I love learning all the interesting Pixar facts behind each film as well as finding hidden items placed by the animators — like the one we all know and love, finding the Pizza Planet Truck. At the D23 expo in 2011, John Lasseter announced that the Pizza Planet Truck will make an appearance in “Brave”!
1. Woody was originally going to be a ventriloquist dummy with a hinged jaw, however, John Lasseter deemed him “creepy”. Forgoing that concept and instead of modeling Woody after John’s childhood pull-string, Casper the Friendly Ghost plush toy.
2. John Lasseter always wanted Tom Hanks to voice Woody, however, for his buddy Buzz, it was Billy Crystal who was offered the part. Billy later turned it down (then soon regretted it) — thankfully Mike Wazowski in Monster’s Inc was a better fit.
3. In Toy Story 3, Director Lee Unkrich voices one line in the film as Jack in the Box, who says “New Toys!” when the group arrives at Sunnyside.
4. The pins on the map in Andy’s Room (TS3) mark the hometowns of the Toy Story 3 production staff.
5. The number A113, which refers to John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Doctor, and Brad Bird’s former classroom at CalArts, appears in every Pixar film (well, it still hasn’t officially been spotted in Monsters, Inc., but Pete Docter says it’s there somewhere). Can you find them all?
6. In Cars 2, when Mater is driving through Radiator Springs he drives past a drive-thru with “Incredimobiles” on the marquee, perhaps a nod to Pixar’s 2004 Incredibles.
7. In Cars 2, you can spot what appears to be characters from the upcoming Pixar film “Brave” – though in “car form”. Watch closely when the lemons crash into the Ye Left Turn In (London)…LOOK CLOSELY!
8. Can you spot these items in Wall-e’s truck? Rex (TS), Barbie’s car (TS), Buzz Lightyear lunchbox (TS), Lighting McQueen toy (Cars), Snow Globe (Short-Knick Knack), and Bug Zapper (Bug’s Life).
9. In the original Monsters Inc concept art the character Boo had red hair.
10. For Monsters Inc, the character Mike Wazowski barely changed from his original concept back in 1997, however, Sully went through two years of development and 30 different 3D sculptures.
11. In the short, For the Birds, the names of the first four birds are Bully, Chipper, Snob, and Neurotic – Look closely you can tell who’s who.
12. In A Bug’s Life – the two mosquito’s in the bug zapper trance (“Frank, don’t go towards the light!” “I can’t help it – it’s so beautiful!”) are voiced by the co-directors, John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton.
What other Pixar fun facts can you add to this list?
