Easter Eggs from 'Elemental' and 'Lightyear' That Pixar Fans Are Going to Love

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Since Pixar released Toy Story, its first full-length feature, in 1995, the studio's animators have delighted in sneaking hidden references into all of its movies. Once you know about A113, the Luxo ball, the Pizza Planet Truck and others, you won't be able to stop finding these Pixar Easter eggs — a skill that will serve you well now that Elemental is in theaters and Lightyear is on Disney+. (Get ready to smash that pause button.)

Here are a few of the best Pixar Easter eggs. Some tricks the Pixar animators use over and over again: First, they always try to sneak a reference to their next project in their current one. Another is that they love to give shout-outs to their friends. In the image above, for example — a panorama of Element City in Elemental — there's a sign all the way on the right that says, "Eat at Ralph's Café, Open Early, 2¢ Breakfast Specials." That is apparently a tribute to animator Ralph Eggleston, a mentor to director Peter Sohn and a man who was known for always giving his two cents. (Awww.)

Once you get a sense of where and how the Pixar animators like to hide their in-jokes, you'll be ready to spot them once you start working your way through the rest of the Pixar movies.

Looking for something else great to watch with the kids? Check out the best kids' movies of 2023.

A113

"A113" is an animator's inside joke: It refers to a classroom number at the California Institute of the Arts where many of the Pixar folks got their start. The number has worked its way into nearly every Pixar movie, from the license plate on Andy's SUV in the Toy Story series, to a roman numeral in Brave, to a movie marquee in Incredibles 2. In Elemental, it shows up on a sign that says "Now Approaching Element City" in an unusual form: The symbols for the elements Hydrogen and Aluminum, aka element numbers 1 and 13. They're positioned close to a letter A, so it reads A113.

Luxo Ball

The "Luxo Ball" — a yellow ball with a blue stripe and a red star — is another symbol of early Pixar that has made its way into multiple movies. It's a reference to one of Pixar's first computer-animated shorts, called "Luxo, Jr." Now, the ball can be found in the playrooms of the Toy Story movies, in Boo's bedroom in Monster's Inc., in 22's abode in Soul and in this little girl's room in Up, among others.

Luxo Lamp

In addition to being featured in the Pixar logo, the lamp from "Luxo, Jr." has made some surprise appearances in the movies as well. For example, in this scene in Wall-E, the robot fashions a statue of EVE using parts left hanging around, and one arm is a Luxo lamp. (The other looks like Guido's paint brush from Cars.)

Pizza Planet Truck

In Toy Story, the characters head to a sci-fi-themed pizza restaurant called the Pizza Planet. The pizza delivery truck — a yellow truck with a rocket on top — has worked its way into almost every Pixar movie since. It even finds its way into movies where it would seem impossible: There's a pizza-planet-truck-shaped asteroid in The Good Dinosaur, a truck tattoo in Toy Story 4 and, in Brave, it shows up as a wooden carving.

Takeout Container

You probably didn't give a second look to the logo on the takeout container in Incredibles 2, but it turns out that Pixar has been using that same pagoda design for years. You can spot it in Toy Story 4 inside the antique-shop owner's fridge, Inside Out when Riley's family gets Chinese food, among the mess in Luigi's apartment in Ratatouille, in the Pizza Planet truck in Toy Story 2 (Easter eggs within Easter eggs!), all the way back to A Bug's Life, where it doubled as Manny the Mantis' "Chinese Cabinet of Metamorphosis."

Cones in 'Lightyear'

Most of the asides in Lightyear are Toy Story references, not exactly Easter eggs. (Though the Pizza Planet truck is there when — spoiler alert — Buzz and Sox race to "borrow" a ship after the new commander says Buzz's mission is canceled.) The whole concept of "crystallic fusion," which Buzz is trying to re-invent in Lightyear after his crew gets marooned on an alien planet, comes from something the toy version of Buzz says to Woody when they're first introduced. (Buzz: "Do you people still use fossil fuels, or have you discovered crystallic fusion?" Woody: "We've got double-As.") When Lightyear's Buzz first lands on the alien planet, he says the terrain seems unstable — exactly what the Toy Buzz says about Andy's room. Even the concept of "stealth mode" is something Toy Buzz says about his suit in the Toy Story movies. But the best Toy Story reference is a little more subtle. When the crew gets caught in "capture cones," it feels like a throwback to the moment in Toy Story 2 when the crew uses traffic cones as a disguise to cross the street and get to Al's Toy Barn.

