The first image is a dilapidated abandoned trailer in a Bug’s Life. The second is from Monsters Inc. where Randall, the chameleon-like monster is sent through one of his doors. Note also the vehicle to the left of the trailer. It’s the Pizza Planet delivery truck from Toy Story.
Way cool, huh?
A quick Google search of Pixar Easter eggs brings up a few sites by people dedicated to all things…um…Pixar. Apparently they have nothing better to do. However, look at me reporting on them when I should be writing my next novel!
I have attempted to plant an Easter egg myself. (Which begs the question, does one plant an Easter egg or lay it?) In my fifth novel, Fine, Feathered Friend, Glenys, my actress heroine, has a best friend, Trista Farentino. Trista was in the movie in which my actor hero in my first novel, Merely Players, starred. When I introduce the hero, Brick, in Merely Players, I do it through a scene of a movie. We find out later that he’s screening the movie in it’s premier. In this scene, Brick’s spy character (a la Bond) jumps into the ocean. Here’s that scene:
“No! No! No!” The woman’s scream came from inside a helicopter as it lifted from the roof of the building. Dan ran to it, grabbing the skid just in time. He dangled over the Pacific Ocean as his black tuxedo jacket flapped in the gust of wind caused by the chopper blades. In two fluid motions, he was inside. His nemesis, the pock-faced Shark Finlay, grinned at him with sharp, crooked teeth, then leered at the woman, tied up in the back of the bubble.
Dan kicked at his enemy in an effort to gain control of the aircraft. Shark snapped at his foot with broad jaws.
“You scuffed my shoe, Sharky. You’ll pay for that.”
“No worries, Mate.” With a gleam in his eye, Shark tipped the helicopter, causing the woman to tumble out the open door.
Dan’s head swiveled from Shark to where the woman had just disappeared. “You’ve left me in a quandary, Sharky. Should I stay and bring you to justice, or save a damsel in distress?” He made a quick decision, grabbed the sides of the door, and placed his feet on the skid. “See you in Sidney.”
After a graceful swan dive, he swam to the woman. With a single swish of the hidden titanium blade in his watch, he released her before she drowned.
She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Agent Danger, you saved my life.”
“You know who I am. Who are you?” They bobbed in the water, a fishing boat already chugging up to them.
“I’m Agent Risk, the rookie.”
With a swarthy raise of his brow, he said, “I wish I knew the Risk before I jumped in.”
The scene faded with a long shot of Australia, and the words:
SEE AGENT DAN DANGER
IN HIS NEXT ADVENTURE
DANGER DOWN UNDER
Wild applause thundered in the auditorium where the premiere of the third movie in the series, Danger on the High Seas, had just played. Brick Connor sulked in his seat and turned to the man who had played the villain, his best friend and mentor, Vince Galloway. He leaned in, speaking for Vince’s ears only, “And for this we get paid the big bucks?”
Skip forward to Fine, Feathered Friend. It’s no secret that I kinda like movies, so it’s natural for me to put actors in my books. (Side note: My son, Joey Kovach, is a stage actor currently preparing for his first cabaret in New York, NY called I Changed the Rules . Chip off the old block!) Enter Glenys who introduces her friend to Tim (the hero in Fine, Feathered Friend.) Incidentally, Fine, Feathered Friend is about an actress afraid of birds who enlists the help of a bird trainer afraid of actresses. Here is the Easter egg scene:
As he replaced the sheet over the cage, Glenys entered the clinic with a woman in tow. By her expensive-looking gold hoop earrings, leather jacket, and designer jeans, he wondered if she was an investor. “Tim, this is my friend, Trista Farentino. Mandy showed her around yesterday. She’s going to take over my duties.”
Wearing that?
“You look familiar.” He searched his memory.
She tittered and struck a paparazzi pose. “Did you see my latest movie, Love Stinks? It was a romantic comedy.”
Another actress. He shook his head. Lord, what are you doing to me?
She placed a manicured finger on her chin. “Hm. You don’t look like the romantic comedy type. I was also in several adventure movies, including Danger Down Under, the third in that franchise. I played Agent Risk. Did you see that one?”
“No. I don’t have time to go to the movies.” Two actresses. Two thorns in his side. Suddenly remembering where he saw her, he snapped his fingers. “You were on the news last night.”
These books were published four years apart. Did I get a bunch of fan mail telling me how clever I was? Um…no. But that’s not why I did it. It was simply fun to revisit my first story and give a little nod to the book that helped me realize the desire of my heart.
Back to Pixar. Follow this link to see an article on 50 Best Pixar Easter Eggs. But the title of my blog article, “Pixar Easter Eggs–An Interesting (and Geeky) Explanation,” actually alludes to the blog article by Jon Negroni at this link. Talk about too much time on your hands! Negroni strings together an amazing conspiracy theory on how Pixar animals can talk, how time travel is possible, and how machines are taking over the world. It’s a fun tribute and not meant to be taken seriously, but really, I wish this guy was investigating our government. Wow! The article is longish, but well worth it if you love Pixar as much as I do.
************
You can find Fine, Feathered Friend on my Amazon page. It has also been bundled into Oregon Weddings, which includes two more fun stories. Or click on the image to be taken directly to the order page.
Merely Players is now available on Kindle on Amazon.
1 comment:
Fabulously fun post. Thanks! Now I'll be paying closer attention.
Post a Comment