BY Bob Erlenback
Since 1995, Pixar films have pushed computer animation and our imaginations to the limit. They take the cartoon medium to the next level by bringing us characters and stories that connect with all generations. Not only that, they pretty much wrote the book on self-referential sight gags, more popularly known as “Easter eggs”. They are the gold standard for dropping these little gems that reward the repeat viewer. Now that you have listened to our episode on the Best Pixar Film, why not take a gander at our list of the Top 10 Easter eggs that may have gone right past you.
10. From even the earliest days, these visual nods have been a Pixar staple. Here you can see a Lion King poster in this A Bug’s Life scene. The purchase of Pixar by Disney eight years later was just the circle of life.
9. Coming in at No. 9, this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it culinary magazine appearance of Colette from Ratatouille in Inside Out is a chef’s kiss.
8. Our next subtle reference tests your Italian language skills. A vinyl record for a group named “4 Villagio” appears in Luca. What could this be? Go Google Translate and come back to us!
7. Even the afterlife needs entertainment. Did you catch this alternate version of The Incredibles screening only in the Land of the Dead in Coco?
6. It was a courageous move to hide a Monsters Inc. shout out in the witch’s workshop in Brave. This Sully wood carving can’t be missed.
5. It might take an eagle eye to spot this appearance of Buzz Lightyear in Finding Nemo. Makes you wonder if he comes to life in the Nemo-verse or if he is just a toy.
4. We wouldn’t say farewell without highlighting this incredible Bomb Voyage cameo in Ratatouille. He can’t hide from us in an invisible box! Elastigirl could swoop in at any moment.
3. Yo! Did you miss this Easter egg at the Piston Cup in Cars? The Pizza Planet truck from the original Toy Story is probably one of the most used references in the Pixar canon.
2. The Pixar movie universe is chock full of high-caliber voice talent, but only a few are as familiar or utilized as that of John Ratzenberger. Starting with Hamm in Toy Story and continuing on in most Pixar films to follow, we love to clock that voice. Cheers to him!
1. Few things are more iconic than the Pixar bouncy ball. This is another commonly used Easter egg with a long history. Here we see a 2-for-1 with the ball sharing the screen with the tough-to-spot Lotso Huggin Bear in the movie Up. This is just one of the ball’s many appearances.
What are some of your favorite Pixar Easter Eggs? Drop them in the comments are shoot us a message on social media!