Beginning with Red's Dream and its references to previous Pixar short films, Pixar has included references in its films to other works produced by the studio.[1] These have included cameo appearances, references to characters, objects, and titles of works. Additionally, such easter eggs or in-jokes can refer to Pixar staff, associates, or places or events from the company's past. Lastly, some things, such as A113, Pizza Planet, or actor John Ratzenberger have appeared in the majority of Pixar films, establishing a set of traditions that subsequent Pixar films try to include.
The following is a list of all documented self-referential nods contained within Pixar films and shorts that the various filmmakers have incorporated into their movies.
A113 is an Easter egg that has been inserted into several animated television shows and feature films[1][2] as a homage to a classroom at CalArts, the alma mater of Pixar/Disney executive John Lasseter and directorBrad Bird, among others. Bird was the first to use the A113 Easter egg,[3] on a car license plate in an animated segment entitled Family Dog in a 1987 episode of the television series Amazing Stories.
A Bug's Life – Code on a cereal box as Flik enters the bug city.[6]
Monsters, Inc. – On the news broadcast on TV, the newcasters 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 – Model code on the camera used by a scuba diver.[8]
The Incredibles – Conference room number in Syndrome's lair, mentioned by Mirage.[9][10] Also, when Mr. Incredible is imprisoned, he is kept at level A1 in cell number 13.[11]
Ratatouille – Git, the lab rat, has a tag on his left ear that reads "A113".[15] Also, when Linguini falls asleep to the old movie on TV, A113 is seen on the screen, on the train car behind the loving couple.[16]
WALL-E – Code for the directive given to the Axiom's autopilot to never return to Earth.[17][18] This to date has been the largest involvement of the A113 Easter egg in the plot of a Pixar film.
Up – The number of the courtroom where Carl is called in.[19]
Cars 2 – The number on Siddeley's tail.[20] 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 in Roman numerals) is carved above the doorway of the witch's cottage.[10]
Inside Out – When Riley Anderson is walking up a street in San Francisco going towards the bus, she stops to see who is calling her. In the background, "A113" is written in graffiti on a building. When Riley heads to her new school in San Francisco, she is put in room A113.[21]
The Good Dinosaur – A113 is formed from the sticks of the wooden fence of the cluckers' enclosure at Arlo's family's farm.[22]
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".[23]
Cars 3 – The number of Sterling's office space.[24] 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 a catalog 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 runaway maglev train that Elastigirl 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.[25]
Onward – A police officer calls Officer Bronco saying "we got a one-one-three in progress" on the radio.[7][10][26]
Soul – A113 appears on one of the street signs in the Hall of Everything.[10]
Turning Red – Mei'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][27]
Elemental – The "Now Approaching Element City" sign seen in the film's teaser trailer reads "A H Al" in the corner; the atomic numbers of hydrogen (H) and aluminum (Al) are 1 and 13, respectively.[28] During the film itself, A113 is seen as a room number at City Hall in the scene where Wade's bag accidentally catches fire when he hides Ember.[29]
Inside Out 2 – The secret vault that holds Bloofy, Lance and Deep Dark Secret is labeled ACXIII, which is A113 in Roman numerals.[30]
John Ratzenberger
Described as "Pixar's good luck charm" by John Lasseter, actor John Ratzenberger played a role in every Pixar feature from Toy Story to Onward,[12][31] including a few not produced by Pixar.[a]Soul is the first film where John Ratzenberger uses his likeness instead of a voice role,[32] while he is not present at all in Luca,[33]Turning Red, Lightyear, or Elemental.
At the end of Cars, there is a drive-in theater that shows John Ratzenberger as some of the parts of the movies, which are car-versions of Toy (Car) Story, A Bug's Life, and Monster (Trucks), Inc. Mack even notes that they keep using the same actor again.