Sox in 'Turning Red'

Here's a hint about Turning Red: Mei's world is covered in stickers, and you can find lots of Easter eggs and in-jokes if you stop and take a look at them. Pixar's tradition of hiding a character from the next movie in the previous one plays out through the stickers on Miriam's skateboard — you can see Buzz's feline robot companion, Sox, a reference to the upcoming Lightyear.

Pixar Shorts in 'Turning Red'

Turning Red director Domee Shi first turned heads by making the Pixar short "Bao," which debuted in front of The Incredibles 2. Of course she'd sneak a nod to it into a restaurant sign — you can see it when Mei is getting on a streetcar. But "Bao" isn't the only Pixar short to work its way into Turning Red; the bunny from "Burrow," which premiered with Soul, is also emblazoned on a sticker on Mei's notebook.

Donald Duck in 'Luca'

The town a Portorosso — itself a kind of in-joke, a play on the title Porco Rosso, a film by animation great Hayao Miyazaki that also takes place in Italy — is full of Easter eggs. During the big race, you can spot the Luxo ball on a rooftop, and the Pizza Planet truck is now a three-wheeled vehicle lurking behind the menacing Ercole. But there are more fun references in Giulia's bedroom. She has a stuffed Donald Duck by her bed, and a harder-to-spot wooden Pinocchio up on a her shelf.

Name Tags in 'Soul'

Soul's gorgeous Hall of Everything has, as its name might suggest, most of the regular Easter eggs: the pizza planet truck (parked in front of the big airplane), the Luxo lamp (talking to one of the new souls) and the A113 (on a street sign near the Ferris wheel), along with nods to other Pixar movies. (Is that Ferris wheel from Toy Story 4?) But it's more fun to spot the wall of Soul-specific Easter eggs that decorate the wall of 22's room. The area is papered with 22's prior mentors, and there are some big names in there, including musician Johnny Cash, scientist Albert Einstein and comics legend Jack Kirby. But there are also some Disney/Pixar shout-outs, including animator Joe Grant (left circle) and Joe Ranft (center circle), a Pixar animator who co-directed Cars and was the voice of Heimlich in A Bug's Life.

Remy in 'Onward'

When brothers Barley and Ian Lightfoot embark on their fantastical quest in Onward, their journey starts where most great adventures do — at the Manticore's Tavern. Having been transformed into a bustling family restaurant, with owner Corey running around expediting and fixing orders, the tavern and its setup makes it easy to miss the fact that the cook in the open kitchen looks a heck of a lot like Remy from Ratatouille. Lucky diners!

Ernesto's Guitar in 'Toy Story 4'

In addition to the Pizza Planet truck tattoo (it's on the carnival worker's leg) and the takeout container, Toy Story 4 Easter eggs abound in the antiques store: Keep a lookout for the Casey Jr. box again (a nod to A Bug's Life), a vintage ad for Tripledent Gum (from Inside Out) and a cameo from Up's Dug in a painting of dogs playing poker. But our favorite egg is at the carnival: You can spot what looks like Ernesto's guitar from Coco hanging in the back as one of the prizes in Ducky and Bunny's game.

Jonny Quest in 'Incredibles 2'

So much of Incredibles 2 takes place in an alternate world that's kind of like the '60s, but not exactly. So it seems meaningful that, when the family watches TV, they're watching real-life shows like Jonny Quest and The Outer Limits. Director Brad Bird told Entertainment Weekly he slipped in the nod to Quest because he loved it as a kid: "All represented in the opening titles, it has jet packs, it has mummies, it has robots, it has spies, it has lizard men and Komodo dragons and Yetis and guns and bodyguards. It’s just insane!"

The Incredibles in 'Coco'

As Miguel and Hector walk around the Land of the Dead in Coco, they pass a poster with a few familiar-looking faces. Does this mean that the Incredible family has come to an end? Or does the Land of the Dead produce its own movies, with skeletal actors?

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The Life and Death of Sid in 'Coco'

Everybody remembers Sid, the bully/toy torturer from Toy Story. He pops back up again in Toy Story 3 as a garbage collector — you can tell from his iconic skull tee. But is that him again in the Land of the Dead in Coco? Looks like it!

Triple Dent Gum in 'Cars 3'

In Cars 3, Lightning McQueen goes up against some new racers, including No. 31: Cam Spinner. Spinner has a famous sponsor, Triple Dent Gum — the gum with a jingle so catchy, no one can stop singing it in Inside Out. (You can even see the gum logo on the toy version of Cam Spinner.) If you ever wondered if cars can chew gum, apparently they can!

Riley in 'Finding Dory'

She's almost as hard to spot as a camouflaging septopus, but Riley from Inside Out is one of the aquarium visitors gazing into Dory's tank in Finding Dory. And, judging by the expression on her face, it looks like Joy is at the controls.

Is Hank Everywhere?

Andrew Stanton, the director of Finding Dory, claims that Hank the Septopus is actually hidden in every other Pixar movie — only you can't tell because he's camouflaged. Don't spend too much time trying to figure out if he's telling the truth.

Hank in 'The Good Dinosaur'

He is, however, hiding out in The Good Dinosaur. In a scene where Arlo is knocked into a pool and learns to swim, Hank is way down on the bottom, just relaxing. Like Sox, this is part of a long tradition where the Pixar creators sneak a character from their next movie somewhere in the previous film. (A travel poster for the Portorosso, the setting of Luca, for example, is in the background of Soul.)

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Forrest Woodbush in 'Inside Out'

In The Good Dinosaur, Arlo also comes across a statuesque styracosaurus named Forrest Woodbush. If Forrest looks familiar, it's because he resembles a roadside dinosaur attraction Riley's family stopped at and photographed, as seen in one of Riley's memories in Inside Out.

Memory Orbs in 'Inside Out'

There are lots of little references hiding in Riley's memory orbs in Inside Out. Viewers have pointed out that Riley's memory of her favorite playground closely resembles the one at the Sunnyside Day Care in Toy Story 3. Others have spotted Carl and Ellie from Up in Riley's "sad" orbs, suggesting that she's seen the movie.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle in 'Inside Out'

In Riley's Dream World in Inside Out, imagination workers take a wrecking ball to a princess castle and explode it into glitter. While most of the Pixar Easter eggs reference other Pixar movies, this palace is clearly an homage to Sleeping Beauty's castle (and the Disney logo).

Winds of Change Poster in 'Monsters University'

In Randall's dorm room in Monsters University, you can see an inspirational "Winds of Change" poster. Randall must've taken the mantra to heart, because in Monsters, Inc., he tells Sully, "Do you hear that? It’s the winds of change!" when he's about to take the top spot away from Sully on the leaderboard of scarers.

Pixar Address in 'Monsters University'

When Don Carlton flashes his business card in Monsters University, the address is 1200 Dark Avenue. This is a nod to the actual Pixar Animation Studios location, which is 1200 Park Avenue in Emeryville, California.

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A Nod to the First CEO

Though this hasn't been confirmed by Pixar, some believe that the Macintosh clan in Brave is a subtle, posthumous nod to Steve Jobs and his Macintosh computer. Jobs was an early leader in the Pixar company, and Brave came out in 2012, after the Apple founder's death in 2011. In the credits, will-o'-the-wisps also surround Jobs' name in tribute.

Sully in 'Brave'

In Brave, characters keep transforming into bears, and there's a lot of storytelling and lore about the grizzly creatures, so you'd be forgiven for thinking this wood carving is of a bear. Take a closer look, though, and you'll realize it's Sully from Monsters, Inc.

The Incredimobiles in 'Cars 2'

It seems like everybody just wants to watch some version of The Incredibles. In addition to the characters' cameo in the Land of the Dead in Coco, when Mater and Lightning McQueen pass a movie marquee in Cars 2, the movie playing is "The Incredimobiles." Not coincidentally, "The Incredimobile" is what Mr. Incredible calls his car in Incredibles 2.

A Postcard From Carl and Ellie in 'Toy Story 3'

This is another one that's easy to miss, because it's not even really in focus, but if you look hard at Andy's bulletin board in Toy Story 3, you can see a postcard from Up's Carl and Ellie.

Little McQueen Fan in 'Toy Story 3'

At Sunnyside Day Care in Toy Story 3, we see a child wearing a shirt with a lightning bolt and the number 95 on it. Ka-chow! That's a reference to Lightning McQueen. In addition to being the racer's number, 95 also commemorates the year 1995, when Toy Story was released.

Lotso in 'Up'

As the house in Up begins its ascent, it passes a childhood bedroom that not only contains the Luxo ball, it has a Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear on the floor near the bed. Lotso will go on to be the villain in Toy Story 3.

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Knick Knacks in 'Up'

When Up's Carl visits a travel agent, one of the framed brochures on her desk features a character from "Knick Knack," a Pixar short about the secret life of travel souvenirs that the company made before Toy Story.

Hamm in 'Wall-E'

There's room for lots of hidden references among Wall-E's junk, but our favorite is a brief cameo by Toy Story's Hamm — it's on the shelf behind Eve. The voice of Hamm is provided by John Ratzenberger, who is often considered an Easter egg in his own right, because Pixar has found a way to slip his voice into lots of their movies. (He only says one word in Coco: "Gracias.")

More Shout-Outs to Jobs in 'Wall-E'

While the Mac gets the spotlight in Brave, the iPod gets its cameo in Wall-E when Eve watches Hello Dolly on a first-gen version of the machine. Not only that, when Wall-E finishes his charging sequences, he makes the unmistakable Mac startup sound.

Bomb Voyage in 'Ratatouille'

In The Incredibles, Bomb Voyage is a mime-like villain who vexes Mr. Incredible. In the Paris of Ratatouille, though, he blends into the crowd as a regular street mime. Later, Colette reads a newspaper that has a headline about Bomb Voyage's misdeeds, though, so he's still a master criminal by night.

Incredibles Underwear in 'Ratatouille'

Speaking of Mr. Incredible, Ratatouille's Luigi must be a fan, because he's wearing underoos with The Incredibles' logo on it.

Dug in 'Ratatouille'

Though we don't see the face of the dog that barks at Remy in Ratatouille, from its shadow you can clearly see that it's Dug from Up. If he only had his talking collar, he'd say, "Rat!" instead of "Squirrel!"

Lightyear Tires in 'Cars'

In Cars, Lightning McQueen races on Lightyear tires — a clear reference to Buzz Lightyear. In addition, Dinoco, a gasoline company, is a racing sponsor in Cars, as well as the brand of gas station that the toys are stuck at in Toy Story.

Emeryville in 'Cars'

Also in Cars, one enthusiastic town shuts down for a race — it's Emeryville, another shout-out to the town in California where the Pixar Animation Studios are located.

Luxo Deli in 'The Incredibles'

Skulking around in the background of The Incredibles is the Luxo Deli, another nod to "Luxo, Jr." (It's across the street from a business called "Andy's," in a reference to Toy Story.) In Up, too, Carl's medication comes from a Luxo pharmacy.

The Iron Giant in 'The Incredibles'

When Elastigirl is calling mayday in her jet in The Incredibles, she identifies the plane as "India-Golf-Niner-Niner." IG99 is an extremely subtle reference to the pre-Pixar animated movie by Incredibles director Brad Bird: The Iron Giant (or IG), which came out in 1999.

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Buzz Lightyear in 'Finding Nemo'

In Finding Nemo, a visit to Dr. Sherman's dentist office means you can play with a bunch of cool toys in the nautically themed waiting room — including a Buzz Lightyear. Viewers also think the teddy bear is the same one that Boo had in Monsters, Inc.

Mr. Incredible in 'Finding Nemo'

Or, if you don't want to play with toys while you wait for Dr. Sherman, you can always read a comic about Mr. Incredible.

Nemo in 'Monsters, Inc.'

Nemo makes a few appearances in Monsters, Inc. before he got his big debut in Finding Nemo. The most obvious one is when Sully gives Boo a stuffed Nemo doll, but there's also a cleverly concealed clownfish on the wallpaper at one of Monstropolis' sushi restaurants. (The restaurant is called Harryhausen's, after stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen, who worked on films like Clash of the Titans.)

Bugs in 'Toy Story 2'

In Toy Story 2, the bugs from A Bugs's Life are all over the place. You can see them on the calendar behind Buzz and Rex, or you can spot Heimlich outside when Buzz is walking in grass. Mr. Potato Head reads a book with pictures of Dot and Flik, and the characters go into a toy store where the shelves are filled with Bug's Life merch. They're even concealed in an abstract painting in Al's living room.

Geri in 'Toy Story 2'

In Toy Story 2, if the person who's hired to clean Woody and fix him up looks familiar, it's because he's Geri from the early Pixar short "Geri's Game." In addition to doll-fixing, he's quite good at chess, apparently.

Dumbo in 'A Bug's Life'

In A Bug's Life, a circus-themed box of Casey Jr. Cookies is subtle reference to Dumbo. Casey, Jr. is the name of the train that takes the circus around in Dumbo. In the top-left corner, you can see the cookies come from J. Grant Bakery — Joe Grant, a legendary animator, was a storyboard artist who worked on Dumbo. (Yes, the same one from the Soul name badges.)

'The Lion King' in 'A Bug's Life'

Dumbo isn't the only non-Pixar Disney property to get recognized in A Bug's Life — in a field of fake advertisements behind Flik, you can spot one real logo for the stage musical adaptation of The Lion King.

Shorts in 'Toy Story'

Toy Story was Pixar's first full-length movie, so there are no feature films to reference, but the titles of the books behind Woody are the names of previous Pixar shorts, like "Knick Knack," "Tin Toy," and "Red's Dream."

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