The original Toy Story trilogy is holds a special place in the hearts of millions of people across the globe, many of who will have no doubt seen each film countless times.
However, even 24 years on from the release of the first instalment, people are still picking up on things they’d never noticed before.
These hidden details, which often have a second meaning or reference something else, are called easter eggs – and there’s set to be a whole lot more of them in the upcoming fourth film too.
Speaking to Digital Spy, producer Mark Nielsen confirmed there will be an easter egg from every Pixar film ever made in it.
Hinting at where to find them, he added: “That antique store is a wealth of it, so we hope it’s rewarding to all the people that love Easter eggs.”
So to practise hunting them before you see Toy Story 4, here’s 16 of the best hidden nuggets from the first three films...
1. The closing shot of Toy Story 3 is the same as the opening shot from the first film, bringing the franchise full circle... That was until Toy Story 4 was announced.
2. In Toy Story 2, the film opens with a shot of the stars where a constellation of a lamp can be seen in the top right of the screen. This is a reference to the lamp in the Pixar logo.
3. When the gang meet the kids from daycare in Toy Story 3, one of them is wearing a number 95 Lightning McQueen T-shirt – a reference to the character from other Pixar film, Cars.
4. The tools that Sid uses to mutilate the toys in the first film come from Binford. This is a reference to Tim Allen’s (aka the voice of Buzz Lightyear) show Home Improvement. Binford are the sponsor of the show-within-the-show, Tool Time.
5. The bin man in Toy Story 3 is none other than Andy’s evil neighbour Sid from the first film.
6. In Andy’s bedroom in the first film, there is a Mickey on the clock on his wall. Hidden Mickeys are a common easter egg in many Disney films.
7. Similarly, most Pixar films also have a trademark Luxo Ball hidden in them, with each of the three Toy Story films being no exception. In the first film, it played an instrumental role in Buzz getting knocked out of the window when he bounced off it.
8. In the bookcase in Andy’s room in the first film, there is a shelf of books that are all screenplays and animated shorts by director John Lasseter. One of the books is called Tin Toy, which was the name of the original treatment Toy Story was based on.
9. The carpet from The Shining is recreated in Sid’s house, and can be seen when Woody goes to rescue Buzz. It was used to denote the fact Sid was evil.
10. There’s many other references to The Shining throughout the three films, with the number 237 regularly appearing – this is the number of the room in the classic Jack Nicholson movie.
11. Mrs Potato Head can be seen reading A Bug’s Life (yep, another Pixar film) book in Toy Story 2.
12. The map in Andy’s bedroom in Toy Story 3 has pins dotted all over it, which apparently correspond to the hometowns of a number of the production team.
13. When Buzz’s back unit is exposed in Toy Story 3, we see his batteries are made by Buy N Large, as seen by the B&N logo. This is the same company who made WALL-E in the Pixar film of the same name.
14. In Toy Story 2, Rex is seen chasing a car through its wing mirror – a reference to a similar scene in Jurassic Park.
15. When Zurg is ready to kill Buzz in Toy Story 3, he powers his blaster up to 11 – a reference to the film This Is Spinal Tap.
16. The train in the opening scene of the third film carries the number 95 – the year the first film was released.
