A long-held fan theory that all of Pixar's movies are connected has been reiterated by the studio's most recent release.
In 2024, Pixar released two installments in its popular Inside Out franchise. First, Inside Out 2, the sequel to the 2015 family comedy, went on to become the highest-grossing movie of 2024.
This was followed in December by the animated miniseries Dream Productions, which takes place between the two mainline films and explains how Riley's dreams are created.
Inside Out Series 'Dream Productions' Further Proves Every Pixar Movie Is Connected
An episode of Dream Productions contains an easter egg that supports the Pixar shared universe theory.
In the third episode of the Disney+ series, titled 'Part 3: Romance!', Riley is conflicted over choosing between potential romantic suitors in her dream.
In a brief sequence, one of these suitors is seen dressed in a beaver costume singing 4*Town's "Nobody Like U." The sequence also shows Joy singing and dancing along to the tune, with Riley also seen humming it while asleep.
This song is original to Pixar and was first introduced in the 2022 film Turning Red.
This is not the first time Inside Out and Turning Red have crossed over. Inside Out 2 features a poster for 4*Town on the wall of Riley's bedroom, confirming that the band exists in both films.
Pixar's Shared Universe Theory, Explained
Pixar has never outright confirmed that all of its films exist in the same universe. But Jon Negroni makes a strong case for it in his viral Pixar Theory which posits that each of the studio's films are connected in some way.
This theory begins with Brave, the earliest chronological film in the theoretical timeline, and evolves to explain how every single Pixar film released through 2013 could share the same universe, from Ratatouille to Wall-E.
Negroni has since added to the theory with new releases like The Good Dinosaur and Inside Out, but is yet to cover Turning Red.
However, Pixar has long planted self-referential Easter eggs in its films (like the consistent Pizza Planet truck) and it manages to organically connect Inside Out 2 and Dream Productions to Turning Red via the inclusion of 4*Town.
Given that Inside Out and Turning Red are both focused on the lives of adolescent girls (and their emotions), it makes sense that these two films would share a universe.
A proper crossover between two franchises would be a first for Pixar, but may not be out of the question, particularly if the studio continues to support the shared universe theory in a potential Inside Out 3.
Dream Productions is now streaming on Disney+.
