
The Pixar Theory - nazka
http://www.pixartheory.com/???
======
scrrr
Category: Entertaining B.S.

Reminds me of Leonard Nimoy in "The Simpsons":

"Hello. I'm Leonard Nimoy. The following tale of alien encounters is true. And
by true, I mean false. It's all lies. But they're entertaining lies. And in
the end, isn't that the real truth? The answer is no."

~~~
omegant
Sorry! I downvoted you trying to upvote..(the arrows are damn close at the
iphone)

~~~
omegant
Now I got downvoted in retaliation. Punished by my ineptitude. HN is no place
for weaklings! (Game of votes)

------
sdoering
Having studied literature, I was taken aback by this, as it really is a nice
story, that fit the facts after the fact. It is the classical "post hoc, ergo
proter hoc", that is so common in (at least German) literature science.

Some small factoids are taken from "texts" (or here movies) and over them a
nice story is fabricated, to "explain" these factoids.

For example the timeline. Does Cars for example mention the time anywhere in
the movie? Or is this just a fictional fitting from the maker of this site?

Or does Monster Inc. somewhere mention a time, that would explain the position
on the timeline?

Or the mentioned wars between animals/humans and machines/humans. Where in the
movies are they referenced?

This (The Pixar Theory) is not a "scientific" theory. It does not in the least
adhere to anything remotely resembling a scientific method.

Fun to see, non the less, but not explaining anything.

~~~
mdt
FWIW, though American, I studied German lit. as well, and I don't see it
either. Line for line, my reaction mirrors yours.

~~~
antimagic
The worst of it was that most of the fitting wasn't necessary. There is no
need for there to be a link between Up and Toy Story - both stories can exist
in the same universe, as there is nothing contradictory.

In fact, the author of the page doesn't seem to want all the films to be in
the same universe. S/he could more accurately be described as trying to reduce
the number of "magical" artifacts necessary to explain all of the things in
the films that don't exist in real life. So we have the discovery of magic in
Brave, and the creation of unlimited energy / strong AI in The Incredibles,
and everything else flows from that. Of course trying to tie everything to
just these two root causes ironically makes them all less believable than the
suspension of disbelief for each individual act of "magic".

~~~
mdt
Exactly, exactly. If you see this-- I'm replying late-- lend me an ear:

This analysis itself and the curious overwhelmingly positive response by HN
and especially Reddit, as measured by vote tally and the mere inclination of
the author to go to the trouble of creating a website solely dedicated to the
idea, are, I believe, symptoms of how American schools teach literature.

Before describing my personal experiences, I want to note first that you
should forget everything you've heard Americans prop up as excuses for our
education system, if not entirely, then at least for this particular
discussion. Science and history teachers may need to "teach to the (easiest)
test (in the world)", but English teachers can and do assign whatever books
they want - the graduation test is basic essay writing.

Anyway, American English teachers are extremely fond, for whatever reason, of
"themed" curricula. For example, in my 9th grade English class, we read
"Native Son" by Richard Wright (black American), "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua
Achebe (black Nigerian), "Cry, the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton (black South
African), "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad (the only white person on this
list, and, inarguably, the only High Literature as well), and something or
other by Maya Angelou (black American).

So, if you can't guess, the message that year was black people got it rough.
If, in your literary analysis for any section of any of these books (even
Conrad's, which isn't even about black people), you concluded that the message
the author meant to convey with any even remotely logical elements X, Y, and
Z, was that, indeed, black people have it rough, then guess what? You're
right. X, Y, and Z mean black people got it rough. A+.

Yes, I mean it. Pick three random paragraphs out of 1984. "Orwell's opinion is
that totalitarianism is bad, since, here, the authorities are torturing
Winston." A+, you literary genius. Get something wrong for once! Please, just
for the sake of variety! "In Fahrenheit 451, the firefighters' helmets are red
because communism, which is also red." Oh my God, I never thought of it that
way! Somebody get this 16-year-old a Nobel.

(The sole exception to this is Shakespeare, whose meaning behind any one play
even the most idiotic English teachers are unwilling to reduce to a single
sentence. And, wouldn't you know it, 80% of the students in class will
inevitably complain about his insistence on using Victorian English, the big
jerk. Literally, I shit you not, the majority of the time American students
read Shakespeare, they're reading it in a book wherein the Shakespearean
version is printed on left pages and the "modern translation" is printed on
the right.)

------
ctdonath
That all the stories occur in the same universe is a given. Oddly, The Pixar
Theory gives no reference (much less credit) to the long-running proliferation
of Pixar characters appearing in other Pixar movies. This includes characters
from _future_ movies, like Wall-E seen in Toy Story. The Pixar Theory, in its
long-history view, fails to address proof most of the movies occur within a
narrow timeframe, via facts like Heimlich (from A Bug's Life) appearing in Toy
Story 2, and the Pizza Planet truck appearing in _every_ movie (partial
exception for Brave, where it appears as a carved-wood toy alongside a bas-
relief of Sully).

The Pixar Theory takes a vague notion and just, as noted "post hoc, ergo
proter hoc", creates an elaborate and baseless theory to justify it a la most
conspiracy theories. Alas, there is a great deal of facts available to both
destroy the theory as presented, and at the same time prove the "one Pixar
universe" premise to far more comprehensive and compelling effect. Instead of
a few vapid paragraphs, the website should be a collection of the dozens
(hundreds?) of images tying all the stories together.

