Pixar movies are highly detailed. Each one of their 27 films to date is full of small details throughout, some more subtle than others. There’s the classics, like the Pizza Planet truck and A113, but there’s also other easter eggs unique to each film. Some easter eggs reference other films, Pixar’s short films, or even one of Pixar’s films that hadn’t been released yet. So, let’s take a look at some of the most clever, well-hidden easter eggs and hidden secrets in Pixar movies. If you haven’t watched any of these films, mild spoilers ahead. Anyway, let’s get started.
#20: Nemo in Boo’s Bedroom, Monsters, Inc. (2001)
At the time of Monster’s Inc.’s release, their following film Finding Nemo hadn’t even been shown yet – but that clownfish still managed to sneak into the monster world. At the end of the film when Sully says goodbye to Boo, Boo hands him a bunch of her toys. She gives him a Jessie doll (from Pixar’s previous film, Toy Story 2), a Luxo Ball, and of course, a rubber clownfish. Two years later, fans would discover that this small toy actually hinted at what Pixar would deliver next.
#19: 4-Village, Luca (2021)
Here’s another unique example of Pixar referencing future projects – though this one is a bit more creative. Luca is set in a small town off the coast of the Italian Riviera; Pixar’s next film, Turning Red is set in Toronto, Canada – two very different places. In Turning Red, Mei Lee is a huge fan of a boy band called 4-Town. This kind of teen-pop is nothing like what people in Portorosso listen to, but Pixar still found a way to hint at Turning Red in the Italian town. In Giuila’s bedroom, there’s a record under her small table that reads 4-Village, matching better with Italy. However, it’s still in the same font and style as 4-Town from Pixar’s next release.
#18: Pizza Planet Carving, Brave (2012)
Brave has the least amount of easter eggs out of all of Pixar’s films – but that doesn’t mean Pixar skipped over their standards. When Merida first meets the witch, take a look at her table in a clip where she is carving something. A small carving of the famous pizza delivery truck can be seen on the table behind a couple of candles. It even has the rocket on top and everything.
#17: Sunnyside Playground, Inside Out (2015)
Inside Out is full of little details and references in its vibrant world through Riley’s mind. During the introduction, we see Joy holding a memory of a young Riley and her friend Meg sliding down a slide on a playground. However, there’s more to this playground than it may seem, as it’s actually the playground from another Pixar movie: Toy Story 3. The playground found outside of Sunnyside Daycare in Toy Story 3 matches perfectly with the one in this memory.
#16: The Hall of Everything, Soul (2020)
When Joe is trying to help 22 find her spark in Soul, they go into The Hall of Everything. When they first walk in, there are tons of neat details – including the standards. To the left right in front of the airplane is the famous Pizza Planet Truck. A sign on the right side near the ferris wheel reads A113. While there are a lot of other details that could or could not be direct references to other Pixar films, such as the blimp in the air resembling the Spirit of Adventure from Up, the standards are undoubtedly direct.
#15: Lotso Huggin’ Bear, Up (2009)
Another future-movie reference can be found in Up. The following Pixar film was Toy Story 3, and it slipped one of its new characters into Up. When Carl’s house begins to fly with his tons and tons of balloons, it passes by an apartment building where a little girl is playing with an airplane. If you take a look to the right of her bed, a familiar teddy bear is sitting against the wall and bed frame. It’s none other than Toy Story 3’s surprise villain, Lotso Huggin’ Bear.
#14: A113 Tickets, Turning Red (2022)
A113 can be found twice in Turning Red, with its second appearance being a bit more unique. During the film’s credits, many different props and animations are found to the side of the scrolling names. One of these props is a set of four 4-Town tickets. On these tickets, A113 can be found in the top left and top right corner.
#13: Thank Ya!, Coco (2017)
Another common Pixar secret until very recently has been including John Ratzenburger in each film voicing a character as a cameo. In Coco, he only says two words. When we first see Hector try to cross the bridge, a man before him is allowed since he is on his dentist ofrenda. When he thanks the security officer, listen closely to his voice. John Ratzenburger actually voiced this character, and all he says is “Thank ya!”
#12: Incredibles Comic, Finding Nemo (2003)
Here’s yet another future-film easter egg. In Finding Nemo, when Nigel has Marlin and Dory in his mouth, he flies into P. Sherman’s dentist office to try and find Nemo. During the commotion, a boy in the waiting room on the other side of the fish tank surprisingly watches the quarrel. Take a look at the book he is reading and you might recognize the superhero on the comic: Mr. Incredible. The Incredibles would release the following year, giving the backstory of the superhero on this comic.
#11: WALL-E Statue’s Arm, WALL-E (2008)
When WALL-E first meets EVE in WALL-E, he follows her around as she scans for life forms on Earth. After waking up from a sleep, she finds a ‘statue’ that WALL-E built resembling himself. If you take a look at the lamp used for the right arm, you might recognize it as a luxo lamp, like from Luxo Jr., Pixar’s first short film back in 1984, or more recognizably the lamp that jumps on the I in Pixar’s logo before each film. While the Luxo Ball from the short film is commonly seen in Pixar’s movies, the lamp itself isn’t seen quite as often, making this a unique easter egg.
