Pixar’s Soul debuted on Disney+ in December and brought many families together to watch the story of Joe Gardner and the journey of souls. The powerful, touching film will almost definitely make you question what you’re doing with your single, precious life. Joe ( Jamie Foxx), a music teacher and a jazz musician, leads the movie; he meets an untimely end just before an important event. The story follows Joe’s soul as he attempts to find a way back to his life and his dreams.
And now with the film available for home release on Tuesday, Disney and Pixar shared an exclusive dive into Soul‘s Easter eggs with Nerdist. Some reference other Pixar films, while some nod to real life paintings. See if you caught all of these when you watched the film.
Pixar
Take a look to the left of 22: that’s the infamous Pixar ball in muted colors. It pops frequently in Pixar movies. In this same scene, you can look up the right and see a prop from Incredibles 2.
Pixar
See that painting to the right of Joe’s door? That’s an actual painting called Rutabaga: In the Sky by McArthur Binion.
Pixar
Ignore this man’s very confused expression and look at this desk. The Chinese take-out container is from Monsters, Inc.
Pixar
The art hanging just to the right of Joe’s elbow here is from early production of Soul. They were trying to land on a design for Joe.
Pixar
First of all, you never want to see a tattoo artist make that face while they’re working. Ever. But as for the Easter egg, look to the right. The framed flash art is a skull right from Coco.
Pixar
When 22 gives soul lessons, you listen. Maybe. But in this case the formula on the chalkboard behind them is for chocolate.
Pixar
Here, Joe gazes at the wall of 22’s many past mentors. Co-director Pete Docter added many of his own mentors to the wall including Joe Ranft, Joe Grant, and Mike Oznowicz. You’ll find other famous names on the wall too. And the tags say hello in each person’s native language.
Pixar
Okay, we have a few Easter eggs happening here. Over on the left column under the “Convenience” sign, you’ll see a couple of stickers. The orange and yellow one is for Pizza Planet from Toy Story. The gray sticker beneath it is Hidden City Cafe from Monsters, Inc. And then the graffiti on the roll-down door to the right of those stickers reads “Presto” and “Up,” after titles from a Pixar short and feature, respectively.
Pixar
Read the logo on the black van on the right. It says “RETLAW.” That’s Walter (as in Walter Disney) spelled backwards. Retlaw Enterprises was a one-time private holding of Walt’s. And it’s a common Easter egg in Disney movies.
Pixar
The large painting to the right of Joe is another real-life one. This one is The Banjo Lesson by Henry Ossawa Tanner. Then the framed photo on the right wall above the piano is a picture of Joe’s dad Ray and his band. Aww!
Soul arrives on Blu-ray/4K and digital on March 23.
Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of A Kid’s Guide to Fandom, available for pre-order now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
