A ten-year-old boy who went viral after his dad recreated a tear-jerking Toy Story moment on his first day of school has finally met his Hollywood movie heroes — on the red carpet.
Vinny Donnelly was just four when his proud dad Sean lined up his favorite toys at the front door to ‘wave him off’ in a sweet nod to the emotional goodbye scene from Toy Story 3.
The adorable snap, shared online back in 2020, melted hearts worldwide – with fans flocking to share the touching tribute.
Fast forward six years, and the viral moment has come full circle — after Disney Pixar tracked Vinny down and invited him to be the guest of honor at Thursday’s UK premiere of Toy Story 5.
Vinny, now ten, was stunned on the red carpet alongside dad Sean and mom Charlotte, where he met the legendary voices behind Woody and Buzz Lightyear, including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Joan Cusack.
Sean, 38, from Loughborough, Leics., said: “To be honest, we’d kind of forgotten about the photo because it was so long ago.
“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.
“I’ve never been to a premiere myself, but there’s a first time for everything.
“Vinny is ten now, but he still loves Toy Story and has all the toys from the movies in his bedroom.”
The dad-of-two, a lorry driver, said he recreated the famous farewell scene to mark Vinny’s big milestone – his first ever day at school.
He said, “We decided to recreate the moment in Toy Story 3 where Andy leaves his toys behind when we did the traditional back-to-school photo.
“I think that story connected with the picture is one people can identify with too.”
