BA-2043106-J.Erkelens

A WHITE IMAGE IN BRIGHT COLORS:
THE EMPLOYMENT OF RACE IN PIXAR PRODUCTIONS
by
JADE ERKELENS
S2043106
BA Thesis American Studies
LAX999B10
10 ECTS
Dr. A. L. Gilroy
12 June 2014
Words: 7.730
I declare that this thesis is my own work except where indicated otherwise with proper
use of quotes and references.

Jade Erkelens – A White Image in Bright Colors: The Employment of Race in Pixar Productions – 2014
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Introduction
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King articulated that he had “a dream that [his] four little
children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin
but by the content of their character.” An admirable image of the future: a color-blind nation
where everyone has equal opportunities. To the untrained eye, it might appear that this dream
has become reality over the past decades. It may seem Civil Rights laws have put an end to
racial inequality; and indeed it is easy to suggest minorities do not work hard enough and as
such blame them for failing to seize the opportunities given to them by society. By pretending
that a society free of racism is already established, color-conscious action is no longer a
requisite (Brown 1-2). Yet, it is improbable to assume that centuries of transgressions against
certain ethnic groups can be undone in a mere decade or two (4). Is there really already such a
thing as a color-blind society, or is society literally color-blind regarding the fact that there are
different races; ergo, are we still practicing racism? As Charles Gallagher argues “color
blindness maintains white privilege by negating racial inequality” (576). In other terms, by
ignoring the issue, white society makes itself believe that we are now living in a color-blind
society, yet society is still living with racist prejudice exactly by living by this supposed
color-blindness; thus, racism is still very much alive in today’s world. This belief is
strengthened by the media, as “[s]ocial and cultural indicators suggest that America is on the
verge, or has already become, a truly color-blind nation” (576). “Suggest” is the key word in
this sentence; popular culture gives the illusion that a color-blind society has been established.
Popular culture has the power to produce reality, as well as “domains of objects and rituals of
truth” (Storey 173). However, this supposed color-blind society that is depicted may very well
be even more racist than one might suspect.
The film industry is a very important part of popular culture that transfers ideological
ideas onto young and old alike. It is exactly in this manifestation of culture where it surfaces

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that color-blindness has yet to be achieved; one can even say that racism is still being
practiced in Hollywood. Goodykoontz notes that, “people of color too often find only narrow
aspects of their lives and history represented in mainstream film, if represented at all.” The
question of race in movies becomes thought-provoking when looking into a completely
different category of film making, namely animated movies. These movies are aimed at
younger audiences and as such may have an even bigger impact as to what message they carry
regarding the ideals of society. A boom has occurred in the past two decades in this category
ever since the release of the first fully computer generated animated movie, Toy Story in 1995.
Many more digitally animated movies have followed; quite a few of these were produced by
the same studio that brought people this first one: the Pixar Animation Studio. Movies by
Pixar can be characterized as imaginative entertainment for the whole family. Their stories are
often not about actual people, but rather about inanimate objects brought to life or other living
things such as bugs or rats. A few examples are: Toy Story (1995), which is a story about a
world in which toys come to life while humans are not around; A Bug’s Life (1998), which
tells the tale of the ant Flik and his colony; and Cars (2006), revolving around the idea that
rather than humans inhabiting the world, everyone is a car or other means of transportation.
Coincidentally, by avoiding films about humans, the topic of race is often seemingly avoided
as well. Granted, Pixar has made a few movies that are in fact about people. These include
The Incredibles (2004), about a stereotypical American white family of superheroes; Brave
(2012), about a Scottish princess; and also Up (2009), about an old man trying to escape the
constraints of the status quo. “By depicting mostly animals, monsters, and machines, Pixar
also avoids many of the offensive gender, race, and class representations for which classic
Disney has been justly criticized” (Giroux and Pollock 113). The following questions come to
mind: is Pixar simply avoiding the issue of race, or is Pixar in fact racist in the way they
depict communities in their movies? Do they try to show a whole different view on

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(American) society in general? What ideological messages do Pixar movies construct
regarding race? By applying theories of race to selected Pixar movies, I will unearth the
methods, or the lack thereof, Pixar utilizes to portray race in their computer-animated movies.
First, race theories and racism in film will be discussed and will then be applied in close
readings of Up, Toy Story, and Cars. Considering these three movies specifically will enable
me to look at racial determinants in a wide array of Pixar stories: those excluding humans
(Cars), those including people in a negligible manner (Toy Story), as well as those in which
people play an essential role (Up). This essentially results in a top down view of alleged
racism in Pixar’s creations. By looking at visual as well as audio, I will scrutinize a wide
range of Pixar’s work in order to demonstrate that Pixar appropriates racism by presenting an
image of a white America in the characters and settings of their movies. In the course of this
research the focus will rest upon the depiction of African Americans without excluding other
ethnicities.
Race Theory
In race theory it is vital to remember one thing first and foremost, which is the fact that
“[h]uman biology does not divide people into different ‘races’; it is racism (and sometimes its
counter arguments) that insists on this division” (Storey 167). The notion of race and racism
was first established during the time of slavery and the slave trade. Racism emerged “as a
defensive ideology”, it was meant to justify “economic profits of slavery and the slave trade”
(169). Since then, “elaborate ideological work is done to secure and maintain the different
forms of “racialization” which have characterized capitalist development” (168). A common
racist practice is stereotyping, particularly in Hollywood and on television; explaining it in
more detail would thus be beneficial for this research. Stereotyping is “a fixed, over
generalized belief about a particular class or group of people” (McLeod n.p.). Whether they
are about habits or bodily features, it is safe to assume “that every ethnic group has racial

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stereotypes of other groups” (McLeod n.p.). Additionally, social processes produce
“segregation as well as racial preferences” (Bonilla-Silva et al 117); meaning that our
interaction with each other reinforces stereotyping. Common physical stereotypes – as is
relevant to the study of animated feature films – involve blacks having “curlier hair, broader
noses, and thicker hair than whites” (Plous and Williams 803). Movies have established a
stereotype for the black man as that of “the savage.” This stereotype was derived from the 18th
and 19th
centuries, when “many prominent whites in Europe and the U.S. regarded black
people as mentally inferior, physically and culturally unevolved, and apelike in appearance”
(795). The savage was displayed as a “brutal black buck” in The Birth of a Nation. Director
Griffith created an archetype; “[b]ucks are always big, baadddd [sic] niggers, oversexed and
savage, violent and frenzied” (Bogle 13). Female characters, in turn, are often depicted as a
Mammy. “Mammy is distinguished … by her sex and her fierce independence. She is usually
big, fat, and cantankerous” (9).
To thoroughly look at race in animated film, an analysis of dialects and accents of
non-Caucasians is vital. “Such features as the invariant be (We be cold all the time), copula
deletion (We cold right now), third-person singular -s absence (He think he look cool) and
ain’t in place of didn’t (He ain’t do it) are well known among sociolinguists as hallmarks of
AAVE [African American Vernacular English]” (qtd. in Thomas 450). Thus, in order to feel
like a character in a movie is African American when visuals cannot give this away such
phrases are vital, even though they may seem insulting as it can be regarded as stereotyping.
Additionally certain sounds are often dropped, notably “the absence in AAVE of certain
sonorants, /r l n/, in syllable coda position” (Purnell et al 18).
Another common racist practice is color-blind racism. As discussed, many belief we
have reached a color-blind society, “but racial bias still exists, individuals still act on it, and it
still works to worsen inequality” (Bouie n.p.). Moreover, by pretending so conscientiously we

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live in a color-blind society we are in fact still practicing racism. “[W]hites are not
duplicitous” when it comes to color-blind racism “as they truly believe they have nothing to
do with racial minorities’ standing in society” (Bonilla-Silva et al 112). Color-blind racism is
a way for white people to “justify racial inequality” (114). This can be done through words,
but in the case of (animated) filmmaking it is clearly mostly done by means of visuals, choice
of actor, choice of voice, and so on. For Bonilla-Silva color-blind racism means ignorance,
rather than inclusion. Monica Williams explains it as follows,
White people, who are unlikely to experience disadvantages due to race, can effectively ignore
racism in American life, justify the current social order, and feel more comfortable with their
relatively privileged standing in society. Most minorities, however, who regularly encounter
difficulties due to race, experience colorblind ideologies quite differently. Colorblindness
creates a society that denies their negative racial experiences, rejects their cultural heritage,
and invalidates their unique perspectives.
While colorblindness seems as a solution, it is thus perhaps even more racist than any other
type of racism as it denies one’s existence.
Race in (animated) film
In front as well as behind the camera, “Hollywood has a long way to go in order to present the
full range of [people] of color on the big screen” (Goodykoontz n.p.). Research shows that
“[a]cross 100 top-grossing films of 2012, only 10.8% of speaking characters are Black, 4.2%
are Hispanic, 5% are Asian, and 3.6% are from other (or mixed race) ethnicities. Just over
three-quarters of all speaking characters are White (76.3%). These trends are relatively stable,
as little deviation is observed across the 5-year sample” (Smith et al 1). The results of this
research indicate that non-Whites are marginalized in the cinematic industry. Moreover, while
African Americans have received Academy Awards for their performances, more often than
not it seems that “once again African Americans are being recognized in Hollywood for
playing limited and/or demeaning roles” and “it is the white character who is set up to be the

