With every new Pixar movie comes an endless supply of new, hidden Pixar movie easter eggs for us to hunt for.
There are hundreds of Pixar movie easter eggs hidden in our favorite Pixar classics (literally, HUNDREDS), but we’ve narrowed it down to our 12 favorite Pixar easter eggs from the past. Hopefully the nostalgia will help you get your head in the game as you seek out other Pixar easter eggs in their future films!
A113
This easter egg isn’t just restricted to Pixar films—it’s an inside joke many Cal Arts alumni use to reference the classroom number of the graphic design studio for freshman at the university. This magic number has found itself in every Pixar film, from the license plate number on Andy’s mom’s minivan in Toy Story, to the code for the Axiom’s autopilot in WALL-E.
Boo’s Toys
In Monsters Inc., when Sully finally takes Boo home, we get a few surprises of our own as Boo shares her toys with the fluffy monster. Cameo appearances are made by our favorite cowgirl, Jessie, the Toy Story Luxo Ball, and a stuffed animal clownfish from the as of then still unreleased Finding Nemo.
Grape Soda
The grape soda brand that produced the famous Ellie Badge in Up! actually had its debut in the very first Pixar movie during Buzz Lightyear’s commercial in Toy Story.
WALL-E’s Knick-knacks
Rex and Hamm both make guest appearances in WALL-E’s truck as part of the robot’s collection of worldly knick-knacks.
Andy’s Old Friends
Did you pay attention to Andy’s bulletin board in Toy Story 3? Probably not. Fortunately, some Pixar (over?)enthusiasts have screen-capped every play-by-play moment of the movie and thereby discovered that Carl and Ellie from Up! actually sent Andy a postcard. And they must be some pretty special folks in Andy’s life because he’s got their postcard tacked up there behind his college acceptance letter and a barely-legible Post-It. Kind of really appropriate considering both Up! and Toy Story 3 share the themes of growing up and moving on.
The Deadly Mobile Home of a Pizza Planet Employee
In A Bug’s Life, the Pizza Planet truck is parked next to a trailer in the scene where an insect warns his friend not to look at the light. In Monsters Inc., when Randall gets transported to the real world via the open door, he gets beaten with a shovel by the woman living in THE SAME TRAILER from A Bug’s Life with THE SAME PIZZA PLANET TRUCK from Toy Story, thereby creating AN EASTER EGG WITHIN AN EASTER EGG. Mind. Blown.
The Pizza Planet truck has shown up in every single Pixar film to date except for The Incredibles.
The Witch’s Whittled Wood Carvings
The trickiest thing about squeezing in Easter Eggs in the movie Brave was that unlike all of Pixar’s previous movies, Brave takes place in the past… so it’s not like they can have Buzz Lightyear flying around. Pixar found a clever way around this dilemma by inserting several of their easter eggs into the wood carvings within the witch’s shop. Sulley makes a cameo appearance, and they even managed to squeeze in the famous Pizza Planet truck that has made it’s way into every Pixar movie except The Incredibles.
Finding Nemo’s Dentist Office
The dentist office in Finding Nemo is brimming with hidden easter eggs. Boo’s mobile from Monsters Inc. makes an appearance, and so does our favorite space hero Buzz Lightyear. In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, you can also spot the kid in the waiting room reading a Mr. Incredible comic book!
Sid Takes Out the Garbage
If you look closely, the garbage man in Toy Story 3 is none other than our favorite former tween tyrant Sid, complete with his signature skull t-shirt. The best part about this whisp of a segment might be how much Sid really seems to be having a blast at his job.
The Number 95
What started as an homage to Toy Story’s year of release turned into Lightning McQueen’s signature number. Another doubled-up Easter egg that can be found in multiple Pixar films!
Heimlich’s Surprise
Toy Story 2 makes several A Bug’s Life references, from Andy’s hanging wall calendar to Mrs. Potato Head’s storybook, but one of our favorites has to be when Heimlich gets booted off the leaf he’s munching on when Buzz Lightyear bursts through the foliage.
Bomb Voyage’s Day Job
In this hidden easter egg cameo, the superhero Bomb Voyage from The Incredibles shows up in Ratatouille… as a French mime! Maybe after the superheroes got shut down by the Anti-Super Legislation Act, Bomb Voyage got bored and had to get himself a day job?