Top 20 Pixar Fan Theories

We’ll get things started with the grandest and most all-encompassing Pixar theory out there; that the movies all exist in the same universe. They may seem like separate stories, only sometimes tied to their sequels... but fans have long suspected that, actually, every single film is linked. The theory dates back to at least 2012, when a comedy skit by “Cracked” inspired the writer Jon Negroni to really go to town! Among the many bits of claimed evidence is the Luxo Ball, which from “Toy Story” onwards can be seen in the background of various other films. There’s also the famous A113 easter egg, inserted into multiple movies as a nod to the number of the classroom where several key animators learnt their trade. Ultimately, the Shared Universe is Pixar’s version of a Theory of Everything… and it’s something that countless other ideas tap into.

While there are many variations on the Shared Universe suggestion, “Brave” is one of perhaps three movies that continually crops up as a possible starting point. We’ll get to the other two later in the video. With “Brave”, though, the key figure is the Witch. Her true identity we’ll also cover shortly, but it’s her magic in general that theorists claim is responsible for… well, for everything. Living toys, talking animals, scary monsters, superhero families… the whole caboodle is caused by her ancient and mystical powers. Of course, we do see her turning animals and inanimate objects into seemingly sentient beings. The idea, then, is that this gets passed on and on and on, until it permeates the entire world.

The first of our more specific theories, and it centers on that leading light of superhero fashion, Edna Mode. Voiced by “The Incredibles” director, Brad Bird, she delivers one of Pixar’s best known lines. But, there’s clearly a rich and complicated backstory to those two iconic words. Edna explains how past Supers had suffered and died thanks to their capes, and she seemingly carries guilt because of that. However, one theory says that Edna - realizing that Buddy (aka Syndrome) was a supervillain in the making - rowed back on her one rule when she made his suit. It isn’t in the movie, and it would add an unexpected layer of brutal darkness to Edna’s character… but could she really have been scheming toward Syndrome’s demise, all along?

Perhaps more than any other movie, “Onward” is a tricky fit into the supposedly shared universe. However, just before its 2020 release, SuperCarlinBrothers led the charge for one theory that has never really gone away… that the entire film exists inside the head of Andy from “Toy Story”. The two main reasons why this does make some sense are that 1) Andy clearly has a seriously rich imagination, we know this from the very first scene of “Toy Story”. But also 2) Andy apparently doesn’t have a father figure in his life… and “Onward” is all about its main characters striving for one last moment with their dad. Alternative “Onward” theories include that it could all be happening on another planet, sometime around the time of “Wall-E”... but the ‘inside Andy’s mind’ idea just feels a little more right.

Cute and unassuming as she seems throughout most of “Monsters, Inc.”, Boo ranks among the key players in a lot of fan theories. Here specifically, the claim is that she grows up to become Abby, one of Mei’s best friends in “Turning Red”. The offered evidence includes that both characters apparently like pink and purple; both have the same fringe and similar features; and both like flowers - either on their clothes (Abby) or on their Door (Boo). There are some issues surrounding the timeline, though. In most readings of the Shared Universe, the time between when “Monsters, Inc.” and “Turning Red” takes place isn’t long enough for Boo to have grown into Abby. However, there are potential solutions out there - including that Boo and Abby are sisters, and that the Doors in “Monsters, Inc.” transport through time just as much as through space.

Sid is the original Pixar villain. But does this one-time toy-mangling horror kid actually turn into… a good guy? First, there’s (possibly) grown-up Sid’s cameo in “Toy Story 3” as a garbage collector. Most of us might’ve updated our wardrobe by his age, but the skull shirt is clearly visible. Next, though, there’s a popular idea - notably featured by “Cracked” - that garbage man Sid’s life work is actually now to save toys. Because he’s the only person alive who knows that toys are also alive, it’s said that he works in garbage as an adult so that he can retrieve lost toys… which is also why there’s a distinct lack of other toys when Woody and co. end up almost dead in the incinerator. They aren’t there because Sid saved them. Either way, he’s a character who himself seemingly does die at some point, as shown by this briefest of brief moments in “Coco”.

One of the key settings in Pixar’s second movie, “A Bug’s Life”, is the tree. And perhaps one of the simpler of all the “all the films are linked” theories out there is that ten years after the release of that film - in 2008, when “WALL-E” comes out - we see that same tree at the beginning of its life. It’s the then-tiny shoot that WALL-E and EVE plant together. If true, it means that “A Bug’s Life” happens after “WALL-E” along the fan theory timeline... and in what appears to be a mostly post-human world. There are a couple of potential flaws here, as a tree that’s at least similar also appears in “Toy Story 2” and “Up”. But, then again, could it be that those trees simply gave the seed for the tree in “WALL-E” and “A Bug’s Life”? It’s hardly the strangest jump we’ve made today!