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actual hero,” from films like Gone with the Wind (1939) to the more recent The Help (2011)
(Goodykoontz). This notion is strengthened by movies such as The Last Samurai (2003),
where Tom Cruise has the leading role; The Last of the Mohicans (1992), featuring Daniel
Day-Lewis; or The Flowers of War (2011), with Christian Bale saving the Japanese women
(Sargent n.p.). Yet it is not just in movies where a skewed image is given regarding race;
analysis of Black sitcoms indicates that they “are not Black in that they exhibit an African
American world view or a Black philosophy of life. Rather, they are Black because the
performers are Black” (Towbin et al 22). A fitting example of this argument would be The
Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990); even though most actors are black in this sitcom, it is clear
that they live a white American lifestyle when considering their home and their habits.
Additional research exposes that Asians are represented in film to a certain extent, However,
where Asian women are idolized for their “overtly sexual exotic beauty,” Asian men are
either shown as a martial arts expert or dismissed as non-masculine (22) and less intelligent
than the average white character (23). These statistics suggest stereotyping is a common
practice in Hollywood.
Overall, “research shows that many stereotypes based on gender, race, age and sexual
orientation are portrayed in the media” (21). In animated movies, this trend seems to
persevere. Towbin’s study reveals that Disney has not been as politically correct in the past as
it could have been, for example “[c]haracters of color were portrayed as villainous or scary in
many movies” (36). More specifically, “[t]he crows in Dumbo and the apes in Jungle [Book]
appear to be based on racist notions of African Americans” (36). The fact that the monkeys
sing about wanting to walk and talk like a man seems to strengthen this notion (36). From this
perspective, Disney and therefore a large chuck of successful animated movies seems to be a
tad racist. Bear in mind, Pixar has been part of the Disney empire since the early 90s and it is
therefore likely that Disney has had a substantial influence on the outcome of their movies;

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this can be seen firsthand in the testimony of Pixar animator Joe Ranft when he recalls that he
thought “the unspoken thing with Disney was, ‘Are these guys good enough to make a
feature?’” (Paik and Iwerks 87). Furthermore, every couple of weeks the Pixar team flew up
to Disney to share their progress on their work (89). More recently Disney did attempt to
break away from the idea of a white princess with Princess and the Frog (2009), featuring an
African American main role. Yet, even in this attempt the conclusion one has to draw is that
Tiana’s role is that of a waitress performing in the American Dream of working hard and
reaching one’s goals, her skin color is therefore of no importance to the storyline. As Turner
describes it, “[a]udiences must simultaneously “see” her blackness and also overlook it in
favor of her character” and her desires (84). Moreover, Tiana is turned into a frog quite early
in the movie and only turns back to her human self at the very end of the movie, further
negating the alleged importance of her blackness. Roger Ebert reviewed the movie and
highlighted the lack of African American appearances in animated movies even more by
saying that “[i]t is notable that this is Disney’s first animated feature since Song of the South
(1946) to feature African American characters.” Evidently, giving a varied picture regarding
race is not a pressing concern of Disney, despite their most recent attempt of Princess and the
Frog. In fact, overall it seems that whiteness is what is celebrated in Disney Classics.
The celebration of whiteness is proven in research done by Vincent Faherty. His work
indicates that in nineteen Disney films only 5,7% of the characters have been “depicted as
African-Americans, Arabic, Hispanic, or American Indian” (3). It has to be acknowledged
however, that these were all Disney classics and therefore the study is only a representation of
that particular aspect of Disney corporation; the research is only indirectly related to Pixar.
Yet, Faherty’s standpoints are strengthened by a further analysis of Aladdin (1992). The
setting of this movie is Arabia, yet Aladdin and Jasmine, even though of Arabic descent,

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“speak in standard American English,” while the bad guys are portrayed “with thick, foreign
accents” (Giroux and Pollock 109). White seems to be the normative in this movie as well.
An example of seemingly hurtful depiction of race in an animated movie that is not
produced by the Disney Corporation, is the leading role of Oscar in Dreamworks’ Shark Tale
(2004). Oscar is presented as being black, perhaps not literally but surely “in his mannerisms,
behavior, and jewelry, which are highly racialized signifiers” (Lugo and Bloodsworth 170).
When Oscar tries to teach a fellow fish a “fin shake” and the other is unable to do so, Oscar’s
remark is, “Don’t sweat it, a lot of white fish can’t do it.” While race is acknowledged in
theory in Shark Tale, in practice it teaches the viewer (i.e. the children) “that our culture is
strictly raced and racialized, since even fish can be Black or White” (170). In this sense,
racism is even encouraged via this medium.
The aforementioned studies and examples illustrate how race has been depicted in
(animated) movies over the years. Racism is practiced “by both the presence of negative
stereotypes and the absence of complex representations of African Americans and other
people of color” (Giroux and Pollock 111). Whiteness is the normative in most animated
movies. Society has changed since the 1960s, yet it seems as if the post-civil rights era is not
reflected accurately in the film industry. As Towbin’s study reveals, “[c]hildren learn about
these societal constructions from many sources, but media are powerful sources of learning.”
Pixar, like Disney, has acquired a “dominant position in children’s media” (20). Moreover,
“[u]nder the tutelage of Disney and other megacorporations, children have become a captive
audience to traditional forms of media,” yet new media like Internet, videogames and, mobile
phones are also promoted (Giroux and Polloxk xv). “[T]he commercial world defined by
Disney and a few other corporations conscripts children’s time, and the amount of time they
spend in this world is as breathtaking as it is disturbing” (xvi); it is therefore vital to explore

