Second only to maybe Marvel Studios and their wealth of comic references, cinema's Easter egg king is most certainly Pixar. The animators work on these films for years at a time and like to sneak in little jokes and references for fans to discover for years to come. People scour these films with a fine tooth comb looking for anything that throws back to Pixar film history, or makes references to upcoming films that just might hint at Pixar's next big hit. This list of Pixar Easter eggs has over 200 fun facts and little details you might not have noticed, from all Pixar films.
Pixar Animation Studios has done an incredible thing and not only consistently plugged their own films with sneaky little nods, but they've also invented recurring companies and items spread throughout their filmography. This both ties together all the Pixar movies, and cuts down on annoying and distracting product placement for real companies.
For example, either Dinoco or Buy n Large appear in nearly every Pixar film and Pizza Planet makes an appearance in literally every single Pixar film except The Incredibles. Not to mention the other Pixar inside jokes, like the crazy places they hid A113 (the classroom where most of the guys met in college), the Luxo ball (which was first featured in an early Pixar short), many Apple references (Steve Jobs co-founded Pixar, after all), and many other crossovers between the films in the Pixar universe.
We've decided to do a round up of ALL the Pixar Easter eggs and sort them into groups (by movie for the most part). As it stands there are over 200 Easter eggs here in 100 categories! There are even a couple references to Newt (a movie they never even finished making), Star Wars (owned by parent company Lucasfilm), and some Kubrick films as well. Enjoy the wonderful world of Pixar with these cleverly hidden Easter eggs!
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Miyazaki in Toy Story 3
Totoro, from Hayao Miyazaki‘s 1988 film My Neighbor Totoro makes an appearance in Bonnie's room.
The Original Pixar Logo in Toy Story
The original Pixar logo (an indented circle on a beveled box) can be seen on a bag lying on the ground in Toy Story and is again briefly seen on Andy's TV when Hamm is flipping through the channels.
Home Improvement Reference in Toy Story
Sid uses a Binford Tools toolbox to trap Woody in a crate, a reference to the company from Home Improvement, the show starring Tim Allen, who voiced Buzz.
The Lion King Musical Reference in A Bug's Life
A poster for Disney's The Lion King musical can be seen among other posters in Bug City.
Finding Nemo References in Monsters, Inc.
- Before Mike says "And he is... outta here!" as they're throwing Randall through the door, Nemo can be seen hanging on the wall.
- Boo gives Sulley a Nemo toy before he leaves her room. (As Monsters, Inc. was made before Finding Nemo this was a sneak peek.)
- On the wall behind the sushi chef at Harryhausen's, there is a clownfish.
Dumbo Reference in A Bug's Life
The wagons that transport P. T. Flea's Circus are empty cookie boxes with actual turning wheels. The brand of cookies was called "Casey Jr. Cookies," named after Casey Jr., the train that transported the circus in Dumbo.
Pizza Planet in Ratatouille
The Pizza Planet truck (from Toy Story) is briefly seen crossing the bridge over the Seine when Skinner is chasing Remy.
Pizza Planet in Wall-E
EVE scans the engine of a Pizza Planet truck for plant life shortly after her arrival on Earth, and shuts the hood afterwards.
You'll remember Pizza Planet as the fictional pizza place that appears in Toy Story. Some reference or to Pizza Planet or use of the Pizza Planet truck appears in every Pixar feature except The Incredibles.
The Incredibles References a Bunch of Classic Movies
- The scene in which Frozone is held at gunpoint by a nervous cop is a reference to a similar scene in Die Hard with a Vengeance which also features Samuel L Jackson. Even the officer's facial design is similar.
- Helen Parr uses the code name "India Gulf Niner Niner" (IG99) for the jet she flies to Syndrome's base, a reference to director Brad Bird's 1999 film, The Iron Giant.
- At Syndrome's base, Elastigirl looks at herself in a mirror and sighs when she sees her butt. This is a direct reference to Peter Pan, in which Tinker Bell looks at herself in a mirror at the Darlings' home and sighs when seeing hers.
2001: A Space Odyssey References in Wall-E
Auto's design is a reference to HAL 9000, which also featured a red "eye" in the center of his body. The music playing when the Captain gets up on his own two feet to defeat Auto is well known as the theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey.