Top 12 Easter Eggs in Pixar Films

Pixar movies are fun. Buttloads of fun. One of the reasons they are fun is because the people making them are having fun. This attitude is reflected in the number of sly in-jokes, sight gags and references that get snuck into every feature film the boys and girls at the greatest animation company of the modern era produce. Many of these are blink and you miss them references and you’re going to be pleasantly surprised by what you can find.

12. A113

Many of the world’s best animators honed their craft at SoCal. Those that did took a digital graphics and character animation class in room A113, including Brad Bird of John Lassater. To pay homage to this fact many animators will include ‘A113’ in their work – look for it in everything from Disney to The Simpsons.

11. John Ratzenberger

Ratzenberger, best known as Cliff the Mailman in Cheers, has become an institution over at PIxar. In every one of Pixar’s feature films he’s provided his voice talents. It’s such a tradition that they made a gag off it in Cars.

10. Every Story Revolves Around the Same Tree

Ok, not every story but it certainly plays a key setting in A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Up and Boundin.

9. The Luxo Constellation

The Luxo Lamp who starred in Pixar’s debut short film seems to taken on an almost mythical status in the Pixar university…

8. The Toy Cleaner in Toy Story 2 Plays a Mean Game of Chess

Many characters from Pixar’s shorts and features pop up for cameos in all of their films but it’s rarely more than a fleeting glimpse. One that makes a larger impression in Geri from the short film Geri’s Game when he arrives in Toy Story 2 to patch up Woody. He even brought his chess pieces with him.

7. The Toys in the Dentist’s Office

The toys from Toy Story turn up all over the place, as does the Luxo ball, such as in Boo’s room in Monsters Inc that features the ball, a Nemo doll and a Jessie Cowgirl. The best stash of items is seen in the dentist’s waiting room in Finding Nemo that features Luxo, Buzz Lightyear and ‘M is for Monster’ books among others.

6. Up Precedes Toy Story 3

Given the number of cross-over fictional companies and products that exist in the Pixar films one could assume that they all exist in the same fictional universe (which has some disturbing implications even when you don’t factor in Cars). This is further evidenced by this rather stealthy postcard visible in Andy’s room in Toy Story 3.

5. The Return of Bomb-Voyage

Fans of The Incredibles would no doubt wonder what happened the villain Bomb-Voyage after he escaped thanks to Buddy’s interference. According to Ratatouille he beat a hasty retreat back to Paris.

Don’t go thinking that he’s retired to a life of street mime, however. This newspaper headline suggests that he is continuing his life of crime!

4. The Apple Connection

It may seem a bit strange that Apple products make so many appearances in the Pixar films – until you find out that Steve Jobs (yes that Steve Jobs) who was the majority shareholder when Pixar formed it’s own company, giving them their start. Sometimes it’s just that the computers that appear on screen are Apple products, but sometimes it goes further.

3. The Luxo Ball

The original Pixar film, Luxo Jr, revolved around a lamp playing with his ball. It’s a good thing that they gave the ball such a unique looking design – as it makes it easy to spot in every subsequent film!

Usually it’s an easy find, as most of the films feature children and their toys at some point. Sometimes they get a bit more creative, such as in Red’s Dream.

2. The Pizza Planet Truck

No doubt you remember seeing the Pizza Planet truck playing a part in Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 as it transported the toys from one locale to another. What you may not remember is seeing it turn up in pretty much every other Pixar movie! Observe:

1. The Next Pixar Movie is Hidden in the Current Pixar Movie

This masterpieces take a long time to make. By the time we see a Pixar film in cinemas the next one is well underway and the most eagle-eyed viewers might pick up the clue as to what they can expect. The whole thing started in Monster’s Inc.

But then it became a habit:

If you’ve seen Brave you may be wondering where the reference to the next film is hidden. Here’s the screenshot that the character is hidden in, see if you can find it: