Beginning withRed's Dream and its references to previousPixar short films, Pixar has included references in its films to other works produced by the studio.[1] These have includedcameo appearances, references to characters, objects, and titles of works. Additionally, sucheaster eggs or in-jokes can refer to Pixar staff, associates, or places or events from the company's past. Lastly, some things, such asA113, Pizza Planet, or actorJohn Ratzenberger have appeared in the majority of Pixar films, establishing a set of traditions that subsequent Pixar films try to include.
The following is alist of all documented self-referential nods contained within Pixar films and shorts that the various filmmakers have incorporated into their movies.
A113 is anEaster egg that has been inserted into several animated television shows and feature films[1][2] as a homage to a classroom atCalArts, thealma mater of former Pixar/Disney executiveJohn Lasseter anddirectorBrad Bird, among others. Bird was the first to use the A113 Easter egg,[3] on a car license plate in an animated segment entitledFamily Dog in a 1987 episode of the television seriesAmazing Stories.
A Bug's Life – A113 is the code on a cereal box as Flik enters the bug city.[6]
Monsters, Inc. – On the news broadcast on TV, the newscasters are shaped like "A" and "1", while the background says 13. Additionally, when Randall gets beaten up in the caravan, the stars in the sky can be connected to read A113.[7]
Finding Nemo – A113 is the model code on the camera used by a scuba diver.[8]
The Incredibles – A113 is the conference room number in Syndrome's lair, mentioned by Mirage.[9][10] Also, whenMr. Incredible is imprisoned, he is kept at level A1 in cell number 13.[11]
Cars – A113 is the number of the freight train that almost crashes intoLightning McQueen while he is first on his way to Radiator Springs.[12][13] It is alsoMater's license plate number in both the film and the related short film,Mater and the Ghostlight.[14]
Ratatouille – Git, the lab rat, has a tag on his left ear that reads "A113".[15]
WALL-E – A113 is the code for thedirective given to the Axiom's autopilot to never return to Earth.[16][17] This to date has been the largest involvement of the A113 Easter egg in the plot of a Pixar film.
Up – A113 is the number of the courtroom where Carl Fredricksen is called in.[18]
Cars 2 – A113 is the number on Siddeley's tail.[19] It remains the number on Mater's license plate, and it is part of the image number on the spy photo of Miles Axelrod's engine.
Brave – ACXIII (A113 inRoman numerals) is carved above the doorway of the witch's cottage.[10]
Inside Out – When Riley Andersen heads to her new school inSan Francisco, she is put in room A113. "A113" is also written in graffiti on a building in the scene where she is walking up a street going towards a bus and gets a call from her mother.[20]
The Good Dinosaur – A113 is formed from the sticks of the wooden fence of the cluckers' enclosure at Arlo's family's farm.[21]
Finding Dory – Seals Rudder and Fluke have "A1" and "13" tags on their tail fins. Also, near the end of the film a license plate on a truck reads "CALA113".[22]
Cars 3 – A113 is the number of Sterling's office space.[23] Also, one of Ms. Fritter's victims' licence plate reads "A01-13L".[7]
Coco – One of Ernesto de la Cruz records in Miguel's attic hideout has acatalog number A-113. A113 also appears on the door of the Bureau of Family Grievances in the Land of the Dead.[10]
Incredibles 2 – A113 is spray-painted on the dumpster behind which Frozone is hiding from the Underminer's attack. The model name of the runawaymaglev train thatElastigirl stops is MGLV-A113. Also, A113 is on the door of the editing room of Devtech, and it appears as the document code on the International Superhero Accord. Near the end of the film, Tony and Violet are going on a date at a movie theater showing a movie called "Dementia 113".[7][10]
Toy Story 4 – A vintage 1970s-style A113 sign appears in the antique store.[24]
Onward – A police officer calls Officer Bronco saying "we got a one-one-three in progress" on the radio.[7][10][25]
Soul – A113 appears on one of the street signs in the Hall of Everything.[10]
Luca – A113 is the number on Luca Paguro's train ticket toGenova.[10]
Turning Red – Meilin "Mei" Lee's dad uses a "Professional Model A113" line chalker at the Skydome. Also, during the end credits, A113 appears on the 4*TOWN concert tickets.[10][26]
Lightyear – A113 is seen outside the window of Alisha Hawthorne's office.[7]
Elemental – The "Now Approaching Element City" sign seen in the film'steaser trailer reads "A H Al" in the corner; theatomic numbers of hydrogen (H) and aluminum (Al) are 1 and 13, respectively.[27] During the film itself, A113 is seen as a room number at City Hall in the scene where Wade Ripple's bag accidentally catches fire when he hides Ember Lumen.[28]
Inside Out 2 – The secret vault that holds Bloofy, Lance and Deep Dark Secret is labeled ACXIII, which is A113 in Roman numerals.[29]
Described as "Pixar's good luck charm" by John Lasseter, actorJohn Ratzenberger played a role in every Pixar feature fromToy Story toOnward and subsequent sequels,[12][31][32][33] including a few not produced by Pixar.[a]
At the end ofCars, there is adrive-in theater that shows John Ratzenberger as some of the parts of the movies, which are car-versions ofToy (Car) Story,ABug's Life, andMonster (Trucks), Inc. Mack even notes that they keep using the same actor again.
Although Ratzenberger himself did not participate inSoul, a computer-animated version of the actor can be seen 1-hour-and-8-minutes into the film as a tribute, when Joe Gardner (Mr. Mittens) chases 22 (Joe) into the Subway station. He is wearing a white dress shirt and a red tie.[34][35]
Luxo Ball
Luxo Jr (lamp) next to a Luxo ball
A yellow ball with a blue stripe and a red star, which was first shown in the shortLuxo, Jr., has been shown in several Pixar feature films and shorts, most prominently in theToy Story franchise, as well as the print Pixar icon.[36]
The ball's design pattern appeared on the floor of the circus ring inRed's Dream.[37]
InToy Story 2, one Luxo Ball appears in a TV commercial for Al's Toy Barn.[6][38] Several Luxo Balls can also be seen when the toys are in the store itself: when entering, one can be easily seen to the left;[39] when leaving, a whole box of Luxo Balls can be seen to the left.[40]
A Luxo Ball appears in a trailer forToy Story andToy Story 2 double feature inDisney Digital 3-D.
In Boo's room inMonsters, Inc.; When Boo returns to her room, she gives Sulley the ball.[37][41]
On the floor of a neighbor child's room[43] and on one of Russell's merit badges inUp.[18]
In the teaser trailer forToy Story 3, Bullseye rolls on the Luxo Ball and it forms the fake logo for the film. In the film itself, the ball is seen as a design on a tile in Sunnyside Daycare. The ball itself is also used as a volleyball by Chunk and Jack-in-the-Box during the credits.[42]
InBrave, a wooden version of the Luxo Ball is seen inside the witch's cottage.[42]
InInside Out, the ball briefly appears during a flashback of young Riley playing hide and seek with Bing Bong.[42]
InThe Good Dinosaur, the Luxo Ball is seen flying past Arlo and Spot in an odd scene where their bodies are switched.[42]
InFinding Dory, the Luxo Ball is seen as a design on a truck's steering wheel.[42]
InCars 3, a Crazy 8 demolition derby car named Bill is painted in the ball's colors (red, yellow, and blue) and has balls on its wheels.[42]
InCoco, a Mexican wrestling mask has the colors of the ball and a red star on top.[42]
InIncredibles 2, the Luxo Ball is seen on a seal as a design on Jack-Jack's crib.[42]
InToy Story 4, when Buzz is stuck at the wall of prizes, plastic rockets that have the star and the blue stripe from the Luxo Ball on them can be seen hanging next to him.[44] The ball itself also appears in the antique shop.[45]
InOnward, the Luxo Ball is seen on a metal shield in the Manticore's Tavern.[42]
InSoul, a translucent version of the Luxo Ball can be seen to the left of the sink and the couch in 22's cardboard box home.[42]
InLuca, the ball is briefly seen on a tiled rooftop balcony of a building on the Italian Riviera during the bike race.[42]
InTurning Red, the ball is seen in the swimming pool at Tyler's party.[46]
InElemental, the ball can be seen as the "o" in the "Popcorn" logo on the red and white container of popcorn that Wade holds.[42]
InInside Out 2, the ball is seen in the parade of future careers inside Riley's mind.[47]
In "Coach's Kid", the ball is seen by a swing set in the same shot as the Pizza Planet truck during Laurie's run to the softball field to train.[citation needed]
In "Pickle", a miniature version of the ball is seen at the daycare, which Vanessa uses to prevent Zane from biting. The ball is also seen at the party.[citation needed]
