EXCLUSIVE: 'Toy Story' Writer Debunks Two of the Biggest Pixar Fan Theories!

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The biggest Pixar fan theories have gone to infinity and beyond -- and now it's time to find out if they're true!

ETonline recently sat down with Pete Docter, the writer behind seven Pixar films -- including Toy Story, Up, and Inside Out -- and we finally have definitive answers to some of the most popular theories on the Internet.

Plus, we've got your exclusive scoop on what's coming up in Toy Story 4, and the surprising facts behind those iconic Pixar Easter eggs!


MORE: Our Definitive Ranking of All 15 Pixar Movies, From Worst to Best

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The Andy's Mom and Jessie Theory: For a few years now, Pixar fans have been obsessed with this perfectly placed theory that Andy's mom is Emily, Jessie's previous owner who heartbreakingly outgrew her doll in Toy Story 2.

The full explanation of this eerily accurate theory can be read here, and we were convinced that some brilliant Pixar enthusiast had indeed cracked the Toy Story family code -- but then we chatted with Docter…

"I have," Docter confirmed when asked if he'd heard of the Jessie theory.

So… is it true? "You know, John Lasseter was the director on that, and we talked for hours about backstory -- and we have our own kind of backstory that's a little different than that." Noooo!

Still determined to find the truth, we asked Docter if he and Lasseter would ever share the correct Jessie backstory with the world.

"The interesting thing is that we're now on Toy Story 4, and still stuff that we discussed in [the original] Toy Story, twenty-something years ago, those ideas are still being used," Docter revealed. "So it just seems to be a very evergreen kind of story and a lot of stuff just keeps bubbling up, so it's very interesting." Translation: We might get the answer in a later Toy Story movie.

Speaking of which…


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Toy Story 4: We'll admit it: After three epically perfect movies, we were a little worried when Disney and Pixar announced they would be adding a fourth chapter to the Toy Story trilogy. However, after learning at D23 that Toy Story 4 will be a "love story between Woody and Bo Peep," we could not be more thrilled to travel to infinity and beyond once more.

Although Docter couldn't spill much about the 2017 flick, he did promise that it will honor the legacy that began 20 years ago. "It's definitely a lot of the same characters and the [same] world," he said. "But as you know from Toy Story 3, there's kind of a new big chapter to Woody's life."

"I can't say too much, but it's simultaneously great characters in things you've come to expect, but really a different kind of take on it."

Docter revealed that this "different take" on the third tale is thanks, in large part, to the "fantastic" writing duo that has joined the team: Will McCormack and Rashida Jones.

"Rashida and Will, who have come in as writers, are just fantastic people and so much fun to work with," the Pixar pro spilled. "And what's great about it is, as actors, I think they have also this ability to kind of infuse the dialog with this great sense of character."


MORE: Scoop on All of Disney and Pixar's New Movies From D23!

The All Pixar Movies Are Connected Theory: Ahh, this is also one of our favorites, so of course we had to get the truth. The theory, which is so eloquently and thoroughly explained here, basically states that all the characters of the Pixar movies are connected to each other in one universe.

Unfortunately, Docter, whose writing credits also include Toy Story 2, WALL-E and Monsters, Inc., was quick to politely shoot down that intricately woven theory.

"Well, I don’t want to spoil anybody's fun. I'm flattered that people spend time thinking about this," he said before hammer of truth. "[But] we really try to create very distinct worlds in each film. So for [those who think the] characters from Monsters [would] show up in The Incredibles is kind of a design... it breaks my head a little bit to be honest." Sorry, folks -- that's a no.


WATCH: This Is Why Disney Characters Rarely Have Moms

Pixar Easter Eggs: It has now become a big-screen sport to be able to spot all the Pixar Easter eggs hidden in each of the company's beloved 15 films, but did you know they originally had an entirely different purpose?

"We can't, in our medium, just go down to the thrift store and say, 'Oh that's a nice lamp, let's put it in,'" Docter said of the obscure background items. "Everything has to be built, and designed, and rendered, and painted, and all this stuff."

He continued, "So for us, initially that all started just as a time-saving thing. Like, 'Oh we've got this truck, let's use that again,' -- you know the Toy Story Pizza Planet truck -- and now it's become kind of a tradition." (FYI, the Pizza Planet truck discreetly appears three times in Inside Out, and it's a "very big challenge" to find all three!)

"That's, of course, one of the fun things about when [a Pixar movie] comes out on DVD or Blu-Ray," Docter shared. "You can kind of look for those a little bit more carefully."

Pick up your copy of Inside Out when it's released Tuesday, Nov. 3. On Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy.


For more secrets on all the Pixar Easter eggs, press play on our video below!