The Monsters, Inc. Easter Egg You Likely Missed In Pixar's Lightyear
Contains spoilers for "Lightyear"
Pixar's emotional resonance, stunning visuals, and stellar storytelling have launched the studio and its hit films to an iconic status that has yet to be matched in the entertainment world. In the process, those films have created legions of loyal fans who, through the good, the bad, and the ugly, will always have a friend in the game-changing animation house. As a way to thank those fans, Pixar is known for hiding plenty of Easter eggs throughout its films that connect to past or even upcoming movies. While these Easter eggs almost never actually end up tying into the plot of the movies they're featured in, fans nevertheless remain eager to spot them.
Pixar's newest film, "Lightyear," the spin-off movie-within-a-movie that tells the origin of the Buzz Lightyear character from the "Toy Story" franchise (Tim Allen), is no exception to this. While the film obviously references the "Toy Story" movies it is based on, it also goes out of its way to include Easter eggs from other Pixar classics, one of which is the Oscar-winning 2001 film "Monsters, Inc." Given that both films have somewhat of a sci-fi angle to them, it would make sense that Pixar might link the two together. But just what piece of "Monsters, Inc." made it into "Lightyear?"
The laugh canisters show up briefly
Much of the first act of "Lightyear" sees the space ranger attempting to reach hyperspeed, which will help him and his crew return to Earth after being stranded on a mysterious planet. The catch, however, is that every minute Buzz spends in space trying to make the leap equates to one year on the planet, meaning that everyone on the surface goes on to live life without him. Nevertheless, he believes in his mission and makes several attempts, as depicted in a lengthy montage. At one point during this montage, viewers can spot a yellow laugh canister from "Monsters, Inc" tucked away in the background.
As seen in "Monsters, Inc." and later in its 2013 prequel, "Monsters University," the bright-yellow canisters were originally used to store the screams of the children whom the Scarers at Monsters Incorporated would spook. The canisters were then brought to different areas in the factory, and the screams were converted into energy that helped power the city of Monstropolis. By the end, they learn that laughs are more powerful than screams and use larger canisters to collect laughter to fuel the city instead. Although the canister bears no connection to "Lightyear," it's a nice surprise to see it pop up in the film, one that is sure to give anyone who notices it a little chuckle.