Good thoughts, Leirin! [spoiler]I remember how The Incredibles was supposed to be like a 1960’s setting, too! But was that just supposed to be the look of it or the actual timeframe too? I always liked to think it looked like a modern day setting, but it may very well be from that time period.
I remember Bud Luckey told a story for Monsters, Inc. Supposedly the monsters supposedly originate from “mons” who were like men but were too hairy and smelly. Then I guess they ate fruit that animals ate to take on their traits, and then took revenge on the men by frightening them at night? I think that was just a story they made up though.
As for Cars, I always liked to believe that it was just us and our world re-imagined in a car world, I guess just because the stories are more interesting that way? So it’s like there is a human Mater and McQueen somewhere, and they drive the cars that they are in the movie, so maybe it was more like they were really people in a different reality.[/spoiler]
Pixar themselves have said that these all take place in alternate realities, and they don’t crossover aside from throwing in easter eggs. I don’t think the theory was bad, I just regard it more in the fanfic category of things. You can probably tell I’m clueless about some of this.
I rather like Leirin’s theory and I think I prefer it to the original Pixar theory. I mean, I especially like the idea of the Cars universe actually being someone playing with their toy cars. It makes sense and reminds me kinda of Toy Story 3’s intro!
Heheh thanks guys, I sort of just threw it together. They’re really more like separate universes as Pixarians have stated, but it’s fun to imagine—especially because I feel like they’re not too hard to piece together. None of them take place in overly fantasized settings, after all.
Thanks Leirin! I thought your ideas were great, too! The reason I think that thing about Cars is because of all of the celebrities that have the same names or similar names to real people, so I thought maybe it could be that. Maybe there’s a car of you and me and the rest of us in there somewhere…
Haha, like carsonas. You’re right about the similar names bit too, and I didn’t even take it into consideration. I have to wonder if the race in question that Lightning is going on, in the “real” world, is a footrace then? It’s really funny to think in these terms!
I hate it because nowhere is time travel suggested in the Pixar movies and the Witch and the talking animals basically operate on Disney rules of “Magic users spout anachronisms” and “Animals can communicate with each other, but not with people”.
Here’s my own take on the Pixar Timeline. Incorporated some spinoff material and some development details as well to give it a little more flavor and I think it has more of an actual story to it.
(1) Cars takes place in an alternate universe, as indicated by the spin-off Disney film Planes, plus the newspapers and trophies in Doc’s garage are dated 1951-1954. Plus, in Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2, there is a short film called Time-Travel Mater, which was somehow inspired by an unmade tale that can be found in the bonus features of Mater’s Tall Tales.
(2) Monsters Inc. possibly takes place around the same time as somewhere between Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3, most likely due to the kids becoming desensitized. Therefore, it’s a parallel universe that can only be accessed through the closet door. In Monsters University, there is no sign of an energy crisis yet. That is because, if you reach the scene where Mike Wazowski goes through a door to try and scare a kid, the kids are at a camp. This means the prequel probably takes place a few decades earlier, when children used to go outside and play back then.
(3) In terms of the postcard that was sent by Carl & Ellie, it’s likely possible that Andy was also a Wilderness Explorer some years before Russell came in, as we see when Russell comes up on Carl’s front porch sometime after Ellie has passed away. Oh, and it’s likely that Ratatouille would possibly be taking place around the same time as The Incredibles, as indicated through Bomb Voyage as a mime.
(4) The theory may also be disproved because it leaves out a lot of detail used in short films as well as books. Can you hear the music that blasts in Mike’s New Car? Or would Boundin’ (along with La Luna) be something like a frequently-told tale possibly liked by just about everyone? Also, I am reading some BOOM! comics related to WALL-E, in which the BOOM! comics may also disprove the theory as well. And if you ever heard of those, has anyone here ever read either Laugh Factory or Recharge? And take a look at the other picture books, which further the story. Those stories may also disprove the theory as well.
Therefore, I must collect the info needed to create a new theory.
Whoa, I forgot all about this thread! It created some good discussion. evspixarfan2012, those are good thoughts! I’d love to read more into this still.
I am sooooo gonna disprove this theory once and for all! (And as soon as I collect enough info for a new theory, I’m gonna type it on my blog.)
Besides, this other old theory has got to go! Plus, I’m pretty sure the guy who wrote that theory has probably never seen the actual films, as indicated by the following:
(1) Incorrect time periods
(2) Lack of screen shots
(3) Description and/or details appear to be rushed
(4) Information from short films is missing
Therefore, my goal this summer is to create a new theory that will ultimately disprove of the old one. Anyone else here agree with me?
Evspixarfan2012 - I think most of those are either on purpose or excusable.
I’m not sure if you mean they mess up movie timelines or the parts where they move a movie to an unexpected time period. The latter’s a rather normal thing for wacky fan theories.
Well it doesn’t really need screenshots. It’s operating under the assumption you’ve seen the movies already, so it doesn’t really need to illustrate anything.
He doesn’t seem to want to include them. Just doing the films was probably hard enough. Besides, to include shorts you’d need to figure out things like when Remy learned to break the fourth wall.
Not saying you can’t try and disprove it, or make your own, it just seems highly unlikely the guy hasn’t seen the movies. Why even come up with a theory for movies you haven’t seen?
Off of that, people have started stating this theory is a fact. Ugh!
Well, that’s the big problem right there! People have come to believe in the so-called theory being true, and without actually taking the time to re-watch those films in terms of details contained within that prove this theory to be false.
This, of course, is in terms of both Cars movies–for one. (And there are others.)
I don’t really mind people taking the theory as a personal headcanon, I just have a problem with people listing it as a “Pixar fact” alongside things like A113 and the Pizza Planet truck. Setting aside any problems with it (even official things have problems. Just to list one, isn’t it canon that the Monster World and the Human World are the same and the humans just somehow haven’t noticed?), it’s just misleading and wrong to do.
I don’t really know why people think they have to do that…unless they’re just doing it only for the purpose of ruining a good story by making everyone read their theories into a point of believing them, and then to cause confusion upon viewing of the actual story.
The way I see it, Toy Story and Monsters Inc. take place together. They just seem like two movie series that fit nicely with one another. Also, I can see Finding Nemo (the Buzz in the waiting room), Up (the Carl-and-Ellie Postcard in TS3), Ratatouille (if Finding Nemo can have sentient fish and birds and Up can have sentient dogs, then there’s no reason I can see regarding Ratatouille also taking place along side them), and maybe WALL-E (the Rex in WALL-E’s truck and the BNL batteries in TS3) in there as well.
The Incredibles could be a film-within-a-film (since it doesn’t really fit with the others and there’s a Mr. Incredible comic book in the Dentist’s office in Finding Nemo). The Cars Franchise, I’d like to think, is sort of like the intro to Toy Story 3, in that it takes place inside a kid’s imagination while playing with toys. A Bug’s Life is somewhat tricky. In TS2, there are a ton of Bugs Life background references (Andy’s calendar, the book Mrs. Potato Head is reading, the toys at Al’s Toy Barn). So for me, it’s either that it takes place in a child’s imagination or it’s a film-within-a-film sort of thing.
Or they all just take place in their own separate worlds and not everything is connected.
I think there could be a connection between a couple of the different movies (For example, Ratatoullie, Up and Toy Story), but some of them just take it a little too far. I don’t know.
They’re really more like separate universes as Pixarians have stated, but it’s fun to imagine—especially because I feel like they’re not too hard to piece together. None of them take place in overly fantasized settings, after all.
Ugh!
I don’t know.