Pizza Planet is a fictionalpizza restaurant that appears inToy Story.[48] In the film, it is a large,sci-fi-themed restaurant with arcade games including robot guards at the entrance. The company runs a fleet of derelictToyota Hilux pickup trucks (as evidenced by the inscription on the tailgate; it is a Toyota inscription with the first and last two letters, "TO" and "TA", worn off so it simply appears as "YO") with a rocket on the roof featuring the restaurant's logo, as seen inToy Story,Toy Story 2, andToy Story 3 (though inToy Story 2, the truck model is called a "Gyoza" as seen on the owner's manual). There is a Pizza Planet reference in every Pixar feature film[49] to date except for the 2004 filmThe Incredibles.Lee Unkrich confirmed that there is no Pizza Planet truck anywhere inThe Incredibles.[37][50] Director Brad Bird said that he was too busy making the film to tell the animation team to insert the truck.[51]
InToy Story,Woody sees the truck at the gas station and tells Buzz it is a spaceship with hyper-active hyperdrive which they head on it to the restaurant itself.[52]
InA Bug's Life, the truck appears in the scene where one insect warns another not to touch a motor home'sbug zapper.[37][52] A Pizza Planet cup also appears in the Bug City.[6]
InToy Story 2,Mr. Potato Head sees the Pizza Planet truck parked outside Al McWhiggin's apartment building, which he, Rex, Hamm, Slinky Dog, and Buzz drive to the airport to save Woody.[52]
InMonsters, Inc., when aredneck mother is beating Randall with a shovel, the truck is on the far left side of the screen, next to the same motor home that appeared inA Bug's Life.[37][53][54][52]
InFinding Nemo, while Gill is explaining his plan to escape from the dentist office, a yellow Pizza Planet truck drives by.[37][55][52]
InCars, there is an anthropomorphic Pizza Planet truck named Todd at the stadium for the final race. There also exists a diecast car of it.[37][56][52]
InRatatouille, the Pizza Planet truck is briefly seen crossing the bridge over theSeine when Skinner is chasing Remy.[12][37][57][52]
InWALL-E, EVE scans the engine of a Pizza Planet truck for plant life shortly after her arrival on Earth, and shuts the hood afterwards.[58][59][52]
InUp, the Pizza Planet truck is seen on the street as Carl's house floats by, although the truck has more of a delivery van appearance than the actual truck in other films. An actual Pizza Planet truck can be seen in a parking lot when Carl has a fantasy of leaving Russell. At the end, when Carl takes Russell and Dug for ice cream, the real Pizza Planet truck can be seen parked.[18][52]
InToy Story 3, the Pizza Planet truck is the vehicle that Lots-o-Huggin' Bear, Big Baby, and Chuckles ride on to get around Sunnyside Daycare.[52] Pizza Planet is also seen as a calendar sponsor.[60]
InCars 2, Todd the Pizza Planet truck is seen two times. He is first seen on the TV behind the bar. He is next seen at the Radiator Springs Grand Prix. He also appears in the background of a triptych poster of the film, in front of Buckingham Palace.[52]
InBrave, the Pizza Planet truck appears as a wood carving in the witch's cottage.[61][52]John Lasseter commented in an interview that although the story ofBrave takes place in the past, they found a way to put the Pizza Planet truck in the story.[62][63][52]
InMonsters University, the Pizza Planet truck is seen parked outside the Jaws Theta Chi house party.[52]
InInside Out, the Pizza Planet truck is seen inside two memory orbs outside of headquarters in Riley's mind. The first is seen whenJoy is chasing Bing Bong. The second is seen when Joy, Sadness and Bing Bong are on the train of thought.[52]
InThe Good Dinosaur, an asteroid in the shape of the Pizza Planet truck can be seen in the asteroid belt. DirectorPeter Sohn indicated that the truck makes a second appearance in the film,[64] which appears to be the shape made of two rocks in the rock structure.[52]
