Todorov, Propp and Levi-Strauss theory

Todorov's narrative theory
Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he believed to be able to be applied to any film. He believed that all films followed the same narrative pattern. They all went through stages called the equilibrium, disequilibrium, recognition, reparation and new equilibrium (Five conventional stages)

Five stages:
- Equilibrium (All it should be)
- Disequilibrium (A disruption of that order by an event)
- Recognition (A disorder has occurred)
- Reparation (Repairing the damage of the disruption)
- New Equilibrium (Return or restoration of a new equilibrium)


Applying Todorov's theory to Toy Story


Equilibrium - Woody and all the toys are generally getting  along well with each other. Woody is loving being the most favoured toy.
Disequilibrium - At Andy's Birthday party, a new toy (character) is introduced by the name of Buzz light-year is introduced and is the  new favourite character.
Recognition - Woody recognises the fact that Buzz is the new favourite and gets very jealous and  unhappy he is no longer being played with.
Reparation - Woody tries to remove Buzz from the  equation. In trying he and Buzz Both get lost and have to try to find their way back to the house before Andy moves.
New Equilibrium - Woody and Buzz become friends from their teamwork and so they live happily in their  new house and Woody is no longer neglected by Andy to play with the toys together.


Propps Theory
After studying 100 fairytale, Vladimir Propp developed a character theory for studying media texts and productions. Prop discovered that all characters fall into 7 broad character types, all of which can be found in a variety of different media.
The villain: Locked in a constant struggle with the hero, often trying to harm princess.
The donor: Gives the hero an object or a piece of information that helps them prepare for what is to come.
The helper: Assists the hero with their quest, often referred to as their 'sidekick'.
The princess: Needs assistance from the hero, usually because they are in some form of danger, typically the princess is the victim within the narrative.
The dispatcher: Is the character who sends that hero on their mission or quest. 
Hero: Reacts to the donor and saves the princess, often resulting in them falling in love with the princess.
False hero: May appear good but has an ulterior motive, or attempts to take credit for the hero's actions.




Applying to Toy Story


Hero - Woody
Villain - Buzz Lighting & Sid's Toys
Donor - Sid's toys
Helper - Andy's other toys
Levi - Strauss Theory
Cluade Levis Strauss theory of binary opposition. Binary oppositions are sets of opposite values which reveal the structure of media texts, for example would be GOOD and EVIL. This theory also ties in with something called dominant ideology. Dominant ideology is the set of common values and beliefs shared by most people in a given society, framing how the majority think about a range of topics.


Male > Female
White > Black
Happy > Unhappy
Family > Single
Rich > Poor
Clever > Stupid
Ability > Disability