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how society is depicted in movies aimed at younger audiences and learn how we can change
society and its prejudices.
Toy Story
Pixar started its road to success with a variety of short films, but in order to stay afloat they
made a deal with Disney in the early 90s. This deal allowed Pixar to make the first ever fully
computer-generated feature film, Toy Story (Booker 78). Toy Story is a tale about the toys of a
boy named Andy which come to life whenever they are left unsupervised. All these toys’
biggest fear is to be replaced by a more advanced toy, and so with every birthday or other
celebration involving presents a team of toy soldiers is sent downstairs to investigate what
new toys the presents bring. On a rather unexpected occasion, Andy’s birthday party that is
taking place sooner than anticipated, an amazing new toy arrives: Buzz Lightyear. Woody, a
cowboy and Andy’s favorite toy since the boy was little, is anxious that this might be the day
that he gets replaced. This fear is not completely ungrounded when Andy’s first action when
entering his bedroom is throwing Buzz on his bed and, in the process, kicking Woody off the
bed. A series of adventures follow for particularly Woody and Buzz in what is mostly
Woody’s battle to not be supplanted by Buzz as Andy’s favorite toy.
When looking at how race is presented in Toy Story, one can immediately see that the
people are hardly visible throughout the movie. The viewer only gets to see the lower part of
the bodies the majority of the time1
. However, it is clear that the house’s owners are a
Caucasian family of a mother with her two kids that live in the suburbs. This in itself reminds
of the later The Incredibles with its all-white American family of mother, father, and two
children. The only difference in Toy Story is the evident lack of a father figure in the
household. The kid next door, evil Sid, is also of a white skin color. The setting in a wealthy
looking neighborhood of substantial homes with large gardens that are inhabited by white
1
The faces of the family are shown more in Toy Story 2 as well as in Toy Story 3; the fact that part 1 had little
face time can be accredited to the, at that time, inability of animation artists to make the faces realistic enough.

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families is a limited view in and of itself, perhaps even suggesting that black people cannot
afford living in those neighborhoods. However, considering that the story is about the life of
the toys, the families are utilized as mere setting as opposed to the toys and essentially they do
not play a major role in the overarching storyline. This could mean that there has not been put
much thought into how they should be displayed, yet it is exactly this ignorance that would
suggest a racist mode of thought as it proves that white is the norm. The toys, however, have
had the utmost attention to detail in their creation, especially considering that the writer and
director of the movie, John Lasseter, is “a notorious toy fiend” (Paik and Iwerks 103).
Therefore, careful consideration as to how the toys are displayed is to be expected. However,
it seems that Toy Story lives and breathes a white America. While Toy Story is a movie about
toys, some of the main toys offer a displaced representation of human beings. There’s Woody
the cowboy, Bo Peep – she plays a minor role in the overarching story line, but considering
she is one of the few toys that are being depicted as human she is worth mentioning –, and of
course Buzz Lightyear (although the latter is not technically a human, as will be explored later
on).
Bo Peep is depicted as a Caucasian human. She is a shepherdess who is in love with
Woody and does not shy away from showing her affection. She is based upon the character of
the old English nursery rhyme Little Bo Peep which suggests a traditional English setting and
connotes whiteness; traditional English equals whiteness. Bo Peep is voiced by Annie Pots,
whom is a white actress. Since the origins of the rhyme that Bo Peep is based on lie in
medieval English times, her whiteness can be seen as predetermined. Thus it can be
concluded Pixar made a right but safe choice in making the Bo Peep in Toy Story a white
character voice acted by a Caucasian woman in order to stay true to the history of the
character they based her on. Therefore this figure cannot be identified as having spawned out
of a racist mode of thought.

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The main character in the film, Woody, is a white skinned cowboy, and while at first
glance it might be logical to have a white cowboy, looking at the history of cowboys it might
as well have been an Indian cowboy or even an African American cowboy, as discussed by
William Savage in The Cowboy Hero (5). Yet, Woody’s depiction reinforces the false
impression that cowboys are solely white. Savage adds to this that indeed popular culture of
the twentieth and twenty-first century has given the impression that cowboys were always
white (4). Pixar perpetuates this belief by also illustrating an image of a white cowboy.
Furthermore, Woody is voiced by actor Tom Hanks; who was “[t]he person Lasseter wanted
most for Woody” (Paik and Iwerks 86), which suggests that Lasseter had the intention to give
Woody a white voice. Tom Hanks2
is a very well-known Caucasian actor – to name but a few
of his works: Philadelphia (1993), Forrest Gump (1994), Da Vinci Code (2006) – who
struggled his way to the top of Hollywood. It can be said that he is what Americans like to
call a ‘self-made-man’; coincidently turning him into a perfect role model. To that end, Hanks
appears to be the right choice to lend his voice to a toy with a leader role; a toy like Woody.
However, unfortunately for Pixar, this adds to the notion of Pixar employing racist approaches
in their character design by neglecting to consider actors from other races.
The most important character in Toy Story, the one who sets the story’s events in
motion, is Buzz Lightyear. With a strong jaw and otherwise Caucasian features, a determined
mindset as to who and what he is, Buzz is portrayed as an all American hero who is exploring
the final frontier. The real obstacle, however, is the fact that Buzz is not American at all. He is
a space ranger from planet Morph who “crash landed on this planet [Earth], and the
inhabitants don’t have a clue” (Paik and Iwerks 87) about the evil emperor Zurg and his plan
to take over planets. Is Pixar suggesting that out there the only race is the white race in their
decision of displaying Buzz Lightyear as a regular white American? The space ranger is
2
Any additional information from any actor mentioned in this work has been retrieved from www.IMDb.com.

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voiced by Tim Allen, described by Lasseter as “an everyday guy” (87). Pixar thus depicts an
alien as a successful white American, because even though he is from a different planet he
does not have to adjust to a language barrier of any sorts. Instead Buzz speaks in clear
American English tongue. Evidently, the normative seems to be the trend in Toy Story.
Unfortunately, the normative as shown by Pixar is still white, despite the affirmative action
approaches over the past few decades.
In character, Woody and Buzz differ a lot, but in their goals – as cowboy and space
ranger – “they are both [portrayed as] classic American heroes exploring wild frontiers” (Paik
and Iwerks 86). As John Lasseter explains the differences and similarities between Buzz and
Woody, it seems that the choice of creating American heroes was deliberate. Pixar wanted the
traditional hero: white and determined in their actions. Affirming the idea that one can always
reach their goals, but only if one is white; even when one is technically an alien. The last
thought is disturbing when considering that foreigners are also referred to as alien in America
and in American laws. To put it bluntly, by representing a white alien as being successful in
his missions Pixar closes the door for immigrants into the United States. Ergo, Buzz Lightyear
can be perceived as a milestone in racism.
The other toys in Andy’s room are also all portrayed as white (to the extent this is
possible, as it is farfetched to apply skin color to a dinosaur or a penguin). However, also in
its voice cast of the toys, or any other character, Toy Story features no African-American,
Asian, or Latino accents; there are only Caucasian actors providing voices. While this may or
may not be on purpose – as it might lead to stereotyping if a certain toy was given say a
Latino voice – the matter of fact is that the cast and setting do not offer an accurate portrayal
of America’s multicultural society. Knowing that Toy Story has been watched by millions and
millions of children and their parents, the impact of its message is colossal.

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Up
Up is inherently different from Toy Story, as the story revolves around the life of humans. The
protagonist is Carl Fredricksen who, after a life that started out so promising with his
childhood sweetheart Ellie, has become a bitter, old man due to his failure to give Ellie a child
or fulfill their childhood dream of living at Paradise Falls. When construction around his
home has come to the point where he is forced to move to a retirement home he instead
devises a plan for his house to float all the way to Paradise Falls by means of over ten
thousand balloons. In his adventure he is joined by wilderness explorer Russell, who got stuck
under the porch while Carl took off with the house. The two reach Venezuela, where Paradise
Falls is located, and encounter dogs, a rare bird, and an explorer named Charles Muntz who
used to be Carl’s childhood hero and coincidentally inspired Carl and Ellie to go to Paradise
Falls. Charles Muntz still lives there with his dogs in an attempt to find a living specimen of
an undiscovered bird he was ridiculed for for allegedly faking the discovery thereof. Carl and
Russell inadvertently befriend the bird and set out to save it from Muntz. The main characters
for the story line are Caucasian men. There are, however, a few African American faces and
an alleged Asian. The African American characters include a construction worker, a nurse
from the retirement home, and a little girl we get a glimpse of when the house first starts
floating. All will be discussed later on.
Protagonists Carl and Ellie as well as their respective families, of whom a glimpse can
be caught in the wedding scene, are white. Again this sustains the notion of a white America
over a multicultural America. As mentioned earlier, the role of the bad guy is attributed to
Charles Muntz. While he is only properly introduced very late into the movie, he is of vital
importance to the overarching storyline. Muntz is also depicted as Caucasian. This sets the
tone for the issue of race in this movie. Already the most important characters are once more
Caucasian. The third main character is Russell, who is a young wilderness explorer and a

