Credit: PixarThere have long been whispers that Pixar’s films all overlap, and some believe Inside Out 2 (2024) provides more credibility to that theory.
First mapped out by writer and YouTuber Jon Negroni, the aptly named Pixar Theory has spent years arguing that every Pixar movie – from Toy Story (1995) to the modern day – is set in the same universe.
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Easter Eggs like the Pizza Planet truck and the mega-corporation BnL have helped strengthen this increasingly complicated theory over the years. Brave is often considered the starting point for the universe, introducing magic that alters living beings, evident in the Witch’s ability to manipulate animals and objects. This magic, the theory claims, sparks the evolution of intelligent animals and sentient machines that appear throughout later films like Ratatouille (2007), Finding Nemo (2003), and WALL-E (2008).
In The Incredibles (2004), Syndrome’s AI technology hints at the rise of sentient machines. This technology, some believe, becomes central to WALL-E (2008), where Buy-N-Large’s automated systems have overrun Earth. The company’s logo also appears in Toy Story 3 (2010), linking Pixar’s tech-driven worlds together across decades.
Cars (2006) is one of the most debated entries in the theory. Some argue it’s set in a future where humans have vanished, leaving sentient vehicles behind. Clues like gas stations, human infrastructure, and references to Buy-N-Large suggest the cars inherited a world once inhabited by people and machines. The list of evidence goes on – and the studio’s most recent effort added even more fodder to the theory.
‘Inside Out 2’ Seemingly Confirms Pixar Theory
In Inside Out 2 (2024), a now-teenage Riley – who is experiencing a whole new set of emotions as she enters puberty – is shown in her bedroom, where a poster for a boyband name 4*Town is plastered onto the wall.
A 4*Town poster is featured in Riley’s room in the new trailer of ‘INSIDE OUT 2’
A 4*Town poster is featured in Riley’s room in the new trailer of ‘INSIDE OUT 2’ pic.twitter.com/fNeQTSwBD0
— Disney Animation Promos (@DisneyAPromos) March 7, 2024
If the name sounds familiar, that’s because we’ve already seen 4*Town before. The extremely 2000s-coded boyband plays a pivotal role in Turning Red (2022), in which pre-teen Meilin “Mei” Lee makes it her mission to attend their concert in Toronto (despite battling a curse in which she turns into a red panda whenever she gets excited).
Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean the films are set at the same time. While Turning Red is set in 2002, Inside Out 2 sees Riley’s dad using something extremely similar to an iPhone, which would put it years out. Negroni estimates that Inside Out is set in 2015, the year of the film’s release, due to the fact that she uses Skype (or Pixar’s equivalent).
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Fans previously theorized that Inside Out (2015) and Turning Red both fit into the Pixar Theory in the same way. The idea is that the technology developed in The Incredibles (2004) eventually leads to advanced AI that feeds off real human emotions, which explains the events of both Inside Out and Turning Red.
Do you believe in the Pixar Theory? Let us know in the comments!