Over the weekend, an interesting tale that explained some details about the missing backstory of Toy Story surfaced, and while it's been debunked by Pixar, it still makes for a great fan theory. The story is as beautiful as it is depressing. This works because apparently, all Pixar fan theories have to be depressing. Lots of Pixar movies have apparent plot holes or missing details, and for some reason, every time a fan tries to fill in the gaps, it's with a story that's just as heartbreakingly beautiful and sad as the movies themselves.
Pixar movies seem to spawn more fan theories than many other franchises, and for some reason, none of them end with "happily ever after." Instead, they're all about people dying or other depressing things. Here are a few of our favorites that we love, even though they make us want to break out a half gallon of ice cream and one spoon.
Nemo Died At The Beginning Of The Movie
Finding Nemo starts with one of the saddest moments in all of Pixar, an attack that kills Marlon's wife and nearly every one of his children. Only one survives. Unless it didn't survive. This theory postulates that all of the eggs were actually eaten, and the movie takes place in Marlon's subconscious as he deals with the aftermath. The theory argues that the movie is actually about Marlon dealing with the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, despair, and acceptance. Marlon doesn't want Nemo to go to school, gets angry with him for swimming too far, believes he can rescue his son, sees him get flushed, and then finally, decides to let go and accept his son, or in this case, the loss of him.
Possibility? Slim
Boo Spends Her Entire Life Searching For Sully
The Pixar Theory is an all-encompassing fan theory that argues that all Pixar movies take place within the same universe on a single timeline. The central premise of the entire theory is that Boo, the little girl from Monsters Inc., and the witch from Brave, are actually the same person. The witch's magic shows that her power has a particular focus on doorways, an indication that Boo learned magic as a way to try to get back to Sully, the monster she loved. If we assume that this theory is true, it would seem to indicate that the girl has become an elderly witch, while still searching. Otherwise, why isn't she with Sully now, or at least back home?
Possibility? Stronger than most fan theories.
Andy's Mom Is Jessie's Original Owner
When we meet Jessie in Toy Story 2 she has a serious chip on her shoulder with regards to people. This is because she once had a girl who loved her, before growing up and leaving her behind. The scene where we learn Jessie's backstory is heartbreaking enough on its own. It gets worse when you consider that Andy's mom might actually be the girl who used to play with Jessie. When we first see Andy in the original Toy Story he's playing with Woody while wearing a red cowboy hat. It's the same hat we see on the bed of Jessie's owner during the flashback in Toy Story 2. Making the backstory any generic person is one thing, but bringing it home like that hurts.
Possibility? Probable. Has Pixar ever addressed this?
Carl Dies At The Beginning Of Up
You already thought that the beginning of Up was the most beautifully sad thing you've ever seen. Now, get ready for it to get worse. The famous opening 10 minutes is actually Carl's life flashing before his eyes as he dies. The rest of the movie is his journey through the afterlife in order to be reunited with his dear departed Ellie. Heaven looks like Paradise Falls, because of course it does, and Russell is actually an angel sent to escort Carl to the other side. Can Up be more depressing? Apparently, the answer is yes.
Possibility? Unlikely.
Humanity Is Doomed
Another element of the larger Pixar Theory states that movies like Cars take place in the far future where artificial intelligence has taken over the planet after all humans have left due to the destruction of Earth that we see in Wall-E. If that's not enough, by the time we get to the end of the timeline, Monsters Inc., humanity has evolved and merged with animals and machines to create a new dominant species, monsters. Whatever way you look at it, people have a finite life on this planet. We very nearly destroy Earth, and eventually, it out lives us.
Possibility? Inevitable. Yikes!