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chubby, stout kid with small eyes who is meant to be portrayed as an Asian American boy. He
is voiced by Jordan Nagai, who, despite being an Asian American, “has no noticeable Asian-
inflected speech patterns” (Tyler 275). Visually, Russell’s features were based on a
storyboard artist’s who works at Pixar Animation Studios, namely Peter Sohn (Hauser 56;
Tyler 275). However, Russell’s Asian features are generally lost to first time viewers of Up,
let alone to viewers of a young age. His eyes are slightly slanted, but that is all that can be
seen and identified as Asian at first glance. As Tyler suggests, “it is encouraging to see that
Pixar did not rely on racially charged stereotypical features in their representation of an Asian
American character,” yet it is troubling to have to come to an alternative postulation which is
the “assumption of whiteness” (275). Russell’s skin tone is the same as Carl’s, and he is not
stereotypical Asian and thus small and slender, but instead based on Peter Sohn’s heavy-set
body (275), the result is all the more distressing. “People’s perspectives on race reflect their
experience on one side of the color line or the other” (Brown et al 35). This works the same
when watching movies, whites have a tendency to attribute whiteness to characters, ideas, and
lifestyle; particularly, if there are few indicators of alternative racial determents such as skin
tone and facial features. While Pixar’s objective may have been to include a wider range of
ethnicities by including Russell as an Asian American, by negating his appearance and in fact
whitening it to the point where he has blushed cheeks, Pixar’s intentions are lost to the public.
Another approach to race in Up is the depiction of African Americans. There are only
a few African American characters in Up, as mentioned above. The construction worker has
no role, and is simply an extra; he is only seen in one shot with the foreman, but he has no
dialogue. The second appearance of a black person is the nurse from the Shady Oaks
Retirement Home. In the director’s commentary of Up there are remarks on the appearance of
the two nurses that come over in the morning to pick up Carl:

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He came up with these two characters, they were right there in his boards. And we noticed
when we looked closely, George was one of the nurses and the other guy’s nametag said
Nancy. We just sort of felt that defines who that character is, he didn’t even bother to check if
it was his tag, he just grabs one tag of the thing. And we came up with this whole backstory of
how they behave and the one guy is very fastidious and clean, that’s why he is wearing nice
white sneakers. The other guy is wearing cowboy boots and a mullet.
The commentators continue to discuss the two characters in further detail, however, race is
not mentioned at any point during the discussion. As a result, the implementation of a black
man seems deliberate in the sense that there had to be a sign of race here or there. However,
little thought had been put into where and when race should be depicted, much less about how
race should be depicted. While Russell is shown as a rather chubby Asian American, the black
nurse (George) is instead shown as extremely slender; again avoiding stereotypes of black
people in movies as described by Bogle. While avoiding stereotyping as a form of racism can
be admired, the result can be seen as counterproductive because people cannot identify
themselves with the characters shown. Overthinking the issue in this manner can almost be
seen as racist in itself. George is voiced by Donald Fullilove, whom is possibly best known
for his role as Goldie Wilson in Back to the Future (1985). His voice as it is in Up, however,
has no real characteristics unlike his Goldie Wilson impersonation which lengthens every
syllable it pronounces. Yet, having a black actor voice the black character, albeit just a few
lines of text, is admirable; however the small role it is for results in the effort getting lost in
the rest of the story.
The next appearance of race other than Caucasian is of the little African American girl
playing in her bedroom. She sees the reflections of all the colors of the balloons pass through
her room and looks up in a moment of wonder. Yet, it is an incredible short moment, and
Pixar cannot wait “to switch to a typical white heteronormative family” (Tyler 279) in the
next shot. Again, the colored character is swiftly dismissed; just like the others in the scenes

