Warning: This post contains spoilers for Turning Red.
Pixar's latest film is Turning Red, which follows Meilin, a Chinese-Canadian girl growing up in Toronto, Canada who turns into a red panda whenever she's excited. Reviews are already strong for the new release but some fans have already watched it numerous times.
As with every Pixar movie, fans knew that Turning Red would be riddled with Easter eggs from previous and future Pixar films and shorts. After its release, Pixar fans took to Reddit to share all the references they caught while watching the movie.
Burrow Bunny
User twitchSKETCH spotted a particular bunny on Meilin's notebook. In the photo, there is a trash can that has been knocked over. On the floor next to the trash, a sketchbook with stickers. The sticker can be more clearly seen when Mei and her mother look through her sketchbook.
Several bunnies appear in Pixar shorts and films, but this one resembles the bunny from the Academy Award-winning Pixar short Burrow. The bunny stick must be from Burrow as it is the only Pixar rabbit to have brown coloring instead of the white color of the other rabbits.
Purl Peeking Out
Redditor sondiez10 caught one of the smallest easter eggs in Turning Red. In their video showing all the easter eggs in the film, they pause at just the right moment. Behind Mei during one of her freakouts, a pair of eyes can be seen attached to a pink ball.
There is a resemblance when the eyes are compared to Purl from Purl, which is ranked by IMDb as one of Pixar's best Sparkshorts. But what confirms it is Purl is that the ball is pink and could be a ball of yarn. It is hard to tell if it is Purl based on how small the ball is, but it is a safe bet given Pixar's track record with Easter eggs.
The Pizza Planet Truck
Many Pixar movies require a second viewing to catch all the Easter eggs, and Turning Red is no exception. The Pizza Planet Truck is an Easter egg in nearly every Pixar film. Fans of the studio know to look for the yellow pizza delivery truck in any scene with traffic or cars.
But UltimatePixarFan caught this Easter egg before the film was released, "Found the Pizza Planet Truck in Turning Red!" A screengrab from the trailer accompanies their post and the rocket from Pizza Planet can be seen on top of the vehicle.
Watch Out For Stickers
A commonplace for Pixar to sneak in Easter eggs is items decorated with stickers. A post from weewhomp showed the latest poster release for the film. The comments exploded with fans noticing the stickers, which appear on the character items throughout the movie, are giant Easter eggs to past and future Pixar releases.
User UltimatePixarFan listed off the ones they could see, "It also has Easter eggs to both the SparkShort Burrow (rabbit stickers) and Lightyear (Sox sticker)." Some fans may not recognize the Sox sticker unless they have watched the new trailer for Lightyear or have seen the reactions on Twitter.
References to the Director's Past Work
User rekonpoint caught a reference to director Domee Shi's previous work with Pixar on the restaurant signs on the streets in Chinatown. They say, "found an easter egg in Turning Red. Bao is a Pixar short film from 2018. Thought is cool."
Bao is seen several times during the film, mostly when Mei and her parents prepare dinner. However, the sign is a definite Easter egg. The font of the word bao on the sign matches the exact font on the title photo for the Bao short.
Another Lightyear Reference
Redditor AshleyinPink created a blog post about all the Easter eggs they spotted. They notice yet another reference to Pixar's upcoming Lightyear release. They point out," located on Miriam's skateboard," there is a Lightyear sticker.
This Easter egg gives fans a frame of reference for when both Lightyear and Turning Red occur. Turning Red is said to take place in 2002-2003, meaning the events of Lightyear have already occurred, and the Buzz Lightyear toy is on the market.
Classroom Treasures
User geekishlife shared their blog post that outlines even more hidden Easter eggs. One of Pixar's favorite places to hide Easter eggs is in classrooms on shelves. When looking in the corner of the window of the science classroom, there is a skeleton of a bird.
They say, "a skeleton that is the same shape as Kevin from Up on the right by the chalkboard." The skeleton is the same shape as Kevin, but it is much smaller than Kevin's towering height. It is more likely the skeleton is one of Kevin's babies.
The Luxo Ball
Redditor geekishlife also spotted one of the most coveted Easter eggs in the Pixar universe: Luxo ball. Since its first appearance in Toy Story, the Luxo ball has become a constant Easter egg in every Pixar movie and its sequels.
The user notes, "The Pixar Luxo ball is in Tyler's swimming pool." The ball floats near the diving board. At first glance, it could be mistaken for an ordinary beach ball, but Pixar fans know better than to take any object at face value in a film.
Is That A Pixar Villian?
Redditor marvelmommy is another Pixar sleuth who posted their blog to Reddit with all the Easter eggs they spotted. One of the things they noticed was Mei's teacher's resemblance to a particular villain. They say, "He kind of reminds us of a young Charles F. Muntz, the villain in UP!"
While this isn't a confirmed Easter egg, it is possible Pixar made the teacher resemble one of their villains, who is based on a real person in this film. Pixar has placed former characters in their current films before, and usually, it is pretty subtle. Could this be another secret cameo?
Luxo Lamp
User sondiez10 caught another Pixar icon after Mei's transformation from red panda back to a girl. When Mei inspects her red hair in the mirror, her desk lamp can be seen behind her. The lamp is the same shape as the Luxo lamp that is part of Pixar's logo and one of their first shorts. While the light is yellow instead of white, it is angled in the same position as Luxo in the shorts and logo. It could be argued that this is just a lamp because it is yellow and not white. However, Luxo has had several colors in its various appearances in Pixar films.
The only Easter egg Redditors haven't found yet is the coveted A113 appearance. This number appears in every Pixar film as a nod to Pixar animators' beginnings at the California Institute of Arts.