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Credit: Disney / PixarDisney may have already explained part of the “Pixar shared universe theory” without anyone noticing.
Disneyland Paris is no stranger to transporting guests to other worlds. Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Discoveryland, and all the worlds made famous in the many Disney movies. But the resort also once gave us a Broadway-inspired experience at Production Courtyard’s Studio Theater in Walt Disney Studios Park: a top-tier stage show called TOGETHER: a Pixar Musical Adventure that invited guests into the Pixar universe.
While there’s no mention of the word “Multiverse” on either side of the stage, the 30-minute performance unites characters from the Toy Story franchise, Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), Up (2009), and Coco (2017) in a musical medley that celebrates Pixar’s most iconic films from the last 30 years, with Toy Story serving as the stepping stone into all the other franchises. Which leads us nicely onto the popular Pixar shared universe theory.
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The Pixar shared universe theory proposes that every single Pixar movie is connected (countless Easter eggs in each film make the case). And while TOGETHER: a Pixar Musical Adventure is not canon with the films, Disney and Pixar continue to fuel the theory, whether intentionally or not, as there’s a sequence that explains how the shared universe might work.
The stage show sees Pixar characters Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bo-Peep, Rex, Bullseye, Jessie, Sulley, Mike Wazowski, Marlin, Nemo, Dory, Ed, Russell, Dug, and Miguel embark on an “Up“-lifting musical adventure with color-drenched set pieces that include Andy’s room, the Monsters, Inc. Scare Floor, and the ocean floor.
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These dazzling sets will leave you slack-jawed (especially Coco‘s Land of the Dead). But it’s how some of these universes connect with one another that will leave you with raised eyebrows.
During the show, Toy Story‘s Bo-Peep enters a familiar-looking door that transports the audience into the Monsters, Inc. universe. This method of Multiverse travel makes sense considering the “scarers” at Monstropolis’ Monsters, Incorporated factory use interdimensional doors to enter the human world so they can scare (or entertain) children.
But this isn’t the first time we’ve seen major connections between these two franchises. At the end of Monsters, Inc., Boo is holding a Jessie doll, and in Toy Story 3 (2010), the adorable toddler can be seen with all the other children at Sunnyside Daycare.
Related: ‘Monsters, Inc.’ Could Be Getting a Live-Action Reboot!
Of course, like countless Pixar shows and parades that have come before at Disney Parks all around the world, TOGETHER: a Pixar Musical Adventure is nothing more than a celebration of characters from the wider Pixar franchise. But it still gives us plenty of food for thought. Could Monsters, Inc. be the key to the Pixar shared universe theory? Where else might the scare doors lead?
The Disneyland Paris website describes the Walt Disney Studios Park show as follows:
Embark on a live musical journey with Pixar pals!
Don’t miss this original, immersive new production at Walt Disney Studios Park that will take you on a journey through the wonderful worlds of Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and many others.
Check out the behind-the-scenes video for the show below:
The Disneyland Paris show is currently closed.
Do you think all the Pixar movies are connected, or that, at the very least, Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. share the same human world? Let Inside the Magic know your thoughts in the comments down below!