Every once in a while, someone manages to create a pretty convincing fan theory about the Pixar movies. Most of the time, these theories are pretty lackluster, but Jonathan Carlin of “SuperCarlinBrothers” has recently come up with a great theory you might believe in.
Now, if you enjoy my theories and speculations on this site, then I have little doubt you’ll enjoy Carlin’s work on YouTube. We’ve shared multiple theories from each other on our own platforms over the years, and he’s certainly one of the most entertaining vloggers out there when it comes to fan theories.
And so is the case with his latest argument for why Andy from Toy Story has a monster we know from Monsters Inc. I’ll outline and evaluate his theory below, but you can also watch his video on the subject if you prefer (it’s only about 6 minutes long).
OK, so let’s go over SCB’s theory in detail, starting with the overall premise that Toy Story and Monsters Inc. share the same universe.
Of course, longtime readers already know I’m sold on this. The litany of easter eggs shared between the movies (from Jessie’s appearance in Boo’s room to Randall’s imitation of Andy’s wallpaper) share a lot of credence to the idea that these films are connected. And if you believe in my unifying Pixar Theory, then that’s that.
SCB himself points out that in Toy Story 3, we see a young girl who looks like she could be “Boo” (real name is Mary) because they look alike, though it’s not 100% certain. He also makes a connection between a poster we see in Monsters Inc. inside a child’s room and the same poster being on Sid’s wall in Toy Story.
As you can see, though, the posters aren’t situated the same way, and the monster we’re seeing has just been scared by a young girl, not a sadistic kid like Sid. For that reason, I think this is just an easter egg and NOT an indication that this was Sid’s monster.
Next, SCB points out that the movies sort of collide in a comic book series called Monsters Inc: Laugh Factory. Published in 2009, this 4-part series is about what happened after the events of Monsters Inc. Interestingly, a kid who looks like Sid Phillips (minus the skull t-shirt) shows up.
You can actually see several easter eggs in Boo’s room, here. And that’s kind of the point. Laugh Factory is filled with tons of references to other Pixar movies, as this was written by Paul Benjamin, a comic book writer for Marvel (not Pixar).
Keep in mind that Disney bought Marvel in 2009, likely explaining why this comic book series came about. For that reason and several others (including blatant continuity errors), I don’t actually consider these stories canon. They’re very over-the-top and portray situations and overt nods to other Pixar movies that don’t fit the framework of what Pixar has made themselves. Still, it’s a very interesting comic book series you can check out here.
Now on to the crux of SCB’s proposed theory. Could Andy have a monster of his own? Monsters Inc. takes place in 2001, which is 6 years after the events of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 (which takes place the summer following the first movie’s ending Christmas scene).
Monsters have been scaring kids for centuries, as we know from Monsters University revealing that the school was founded in 1313. So if the movies are connected, then it’s reasonable to assume that Andy could be one of the children assigned a monster.
In Monsters Inc., I always found it weird that there are commercials and advertisements for what is essentially a power plant. Why would Waternoose be so concerned about awareness?
Monsters Inc. doesn’t sell anything.
Well, it would seem that Waternoose is concerned with recruiting new scarers. The university trains these monsters to make them the best, but as we saw in Monsters University, Sulley was able to climb the ranks without an education, possibly explaining why Waternoose is interested in hiring recruits anywhere he can find them.
This all leads me to believe that there are lots of children, but not enough scarers. The problem they have is getting enough energy from the kids they scare (because kids are harder to scare these days), but another solution is to hire more scarers to scare even more kids. Scary.
That also explains why kidnapping children was such an appealing solution to Waternoose. If he can’t keep up with demand, then stealing the kids outright can give him enough energy to last years.
Though Roz tells Mike and Sulley that they’ve been onto the kidnappings for quite some time, it’s doubtful that Andy as a kid in 1996 was ever stolen. There’s just no evidence or reason to believe that.
Back to SCB’s theory. He argues that Andy’s closet door looks remarkably similar to a door seen in Monsters University (though he couldn’t find the same door in Monsters Inc.) Specifically, this door from a promo reel on the Monsters University website matches Andy’s door.
The doorknobs even match up because on this side of the closet, the doorknob should be on the right because the one on Andy’s closet door is on the left.
SCB argues that this evidence — in tandem with Randall practicing his camouflage with wallpaper from Andy’s room — proves that Randall is Andy’s monster.
Unfortunately, I don’t agree.
The issue is that Monsters University takes place years before Randall becomes a full-time scarer (he’s just a freshman at the start of the movie). If this is Andy’s door, then that just means Andy had some other monster while Randall was still in school.
That also gives a more logical explanation for the wallpaper thing. Sure, Randall has it as practice, but that doesn’t mean he’s scared a kid with that same wallpaper. It probably just belongs to Monsters Inc. in the same way they have the practice rooms for scaring. Why and how would Randall have this for his own personal use unless he got it from the company?
I think it makes way more sense for the wallpaper to be passed down because it belonged to a kid who moved, giving them an opportunity to collect it and use it for practice. That may even be why the university has this door in the first place. It’s not being used anymore.