InFinding Dory,Dory, Nemo, and Marlin swim past a truck resembling Pizza Planet's at the bottom of the ocean before encountering a giant squid.[52]
InCars 3, Todd the Pizza Planet truck can be briefly seen participating in the Crazy 8 demolition derby.[52][65]
InCoco, the Pizza Planet truck is seen in the montage of Miguel's grandmother Abuelita expressing her ban of music. It drives by Miguel's house playing music which Miguel listens to, at which point Abuelita closes the window to prevent him from listening further.[52]
InIncredibles 2, the truck is seen in an empty alleyway whenElastigirl ends her fight with a fake Screenslaver (the pizza delivery man).[52]
InToy Story 4, the truck appears as a tattoo on Axel the Carnie's leg.[52][66]
InOnward, the Pizza Planet truck is seen near a toll booth, among a few other appearances. In fitting with the fantasy theme, the rocket now reads "Pizza Realm".[52][67]
InSoul, the truck is seen in the Hall of Everything when Joe and 22 first enter.[52][68]
InLuca, the Pizza Planet truck has been modified to be a delivery scooter, along with the other scooters that reside in Portorosso.[52][69]
InTurning Red, the Pizza Planet truck is seen on the street as Mei heads towards the 4*TOWN concert.[52][70]
InLightyear, the truck can be seen on T'Kani Prime as Buzz and Sox leave to attempt a new hyperspace test.[52][71]
InElemental, a wooden truck called a "Treeyota", which resembles Pizza Planet's, appears in the scene where Ember makes deliveries. Also, a Pizza Planet delivery boat appears in the scene where Cinder follows Ember to Wade's family apartment.[72]
InInside Out 2, a miniature origami version of the Pizza Planet truck can be seen on a table next to Joy's bed.[73]
In "Coach's Kid", the truck appears at the start of Laurie's run toward the softball field to train.[citation needed]
In "Raspberry", the truck appears when Vanessa drives Rochelle home from the game, as well as in the parking lot of the middle school. Pizza Planet boxes are seen at the party.[citation needed]
In "Pickle", the truck appears in the parking lot in the scene where Vanessa talks to Rochelle after the game.[citation needed]
In "Steal", Pizza Planet boxes appear at the party.[citation needed]
The truck appears in the background of "Mixed Signals" in the scene where Yuwen speaks with Kai. (The scene from "Steal" from a different perspective.)[citation needed]
In "I Got It", a toy version of the truck appears in Kai's bedroom.[citation needed]
In "Home", the truck appears at the gas station.[citation needed]
InElio, the Pizza Planet truck can be briefly seen parked outside Gunther Melmac's house.[30]
Companies
To avoid overtproduct placement in Pixar films, a series offictional companies are used as placeholders. Some appear only in one franchise (such as fictionalNASCAR sponsors inCars) but others serve as recurring themes.
Buy-n-Large (BnL)
Buy-n-Large is a fictionalmegacorporation that first appeared inWALL-E as the entity which controlled all economic and government services on the future Earth.
The Buy-n-Large logo is featured in one of the stickers.[77]
Dinoco
Dinoco logo as it appeared inToy Story (1995)
Dinoco is a fictionaloilcompany that first appeared inToy Story as a small gas station. It plays a central role as a key race car sponsor in theCars franchise, and made a small cameo inWALL-E.[48] The company's logo is a dinosaur, but with aBrontosaurus inToy Story and aTyrannosaurus inCars (a reference toSinclair Oil, which uses a similar dinosaur logo; the name, however, is similar toSunoco, the current oil and gasoline sponsor of NASCAR).