Soul – Although not a voice role, a computer-animated version of the actor can be seen 1-hour-and-8-minutes into the film when Joe Gardner (Mr. Mittens) chases 22 (Joe) into the Subway station. He's wearing a white dress shirt and a red tie.[32]
Luxo Ball
A yellow ball with a blue stripe and a red star, which was first shown in the short Luxo, Jr., has been shown in several Pixar feature films and shorts, most prominently in the Toy Story franchise, as well as the print Pixar icon.[34]
In Toy Story 2, one Luxo Ball appears in a TV commercial for Al's Toy Barn.[6][36] Several Luxo Balls can also be seen when the toys are in the aforementioned store itself: when entering, one can be easily seen to the left;[37] when leaving, a whole container of Luxo Balls can be seen to the left.[38]
A Luxo Ball appears in a trailer for Toy Story and Toy Story 2 double feature in Disney Digital 3-D.
In Boo's room in Monsters, Inc.; When Boo returns to her room, she gives Sulley the ball.[35][39]
On the floor of a neighbor child's room[40] and on one of Russell's merit badges in Up.[19]
In Inside Out, the ball briefly appears during a flashback of young Riley playing hide and seek with Bing Bong.[41]
In Toy Story 4, when Buzz is stuck at the wall of prizes, plastic rockets that have the star logo from the Luxo Ball on them can be seen hanging next to him.[42] The ball itself also appears in the antique shop.[43]
In Turning Red, the ball is seen in the swimming pool at Tyler's party.[44]
In Inside Out 2, the ball is seen in the parade of future careers inside Riley's mind.[45]
Pizza Planet
Pizza Planet is a fictional pizza restaurant that appears in Toy Story.[46] 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 derelict Toyota 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 in Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and Toy Story 3 (though in Toy 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[47] to date except for the 2004 film The Incredibles. Lee Unkrich has confirmed that there is no Pizza Planet truck anywhere in The Incredibles.[35][48] Director Brad Bird said that he was too busy making the film to tell the animation team to insert the truck.[49]
In Toy 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.[50]
In A Bug's Life, the truck appears in the scene where one insect warns another not to touch a motor home's bug zapper.[35] A Pizza Planet cup also appears in the Bug City.[6]
In Toy Story 2, the truck is seen parked outside Al's apartment building, and the toys drive it to save Woody.[50]
In Monsters, Inc., when a redneck mother is beating Randall with a shovel, the truck is on the far left side of the screen. This is the same motor home that appeared in A Bug's Life.[35][51][52]
In Finding Nemo, while Gill is explaining his plan to escape from the dentist office, a yellow Pizza Planet truck drives by.[35][53]
In Cars, there is an anthropomorphic Pizza Planet truck named Todd at the stadium for the final race. There also exists a diecast car of it.[35][54]
In Ratatouille, the Pizza Planet truck is briefly seen crossing the bridge over the Seine when Skinner is chasing Remy.[12][35][55]
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.[56][57]
In Up, 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.[19]
In Toy 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. Pizza Planet is also seen as a calendar sponsor.[58]
In Cars 2, Todd the Pizza Planet truck is attending to the Radiator Springs Grand Prix. He also appears in the background of a triptych poster of the movie, in front of Buckingham Palace.[50]
In Brave, the Pizza Planet truck appears as a wood carving in the witch's cottage.[59]John Lasseter commented in an interview that although the story of Brave takes place in the past, they found a way to put the Pizza Planet truck in the story.[60][61]
In Monsters University, the Pizza Planet truck is seen parked outside the Jaws Theta Chi house party.[50]
In Inside Out, the Pizza Planet truck is seen inside a memory orb outside of headquarters in Riley's mind.[50]
In The Good Dinosaur, an asteroid in the shape of the Pizza Planet truck can be seen in the asteroid belt. Director Peter Sohn has indicated that the truck makes a second appearance in the film,[62] which appears to be the shape in a rock structure.[50]
