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I love spotting little inside jokes in movies. Sometimes they’re really obvious, and other times you have to be in the know to get what they mean – either way, I get delighted when I think I’ve spotted something a lot of people have overlooked. That’s why I love the list of Pixar film references – in every Pixar film, you’ll find at least one reference to another Pixar movie, but usually there are a whole lot more. I’ve gathered 10 of my favorites, but they’re countless. If I’ve missed your favorite, share it in the comments!
1. Pizza Planet. Pizza Planet turns up in just about every movie, if you look closely enough. In The Incredibles, a delivery truck can be spotted in a scene where the family is driving on the highway, and EVE from WALL-E checks the engine of a Pizza Planet vehicle to see if it contains any signs of plant life.
2. In Finding Nemo, play close attention to the scene in the dentist’s office. A Buzz Lightyear toy can be seen in the waiting room.
3. Also, in the same scene, the mobile that you see in the dentist’s office is also featured in Boo’s room in Monsters, Inc., as are a Nemo toy and a Jessie toy (from Toy Story 2). And, check out the comic book the little boy is reading – it’s The Incredibles.
4. Ratatouille features a guest appearance from Incredibles nemesis Bomb Voyage – he has a brief cameo as a mime.
5. All of the books on Andy’s shelf in Toy Story have titles that are actually the titles of Pixar shorts.
6. Dinoco, like Pizza Planet, is another fictional company in the Pixarverse that appears in multiple movies. The oil company is first seen in Toy Story as a little gas station, then in Cars as a sponsor of the Piston cup. It’s even in WALL-E – the name and logo can be seen on a lighter.
7. References to A113 shouldn’t be too hard to find – they’re scattered all over every Pixar movie. A113 is the room at the California Institute of the Arts where character animators trained. This isn’t exclusive to Pixar – you can find A113 references all over – even on The Simpsons. A few of the Pixar cameos include Mater’s license plate in Cars, the license plate number on Andy’s mom’s van in Toy Story and Toy Story 2, as the number on the tag of a lab rat in Ratatouille and as a code in WALL-E.
8. In Cars, the Piston cup cars all have “Lightyear” instead of “Goodyear” written on the tires. Sneaky.
9. WALL-E works in a clever reference to Ratatouille - the mechanic mice are called REM-E (Remy is a character in Ratatouille).
10. John Ratzenberger. Yep, Cliff from Cheers can be heard in every major Pixar movie since Toy Story.
• Toy Story films – Hamm the Piggy Bank
• A Bug’s Life – P.T. Flea
• Monsters, Inc. – the Abominable Snowman
• Finding Nemo – a school of silver fish
• The Incredibles – The Underminer
• Cars – Mack the tractor-trailer
• Ratatouille – Mustafa the waiter
• WALL-E – John
• Up (an upcoming movie) – A construction worker
• Confirmed roles in upcoming movies Newt and The Bear and the Bow
Check out more interesting references (and pictures) here.
Comments (25)
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A construction worked?
posted by Amanda on 2-4-2009 at 4:43 pm
A school of silverfish? Silverfish are insects. Surely you accidentally omitted a space.
posted by BlogDog on 2-4-2009 at 5:30 pm
The Pizza Planet truck also appears in Finding Nemo.
When the old fish dude is explaining his master plan, it cuts to a scene of a bag of water pushing its way through a busy Sidney road.
One of the cars is a pizza planet truck.
posted by Diogo on 2-4-2009 at 5:44 pm
Awesome list! I’m not good at catching details like this on my own when watching movies, but I really like finding out they are there. I always read the trivia and goofs section on the imdb listing.
You’re really drawing the criticism the past two days. But keep up the good work–I check the Quick 10 every day, even if I don’t have time to go through the rest of the day’s features.
posted by kate on 2-4-2009 at 5:48 pm
Thanks, Kate :)
posted by Stacy Conradt on 2-4-2009 at 5:53 pm
you actually also missed tons of other references… such as the pizza planet truck appears outside the flea circus in ‘Bug’s Life’. there are tons of refrences if you look for them!!! this list is not nearly complete. =) fun list!
posted by mrs. mead on 2-4-2009 at 5:54 pm
I caught the pizza truck one in WALL-E! Oh, and your link for pictures is not working…
posted by K Wildman on 2-4-2009 at 6:18 pm
Wow. Let’s relax about a few typos here and there. No need to be hyper-critical.