~~~
walesmd
Or, the more likely theory: one of the animators was bored and thought it
would be neato to give the pizza truck a cameo appearance. Of course, he
pointed it out to a few of his close friends and a free of the people he
worked with. As Pixar continued making movies, someone would always sneak the
pizza truck in, to the point it's become an integral point in their corporate
culture. A Pixar movie wouldn't feel the same without looking for that cameo
appearance - for the employees just as much as the consumer.

So yeah, you're right. They do all take place in a unified universe: ours.
Where people are people and they do silly, fun things for the sake of them
being silly and fun. Like discussing unified universe theories of movies as if
there's been any shroud of evidence that would lead anyone to believe one
should exist.

------
enb
I read this theory on some other blog site a week ago - can someone confirm
what it was?

The theory is tenuous as best and not overly convincing. But I love discourse
like this. I think that this is the value of art, for there to be more meaning
and truth in the work than the artist may have intended.

Anyway, a nice looking site. I like the idea of dedicate entire sites/domains
to a single article or idea.

~~~
nazka
Yes it was posted on HN.

[http://jonnegroni.com/2013/07/11/the-pixar-
theory/](http://jonnegroni.com/2013/07/11/the-pixar-theory/)

~~~
TezzellEnt
97floors.com - the people behind pixartheory.com - did cite jonnegroni.com as
the source of inspiration in the footer.

------
kelvin0
This does not even come close to the best tie-in theory of all times, as seen
in this video:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fknp2aDXQyU](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fknp2aDXQyU)
It's subtitled, but trust me it worth every second (especially for tarantino
fan bois, such as I)

------
Theodores
This is not exactly mind-blowing or credible. Compare and contrast with this
Scientific Fact:

E.T. and Star Wars are set in the same universe:

[http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/6555/are-e-t-and-
st...](http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/6555/are-e-t-and-star-wars-in-
the-same-universe)

That factoid truly astounds people (try it)...

------
hedgew
At best, theories like this serve as evidence of people's desire to find
meaning and patterns in the world, especially in places where they don't
exist.

If you do not maintain scientific rigidity - a questioning, truth-seeking
curiosity - with constant vigilance, you will be able to create theories that
explain anything, while actually explaining nothing.

If while reading this theory you got a strange feeling, as if something wasn't
entirely right, GRASP that feeling and remember it. You should always seek the
truth, but especially when you notice this feeling: pay attention and weigh
the evidence. It's very useful to be able to reason well, and even more useful
if your emotions help you reason.

------
culshaw
Nice idea! Applying the Tarantino-esque everything in one world scenario is
cool.

The theory is a bit off for me though. If it was me I'd have portrayed bugs as
evolution (darwinian) of the fish, and monsters of the bug. That way around
then Toy story spins off Monsters University as kids are seen to be scared
through their Toy's eyes. With The Incredibles being activated to tackle the
Monsters problem, which then leads to Monsters Inc and the monsters switching
to comedy. Then aliens take over and Brave is the re-emerging human! :) n.b.
was a pixar nut as a kid.

Touché though I can't fit Ratatouille in my world :)

~~~
nazka
Yes :). There are more explanation here [1]. It was already posted on HN and
is linked on the website (sources). I liked the idea and the new visual, so I
shared it.

[1] [http://jonnegroni.com/2013/07/11/the-pixar-
theory/](http://jonnegroni.com/2013/07/11/the-pixar-theory/)

------
thejteam
cracked.com did a skit about this almost a year ago.

[http://www.cracked.com/video_18459_why-pixar-movies-are-
all-...](http://www.cracked.com/video_18459_why-pixar-movies-are-all-secretly-
about-apocalypse.html)

~~~
jbrooksuk
The author of the original article, Jonne Groni cites that video as the
inspiration of his "theory":

> Several months ago, I watched a fun-filled video on Cracked.com that
> introduced the idea (at least to me) that all of the Pixar movies actually
> exist within the same universe. Since then, I’ve obsessed over this concept,
> working to complete what I call “The Pixar Theory,” a working narrative that
> ties all of the Pixar movies into one cohesive timeline with a main theme.

------
mrt0mat0
I'm pretty sure this is a rip off of a rant in "After Hours" on Cracked.com
but still an interesting visual [http://www.cracked.com/video_18459_why-pixar-
movies-are-all-...](http://www.cracked.com/video_18459_why-pixar-movies-are-
all-secretly-about-apocalypse.html)

P.S. After Hours is HILARIOUS!

------
mistercow
>Another ant tells Flik not to leave the island because there are "snakes,
birds, and bigger bugs out there." They do not mention humans, because there
are very few humans to make it dangerous enough for insects to worry about.