In Finding Dory, Dory, Nemo, and Marlin swim past a truck resembling Pizza Planet's at the bottom of the ocean before encountering a giant squid.[50]
In Cars 3, Todd the Pizza Planet truck can be briefly seen participating in the Crazy 8 demolition derby.[50]
In Coco, 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.[50]
In Incredibles 2, the truck is seen when Elastigirl ends her first fight with the Screenslaver in an empty alleyway.[50]
In Toy Story 4, the truck appears as a tattoo on Axel the Carnie's leg.[50]
In Onward, 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".[63]
In Soul, the truck is seen to the left in the Hall of Everything when Joe and 22 first enter.[50]
In Luca, the Pizza Planet truck has been modified to be a delivery scooter, along with the other scooters that reside in Portorosso.[64]
In Turning Red, the Pizza Planet truck is seen on the street as Meilin "Mei" Lee heads towards the 4*TOWN concert.[65]
In Lightyear, a truck resembling Pizza Planet's can be seen as Buzz and Sox leave to attempt a new hyperspace test.[66]
Companies
To avoid overt product placement in Pixar films, a series of fictional companies are used as placeholders. Some appear only in one franchise (such as fictional NASCAR sponsors in Cars) but others serve as recurring themes.
Buy-n-Large (BnL)
Buy-n-Large is a fictional megacorporation that first appeared in WALL-E as the entity which controlled all economic and government services on the future Earth.
WALL-E
Buy-n-Large logos are seen throughout the movie and the company president appears in a message to the captain of the Axiom.[67]
Toy Story 3
Buzz Lightyear's batteries are "BnL Alkaline".[68]
Cars 3
One of the race tracks on which Jackson Storm is shown having a winning streak is called "BnL Raceway".[69]
Soul
The Buy-n-Large logo is featured in one of the stickers.[70]
Dinoco
Dinoco is a fictional oilcompany that first appeared in Toy Story as a small gas station. It plays a central role as a key race car sponsor in Cars, and made a small cameo in WALL-E.[46] The company's logo is a dinosaur, but with a Brontosaurus in Toy Story and a Tyrannosaurus in Cars (a reference to Sinclair Oil, which uses a similar dinosaur logo. The name, however, is similar to Sunoco, the current oil and gasoline sponsor of NASCAR).
Toy Story
Andy's Mom goes to the gas station to fuel and it's where Woody and Buzz fight and were left behind.[71]
Cars
The company's branding uses a pale blue shade referred to as "Dinoco blue", originally created for Richard Petty's racecar. "The King" is portrayed with Dinoco branding as #43, a Plymouth Superbird. Dinoco is the most lucrative sponsor in the Piston Cup, a parody of NASCAR's Grand National driver's trophy series, which was originally called Winston Cup[72] lending its name to the "Dinoco 400" race at the "Motor Speedway of the South", an enlarged Bristol Speedway. Its owner Tex is a loyal, longtime sponsor of The King #43, a veteran racer on the verge of retirement.[35] This corporate sponsorship is the primary trophy for which the race cars in Cars contend. The Dinoco brand features prominently in much Cars-related merchandise.[73]
Eggman Movers is a fictional moving company that has an anthropomorphic egg with a hat as a mascot and appears mostly throughout the Toy Story franchise. The company's name is a reference to Pixar production designer Ralph Eggleston.[43]
Toy Story
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]
Toy Story 4
An old advertising sign for Eggman Movers appears at the antique store.[43]
Poultry Palace
Poultry Palace is a fictional chicken-based fast-food chain that first appears in the Toy Story short Small Fry.
Toy Story 4
During their road trip, Bonnie and her parents can briefly be seen eating at a Poultry Palace location.[citation needed]
At the antiques store, an old Poultry Palace sign can be seen.[25]
Onward
A Poultry Palace cup can be seen on the gas station's counter.[75]
Lightyear
Poultry Palace-branded cookies can be seen in the vending machine at the mining facility.[citation needed]
Movies
Toy Story franchise
These Pixar films contain the following references to the Toy Story films, shorts, and television specials:
A Bug's Life
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 the clapperboard,[35] appearing after Dr. Flora accidentally pronounced Atta as "Princess Abba", and she, with Mr. Soil, jokes of it after.