I think you do a great job, Stacy. Occasional misplaced space/letter and all!
posted by nikki on 2-4-2009 at 6:34 pm
When I was younger and Toy Story 2 came out, I noticed that the old man that fixes up Woody is the old man that plays against himself in the short film before the movie.
posted by Ditzen on 2-4-2009 at 8:00 pm
My favorite little reference (maybe cuz I caught it in the theater) is in Toy Story. When Cid (Sid?) puts the toolbox on the milk crate that Woody is in, take a look at the logo on the box…it’s Binford tools, the fictional tool company that sponsored Tool Time from Home Improvement with Tim Allen, the voice of Buzz Lightyear.
posted by Amauriel on 2-4-2009 at 8:43 pm
Cool! I love Pixar movies (one of my friends got Pixar Monopoly for her birthday, and I’m sorry to say we played it and had a ton of fun :D )
Amauriel’s fact was neat, too–I’d missed that one! And the last bit about John Ratzenberger was referenced in the credits of Cars (which you probably knew already, but I think is funny anyway).
More, please!
posted by Allison on 2-4-2009 at 9:26 pm
In Toy Story 2 when Buzz is on his way to save Woody he brushes away a plant with a bug on it. It is the caterpillar Heimlich from A Bug’s Life.
posted by Tricia on 2-4-2009 at 9:26 pm
Cool! I love Pixar movies (one of my friends got Pixar Monopoly for her birthday, and I’m sorry to say we played it and had a ton of fun :D )
Amauriel’s fact was neat, too–I’d missed that one! And the last bit about John Ratzenberger was referenced in the credits of Cars (which you probably knew already, but I think is funny anyway).
More, please!
posted by Allison on 2-4-2009 at 9:26 pm
PS: Sorry for the double post. My laptop’s having a bit of a tantrum.
posted by Allison on 2-4-2009 at 9:28 pm
I remember reading in Disney Adventures that in Toy Story, on Sid’s backpack,he’s written “Judy McBarfle has cooties.” It’s a reference to a Judy Something-or-other who works at Pixar and worked on Toy Story. Another one. When Buzz is running from the globe, think “Indiana Jones”.
posted by Sara on 2-4-2009 at 9:44 pm
Pixar is a big deal in our house. We have the shorts collection and have to watch them a few times a week because my 3-year-old thinks it’s a (very repetitive) TV show. I love this post, typos and ensuing love/hate included.
posted by adrienne on 2-4-2009 at 11:25 pm
This is a great list – especially for a big Pixar fan. In Cars, when Mack the truck begins driving Lightning McQueen to California. On the highway, they quickly pass a bunch of birds squeaking on a wire. These birds appeared in another cute Pixar short called “For the birds.”
Thanks again!
posted by Steph on 2-4-2009 at 11:43 pm
Great list! =)
We just booked our 2009 trip to WDW, and this just adds to my ‘disney fever’!
posted by Dawn on 2-4-2009 at 11:56 pm
Maybe I shouldn’t admit to knowing this, but the Pixar cross-referencing extends beyond the movie screen. I saw Monsters Inc On Ice, and the little girl had a Nemo toy on her bed.
posted by Rachel on 2-5-2009 at 2:13 am
Great article.
I am currently writing the new Disney/Pixar Cars comic book series and I am trying to follow this tradition as and when I can.
For instance in the first issue, which tells the story of how Mack and McQueen first met, I have Mack working for the Eggmen Moving Company that was seen in Toy Story.
One of the other writers who is writing the Monsters Inc. series has a Cars reference in one of his stories.
Oh and CARS #1 will be in your local comic book store in March.
posted by Alan J. Porter on 2-5-2009 at 11:57 am
This must be a trend with other Disney films as well, not just Pixar.
I was watching Hercules last night on the Disney channel (I still like watching a non-CGI Disney every now and then) and at one point Phil, Herc’s trainer, has Hercules posing for a vase painting with lion’s skin on his head. When he takes it off and throws it over Phil you can clearly see it’s Scar from the Lion King.
I would love to see more posts like this! So interesting!
posted by Beth on 2-5-2009 at 12:48 pm
At the end of Monsters Inc, Randall is teleported to the humans world. Just to land in the trailer where the Pizza delivery guy from Toy Story lives (as seen in Bugs Life).
posted by Xreference on 2-5-2009 at 12:51 pm
What I never understood is the fact that nobody seems to have caught on to the double entendre in “Cars”…
Piston Cup?
Pissed-In Cup?
posted by Vitajex on 2-5-2009 at 6:38 pm
Will there be a list of Apple/Mac references in Pixar films too? …as in the familiar (to those of us in the know anyway) startup chime we hear every time WALL-E awakes.
posted by Michael on 2-11-2009 at 9:57 am
At the end of Monster’s, Inc., Boo is seen giving Sullivan some toys – they are a bouncing ball, a toy Woody (from Toy Story), and a plastic Nemo (from Finding Nemo).
posted by Mitchell on 2-12-2009 at 9:26 am