As if Toy Story 3 could be anymore tear-inducing, some super sleuth just found an Easter Egg that connects Toy Story to Up. Yes, that other Pixar movie that had you bawling your eyes out five minutes in holds a sad connection to Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the toys. Seriously, grab the Kleenex, you're going to need them.
Buzzfeed pointed out that there's a hidden clue in Andy's room, but you have to know where to look and it's likely you wouldn't have looked here. If you notice, there's a messy bulletin board in Andy's room that is filled with overlapping papers that are easy to ignore. Turns out, though, one of the notes on the board is a postcard from Carl and Ellie Fredricksen. You may know them better as the sweet couple from Up.
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You can't see the message that Carl and Ellie wrote to Andy, but zoom in on the photo below and you can just make out their address to the right of the big trophy. The note clearly means something to the young boy since it's still hanging on the board. What we can also assume is that Carl and Ellie meant something to Andy, which, as Buzzfeed points out, makes this Easter egg especially sad.
For anyone who's seen Up – and if you haven't yet, go watch it now — Ellie passed away at least a year ago based on the fact that Up came out a year before Toy Story 3. This young boy was coming of age and trying to figure out what comes next while also dealing with the heartbreak of losing someone who sent him postcards that he kept on his bedroom bulletin board.
What the connection is between Carl and Ellie and Andy isn't clear and probably never will be. Pixar loves throwing in Easter eggs that keeps fans on their toes but isn't exactly trying to pull a Ryan Murphy and reveal that every Pixar movie's plot is actually connected in some elaborate way like American Horror Story. Most likely, it's just the designers having a little fun with us. Though, this once again does confirm the theory that Pixar movies do take place in the same world, which is enough of a connection for us.
While we shouldn't expect any answers to the Toy Story and Up connection, what we should expect from from Toy Story 4 is more Easter eggs. Let's just hope they won't be as heartbreaking as this one.