Monsters, Inc.
Andy's cloud wallpaper is shown while Randall is practicing his scares.[6]
When Boo returns home at the end, a Jessie doll is seen on her table.[35] She then hands Sulley the doll.[39]
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.[76]
Finding Nemo
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.[77]
Cars
The tires of all the Piston Cup racers (including Lightning McQueen) are Lightyear Buzzard tires, a reference to Buzz Lightyear and GoodyearEagle tires.[78]
Hamm can be seen in WALL-E's house when EVE visits.[56]
The orange traffic cones from Toy Story 2 can be seen in garbage piles and WALL-E's room.[56]
Up
The grape soda brand for the bottle cap that Ellie gives to Carl is the same as seen in the Buzz Lightyear commercial in Toy Story.[19]
Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear can be seen as the balloons pass a child's room.[19]
A Bug's Life
These Pixar films and shorts contain the following references to A Bug's Life:
Toy Story 2
The calendar in Andy's room shows a still image of ants carrying food and walking across a blade of grass.[6][80]
When Mrs. Potato Head is waiting for her earring, she's reading a storybook retelling the events of A Bug's Life.[6][81]
Heimlich can be seen as a small caterpillar, crawling on a branch just before Buzz cuts through.[35][82] 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 to A Bug's Life on the branch before getting knocked off by Buzz.[83]
Some of the characters are seen as toys after the "NEW" banner at Al's Toy Barn is seen.[6][84]
The tree on top of the hill during the "When She Loved Me" sequence is the same tree that tops Ant Island.[6]
Monsters, Inc.
The place Randall gets banished to is the old trailer with the deadly bug light and the Pizza Planet truck.[35]
Cars
The drive-in movie shows A Bug's Life, featuring stylized car versions of characters Flik, the circus bugs and P.T. Flea.[85]
Your Friend the Rat
P.T. Flea appears when the rats are talking about fleas causing the Black Death.[86]
Toy Story 3
When Woody climbs into the ceiling at Sunnyside, letters spelling ATTA, the name of the Princess are seen.[87]
A toy version of Flik can be seen jumping away as the line of children are about to come back in from recess.[87]
Toy Story 4
At the Second Chance Antiques store, the Casey Jr. cookie box as well as a "P.J.'s Pop" sign can be seen as store items.[42][43]
The fish mobile found in the dentist's office is the same one featured in Boo's room.[88]
Mike Wazowski can be seen swimming in scuba gear during the credits.[89]
Cars
The drive-in movie shows Monster Trucks, Inc., featuring stylized car versions of characters Sulley, Mike, and the Abominable Snowman (here known as the Abominable Snowplow).[90]
WALL-E
One of the many garbage cubes in the movie is the garbage cube Sulley had thought Boo was in. Also, a Mike Wazowski antenna ball is seen.[91]
Toy Story 3
A girl in the Butterfly Room at Sunnyside looks like a slightly older Boo.[58]
Toy versions of Boo and Mike Wazowski are seen in Sunnyside Daycare.[87]
A Frozone bobblehead is seen in WALL-E's truck.[101] In some BnL advertisements, including those in the special edition DVD, there is a family who resembles the Parr family.
