This article was originally written by Nathan Pynn for SWNS — the U.K.’s largest independent news agency, providing globally relevant original, verified, and engaging content to the world’s leading media outlets.
A young boy who went viral in 2020 after his dad re-created a tear-jerking movie moment on his first day of school has finally met his Hollywood heroes — on the red carpet. Vinny Donnelly was just 4 when proud dad Sean Donnelly lined up his son’s favorite toys at the front door to see him off, a sweet nod to the emotional goodbye scene from Toy Story 3.
The adorable image, taken at the family’s home in Leicestershire, England, melted hearts worldwide when Vinny’s mom, Charlotte, shared it online six years ago. Fast forward to today and Vinny, now 10, is in the spotlight again. Disney Pixar tracked him down and invited him to be a guest of honor at last week’s London premiere of Toy Story 5, where he met Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, the legendary voices behind Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
“To be honest, we’d kind of forgotten about the photo because it was so long ago,” Sean, 38, told SWNS. “At the time it was bonkers, we were getting calls and messages from people all over the world. Suddenly a few weeks ago Disney got in contact out of the blue and invited Vinny to the premiere.” The new film hits theaters June 19.
The date the photo was taken adds a little extra weight to the story behind it: Vinny, like most kids in 2020, had been in lockdown for months. Not only was it his first-ever day at school, but it also represented his return to normalcy after being stuck at home for nearly half the year.
The image pays homage to the scene in the third film when Andy goes off to college, and Sean did his best to capture the gravitas of the moment. “I tried to make it look dark inside where the toys were and light outside where he was,” he told SWNS at the time. “I wanted it to look like his future was bright, that sort of thing.”
Back then, Vinny was “a massive Toy Story fan,” Sean added. And it turns out he hasn’t closed the toy box just yet: Vinny still has all the figurines from the movies in his bedroom, his dad shared.
The photo will likely always hold a special place in the family’s hearts — and continue to touch hearts online as well.
Sean said: “I think that story connected with the picture is one people can identify with too.”
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