Pixar’s newest movie brought a bit of soul on Christmas Day. However, was your soul able to spot all of these Soul Easter eggs, Pixar references, and hidden secrets in the movie?
The Pizza Planet Truck Easter Egg
The Pizza Planet Truck from Toy Story has made its appearance in every Pixar movie (except The Incredibles) and can be found in Soul‘s Hall of Everything. When Joe and 22 first enter the hall, the camera shows a panoramic view of the entire area. The Pizza Planet truck stands out as it’s depicted in a more opaque color than the rest of the scene.
Bunny from Toy Story 4 Poses for a Photo
Check out the barber’s mirror when Joe and 22 get a haircut. He has a photo of him with his daughter, who happens to be holding a blue stuffed rabbit. The rabbit is none other than Bunny from Toy Story 4.
The Axiom from WALL-E (and planes from Cars and Up)
Take a look at the skyline in the Hall of Everything and you’ll find a plane that resembles Barney Stormin’ from Cars and Charles Muntz’s “The Spirit of Adventure” Zeppelin from Up. However, in the center, you’ll also find the silhouette of a spaceship. This ship is the Axiom, one of the luxury spacecrafts used to host humans in space while Earth was cleaned by robots in WALL-E.
Broccoli Pizza from Inside Out
In Inside Out, Riley is handed two slices of broccoli pizza at a pizza place near her new home and Anger gets mad that “San Francisco ruined pizza”. Well, it looks like the trend made its way to the afterlife because the Hall of Everything’s pizza stand also serves broccoli pizza.
The Aztec Pyramids from Coco‘s Land of the Dead
It’s only fitting that a movie about the afterlife included a reference to Coco‘s Land of the Dead. Therefore, you can find one of the Aztec pyramids that Miguel comes across in Coco laid out smack in the center of Soul‘s Hall of Everything.
2319 Reference from Monster’s Inc
When Joe and 22 stop to admire a performer on the subway platform, a train pulls up with the number “2319”. 23-19 was the code used in Monster’s Inc to identify a monster that had been contaminated by a human object. Interestingly, the 23rd and 19th letters of the alphabet are W and S, which stands for White Sock – the human item that was found on the monster, George Sanderson in the first Monster’s Inc film.
The Pixar Lamp and Ball Easter Eggs
The colorful starred ball and white desk lamp have become staple icons of Pixar. Therefore, they both appear as Easter eggs in many Pixar films. In Soul, you can find the lamp in the Hall of Everything, right when one of the unborn souls gains their photography spark. You can then find the Pixar ball a little later when 22 and Joe enter the box labeled “Just a Box”.
The Infamous A113 Easter Egg
Every Pixar movie features classroom number A113 as a shoutout to the room where Pixar began. In Soul, A113 is used as a street sign in the Hall of Everything. You’ll have to squint your eyes and zoom in close though in order to see it.
Skull from Coco is Featured in the Tattoo Shop
22 takes Joe to “The Zone,” where people go when they’re really focused on their art. Here, 22 throws snowballs at some of these focused individuals and one of them is a tattoo artist. Take a look behind the artist, and you’ll find a skull tattoo that resembles the skull used in a lot of Coco‘s promotional material.
Brang Ad from Inside Out
In Inside Out, Riley’s dad moved the family to San Francisco so he could launch his start-up, Brang. It looks like he did pretty well because there’s a Brang ad on the wall of the subway 22 and Joe take in Soul.
The Whale from Finding Dory‘s Marine Life Institute
You most likely saw the whale floating up above the Hall of Everything. However, you might not have realized that it looks eerily similar to the whale that is on display in the Marine Life Institute from Finding Dory.
Walt Disney’s Partner Statue Easter Egg
A Shoutout to Walt Disney’s Past Company
Right when Joe falls down the pothole, there’s a van in the background with the company “Retlaw” painted on the side and trunk. Retlaw Enterprises was the name of a company Walt Disney created in 1950 to manage his backyard mini railroad. In 1952, the company changed its name to Walt Disney, Inc. and ultimately controlled the rights to Walt Disney’s name and likeness as well as his two Disney Parks. Reltaw spelled backwards is Walter, as in Walter “Walt” Elias Disney.
The Vespa from Ratatouille
Just before falling and entering the Great Beyond, Joe almost gets clipped by a mint-colored Vespa. This Vespa is the same model as the red one Chef Skinner rides in Ratatouille.
A Reference to the Dental Office in Finding Nemo
When 22 and Cat Joe break out of the hospital, they duck into a random hospital room to avoid detection. However, this room might not be so random after all. The room number, P742 is likely an abbreviation of P Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Syndey – the address Dory memorizes as the location of the dental office where Nemo was taken in Finding Nemo.
Planes in the Hall of Everything
There are a couple of planes in the Hall of Everything that reference past Pixar films. The one on the left looks like a plane from the film, Planes while the one on the right is the airplane from the plane crash scene in The Incredibles.
More Soul Easter Eggs in the Hall of Everything
The Hall of Everything is full of Easter Eggs. On the left side of the hall, fans can find Sid’s garbage truck from Toy Story 3. In the middle of the scene, you’ll find the red Golden Gate bridge, a likely shoutout to Inside Out, and the Eiffel Tower, which represents Ratatouille. On the right side, there’s a Ferris wheel that serves as a shoutout to Toy Story 4 and a construction tractor that appeared in Inside Out during the demolition scene in Riley’s mind.
Pizza Rat
In 2015, a rat was caught on film dragging a slice of pizza down a flight of stairs on the streets of New York City. The video was shared by comedian Matt Little and eventually made its way through social media. Apparently, the production team at Pixar also saw the video and decided to resurrect it in their film. When Joe (in his therapy cat’s body) brings 22 a slice of pizza, he passes by a rat who’s also dragging a delicious New York ‘zza.
Easter Egg for Pixar’s Upcoming Film, Luca
Every Pixar film includes an Easter egg for the production company’s next film and therefore, Soul had a hidden reference to Luca. Right before 22 (in Joe’s body) rips his pants, the duo walk by a travel agency with a poster that reads “Visit Portorosso”. Luca Portorosso is the name of the main character in Luca. The film is expected to debut June 18, 2021.
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Did you find any other Soul Easter eggs, hidden references, or secrets? Let me know in the comments!