The company's branding uses a pale blue shade referred to as "Dinoco blue", originally created forRichard Petty's racecar. "The King", a veteran racer on the verge of retirement, is portrayed with Dinoco branding as #43, aPlymouth Superbird. Dinoco is the most lucrativesponsor in thePiston Cup, a parody of NASCAR's Grand National driver's trophy series, which was originally calledWinston Cup[79] lending its name to the "Dinoco 400" race at the"Motor Speedway of the South", an enlarged Bristol Speedway. Its ownerTex is a loyal, longtime sponsor of "The King".[37] This corporate sponsorship is the primary trophy for which the race cars inCars contend. The Dinoco brand is prominently featured in a lot ofCars-related merchandise.[80]
Bonnie's parents stop at a Dinoco gas station to fill up their RV.[44]
Eggman Movers
Eggman Movers, also known asEggman Moving, is a fictionalmoving company that has an anthropomorphic egg with a hat as a mascot and appears mostly throughout theToy Story franchise. The company's name is a reference to Pixar production designerRalph Eggleston.[45]
An Eggman Movers moving truck is heavily featured in the climax of the film, as Andy's family moves from their old house to their new one.[citation needed]
In one of the bloopers that play during the end credits, Flik, as he is about to take flight, quotes Buzz Lightyear's catchphrase "To Infinity and Beyond", instead of "For the colony, and for oppressed ants everywhere!".[citation needed]
One of the additional bloopers features Woody as a crewman, running theclapperboard,[37] appearing after Dr. Flora accidentally pronounced Atta as "PrincessAbba", and she, with Mr. Soil, jokes of it after.
Andy's cloud wallpaper is shown while Randall is practicing his scares.[6]
When Boo returns home at the end, aJessie doll is seen on her table.[37] She then hands Sulley the doll.[41]
A larger version of a clown toy from Andy's Room appears at the laugh floor at the end near the laugh canisters.[6]
During a blooper, while Mike and Sulley are walking to work, they wait at a crosswalk next to Ted's leg, who roars and stomps his feet. The camera zooms out to reveal that the leg belongs to Rex, who then asks anxiously how it went, if he can do it again and promises to be taller. In the actual film, Ted makes chicken sounds.[83]
When Nemo is frantically looking for a way to escape the fish tank in the dentist's office, a Buzz Lightyear action figure can be seen lying next to the toy box in the waiting room.[84]
The tires of all the Piston Cup racers (including Lightning McQueen) are Lightyear Buzzard tires, a reference to Buzz Lightyear andGoodyearEagle tires.[85]
The drive-in theater showsToy Car Story, featuring stylized car versions of characters Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Hamm.[86]
The calendar in Andy's room shows a still image of ants carrying food and walking across a blade of grass.[6][88]
When Mrs. Potato Head is waiting for her earring, she's reading a storybook retelling the events ofA Bug's Life.[6][89]
Heimlich can be seen as a small caterpillar, crawling on a branch just before Buzz cuts through.[37][90] In the bloopers reel seen in some cuts of the film, this is expanded upon in a small scene where Heimlich and Flik discuss a potential sequel toA Bug's Life on the branch before getting knocked off by Buzz.[91]
Some of the characters are seen as toys after the "NEW" banner at Al's Toy Barn is seen.[6][92]
The tree on top of the hill during the "When She Loved Me" sequence is the same tree that tops Ant Island.[6]
The drive-in theater showsMonster Trucks, Inc., featuring stylized car versions of characters Sulley, Mike, and the Abominable Snowman (here known as the Abominable Snowplow).[98]
On the wall behind the sushi chef at Harryhausen's, there is a clownfish.[6]
Before Mike says "And he is....outta here!" as Sulley is throwing Randall through a door to the motor home fromA Bug's Life, Nemo can be seen hanging on the wall.[100]
Boo gives Sulley a Nemo toy before he leaves her room. (AsMonsters, Inc. was made beforeFinding Nemo this was a sneak peek.)[37][41]
A Frozone bobblehead is seen in WALL-E's truck.[109] In some BnL advertisements, including those in the special editionDVD, there is a family who resembles the Parr family.