Of course, who else would need wallpaper to camouflage themselves against? It’s not like everyone can be stealthy like Randall. Well, I’d say the simple explanation is that Monsters Inc. builds its practice rooms from real rooms, and Randall and his assistant are using wallpaper from these rooms for their specialized training.
Here’s a question that’s bothered me for a while: How much time passes between Monsters University and Monsters Inc.?
This is a question of age, to be sure. In the original movie, Mike and Sulley appear to be grown, well-established adults. From their voice actors, you’d assume they’re in their late 30s or early 40s.
After watching Monsters University, however, you can tell that their voices are basically the same. Mike is in a relationship with Celia not long after he and Sulley get their dream jobs, and neither of them seem settled down romantically. I’d honestly argue they’re really in their mid-20s, which supports the idea that Monsters University occurs during or after Andy’s move in 1995.
SCB also brings up the “Newt Crossing” sticker on Andy’s door in Toy Story 3 as evidence that Andy remembers Randall coming through his closet. But I don’t find that very convincing because why would Andy plaster something that scared him on his closet? I’m more inclined to believe that it really is just a reference to the Newt movie that never came about.
I really enjoy this theory, but I don’t think it’s complete. SCB is certainly on to something, and I definitely want to believe a monster we’ve seen has an old scare card for Andy somewhere. But for now, we can only guess.
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hmmm… I’m not sure that I buy-in to the idea that Mike and Sulley are in their mid-20’s in Monsters, Inc. Not impossible, but the prestige around the all-time scare record sure makes it seem like Sulley’s been at it for more than just a few years.
That’s a very good point, though you can work around it. For one thing, you have to explain how both Sulley and Randall have managed to stay so competitive in pursuit of the record. They must have started at around the same time, which means they didn’t start scaring until three years after the end of Monsters University.
The tricky thing is assuming that monsters operate by the same rules as humans, especially when it comes to age. And I’m still not fully settled on “when” Monsters University takes place since that door from the promo video could easily just be from a different house. It’s worth giving more thought, but like you, I’m not totally convinced either way.
I think the bigger question isn’t when MU takes place, but when the picture is taken. While I have yet to find the picture on the site yet (most of my five minutes on it so far have involved reading the apply page), nowhere else on the site does it say when any of these pictures were taken. MU is still open (for proof, it has the day and date at the bottom of every page). It could’ve been taken at any time between 1313 and the day it was uploaded. It wasn’t necessarily taken during the course of the movie.
I love Jonathan Carlin and his brother Ben! They make awesome videos! And I completely agree with this 100%
Yes, they’re pretty awesome. I love sharing their stuff because we share so many of the same fans.
Me included!
And Moi the Pixar Mahstah Mind
Jay was on to something though
I think the big thing that I disagree with Negroni is that in Monsters University where we see Andy’s door they could have been only testing the doors. That would explain the hazmat suits: They doors weren’t ready yet. So, by the time the door was finally ready to be used for scaring would probably line up on the timeline of when Randall actually became a scarer. And, as Negroni says in his Pixar Theory, the doors travel back in time so theoretically it doesn’t matter what is going on on the timeline back in the ‘human world’, only in the Monster World. For this reason I agree with SCB, however I do agree with Negroni with the fact that the ‘Newt Crossing’ evidence is kind of BS.
Speaking of Monsters, my Pixar Detective Spinoff’s next chapters will be about Monsters University, I will post it soon
Maybe toy story 4 will shed some light on this. Hey what if Bonnie has a monster who makes her laugh??
That would be amazing. Bonnie having a monster is the Toy Story short we deserve.
In the toy story short when rex had the party in bonnies bathroom, the toilet is covered with Sully’s skin. Does it support the fact that Bonnie is Boo? It can also explain how Boo has a Jessie doll in her room.
Bonnie is not Boo. This has been confirmed by Lee Unkrich. In terms of Boo having a Jessie doll Bonnie received Andy’s toys when she was four, and in Monsters Inc. Boo was two. It is more likely that Boo could be the same age as Bonnie or that she might be the same age as Andy. Which makes me now wonder if Boo is around Andy’s age, or if she could be the little girl in the elementary school in Toy Story 3…? Because then how did Boo get that doll, if not from just a family member? Typing this reply caused me to come up with another question!
Now, I’m going to check out that Monsters Inc Comic that was shown, I saw it, but I need to know more now…!
It’s definitely worth the money. Laugh Factory is very entertaining, especially considering it was made in 2009, well before many people started to really dig into a connected Pixar movie universe.
Well I don’t know maybe all the doors they’ve made leads to all sorts of time periods.
Ha, I agree. Though you have to remember that if they’re traveling in time, it’s certainly a well-kept secret. And the only way to maintain that illusion is to have them scare kids in a parallel timeline to their own, hence the evolving “scare cards.”
Yes, but that doesn’t explain how Sid Phillips has managed to travel through time when the comics took place when he is the age Toy Story. Side note: I’ve never read the comics so I’m just going with this post.
