Doll-claration of independence

July 01, 2010 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author: Lana Harfoush

Earlier this month, I recommended a few films adapted from liberty-friendly literary works to the big screen. Though Pixar’s latest Toy Story 3 is not an adaptation, rather the final chapter of the trilogy, it is one of the summer’s most popular movies. In fact, Walt Disney Co. estimated that $153.8 million worth of tickets were sold worldwide during their opening weekend. But I find its message of limited government even more impressive than its numbers at the box office. For example, when the Barbie character is confronted with tyrannical behavior she argues that “Authority should derive from the consent of the governed; not from the threat of force.”

Earlier this week, the Sam Adams Alliance chose director Lee Unkrich and executive producer John Lasseter as their Irreverent Messengers of the week for including that message and allowing Barbie to “protest[] her oppression by channeling Jefferson and Locke.” Chapman Law Professor Tom Bell even suggested turning the Barbie quote into a t-shirt for lovers of both the film and limited government.  Hopefully Toy Story 3 is a sign of increasing support for a pro-freedom sentiment at the movies.