A curious absence: A recent story claiming to explain the whereabouts of Andy's father in the film Toy Story has been rubbished by one of the film's writers. Photo / Pixar
A curious absence: A recent story claiming to explain the whereabouts of Andy's father in the film Toy Story has been rubbished by one of the film's writers. Photo / Pixar
Theories around Disney's Pixar movies abound online - but few have elicited a direct reaction from the filmmakers quite like a recent rumour about the movie Toy Story.
The recently sparked rumour centres around what happened to the father of Andy, the child who owns the toys the movie is based around.
The home where the majority of the story is set is home to Andy, his mother and his little sister - and his father's absence is never referred to, according to the Daily Mail.
The origins: Mike claims that Joe told him how Andy's father, who was also named Andy, managed to be sent the one and only Woody doll. Photo / Pixar
The lack of information has clearly set some fans' imaginations running wild, with many believing that he was either divorced from Andy's mother - or died before the film's story begins.
But one theory gained particular steam recently after toy product designer and reviewer Mike Mozart dished on some information he allegedly received from former Pixar head writer Joe Ranft.
Mike claimed to the Super Carlin Brothers that, before his death in 2005, Joe told him the true story of Andy's father's whereabouts.
First of all, Joe revealed that the house Andy's family lives in is actually that of his paternal grandparents, and that all the pictures on the walls of the house are not of Andy, but actually of his father - who was also named Andy - as a child.
Interesting addition: The theory, which toy product designer Mike Mozart allegedly heard from late Pixar writer Joe Ranft, claims that the house is that of Andy's father's parents. Photo / Pixar
What followed was a complicated story about a young Andy senior entering a cereal promotion to get a Woody doll, being a big fan of the Woody's Round-Up TV show, and eventually getting the only one that was ever made.
Andy Sr. later fell ill with polio and was forced to go into hospital care, leaving all his toys needing to be destroyed.
However, he managed to save three toys, including Woody, and hid them in a box under his bed to be safe.
He then apparently recovered, grew up, got married, and shared his beloved toys with his own son, Andy Jr. But then as an adult, he was struck with post-polio syndrome and died.
The proof cited in support of the theory include how the 'Andy' written on the bottom of Woody's boot is in a different hand than that on Buzz Lightyear's. Also, since the toys were stored away for so long, they never knew that the boy playing with them was actually their owner's son and not their original owner.
The theory spread among fans like wildfire, before being totally and utterly quashed by Andrew Stanton, who co-wrote all three of the Toy Story movies.
The writer caught wind of the rumour and took to Twitter on Saturday describing the backstory for Andy's dad as complete hogwash.