Cars 2
The marquee at the Radiator Springs Drive-In Theater reads "The Incredimobiles".[102]
Cars franchise
These films and shorts contain references to Cars, Cars 2 or Cars 3:
Finding Nemo
A yellow Fiat 500 similar to Luigi can be seen driving across the street.[103]
When the Incredibles and Frozone fight against the Omnidroid, a non-anthropomorphic Doc Hudson can be seen parked in the background. It actually survived being crushed or broken from the fight.[105]
In the Western 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 original Toy 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.)[97]
When Buzz shakes hands with Sparks, a tractor toy similar to the "cows" rolls past them.[97]
The calendar in Andy's room which used to show an image from A Bug's Life now has a picture of a non-anthropomorphic Snot Rod from Cars. Both calendars, years apart, are turned to the month of August.[58]
Finn McMissile is seen on a poster in Andy's room.[87]
A firetruck that resembles Red is seen at Sunnyside Daycare.[58]
A child at Sunnyside Daycare wears a shirt with a 95 emblazoned with a lightning bolt, a reference to Lightning McQueen.[87]
Ratatouille
These films contain references to the film Ratatouille:
WALL-E
Skinner's scooter can be seen in the junkyard.[56][107]
Cars 2
In Paris, a car version of Gusteau's Restaurant is seen as "Gastow's" in the background.[102]
WALL-E
These films contain references to the film WALL-E:
Your Friend the Rat
WALL-E can be seen driving a bus-like ship on a future human-colonized Mars.[35][108]
Knick Knack is the title of a book on Andy's bookshelf.[35]
Toy Story 2
Scenes from the short film can be seen on Andy's TV when Hamm is quickly flipping through the channels.[6]
Up
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.[19]
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.[35][121]
Inside Out
The birds are seen sitting on a powerline in a scene where Riley and her family are driving to San Francisco.[122]
Geri's Game
These Pixar films contain the following references to Geri's Game:
Toy Story 2
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][35]
Boundin'
These Pixar films contain the following references to Boundin':
Cars
During the opening race, just before a fan trailer whistles, a picture of the Jackalope is seen at the back of a van.[123]
Apple
These Pixar films contain the following references to Apple Inc.
Monsters, Inc.
The magazine at the end of the film has the caption "Scare Different.", a parody of Apple's slogan, "Think different."[124]
Cars
A racecar in Apple livery (coincidentally sporting number 84 in reference to the original Macintosh's release date) is present during the opening race. This reference would eventually return in a similar way for Cars 3.[24]
EVE was designed in consultation with Jonathan Ive, at the time a major industrial designer for Apple, who was instrumental in the designs of the iMac, iPhone and iPod, among other devices.[126]
Brave
The end credits feature a dedication to Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and chief executive of Pixar, who died in 2011.[127]
Colette rides a Calahan motorcycle, a reference to director of photography Sharon Calahan.[131]
Toy Story 3
Pins on the map in Andy's room correspond to the hometowns of the production staff.[87]
Toy Story 4
In the antique store appears a Papa Rivera’s Pure Pork Lard sign, which is a nod to Toy Story 4 producer Jonas Rivera, as well as a sign for Catmull’s Cream Soda, which is a homage to Pixar co-founder Edwin Catmull.[25]
Other
These Pixar films contain the following references to an assortment of other things.
Films
Toy Story 3
Totoro, from Hayao Miyazaki's 1988 film My Neighbor Totoro makes an appearance in Bonnie's room.[87]
The number in Trixie's screen name (Velocistar237) is a reference to The Shining. The number 237 also appears on the license plate of the garbage truck.[87]
The scene where Woody gets sucked into the cellar is a reference to a similar scene in The Evil Dead.[87]
Toy Story 4
One of Buzz Lightyear's recorded sayings is "Open the pod bay doors!", a reference to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, where the same line can be heard.[43]
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 in E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.[43]
When Woody pretends to be a phone in the antiques store, his pose - holding the receiver of an old touchtone phone - resembles the classic Mickey Mouse phone that was ubiquitous in many homes in the 1970s and 1980s.[43]
Duke Caboom is strongly inspired by real-life motorcycle stuntman Evel 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.[43]
Onward
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).[133]
^Both Planes and its sequel were produced by DisneyToon Studios instead of Pixar, but were set in the world of Cars, while Monsters at Work was produced by ICON Creative Studio.