A wild fan theory is making waves, and it just might change how you see these movies forever.
Disney and Pixar fans think they’ve finally cracked a major mystery about Andy’s mom from Toy Story.
The beloved Toy Story franchise has been a childhood staple since the first movie was released back in 1995, captivating audiences across generations.
With a total box office revenue of $3.3 billion, it’s the third-highest-grossing animated franchise of all time, proving just how timeless these films really are.
Over the years, we’ve watched Andy grow up, packing away his toys and stepping into adulthood.
But have you ever stopped to wonder what his mom’s childhood might have looked like?
According to a growing fan theory, Andy’s mom might actually be a character from another hugely popular Pixar film.
One dedicated fan recently shared some striking details that could link multiple Pixar movies into a single, interconnected universe.
Ever wondered what Andy’s mom’s backstory was?
Disney
Instagram user @asheleysspam sparked the discussion by posting a video that dives into how films like Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Turning Red, Inside Out, and Monsters, Inc. could all exist in the same shared world.
At first glance, these movies don’t seem particularly connected. But Asheley carefully laid out her findings, pointing out something surprising—Andy’s mom might actually be Riley from Inside Out, all grown up.
When you compare the two, the resemblance is hard to ignore. Riley as a child looks remarkably similar to Andy’s mom, right down to the fair hair, bright blue eyes, and similar facial structure.
At first, it could seem like a simple coincidence. But the theory goes even deeper.
One key moment in Inside Out shows Joy pulling up one of Riley’s core childhood memories.
In the glowing memory orb, Riley is seen joyfully sliding down a playground slide as a toddler.
Asheley then took a closer look at Toy Story’s playground scenes and noticed something fascinating—the same exact slide appears in both movies.
Could Riley grow up to be Andy’s mom?
Disney
And that’s not the only connection.
Asheley also spotted what appears to be a poster of Boo from Monsters, Inc. hidden in Riley’s bedroom in Inside Out.
Even more interesting, the poster resembles the boyband from Turning Red, making the theory even stronger.
It gets even wilder—one of the background characters in Turning Red looks eerily like an older version of Boo, dressed in purple.
Asheley wasn’t done there. She pointed out that in one of the nursery scenes from Toy Story, a young girl who looks almost identical to Boo appears in the background.
With all these subtle connections, could Pixar have been dropping hints about a shared universe all along?
Naturally, the internet had a lot to say about this wild theory. Reactions were mixed, with some fans being completely mind-blown while others were more skeptical.
One person simply responded: “yo WHAT,”, while another added: “NO WAY THATS CRAZY.”
Not everyone was convinced, though. Some thought it was just Pixar reusing animation assets, with one user speculating: “Or maybe, hear me out … Disney wanted to take shortcuts and reused assets?”
Another chimed in, saying: “Disney movies are all connected in some sort of way and yes they reuse many things.”
At the end of the day, it’s possible that these connections are just clever Pixar Easter eggs, meant to be fun nods rather than direct links between movies.
Maybe it’s not that deep after all… or maybe, Pixar really has been crafting a massive shared universe right under our noses.
Either way, one thing’s for sure—this fan theory has definitely made people look at these movies in a whole new light.
Some fans also pointed out a flaw in the theory—the timelines don’t actually match up.
One Reddit user jumped into the discussion, explaining why the two characters probably aren’t the same.
They noted the difference in technology between the films, saying: “Riley has a laptop in the movie, meaning it probably takes place around now-ish. So that would mean that Toy Story takes place in around 2035ish? Not very likely.”