The mystery of Andy’s dad

A TEAR-JERKER OF A TALE CIRCULATES OVER THE STORY BEHIND TOY STORY

Toy Story, the undisputed greatest movie to ever come out of the Disney/ Pixar machine, has a knack for squeezing tears out of even the blackest of hearts, but this week’s revelation almost took the cake — almost.

Have you ever wondered what the deal is with Andy’s dad? After all, we never see him in any of the three films. The clear assumption was that his parents had either divorced or his father had passed away. While you might think the latter would be a little morbid for a kids’ movie, that didn’t stop Mike Mozart, a toy consultant for Toy Story, from explaining this week how that came to be — allegedly.

Mozart explained that he had been helping his friend Joe Ranft, Pixar’s former head writer, who told him the story about Andy’s dad before he died in 2005, which he elaborated on in great detail to YouTuber Jonathan Carlin.

Here’s the short version: Andy’s dad was also named Andy, and was the first to own Woody. In fact, he’s the one who wrote his name on Woody’s boots (which would explain why the penmanship looks different compared to Buzz’s inscribed boots). Around 1959, Andy Sr. was diagnosed with polio and his toys were destroyed, but he was able to salvage Woody, Slinky Dog and Mr. Potato Head by hiding them in a box under his bed. Years later, Andy Sr. married Andy’s mom, had Andy Jr., and moved into his parents’ home after being stricken with post-polio syndrome. In his final moments, Andy Sr. gave his son a key and asked him to bring a locked box from the attic. But by the time Andy Jr. returned, his father had died. Cut to Andy Sr.’s funeral and Andy Jr. unlocking the box, only to find Slinky Dog, Mr. Potato Head and, of course, Woody. It’s a hell of a tearjerker — but is it true?

After quickly going viral over the weekend, Andrew Stanton, the co-writer of each of the three Toy Story instalments and the upcoming fourth, addressed the claims, simply tweeting, “Complete and utter fake news. Everyone go back to your homes. Nothing to see here, folks. #iwasthere.”

Which could mean this version of events may have just been what Ranft told himself, or what Mozart hoped to be true. Either way, will we ever learn the truth about Andy’s dad?

DISNEY / PIXAR Buzz Lightyear, Andy and Woody in a scene from the Disney/Pixar movie Toy Story 3. The backstory of whatever happened to Andy’s dad is making the rounds — but is it true?