Advertisement

Pixar easter eggs and in-jokes to look out for in ‘Toy Story 4’

Sam Ashurst
·Contributor
What easter egg surprises do Woody and his pals have in store for us? (credit: Pixar)
What easter egg surprises do Woody and his pals have in store for us? (credit: Pixar)

Toy Story 4 is in cinemas this weekend, and one of the many reasons to see it will be to catch the latests in-jokes and easter eggs that pepper every single Pixar release.

We’ve included a couple we’ve already spotted from the film, as well as the kind of thing you need to look out for if you want to spot everything.

Tinny - Toy Story 4 (2019)

Tinny greets Bo in Toy Story 4 (credit: Pixar)
Tinny greets Bo in Toy Story 4 (credit: Pixar)

If Toy Story 4 truly is the final instalment of the much-loved franchise, they’ve gone out on an easter egg packed high. With the film apparently containing references to every single Pixar movie meaning we’ll probably need to wait until the film’s out on DVD before we catch them all, this one was easy to spot - mainly because it’s in the trailer.

Tinny, the star of the short film ‘Tin Toy’ that inspired the series, appropriately appears in the antique store. In the same scene, we see a cheeky lightsaber fight between two characters we wouldn’t dare name. But keep an eye out for them.

Sid returns - Toy Story 3 (2010)

Sid appears in Toy Story and Toy Story 3 (credit: Pixar)
Sid appears in Toy Story and Toy Story 3 (credit: Pixar)

Pixar don’t just bring back toys for re-appearances. Sid, the twisted 10-year-old neighbour of Andy in Toy Story, makes a cameo in the trilogy’s third movie as the skull shirt-wearing bin man who picks up the toys.

Actor Erik von Detten returned to voice the character too.

Does Sid return for Toy Story 4? You’ll have to wait and see. Oh, and keep an eye out for a Monsters Inc human character cameo, too.

Read more: 'Toy Story 4' producers explain why there's no Pixar short

The Pizza Planet truck - all Pixar movies

There's been plenty of Pizza Planet appearances (credit: Pixar)
There's been plenty of Pizza Planet appearances (credit: Pixar)

The Pizza Planet truck is probably the most infamous Pixar in-joke. Ever since its first appearance in Toy Story, the iconic image has been sneaked into every single Pixar movie (except The Incredibles) – making “Spot the pizza truck” one of cinema’s greatest games.

But where will it appear in Toy Story 4? Well, the film does involve a road trip...

A113 - all Pixar movies

Some of the A113 appearances are subtler than others (credit: Pixar)
Some of the A113 appearances are subtler than others (credit: Pixar)

In a nod to the classroom where most of the original Pixar team studied at the California Institute Of The Arts (CalArts), A113 appears in each of the studio’s movies to date – from license plates to court rooms and camera models, so it’ll be in there somewhere.

Boo’s toy collection - Monsters Inc (2001)

Boo has some cool collectables (credit: Pixar)
Boo has some cool collectables (credit: Pixar)

When Boo offers up her toys to Sulley, we spot Jessie from Toy Story 2, as well as a familiar looking fish amongst the objects. What makes this one so good is that Monsters’ Inc. came out a full two years before Finding Nemo, which was then at development stage. We wonder what in-development gems will appear in Toy Story 4!

Read more: 'Toy Story 4' nearly opened with a musical zombie sequence

Mr. Incredible and Buzz Lightyear - Finding Nemo (2003)

You never know what treasures you'll find at the dentists (credit: Pixar)
You never know what treasures you'll find at the dentists (credit: Pixar)

In the dentist’s waiting room, a young patient sits reading a Mr. Incredible comic – sneaky, as Pixar didn’t release The Incredibles until 2005. There’s also a very meta Buzz Lightyear toy tucked away in the corner.

So, keep an eye out for any books or comics in Toy Story 4, you never know what clues they might contain for future releases!

Charles Muntz returns - Toy Story 4 (2019)

There's even in-jokes on the posters (credit: Pixar)
There's even in-jokes on the posters (credit: Pixar)

The Pixar team love easter eggs so much, they’re even putting them in the posters. Toy Story 4’s ad contains a blurry painting in the background, that just so happens to feature Up’s villain playing cards with his canine pals. Does the painting appear in the movie itself, though?

Read more: Tom Hanks: ‘I'm more Woody than Tom but he's got more gravitas’

Duke Kaboom - Incredibles 2 (2018)

We can't believe fans spotted this (credit: Pixar)
We can't believe fans spotted this (credit: Pixar)

Continuing the tradition of introducing Toy Story characters in other Pixar movies, Duke Kaboom made a blink and you’ll miss it appearance in Incredibles 2. Fans spotted him, but incorrectly guessed he’d be the villain of the fourth Toy Story movie. Mainly because…

Lotso - Up (2009)

Don't be distracted by the balloons - Lotso appears bottom-left (credit: Pixar)
Don't be distracted by the balloons - Lotso appears bottom-left (credit: Pixar)

...Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear is the main villain of Toy Story 3 (you know, in addition to existential angst), and we first saw him in 2009’s Up, in a very similar cameo to Duke Kaboom’s Incredibles 2 appearance - a toy that’s been casually tossed aside.

One day we hope to see a weird take on the MCU, where all of these toys come to life in the universes that they made their first appearances in.

But will any of the Toy Story 4 background characters end up in a future movie? We can’t wait to find out.

Toy Story 4 is in UK cinemas from tomorrow.