All Things PixarRankings and lists about films and characters from the studio that brought you mindblowing animation from A Bug's Life to Wall-E, to infinity and beyond.
Out of all of the Pixar fan theories that have been posted online, this one by Jon Negroni is perhaps the most comprehensive and compelling off them all. Known as the Pixar Universe Theory, it aims to show how every Pixar film is connected and all take place in the same world.
It contends that all of the films made by the subsidiary Disney company share the same universe. They are interconnected and have the same history, with specific, recognizable characteristics in each movie. As well as a common story, there are dozens of Easter eggs in the films that indicate that they are part of the same universe.
According to the theory, The Good Dinosaur takes place at the beginning of the Pixar timeline. Thanks to an asteroid missing Earth, dinosaurs don't become extinct but rather become the first example of non-human intelligent life. The dinosaur's non-extinction meant there was a shortage of fossil fuels years later which led to the oil and energy crisis seen in the Cars trilogy.
Shared Universe Easter Eggs and References:
The Luxo Ball appears in a dream sequence.
Finding Dory's Hank the Octopus is hiding underwater in one scene.
Braveis the beginning of the Pixar Universe. The discovery of the-will-of-the-wisps by Merida leads to a magical revolution that grants animals and other inanimate objects sentience and lets them interact with the world in a way that would not otherwise be possible.
The common conclusion is that the witch - who Merida meets in a cottage to help her solve her problem - is actually Boo from Monsters, Inc.
Shared Universe Easter Eggs and References:
A carving of Monster's Inc.'s Sulley appears in the witch's cottage.
The Pizza Planet truck is also a carving in the cottage.
The superpowers of the Incredibles are believed to have derived from the same magic first seen inBrave. In The Incredibles, The Zero Point Energy - like the will-of-the-wisps - begins spreading to other objects, such as toys, and gives them life. The Omnidroid v.10 can also be seen as the first introduction of an artificial intelligence that poses a threat to humans, eventually leading to events in other movies.
Shared Universe Easter Eggs and References:
WALL-E appears when Bob gets a new sports car.
Toy Story 2's Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots show up in an office.
A number of vehicles from Cars - including Doc Hudson - appear throughout the film.
Toys gained sentience from the magic of the-will-of-the-wisps and the Zero Point Energy. Like other magical creatures and inanimate objects that have come to life, they created a society - with an established hierarchy and rules.
The theory contends that the toys in Toy Story 2 have begun resenting humans to a certain extent. Drawing their power from the love they receive from owners, they realize being separated from them is dangerous.
By Toy Story 3, the hatred of humans by animals and inanimate objects is growing even more, as toys are openly rebelling against humans.
Shared Universe Easter Eggs and References:
The A133 numbers appears on Andy's mom's car. (Toy Story)
The Luxo Ball first appeared. (Toy Story)
The Pizza Planet truck first appeared. (Toy Story)
A Bug's Life's Ant Island Appears in a video game. (Toy Story 2)
A sign with a house shaped like an arrow with the word UP appears while Al is packing. (Toy Story 2)
Carl and Ellie from Up make an appearance in the form of a postcard. (Toy Story 3)
The batteries in Buzz are made by the BnL corporation. (Toy Story 3)
Deep sea life also gains sentience. They have developed entire societies thanks to the magic from Braveand the Zero Point Energy from The Incredibles. These underwater animals begin to harbor ill-feeling for humans, who are heavily polluting the planet.
Shared Universe Easter Eggs and References:
Luigi from Cars shows up. (Finding Nemo)
There's a Mr. Incredible comic book in the dentist's office. (Finding Nemo)
Monster's Inc. star Mike Wazowski is seen swimming in the water. (Finding Nemo)
Boo's teddy bear appears in the dentist's office. (Finding Nemo)
The Luxo Ball, the A113 number, and the Pizza Planet truck all show up at some point. (Finding Dory)
A number of vehicles from Cars are in the Marine Life Institute's parking lot. (Finding Dory)
A calendar featuring WALL-E is visible at the Open Ocean exhibit. (Finding Dory)
According to the Pixar theory, Ratatouille is the first time that intelligent animals reveal themselves directly to humans. However, animals retain some antagonism towards humans for the way they are destroying the planet and how the creatures are treated despite their sentience.
Shared Universe Easter Eggs and References:
Pizza Planet truck is seen on a bridge when Skinner chases Remy.
Dug from Up appears in an apartment building.
The Chinese food boxes from A Bug's Life are visible in a fridge.
Hal the cockroach from WALL-E crawls across the floor.
