In (Almost) Every Pixar Movie

               Pixar’s genius storytelling keeps audiences coming back for feature after feature.  But Pixar also includes Easter Eggs in all of its movies, as reference or running gag for fun.  There are three Easter Eggs which will appear in nearly every movie.  The first is the code A113, which was the animation room in Cal-Arts where such people as John Lasseter and Brad Bird learned their craft.  The second is the actor John Ratzenberger, and is known by John Lasseter as “Pixar’s Good Luck Charm” and has appeared in every Pixar movie so far.  The third item is the Pizza Planet Truck, which first appeared in Toy Story.  In every movie since (except for The Incredibles, Brad Bird’s first Pixar Animated feature), the truck haCs been snuck into the movie.

                Here are Code A113’s appearances in Pixar Films: (1) Andy’s mom’s car’s license plate in all three Toy Story movies.  (2) During the moment where Flik enters Bug City, it can be seen as code on a Cereal Box in A Bug’s Life.  (3)  This one from Monster’s Inc is a bit of stretch but anyway, in the moment right before Mike and Sulley throw over the door they slammed on Randall, one column in the background reads A13, thus: A113. (4) In Finding Nemo, the camera from the scuba diver contains the code.  (5) It is the room that Mirage sends Mr. Incredible to in The Incredibles.  (6) It is also Mater’s License plate in the Cars movies.  (7) Gib the lab rat in Ratatouille has the tag A113.  (8) The directive code that Auto, the autopilot on the Axiom ship, was given to stop people from returning to earth in Wall-E.  (9) The court room number that Carl has to visit after he hits the construction worker.  (10) Above the entrance to the Witch’s cottage in Brave, the Roman Numerals ACXIII (A113) appears. (11) The classroom where Scare 101 is taught in Monsters University is A113.  (12) And finally, in Inside Out, the classroom where Riley is sent on her first day in her new school is designated “A113.”

                John Ratzenberger’s roles in Pixar movies range from major supporting character to one line cameos: (1) in the Toy Story movies, he plays Hamm, the piggy bank.  (2) In the A Bugs Life, he plays P.T Flea, (3) In the Monsters movies, he plays the Abominable Snowman, (3) At the end of The Incredibles, he plays the villain the Underminer, (4) in the Cars movies, he plays Mack, (5), In Ratatouille he is Mufasta the waiter, (6), In Wall-E, he plays John, (7) in Up he is Tom the foreman, (8) In Brave, he is Gordon, the guard, (9) and finally in Inside Out he is Fritz.

                The Pizza Planet Truck is a beat up yellow Toyota Truck with a red and white space ship on top: (1) After losing Andy’s mom’s car at the gas station in Toy Story, Woody sees the truck and convinces Buzz to hop in.  (2) In A Bug’s Life, it appears beside a motor home where a bug can’t stop going to a bug zapper. (3) Buzz and his friends find the truck and try to drive it to save Woody and Jessie from Al, who is flying to Japan.  (4) After the door he is shoved into shatters in Monster’s Inc, Randall appears in silhouette in a motor home; beside it the truck can be seen.  (5) In Finding Nemo, during the sequence illustrating Gill’s escape from the dentist’s aquarium, the truck is shown driving across the road.  (6) In the stadium at the final race in Cars, one of the cars in the stadium is the Pizza Planet truck, with eyes and a face like the other cars.  (7) In Wall-E, short after EVE arrives, she scans the truck for plant life.  (8) When Carl takes Russell for ice cream at the end of Up, the truck is parked in the parking lot.  (9) In Toy Story 3, Lots-O-Huggin’ Bear, Big Baby and Chuckles ride on a Pizza Plant truck to get to Sunnyside Daycare. (10) In Toy Story 2, the same type of Pizza Planet truck shows up at the Radiator Springs Grand Prix. (11) A wood carving at the witch’s cottage has a picture of the truck. (12) In Monsters University, the truck can be seen outside the first house party.  (13) In Inside Out, the truck can be seen in one of the orbs when Joy and Sadness first meet Bing Bong.

                 The next time you watch these Pixar movies, check out these Easter Eggs.  They are just some of the many reasons to watch our favorites again and again.