Male
# 1: The physical appearance of the characters alone determines their role in the film. This character's attitude follows the stereotype automatically assigned to them by their physical appearance.
For this male role stereotype I chose to analyze Toy Story (1995). Toy Story was Disney's first full-length computer animated movie. It follows the adventures of Woody (the traditional American hero, a cowboy) and Buzz (the new age, muscly space ranger) as they fight over their right to be Andy's favourite toy. Most of the conflict, as well as the comedy, arises in the fact that Buzz and Woody are total opposites. Woody feels inferior to Buzz's blinking lights and karate chop action when all he has is a pull-string. When they lose Andy they realize that they have to work together to get him back.
This story was very interesting because it brought together the two all-American heros, the cowboy from the Old West and the astronaut that is leading everyone into the future.
Woody is a classic puppet-type toy made from wood, fabric and stuffing. He is tall, skinny, and very loose in his joints. Because he is taller than all of the rest of Andy's toys you subconsciously assign him the role of leader. His floppy movements and small build represent his silly (i.e. weak, old-fashioned) personality.
Buzz, on the other hand, is the brand-new toy that impresses all of the other toys with his futuristic gadgets.
He is the ideal male with a large build and charismatic personality. He walks straight and tall because he's made of plastic. He is short and very muscular, especially in the chest, which dwarfs the rest of his body. He quickly wins over all of the other toys by convincing them he's the real Buzz Lightyear, a cartoon superhero. Buzz wins over the title of leader of the toys based purely on his macho appearance. The other toys abandon Woody not only because he's weaker than Buzz (cotton batting compared to plastic), but also because he's not as flashy and impressive.
The four sidekicks in this movie are all male as well. All are assigned certain personalities (created by their voices) by their looks. Mr. Potato Head 
and Hamm 
are both chubby and short. They play two of the most comedic parts in the movie - Mr. Potato Head is a sarcastic pessimist, and Hamm is the joker. If you try to imagine either of these characters as tall and gangly as Woody, their roles don't fit. The two funny characters in the movie were given this role because of their bulk.
Rex 
is a dinosaur with low-self esteem. He is the 'wimpy' character in the movie. He hides his eyes, runs away, or screams when there is trouble. In this sense he is almost a female character according to the Disney stereotype. 
Rex draws the fine line between 'girly' and 'homosexual', the latter of which is suggested by his arm movements. Because Rex is a T-Rex, his arms are disproportioned with the rest of his body, and his upper body movements are flimsy. His role almost represents a sexual stereotype. Slinky the Dog is one of Woody's best friends and the only one that sticks by him through everything. He has a Southern-U.S. accent, which gives the impression that he's good-natured and likeable. His simple appearance suggests a simple character with good morals.
One of the things many people don't realize is the lack of female characters in this movie. 
One of the main characters (and just about the only female toy) Bo Peep, is used as a sex object to increase the strain between Buzz and Woody. The obvious stereotype here is that the macho man is always better at winning (getting the girl) than the skinny guy. This is illustrated when Bo Peep (Woody's love interest) abandons him for Buzz. When this happens Woody suffers a loss of confidence she obviously picked him for his impressive appearance. Because of her rejection of him Woody becomes depressed. When the toys gang up on Woody after he 'murders' Buzz, Bo Peep remains on the outside screaming 'Would you boys STOP it?' instead of getting involved. She also very passive in helping Woody once she sees that she will have to defend and do it by herself. Bo Peep is the only main character that is female (a talking toy), and how she was used in the movie suggests that a female's role is to be sexually aggressive, but staying out of the way to let the males to solve any problems.
Another interesting fact about the movie is that it draws a lot of its humour from everyday situations. However, it manages to use the same gender roles found in something like Snow White, though it was released almost 60 years later. I thought it was funny when noticing how this reflected in the movie - Buzz goes through a crisis when he realizes he's not original. He's mass produced, impressive, but when push comes to shove, somebody just wants to make some money off of him.
Part II: The Lion King and implicit homosexual roles
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