17
just before hers. They are innately voiceless. They are of no importance. One could wonder if
they are of no importance to the story line or of no importance to actual US society?
While it is not feasible to go into detail for every extra character, the deliberateness of
the African American characters makes their appearance implausible as none of them seem to
have the physical stereotypes as discussed earlier such as broader noses or thicker hair;
although the latter maybe difficult to get across in animation. The creators seem to want to
include other races in such a desperate manner, consequently getting a reversed result. The
African Americans in Up have measly face time and seem to be placed in their positions in
such a cautious manner and avoiding stereotyping so fervently it would have been better to
leave them out altogether. It seems like Pixar has begun to desperately try to add black faces
to their film crowd, regardless of their detailed depiction.
Cars
Cars is a completely different type of story than the two previously discussed movies. It
features just vehicles, suggesting vehicles are the world’s people. Race is hard to establish
under these circumstances which can of course be seen as a color-blind approach in and of
itself, because it seemingly treats all cars as equals. Although the issue of race is avoided in
the literal sense by making the story about cars, trucks and other vehicles, Pixar’s stories leave
a lot to the viewer’s imagination, and thus the imagination of children. Does Cars really come
across as being color-blind, or can black, Asian, Italian, or Latino kids feel excluded when
they watch this Pixar creation and is Cars thus really a form of color-blind racism?
The movie’s main character is a race car by the name of Lightning McQueen. His
dream is “to be the first rookie to win the Piston Cup” (Cars). To reach this goal he focuses
solely on himself and ignores everyone around him; he strongly believes he can achieve his
goals by himself without the help of outside assistance. When Lightning gets lost on his way
to California he ends up in “Radiator Springs, the cutest little town in Carburator County”

18
(Cars). He severely damages the road leading into town and is sentenced to five days of
community service repairing the road. In these five days Lightning learns there are more
important things in life than winning, namely the importance of having others to care about
and having those care about you in return; having true friends. Thus, friendship and the value
of social connections is the main theme of this movie. Lightning also learns that prejudice
against people can bar one from engaging in social connections and from forming friendships,
as he hates rusty cars at the start of the story yet he ultimately befriends the rusty tow car
Mater.
While there are no literal depictions of different races possible, there are surely
references to other ethnicities and cultures. Whether they are positive references is debatable.
The overall initial setting has a very grand, perhaps even American, feel to it. With the large
race track, the thousands of fans and the antenna ball vendors it reminds of the Indy 500
stadium and any other stadium one can find in American sports culture. As mentioned before,
the main character is Lightning McQueen. McQueen is a hot red race car voiced by actor
Owen Wilson, who is known for his roles in various films such as Wedding Crashers (2005)
and Marley & Me (2008). The little town Lightning ends up in after getting lost has quite a
few remarkable characters running around in it. Lightning’s first encounter with one of the
villagers is with the sheriff while he is driving faster than the speed limit. The sheriff is based
upon a 1949 Mercury Police Cruiser and he is voiced by Michael Wallis, whose experience in
Hollywood is limited to the making of the Cars franchise. The character is quite prominent in
the movie, as Sheriff is the person who works as Lightning’s parole officer. He is essentially
portrayed as a white policeman with the normative voice of Wallis. Another car that stands
out is best friend to be, Tow Mater. Mater is a tow truck and gains his extra-ordinary tongue
from Larry the Cable-Guy, a stand-up comedian from Pawnee City, Nebraska. He has a
Southern accent which he brought to the character of Mater. As a result, Mater comes across

19
as a typical white Southern American. This notion is strengthened by McQueen when he calls
Radiator Springs “hillbilly hell” after he is sentenced to community service and fixing the
road. Lastly, there is Sally who later becomes Lightning’s girlfriend. Sally is depicted as a
Porsche 911 Carrera; coincidentally, her last name is also Carrera. Her voice is given to her
by Bonnie Hunt, who is a white actress in particular known for her own The Bonnie Hunt
Show. Three main characters next to the protagonist so far, are all shown as white (again to
the extent this is possible, as they are cars).
However, besides these characters there are quite a few cars in the movie that
supposedly have a different ethnicity or race. Most memorable are Guido and Luigi; the first
is an Alza Tutto forklift while the latter is a 1959 version of the Fiat 500. Both characters
imply obvious Italian references. This is caused first of all, by their accents; secondly, by their
depiction as Italian made cars; and thirdly, by their names which find their origins in the
Italian language. Guido is played by Guido Quaroni, an Italian voice actor who works at the
Pixar Animation Studios. This seems genuine and fitting to the character, as forklift Guido
barely speaks a word of English in the movie apart from “pit stop!” and “OK!” Luigi on the
other hand speaks English, however he has a thick alleged Italian accent. Yet, he is voiced by
Tony Shalboub, an American whose parents were born and raised in Lebanon, which
deprecates the Italian nature of the character. While the character should appear Italian, under
the hood Pixar has neglected to attract a genuine Italian to do the voice acting for Luigi.
While they did cast an Italian American for Guido, he can also be seen as an insult to Italians
as his name is used as a racial slur in certain areas of America, notably the Tri-State area
(“Urban Dictionary”). Guido is funny to look at, but can also be perceived in a highly
offensive way for many Italians.
The only character sporting a black voice is the owner of the Radiator Springs gas
station, Flo. She is voiced by Jenifer Lewis, who in fact also starred in the aforementioned

