I would claim that one of the major things Pixar is known for is the continuation of Easter Eggs scattered throughout each of their films. If you’re a Pixar fan at all, then you know about A113, the luxo ball, Buy-n-Large, the Pizza Planet Truck, and the Chinese takeout container. Though I cherish these references and love to look for them in every new Pixar film released, I have a few obscure ones that are really exciting to spot. Here are a couple of my favorite Pixar Easter Eggs.

Submarine Voyage in Monsters Inc.

A great place to hide Easter Eggs is within the kid’s rooms in Monsters Inc. There’s the obvious Jessie doll, Luxo ball and Nemo toy in Boo’s room, but have you ever stopped to look at some of the other kid’s rooms we see? In one kid’s room, you can see one of the original Disneyland posters for Submarine Voyage. You can also spot the Storybook Land Canal Boats poster on the street!

Poster in Monsters Inc. Image from: https://twitter.com/Yester_World/status/1376040686567440386

Doc Hudson in The Incredibles

According to the Pixar theory by Jon Negroni, Cars takes place closer to the end of the timeline, just before Wall-E. The idea is that when the world was vacated of humans, machines eventually took over. The Incredibles is the 3rd film in the Pixar timeline, meaning the machines have yet to come alive. You can see Doc Hudson parked on the side of the street in one of the fight scenes in the movie.

WALL-E is teased in Finding Dory

Although Wall-E was released 8 years before Finding Dory, in the timeline, Finding Dory occurs first. One very subtle way Pixar teased that Jon Negroni’s theory is real, is by including a very small calendar in a scene with Hank and Dory. This calendar says “WALL-E” at the top, showing that the machines will start to become more prevalent in the world.

Wall-E calendar in Finding Dory. Image from: https://www.slashfilm.com/finding-dory-easter-eggs/2/

A nod to past short films in Toy Story

Pixar began creating their famous short films in 1984, beginning with the Adventures of Andre & Wally B. They made 4 more before the release of Toy Story in 1995, including Luxo Jr., Red’s Dream, Tin Toy, and Knick Knack. Each of these shorts are featured at the beginning of Toy Story behind Woody. In Toy Story 2, when Hamm is flicking through the channels to find the commercial for Al’s toy barn, he also skips through some of the famous shorts.

Pixar shorts in Toy Story. Image from: https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a773789/20-massively-obscure-pixar-movie-easter-eggs-you-wont-have-spotted/

Tin toy in Toy Story 2. Image from: https://d23.com/easter-eggs-you-need-to-find-in-toy-story-2/

Flik goes to see The Lion King

When Flik first arrives in Bug City in A Bug’s Life, he takes in the sights and sounds of the city around him. The lights and billboards mimic New York City. What shows do you see in New York City? Well, just as you and I can watch The Lion King on Broadway, so can Flik. Look for The Lion King billboard to the right of Flik.

The Lion King poster in A Bug’s Life. Image from: https://www.reddit.com/r/MovieDetails/comments/8km2bq/in_a_bugs_life_1998_when_flik_enters_bug_city_a/

Monsters University’s Don was at Pixar Studios

Pixar Animation Studios is located at 1200 Park Avenue in California. Don, from Monster’s University, has his sales business located at 1200 Dark Avenue. Enough said.

Don’s business card. Image from: https://revbrentwhite.com/2016/08/17/sermon-08-07-16-the-gospel-according-to-monsters-university/

Doug’s shadow in Ratatouille

In every Pixar film, they add a small Easter egg to reference the next Pixar film to be released. Some are more obvious than others, but this is one of my favorite ones. This shadow shows that the dog that was barking at Remy, could’ve been Doug from Up.

Flik turns into a toy in Toy Story 2

In the Al’s toy barn scenes, if you look close enough to the right of Buzz, you can see Flik and Dim as toys on the rack. In some other shots of this scene, you can also spot Francis, Tuck, and Roll as toys as well. This was kind of unsettling to be honest to see them static like that, but I’m glad they’re still a part of the film.

A Bug’s Life toys in Toy Story 2. Image from: https://www.zimbio.com/A+Closer+Look+at+Pixar%27s+Many+Easter+Eggs/articles/BYQZYsRJxFz/Bug+Life+Toys+Toy+Story+2

Buzz Lightyear toy in Finding Nemo

The dentist office in Finding Nemo is full of references, especially the waiting room. Take a look next to the toy chest… what familiar toy do you see on the ground?