When the Incredibles and Frozone fight against the Omnidroid, a non-anthropomorphic DocHudson can be seen parked in the background. It actually survived being crushed or broken from the fight.[113]
In theWestern action sequence at the beginning of the film, the runaway train has the engine number 95, a reference to Lightning McQueen and the year the originalToy Story came out.[5]
A Lightning McQueen-styled wooden car appears in the Daycare.[5]
"ReVolting" batteries are seen on a table where some of the toys are playing cards. (ReVolting was the sponsor for Car #84.)[105]
When Buzz shakes hands with Sparks, a tractor toy similar to the "cows" rolls past them.[105]
The calendar in Andy's room which used to show an image fromA Bug's Life now has a picture of a non-anthropomorphic Snot Rod fromCars. Both calendars, years apart, are turned to the month of August.[60]
Finn McMissile is seen on a poster in Andy's room.[95]
A firetruck that resembles Red is seen at Sunnyside Daycare.[60]
A child at Sunnyside Daycare wears a shirt with a 95 emblazoned with a lightning bolt, a reference to Lightning McQueen.[95]
Ratatouille
These films contain references to the filmRatatouille:
During "Married Life", when Carl is at the Travel Agency, the brochure on the desk features a picture of "Sunny Miami," which includes the girl in the bikini from this short.[18]
The birds are seen sitting on a powerline during the musical segment as Mack and Lightning drive across the country. They chirp as the camera pans by them.[37][130]
Al hires a man resembling Geri to restore Woody (credited as 'The Cleaner'). As a further reference to the character, chess pieces are seen in the middle drawer of his toolbox.[6][37]
Boundin'
These Pixar films contain the following references toBoundin':
AUTO is voiced by theMacinTalk voice synthesis software on classic Mac OS.[136]
EVE was designed in consultation withJonathan Ive, at the time a major industrial designer for Apple, who was instrumental in the designs of theiMac,iPhone and iPod, among other devices.[137]
Two cars in the races are sponsored by Apple, as shown on their livery.
In a scene where Lightning McQueen calls Mater, Mater's device has the ringtone thatFaceTime uses by devices runningIOS 4-10. The said device also saysiPad in the top left corner & FaceTime under McQueen's name, the monitor McQueen uses resembles later modeliMacs. When Mater answers, the sound used is the same one when answering a FaceTime call.[144]
Cruz's portable treadmill makes the Macintosh startup sound when turned on.[145]
The scene where Anxiety instructs the workers in Imagination Land using a large screen, and the subsequent destruction of said screen by one of the workers throwing a chair, is a direct parody of Apple's1984 Macintosh commercial.[147]
In the antique store appears aPapa Rivera's Pure Pork Lard sign, which is a nod toToy Story 4 producerJonas Rivera, as well as a sign forCatmull’s Cream Soda, which is a homage to Pixar co-founderEdwin Catmull.[24]
The radio that Elio tries to use to contact the aliens is called a "Domad", a reference to the film's finishing lead directorsMadeline Sharafian andDomee Shi.[30]
Other
These Pixar films contain the following references to an assortment of other things.
Totoro, from Hayao Miyazaki's 1988 filmMy Neighbor Totoro makes an appearance in Bonnie's room.[95]
The number in Trixie's screen name (Velocistar237) is a reference toThe Shining. The number 237 also appears on the license plate of the garbage truck.[95]
The scene where Woody gets sucked into the cellar is a reference to a similar scene inThe Evil Dead.[95]
One of Buzz Lightyear's recorded sayings is "Open the pod bay doors!", a reference toStanley Kubrick's2001: A Space Odyssey, where the same line can be heard.[45]
At the end of the film, when Duke Caboom jumps in front of a bright full moon, this is a homage to a famous similar shot inE.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.[45]
When Woody pretends to be a phone in the antiques store, his pose - holding the receiver of an old touchtone phone - resembles the classicMickey Mouse phone that was ubiquitous in many homes in the 1970s and 1980s.[45]
Duke Caboom is strongly inspired by real-life motorcycle stuntmanEvel Knievel. His motorcycle is a reference to a toy motorcycle based on Evel Knievel, which, according to the commercials promoting it, was able to do some amazing stunts which it actually couldn't, very similar to Caboom and his motorcycle in the film.[45]
One of the candy bars in the gas station's counter is called "Park Avenue", a reference to the studio's address (1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, California).[152]
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