I'm not sure this would be unrealistic in today's world, assuming sentient
bugs. I would guess that for an ant not near a farm, non-human predators are a
far greater danger than humans.

------
npsimons
Gah! What is this? Why not link to the original, which also happens to be much
more readable, all one page, and doesn't require JS?

[http://jonnegroni.com/2013/07/11/the-pixar-
theory/](http://jonnegroni.com/2013/07/11/the-pixar-theory/)

------
vecter
Relevant discussion on Quora: [https://www.quora.com/Pixar-Animation-
Studios/What-do-Pixar-...](https://www.quora.com/Pixar-Animation-Studios/What-
do-Pixar-employees-think-of-the-Pixar-theory)

~~~
scrrr
Heh quora feels like experts exchange. Show a little content for Google and
external links, force registration for the rest. Meh, no thank you. Same
people running it by any chance?

~~~
tzs
Your loss. Quora has some extremely excellent answers. It is well worth
registering for.

For example, there was a very thorough, well written, even handed answer to a
question asking for the history of the conflict in the Mideast, in terms that
a 15 year old would understand: [http://qr.ae/IsPAq](http://qr.ae/IsPAq)

Another. Why does Superman wear red underwear over his costume? Turns out it
has to do with the limitations of printing technology of the time.
[http://qr.ae/IsPDn](http://qr.ae/IsPDn)

Another example. Why are software development task estimates regularly off by
a factor of 2 or 3? [http://qr.ae/IsPMM](http://qr.ae/IsPMM)

Another: What is the most phenomenal moment in Olympic History?
[http://qr.ae/IsPO5](http://qr.ae/IsPO5)

Here's one that will be of particular interest to many on HN: Would becoming
homeless be a good strategy to cut costs? The first answer is from someone who
elected to do that in Silicon Valley while bootstrapping his startup.
[http://qr.ae/IsPik](http://qr.ae/IsPik)

~~~
CJefferson
Quora have (like many websites) a terrible privacy policy, saying they will
share your private data with anyone they like at all.

Edit: Just in case anyone wonders what I mean:

Personally Identifiable Information: Quora may share your personally
identifiable information with third parties for the purpose of providing the
Service to you or with third parties offering combined services with Quora.
For example, we may share your personally identifiable information with third-
party partners that display Quora questions and answers through their services
so that such partners can tailor content and advertising to you. If we do
this, such third parties' use of your information will be bound by this
Privacy Policy. We may store personal information in locations outside the
direct control of Quora (for instance, on servers or databases co-located with
hosting providers).

As we develop our business, we may buy or sell assets or business offerings.
Customer, email, and visitor information is generally one of the transferred
business assets in these types of transactions. We may also transfer or assign
such information in the course of corporate divestitures, mergers, or
dissolution.

------
devgutt
_Monsters vs Aliens_ is not a pixar movie but fit well between _Bug 's Life_
and _Monster Uni_...maybe something bigger...I hope anyone try to put this as
the "new bible" :p

------
restlessmedia
Did I miss something? I feel a bit inadequate as I didn't understand what this
was revealing to me, but hey it's related to Pixar so all good.

------
mikeurbanski
Can someone at Pixar confirm or deny this? Pees?

~~~
Ygg2
What? I'm pretty sure it's non confirmed. It's basically just nerdy banter
(like Dracula vs Hulk).

They base their assumption on the fact that movies contain models from other
movies, when those are merely Easter eggs. It's like saying MSFT wanted to
turn accountants into pilots for 9/11 by including a flight simulator into it.
It breaks down under scrutiny.

~~~
mikeurbanski
Oh! Of course it's not confirmed. It would just be nice for someone on the
inside to give a wink+nod, or tell us that's it's completely off the mark.

~~~
Ygg2
There was a Quora by a Pixar employee (who did distance himself from Pixar, so
not official statement) comment on that. I'll paste info here because Quora
sucks:

    
    
       It's a wonderful example of how, given a sufficiently large dataset, 
       one can cherry-pick what one needs to construct almost any narrative.
    
       My daughter broke the time line, though, by pointing out
       that Heimlich has a cameo in Toy Story 2. I do want to 
       give the author props for inventing the idea of the 
       Monsters Inc. doors being time portals. It doesn't really 
       work, but it's witty.
    
       As in the case of Andy's father the real reason Pixar 
       films contain references to other Pixar films is rather 
       mundane. It's only because somebody thought it would be  
       funny and the director agreed. In the cases of things like 
       John Ratzenberger's voice and the Pizza Planet Truck, 
       it's  tradition and a challenge.
    

Source: [http://www.quora.com/Pixar-Animation-Studios/What-do-
Pixar-e...](http://www.quora.com/Pixar-Animation-Studios/What-do-Pixar-
employees-think-of-the-Pixar-theory)

------
joshlegs
Oy. I've seen this now on two other social media. and twice on here. :( i am
disappoint

------
speedyrev
Anybody else feel that the author of this theory likes weed a little too much?

------
gonewest
Occam's razor

