Lightyear may have fallen with style short of the number one box office spot while still pleasing its audience of Pixar connoisseurs, but the film may not have gone to infinity and beyond when it comes to its Easter eggs.
While the Toy Story spin-off features some of the animation studio's classic Easter eggs like their old classroom number and a nod to their next film, it also lacked what appears to be two major Easter eggs that have appeared in almost every movie since their feature film debut in 1995.
A113
Room A113 was once home to animator extraordinaires like Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton, who later used the letter-number combo as a hidden nod to their roots in some of their early films like Toy Story and A Bug's Life.
But clever Pixar fans caught onto the Easter egg quickly, and now look out for A113 in every single film where it gets harder and harder to spot. For Lightyear, it can be found out the window of Alisha's office printed on another building.
Pizza Planet Truck
The Pizza Planet truck made its film debut in the original Toy Story when it's recklessly driven by a pizza delivery boy, unbeknownst to the fact he was driving sentient toys to the pizza place. The truck has since been featured in every single Pixar film except for The Incredibles.
Viewers wondered how a pizza truck would end up in space or on another planet in Lightyear, and Pixar did not disappoint. When Buzz is speeding to his ship with Sox by his side, he drives by some parked cars in the distance, one in the shape and color of the famous truck.
'Toy Story' References
Being a spin-off of Pixar's most popular franchise, Lightyear is filled to the brim with references to the Toy Story films, starting with another meaningful letter-number combo on the side of the ship Buzz flies at the beginning. S.C.0.1.T.S. can be seen written on the side and stands for "Star Command number 1 Toy Story."
Another scene in the film nods to a memorable one from Toy Story 2 when Buzz and some fellow toys stand in orange traffic cones and attempt to cross the road. The orange-colored capture cones Buzz and his new pals find themselves trapped in is reminiscent of the entire scene as they try to move across the room.
Scream Canisters, Castle Cake And BURN-E
Whether you believe in The Pixar Theory or a Pixar multiverse, there's no doubt you can usually spot one — or several — references and to other Pixar films within each film, and sometimes even a cheeky character cameo.
Lightyear has many, starting with the yellow scream canisters from Monsters, Inc. that can be found on the new planet. In the vending machine, castle cake from Onward can be spotted, while BURN-E — a robot from WALL-E who later starred in his own Pixar short — can be seen in Burnside's office in an end credit scene.
Michael Giacchino Score
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From the opening scene in Up to Woody and Buzz falling with style to Andy's mom's van at the end of Toy Story, Pixar scenes have always been made memorable by beautiful, heartwarming scores.
While Toy Story films typically feature the music of Randy Newman, Lightyear played some similar-sounding scores by a different composer. Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino is credited for the scores in Lightyear, who previously provided music for The Incredibles, Up, Coco and more.
'Elemental' Easter Egg
It's typical for Pixar films to include a hidden reference to their next film within their current one. It's why Duke Caboom from Toy Story 4 appears in Incredibles 2, Hank from Finding Dory appears in The Good Dinosaur, and so many more.
With Pixar's upcoming movie Elemental due out almost exactly a year after Lightyear, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it Easter egg for it can be spotted. Elemental stars a water-based character named Wade, and a drink called Wade Water can be seen in the vending machine Mo goes to for sandwiches.
Number 42
The number 42 has been an unexplained Pixar Easter egg for decades, dating back to Finding Nemo's famous P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney. Fans have theorized Pixar's obsession with 42 stems from it being the answer to life, the universe, and everything in the book Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams to Rule 42 in Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
Lightyear is the sixth recorded Pixar film the number appears in, prominently spotted on Izzy's spacesuit. The number 42 also remains significant for Buzz Lightyear, as he flew star cruiser number 42 in the TV series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.
Disney Character Cameo
From Donald Duck in Luca to the Mickey Mouse watch on Andy's wall in Toy Story, it's not unusual to spot a Disney character in a Pixar film. But in Lightyear, only the eagle-eyed noticed this unexpected character pop up.
When the ship Buzz calls The Turnip lands on the new planet, hidden among the trees and rocks is the recognizable silhouette of Olaf from Frozen's head, complete with the twigs on his head and his carrot nose.
No John Ratzenberger
Actor John Ratzenberger earned the nickname "Pixar's lucky charm" after voicing Andy's piggy bank Hamm in the Toy Story films, and going on to make cameos in every Pixar film that came later.
But Ratzenberger ended his run when he lent his voice to Fennwick in 2020's Onward, and has not appeared in a Pixar film since, including Soul, Luca, Turning Red, and now Lightyear, despite the latter being part of the Toy Story franchise.
No Luxo Ball?
What started out as just a yellow ball with a blue stripe and a red star that made its feature film debut as one of Andy's less sentient toys, turned into a Pixar phenomenon, becoming a well-known Easter egg and a symbol of Pixar Animation Studios.
While the Luxo ball has appeared in every single Pixar film, fans are left scratching their heads at where the ball was placed in Lightyear not a single viewer spotting it in the film. While the hunt continues for the famous ball, its lamp friend Luxo Jr. can be spotted as a constellation among the stars as Buzz skyrockets throughout space.