WhenToy Story, thePixar original movie, came out in 1995, audiences were amazed not just by the magnificent new style being touted but also by the amazingly scripted storyline, characters, and feel. It wasn’t a one-trick pony. It was a studio with a lot of ideas and a real need to tell them. Some people don’t realize that, with the sheer amount of time it takes to make one movie, there must be others in the pipeline. This has allowedPixarthe opportunity to try something pretty neat.
Pixar has made very subtle nods to their various properties and upcoming films that take time and effort to spot. However, once seen, they tie the movies together in ways that expand and explore a vast universe of absolutely mind-bending size. But what are they doing, and how does it all fit together?
Pixar and the Hidden City Cafe
WhenToy Storywas in production and nearly completed, the four biggest names at the studio, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, and Joe Ranft, had a fateful meeting at the Hidden City Café. This meeting would propel the company into an entirely new level of children’s entertainment and make the company something far bigger than anyone had ever dreamed possible. It would also be the start of something that could contain the types of nuances that would eventually tie the films together withcheeky Easter eggs.
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The men sat down to map out the next four films they wanted to make. This list includedA Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, andWall-E. The team discussed the origins of stories, childhood memories, fantasy elements, and the power of imagination. They didn’t want to churn out the same film over and over again. They were not in the Disney princess game, aproblem still seen withWish, Disney’s latest film. They sat, talked, sketched, and developed until they had rough ideas for years of possible projects.
The best part was that this type of forethought would eventually allow them to toss in hints about upcoming films, pieces of cheeky trivia, and other things for audiences to find. This was because their pre-planning meant they knew exactly what would be released next and how devoted their audiences would become. This ability and resolve only strengthened over time.
Easter Eggs and the Pixar Theory
One thing that fans love to point to is what authorJon Negroni calls the “Pixar Theory.” This is to say that not only are there cool Easter eggs, but they mean that everything we see is part of a shared universe. Negroni goes so far as to point out that all Pixar movies can be placed on a timeline and that the Easter eggs and plotlines all fit together (though sometimes precariously) to make an entirely cohesive universe.
Consider that the movieBrave, whichexplores some serious real-life issues, has an Easter egg wherein the Witch has a piece of wood in her hut with a carving of Sully fromMonsters, Inc. This has led fans to speculate that the Witch is actually the older version of Boo, who, in a desperate attempt to find Sully, discovered magic and traveled back in time where she stayed and used her magic to give life to inanimate creatures.
This idea also has meaning when people consider the filmWall-Eand the central McGuffin of the boot containing the small green sprout. The theory states that when humans came back to Earth, this seedling actually became the tree fromA Bug’s Life,which grew, and after the humans were unable to survive, the bugs gained extra long lives and became the dominant species. It’s enough to make your head spin.
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Want one more? InCars 2, a tapestry in a pub depicts the characters from Brave in car form. In this universe, the idea is that the cars, having been the dominant species on Earth when humans left, having polluted it (and having sentience the same way theToy Storytoys do), have all the same lore as their predecessors. They, therefore, know the stories of Merida and her family but view them as vehicles instead of people.
What Pixar’s Easter Eggs Mean
The basic logic is that these completely disparate stories are joined together in an ever-expanding timeline of creatures, magic, and imagination. It should be noted that Pixar has never confirmed Jon Negroni’s theory, but they still love adding in their Easter eggs whenever possible. The funny part is that viewers may not even know there is an Easter egg when a movie is released until the next film comes out. In other film franchises, you’re able to see the callbacks. Pixar may be one of the only companies to do call-forwards.
For generations of fans,the Pixar moviesare some of the best modern entertainment for children and adults. Children love that they can relate to the characters and see fun stories, while adults love the idea that there could be some giant timeline that somehow explains the history of the universe. Even their most recent film,Elemental, is said to predate all of history when the only true life was the actual elements themselves. It’s a fun story to believe in and one that a new generation of Pixar writers may consider as they weave and brainstorm their next projects.The catalog of Pixar movies and shorts is available to stream now on Disney+.