Sticking with “WALL-E”, and clearly the world at the beginning of this story has seen better days. Something’s happened so that it’s just rusty landscapes of ruin and trash for as far as the eye can see. Grown-up Sid (if he ever did exist) has long since left his job. And yet, there’s hope thanks to one loveable robot. Except, there’s a theory to turn that characterization on its head. Seeing as WALL-E is so resourceful, some have mused that maybe it was he that caused the end of the world to begin with. Maybe his keen eye for treasures and his tendency to hoard is what destabilized the planet toward its dusty downward spiral? More disturbingly, he doesn’t seem to mind cannibalizing all the shut down robots and machines that he’s alone with. Could it be, then, that a younger WALL-E somehow doomed everything? And we only meet him when he’s desperately trying to make amends?

Here we have another key element to many of the more all-encompassing Pixar theories. Above all other materials in the movies, wood is imbued with magical qualities. The most obvious example is with the Doors in “Monsters, Inc.”, where the only non-wood Door appears when our characters have been banished. But, also, the Witch in “Brave” lives out her life as a wood carver. We’re getting closer to another key revelation here, but for now let’s stick with the wood, specifically. Again, we have the significance of the plant in “WALL-E” and the tree in “A Bug’s Life”. But, also, there are plenty of scenes and movies where the absence of wood seems key. Not least “Cars”, which we’ll cover soon… and with a crucial film for our next entry, “Up”.

The (notice, predominantly wooden) house in “Up” is under massive threat at the beginning of the movie, as Carl Fredricksen is forced to float away to Paradise Falls following a demolition and rebuilding job on his neighborhood. Those behind the high-rise expansion are the Buy n Large group, an ever-present conglomerate in the Pixar world. We see them clearest in “WALL-E” when the planet has been ravaged and the husks of their products are all that’s left. Before then, though, the BnL branding appears on Buzz’s batteries, on the race track in “Cars”, we know they ran newspapers, took over governments, contributed to global obesity… the list is pretty much endless. The logo is another vital part to theories everywhere. As the company itself represents an apparently anti-commercialist stance taken by Pixar with every story they tell.

Halfway through this countdown, and evidently most fan theories can be tied in with other fan theories… somewhere along the line. Under the umbrella of the Shared Universe model, it’s up to the fan to interpret what they see, which leads to an ever-expanding field of possibility. With “The Good Dinosaur”, though, we have a good candidate for the earliest point from which to work. The film asks “what if the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs had, in fact, missed Earth?”. And, while it delivers its own introduction to that idea, the wider notion is that, actually, all of Pixar could be happening thanks to this creation of an alternate timeline. From “Brave” through to “Cars” and to what’s usually considered the latest-occuring movie in the Shared Universe so far, “Monsters, Inc.”, all of it is made possible because one piece of space rock missed.

In “Soul”, we have a tale that’s really above and beyond the timelines of Earth, dealing as it does with life, death and everything in between. However, the big question comes at the movie’s close, when the once implacable 22 is inspired to find her spark, and so she heads back down to Earth to… well, to what? Who could she become? Possibly more so than with any other Pixar theory in the 2020s, fans are divided. One of the leading candidates is Mei from “Turning Red”, someone who matches a lot of what we see from 22. Plus “Turning Red” came out in twenty twenty-two, so for some that’s proof enough. Another whispered possibility, though, is Russell from “Up”, mostly due to his and 22’s shared need for badges. Failing that, could Riley be 22? The pull of Sadness does seem to be strong with both.

Yes, he’s the driving force behind one of the saddest moments in Pixar history, but before all of that could the imaginary Bing Bong have been a real life monster? This theory starts quite simply, with fans noticing that Bing Bong looks a lot like he could’ve been in “Monsters, Inc.”, with comparisons especially between him and George Sanderson. There are two crucial parts to this, though. First, if every kid has a monster, then Riley must have had one, too. Second, if the monsters ultimately learn that laughter is better than fear… then Bing Bong really fits the bill. Riley remembers him as an imaginary friend because she grows up to assume that monsters aren’t real, but of course we know they are. And, if anything, the fact that Bing Bong vanishing could also stand for Riley’s link to Monsters, Inc. disappearing, as well, makes that scene even sadder.

