Toy Story (1995)

This theory suggests Andy’s parents are going through a particularly messy divorce during Toy Story. There are no pictures on the walls of a father, his mother never wears a wedding ring, and they move to a noticeably smaller house, which could signal his mom is experiencing financial struggles as a newly single parent. Some have gone even further to suggest Andy copes with the lack of a father figure in his life by connecting with his toys, especially Woody and Buzz who are both authoritative, masculine models. But so far, we have no confirmation from Toy Story creators that this theory is anything more than that. According to Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich, “We don’t mean to be mysterious about it. The decision was made really early on in Toy Story to have Andy’s dad not be around.” So maybe it’s as simple as that.