20
Disney movie Princess and the Frog. In this movie she played Mama Odie, a character who
has the typical appearance and voice of a mammy. Yet, in Cars, Flo’s voice does have an
accent but it bears no resemblance to the Mama Odie figure in Princess and the Frog. In fact,
Flo’s voice sounds more southern than anything else. This can especially be heard in the
pronunciation of phrases such as “I have gas. Lots of gas!” (Cars). Jenifer Lewis’ role as
Mama Odie more than proves that she is capable of coming across as a (stereo)typical
mammy. Why was this not more prominently included in Cars as well? In an interview with
Jenifer Lewis for the release of World of Cars Online she sounds very different and she
acknowledges that Flo’s voice sounds rather “nasal” (SuperPopINTERVIEWS n.p.). This is
of course what a voice actor has to do, sounding different in different situations. Yet, Lewis’
authentic voice sounds a lot more African American, than Flo’s character. When pronouncing
words like “forever” and “internet” the initial /r/ sounds seem to be dropped in Lewis’ normal
speech, which is typical of AAVE as discussed by Purnell (18). If she had brought that
personal flair to the character, Flo might have come across as an African American, whereas
now she sounds like, staying true to McQueen’s description of Radiator Springs, “a hillbilly.”
Yet, even if Pixar had directed Lewis into giving Flo a more authentic African American
sound, Flo would still have been an extra in the story. Her lines are few and can be counted on
two hands.
Cars is special in the sense that the cars in it are treated as humans. The appearance of
the cars cannot be regarded as racist per se. Nevertheless, actions can speak louder than
images in this case. The distinct lack of true African Americans, or other ethnicities and races
in general is palpable. The other roles that are present are minor and almost insignificant to
the story line. It calls to question the motives of Pixar respecting race and would suggest
color-blind racism as it ignores other races rather than incorporates them as would be seen in
a true color-blind society.

21
Conclusion
Even racism is a matter of opinion in today’s pop culture. What is racist and what constitutes
color blindness? These things are looked at differently by everyone. However, this does not
take away from the fact that children are easily influenced at a young age. Signals in movies
can be misinterpreted or even taken for granted by under aged viewers. Additionally, the
audience can feel neglected if their ethnic group is misrepresented in anyway. Pixar aims its
productions at children and their parents and considering they are huge box office hits (Izzo
n.p.) their ideological impact is well worth investigating. At first glance, it is notable that
many Pixar productions avoid having a plot revolving around humans. While this is exactly
what Pixar is known for (their skills with computer animation and bringing inanimate objects
to life), it also means avoiding the topic of race. This is not to say that Pixar wholly neglects
humans as characters. These oftentimes comply with the ideal of a traditional, white family,
though, as in The Incredibles, for instance. In Up one sees that major roles are solely for
Caucasian figures, while Brave is about a Scottish princess and thus also mainly represents
whiteness. As a consequence, white seems the normative in movies where Pixar includes
humans.
Research by other academics has shown that we are not yet living, or perhaps will ever
live, in a true color-blind society. That is, a society that no longer looks at skin color or ethnic
background as something substantial and separating. Unfortunately, the fumbling with the
topic of race in Pixar movies suggests that their productions seem to promote color-blind
racism as explained by Bonilla-Silva and Williams. What cannot be seen is not there,
however, if a white person does not see the mistreatment, it does not mean that blacks,
Asians, or any other ethnicity feel the same. The movies which I have discussed show a
distinct lack of accurate display of race and ethnicity. While stereotypes are avoided, the
figures that are shown are whitened, or worse other races than Caucasian are not considered.

22
Notably, in Up to neglect giving Russell truly Asian features and instead whiten the character
is hurtful to the Asian community and can in fact be seen as racist. In cases like Toy Story and
Cars it may not seem like a white message is seeping through because humans are not the
focus of the story. However, this is exactly color-blind racism, as race is ignored rather than
incorporated. Toy Story’s Woody is a white cowboy in an obvious way, as if there was no
other choice than to make him Caucasian. Moreover, one can wonder how it comes across
that an alien is depicted as white in the character of Buzz Lightyear. In Cars, Flo is hinted to
be of a different race yet this is not followed through with her accent. Stereotyping is not
favorable, however when practiced in a positive manner it will result in inclusion of more
races and thus inclusion of more viewers.
It is important to criticize popular culture and thus productions from large corporations
such as Pixar for their limitations in depicting race, gender, and class (Giroux and Pollock
116). However, one should not neglect that movies like Toy Story, and Up, and Cars carry
across great messages about friendship, perseverance as well as “important messages about
alternative families and alternative heroines” (qtd. in Giroux and Pollock 116). Above all, it is
important to keep finding enjoyment in watching creative works from Pixar. However, we
have to do so with a critical eye in order to not undo any progress that has been made on the
topic of race in past decades. As the movies are essentially children’s entertainment it is vital
to ensure the future will progress further on topics that remain painful for many, subject
matters like race in particular.

23
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