Cast your mind back to just a couple of entries ago, and the theory was that “The Good Dinosaur” was a starting point for everything. But, naturally, something still has to have come before that potentially pivotal, non-asteroid fork in the road. And that something could be “Elemental”. In the film we follow the Elements - and mostly Ember - through their trials and tribulations in Element City. This is a world that presumably plays out at a much smaller scale than in most other Pixar stories - with the notable exception of “Inside Out”. Here, the characters are essentially the tiniest parts of reality; the base building blocks for life, the universe and everything. Even the asteroid that missed needs the Elements in order to exist. So, while really “Elemental” could be happening at any time… it also could just be that it all unfolds long, long before every single other thing.

It’s been a short while since we last looked closely at how the Shared Universe, in general, would work… so let’s get back to it with what’s probably the keystone piece. Boo. In “Monsters, Inc.”, she’s a two-year old searching for the monster she adores. But, in “Brave”, almost every theory out there argues that she is the Witch. The idea is that Boo’s search for Sully has taken her all across time and space, forever in search of the magic that’s needed to reunite with her magical friend. Along the way, she gains unparalleled wisdom and unmatched powers, and she sprinkles this throughout the events we see in all the other films. But, ultimately, Boo becomes the mysterious figure that Merida meets in Medieval Scotland. Completing something of a time loop, to set things in motion all over again.

OK, so this one really doesn’t fit in with any other unified theory, but it has routinely set the internet ablaze. The suggestion that everyone’s favorite clownfish might never have existed at all is tough to take, but those who back the theory say that “Finding Nemo” might really be all about Marlin (Nemo’s father) dealing with the five stages of grief. The barracuda that kills his family at the beginning actually doesn’t leave behind a single egg, Nemo is never actually born, and Marlin’s journey across the ocean is only ever about him coming to terms with the incredible tragedy. The kicker? Nemo translates from Latin to mean “nobody”. There is some kickback, as well, though. After all, the animals in the dentist’s fish tank weren’t talking to ‘nobody’, were they? It’s an interesting idea, nonetheless.

Back to the wider theories, and in the earliest days both Cracked and Jon Negroni paid special attention to “Cars”. Here, sentient vehicles exist in a world where humans don’t. But we know that their world is still Earth, thanks to various (and often literal) signs. The assumption, then, is that humans disappeared, with it generally accepted that the last of them were sent on a journey into space, as seen in “WALL-E”. The slightly lighter interpretation is that pollution is what did for the humans, mostly fueled by all the nasty, commercial, money-grabbing must-haves produced through Buy n Large. But, there is another, even darker view, with suggestions that it was the Cars themselves that killed the humans that used to drive them. As their self-driving sentience increased, they simply didn’t need us anymore… which paved the way, eventually, for the life and times of Lightning McQueen.

Has there ever been a sadder death than Ellie’s death in “Up”? Very possibly, no there hasn’t. But one theory says that her tragic passing was quickly followed by another, Carl’s. The idea goes that at some point near the beginning of the movie (perhaps in his sleep, after the courts rule against him, telling him to move) Carl dies… and the rest of the film is his journey to the afterlife. His house with balloons is his vessel; Russell the Wilderness Explorer is his guardian angel; Paradise Falls is his Heaven. Dug the Dog… doesn’t exactly fit. But all the elements to this story do ultimately combine to deliver Carl some peace. And if Russell really is an angel, then he certainly earns his wings!

If time travel does exist in Pixar, then the Doors in “Monsters, Inc.” are one of the best routes through which it might be achieved. However, there’s another, one-off vehicle that could double up as a time machine, too. Like the Luxo Ball and A113, the Pizza Planet truck is everywhere. It’s a harder spot in some movies than in others, but it almost always can be found. True, this could simply mean that the cultural impact and general appetite for pizza is an immovable fact of life. But there are some claims toward it actually being an ever-present because the truck is the key. It’s what really knits the movies together, which leads to the question; who’s driving it? Perhaps Boo the Witch also doubles up to deliver fast food? Or maybe that unseen guy in “Toy Story” was the mastermind all along?

Appropriately enough, we finish at the start, if only in terms of the movies’ order of release. First, there’s the question of Woody, Andy’s original favorite toy. We know he’s rare, we know he’s somewhat old-fashioned… so it figures, for some, that he once belonged to Andy’s father. The same guy who potentially triggered everything that happens in “Onward”, based on an earlier theory. And, maybe it’s a bit of a stretch, but could the ‘wood’ in Woody be significant, too? Given the whole ‘wood is magic’ angle. What’s far more entrenched in Pixar legend is the possible origin for the star of “Toy Story 2”, Jessie. For years it has been suggested that Jessie’s old owner, Emily, could be Andy’s mother. The writers have themselves denied this one… but fans just haven’t let it go. Quite how Buzz fits into the picture… well, that part still needs filling in.

Which Pixar fan theory is your favorite? Or do you have another theory of your own? As always, let us know in the comments!