#10: Bao, Turning Red (2022)
Pixar is known for referencing their other films in their movies, but not often do they reference their large library of short films. Turning Red does, in a clever and neat way. When Mei is running home early in the film, take a look at one of the signs behind her when she jumps off the bus. There’s a restaurant called Bao Restaurant, with its logo matching Pixar’s 2018 short film Bao, which was directed by Domee Shi, who also directed Turning Red.
#9: Skeleton Guitar, Toy Story 4 (2019)
Fans of the Toy Story franchise might have noticed something familiar in one of Toy Story 4’s original teaser trailers. In this teaser, Bunny and Ducky are trying to think of what Buzz Lightyear’s famous quote is. If you take a look at the prizes hanging behind them, the guitars on display match Hector Rivera’s guitar from Coco. In the actual film, you can easily see them when Buzz first meets Ducky and Bunny.
#8: Hank in the Water, The Good Dinosaur (2015)
Dinosaurs aren’t the only animals that can be found in The Good Dinosaur, as a future Pixar character sneaks into the film. Hank from Finding Dory is notable for his camouflage ability as a septopus, and he uses that camouflage in The Good Dinosaur. When Arlo falls into a small lake before Spot helps him, take a look at the bottom of the water and you’ll find Hank hidden with the ground.
#7: Wade Water, Lightyear (2022)
Elemental was filled with tons and tons of bright buildings, characters, and stories. But how could a world like that be references in Lightyear, where he and his team lives on a remote planet lightyears away from Earth? Well, when Mo goes to get sandwiches, look at what’s on the rack below in the vending machine. They are water bottles, but not just any water bottles. It’s called Wade Water, with a picture of Wade Ripple from Pixar’s next film Elemental on it.
#6: Pizza Planet Scooter, Luca (2021)
I guess Pizza Planet doesn’t use the same automobiles to deliver pizza in Italy. The famous Pizza Planet truck from Toy Story, notable for being a truck, takes a different form in Luca. During the race at the end of the film, the two bikes pass by a Pizza Planet – scooter. Yes, the Pizza Planet Truck in Luca is a scooter to match with the italian setting.
#5: Doug’s Shadow?, Ratatouille (2007)
Pixar is known for referencing their upcoming film in their movies, but not many reference not one but two of Pixar’s upcoming movies. Ratatouille references WALL-E with HAL the cockroach when Linguini opens the door to his apartment. However, Pixar’s following film, Up, is also referenced. When Remy is running through apartments, he runs past a wall where the shadow of a dog shows, making Remy continue running. If this dog looks familiar, it’s actually Dug from Up. Even though it released 2 years after Ratatouille, Dug was still able to bark into the film.
#4: Carl’s Cane, WALL-E (2008)
Even though a hint to Up was featured in Ratatouille, Pixar didn’t skip over their next film WALL-E, as it features an easter egg to Carl Fredickson’s venture to Paradise Falls as well. In WALL-E’s truck where he rests and keeps all of his Earth treasures, take a look next to the television where WALL-E watches Hello, Dolly. That’s Carl Fredickson’s crane from Up.
#3: Luigi, Finding Nemo (2004)
Alright, let’s do one more future movie easter egg. This is the only other easter egg referencing a future movie that isn’t the following movie. While we already mentioned that Finding Nemo has a reference to The Incredibles, the film also references Cars. When we see that the other fish in the fish tank finally escaped, take a look at the cars driving by as soon as the camera leaves the window. Luigi from Cars drives by. If you look close, you can even see his eyes instead of a windshield. Just by the way, Cars release 3 years after Finding Nemo, making this easter egg all the more interesting.
#2: Geri Fixes Woody, Toy Story 2 (1998)
One of the more interesting scenes from Toy Story 2 was when an old man is called by Al to fix up Woody after he discovered Woody’s arm was ripped. However, there’s more to this scene than it looks, specifically with that old man. If he looks familiar, that might be because this old man is Geri from Pixar’s 1997 short film Geri’s Game.
#1: Recognizable Names, Soul (2020)
In 22’s hideaway in Soul, Joe passes by a wall of stickers of all the names of 22’s many, many, mentors that have tried to help her over the years. Some of these names are more special than others, especially to Pixar. I won’t share all of them, but one of my favorites is Joe Ranft. Joe Ranft worked at Disney in 1987 before moving to work with John Lasseter on the Pixar projects in the early 90s. Ranft would become a recognizable man at the company, working on every movie until his untimely death in 2005. Seeing him mentioned in Soul is a special reference.
What’s your favorite Pixar easter egg? Let me know in the comments. *Stay tuned for a part two in the future!
Ryan’s Fortress Twitter/YouTube: @RyansFortress