Since they do have time traveling doors, couldn’t it be possible that Randall is Andy’s monster because it could go back in time where he was still a child
The question that I am asking is:
When did 0 AD/CE start for monsters?
This is completely irrelevant to SCB’s theory, but it got me in the mood for Pixar easter eggs and as I was going over certain ones and other fan theories (particularly yours), and something occurred to me and I had to get your take on it: Do you think Boo could be Emily (and by possible extension, Andy’s Mom)?
I’m sure it’s occurred to you before; Jessie’s presence in Boo’s room is hard to ignore. But what makes it just a little more compelling to me is that, if you look closely in the bedroom of Emily’s tween years, you can find a chair identical to the two seen in the bedroom of Boo’s toddler years. Coincidence, or could the chair have been the only piece of furniture to survive that long? I’m not convinced, but like all other fan theories, it’s just fun to think about the possibility.
I don’t think so. For one thing, Boo
s hair is black, not brown or red or whatever. And there's no way her hair could've lightened up that much through her life, either. That chair might've been bought by Boo or Emilys mother (whoever came first). And the Jessie doll was probably popular around Emily’s time. If there were enough made, then a couple might’ve survived, like the Jessie in Toy Story. Therefore it would make sense that Boo would have one in her room. Her mom could’ve bought it at a garage sale or something. Glad I could help!You are on to something. And while Randall may not be Andy’s monster, perhaps he is Emily’s. ( I think that’s his sisters name, not 100% sure). When we see the door in “University” it is plausible it is Andy’s. Though as the time between the two films is indefinite, perhaps it was Emily’s then as well. Perhaps the monster’s relationships move very fast, and as they rose to the top quickly and the monsters changed, (or rather lack thereof) it could also be that as the doors are a pathway to another dimension, that time is faster/slower for the monsters. Ergo both you and SCB are right, it is a monster for the household. It is just not Andy, its Emily.
Emily is not Andy’s sister, she is her mother’s
You said the door and wallpaper weren’t being used anymore so the monsters would come in and collect it. Well, doesn’t andy’s sister mention she’s going to move into andy’s room? And even if she changes the door and wallpaper, would the monsters really risk going out in the human world just to retrieve some practice wallpaper?
The first point you brought out that the monster was scared of a girl, from the movie it is shown that Sid had a sister so that situation could still apply to the theory. The poster could have been placed somewhere else in a different place in a different time.
Do you think that the other fan theory that SCB did was that could Bonnie from Toy Story 3 be Boo’s mother from how they explain it makes a lot of sense Andy handed Jessie down to Bonnie then having Jessie be in Boo’s room from the Monster inc. movie it could be a possibility.
The evidence here clearly shows that Andy had a monster but I’m not so sure that Randall was his monster, due to the reasons you gave. But yes, J is definitely on to something and I’m glad you took notice of his add to your original Pixar Theory.
The pixar theroy itself suggest the doors represent time travel. Just because the timing doesnt match their college years doesn’t disprove SCB theroy. They could Be traveling to 2001 and then travel to 1996 later And since Randall was the only known monster with the blending ability it makes since that those background practices are specific to him.
I think that SCB are right, and that Andy’s door was created by the students in the university and wasn’t ready to be used until Randel was already a scarer
In the Pixar theory you state the doors are actually time portals, where the monsters could travel back in time. So technically even if the door was being used back in Randall’s college days, it’s possible that it could take Randall back in time to when Andy was still a kid 20 years into his (Randall’s) future. I know it says kids stop getting scared, but maybe time only passes when they use the doors, and Andy’s door, though present, was never used until later when Randall had worked for a while. I hope I’m making sense.
If you realize, the circumstances of Riley and Andy are very similar: moving house. Riley forgot of her imaginary friend due to the instability of her emotions. It makes me think that Andy can also have forgotten his imaginary friend (with the addition he had absent father).
(sorry for my poor english)
nice theroy
I think that SCB were right in their theory
What if Sid dropped out of Monsters University and joined Monsters Inc. right away? If Waternoose is so desperate for employees, it’s logical that he might have hired Randall even though he dropped out. I mean, he did hire Mike and Sully. If this had happened, would Sid have been scaring around the same time Andy was a kid?
Edit: What if RANDALL(not Sid) dropped out of Monsters University and joined Monsters Inc. right away?
Edit: , woudld RANDALL(not Sid) have been scaring around the same time Andy was a kid?
doesn’t Sid have a younger sister in Toy Story? Wouldn’t that help explain why he was scared from the little girl and how the posters line up?
I like to lean towards Waternoose himself being Andy’s monster. Which could explain why they have that specific wallpaper. Plus in some ways the practice kid looks like Andy.
I don’t think Watternoose is Andy’s monster. There’s no evidence, and anyway doesn’t that seem unlikely?
And he runs the company. I doubt you’d find the boss of Monsters Inc on the scare floor.
Just my two cents.
Cool.
Subscribed to SCB on YouTube and it is awesome.