’s not being himself. In fact, he’s going a little bit crazy. He has just found out that he is a toy, not a real superhero from outer space.
When Woody slaps Buzz back to reality, he snaps out of it and then admits he’s “depressed.” Then poof, the bit is over. That right there is an example of something being done for comedic effect. Not whatever they did to Buzz in this movie.
I enjoyed “Toy Story 5” as a whole. The movie also had a few classic, heartfelt “Toy Story” moments, one of which was an absolute tear-jerker (if you know, you know). I thought the movie did the best it could to remind kids of how fun it can be to imagine, play, and rely less on their screens. I thought it could have done a better job “villainizing” technology for kids through the end of the movie instead of giving it a redemption arc, but that’s a topic for a different time.
Finally, one scene won’t break your child’s view of traditional gender roles in a wedding. But 30 years ago, Buzz taught a generation of boys what it looked like to be brave, to lead, to charge in when everyone else froze. Ask yourself what the new Buzz is teaching them.
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Clayton Keirns is a conservative political commentator and cofounder of Trending Politics & Quantus Insights. You can find his videos on Facebook and Instagram.
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