Finding Dory Easter Eggs, References, & Pixar Theory Explained

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So Finding Dory is out, and not only are we excited to find our favorite blue fish but, with this being Pixar’s 17th movie, we’re also pumped to break down all of the best Easter Eggs, references, and everything that you need to know about Finding Dory!

So let's get right into the big ones!

1) A113

A113 - the classroom number that has shown up throughout many Pixar and non-Pixar films can be seen twice in the film. First, on the sea lion tags as pictured above. 

It appears again in the third act where a license plate reads, "CALA113" - a reference to room A113 at the Cal Arts Institute.

2) Luxo Ball

The famous Luxo Ball appears as a symbol on the steering wheel of the getaway truck that Hank drives.

3) John Ratzenberger

Pixar's lucky charm returns, not to voice a mocking fish like in Finding Nemo, but Bill the Crab who's out clipping his grass.

4) The Pizza Planet Truck

Ah, the Pizza Planet Truck! Did you spot it?

Many believe it appears in the third act car chase sequence but, to me, what they're really seeing are taxis. Even director Andrew Stanton confirmed that it can be found within the first 20 minutes - not the end. 

So here it is! Exactly 17 minutes and 32 seconds into the movie right when Dory remembers her parents' names. You can bet that pizza wasn't delivered in time!

5) Pixar Address

Another cool nod appears in the scene where Dory gets captured/rescued. We see writings on the boat that reference Pixar's address as well as the year they were founded.

6) Disneyland Reference

For those who frequent Disneyland a lot, you may have noticed a reference to the Finding Nemo Subs. As Dory, Marlin, and Nemo are traveling through the pipes towards Quarantine, we get a 3-second still of the words TL59 imprinted on the pipe - the same text that can be found when you enter the ride. 

7) Original Nemo

Alexander Gould, the original voice of Nemo back in the day, may have gone through puberty, but that didn't stop him from making a cameo. He plays Carl the Passenger who gets GTA'ed by Hank and Dory.

8) Fear from Inside Out

Bill Hader returns for another Pixar role. This time as Stan the fish!

9) The Wire Reunion

Have you seen The Wire yet? Huh? Have you? HAVE YOU?

Well, if you haven't (or are tired of hearing that from your friends), let me take the time to point out this reunion of Dominic West and Idris Elba and tell you:

TO GO WATCH THE WIRE.

Also, has anyone else noticed that Elba has been KILLING it in these animal roles this year? Give him Bond already!

10) Director Cameo

Director Andrew Stanton reprises his role as the voice of the chillaxed Crush. Not only was it an awesome blast of nostalgia, but it also made us feel old. 

11) Sigourney Weaver

Stanton also brings back Sigourney Weaver to replicate her Planet Earth narration as the voice of the Marine Life Institute - which is based on the real-life Steinhart Aquarium which Weaver narrates for as well. Weaver previously worked with Stanton on Wall-E in where she voiced the ship that kept all of the humans calm.

It's also cool to see a nod to the famous Alien vent scene while Dory is being guided through the pipes.

12) Wall-E Calender 

Speaking of Wall-E, right when Hank is getting ready to drop off Dory at the Open Ocean Exhibit, we see a cleverly placed Wall-E Calender in the background.

13) Darla

We also see a picture of the lovable Darla when Hank and Dory first meet.

14) Lava

In that same scene, we see a callback to Pixar's short Lava with this magnet.

15) Piper

Later, a callback to the Pixar short Piper which played before Finding Dory.

16) "MINE. MINE. MINE."

Towards the end of the truck chase sequence, we see and hear the "MINE!" seagulls fly overhead. 

17) Becky With the Good Hair

However, they're overshadowed by another bird - Becky. 

How could you Jay..

18) Future Pixar Films

As far as future references are concerned, we can backtrack and see that in The Good Dinosaur the one for Finding Dory was Hank - the octopus who's a septapus because they couldn't render out one of his tentacles. So chances are that the Easter Egg for the next movie is going to be a mystery until we get the trailer. 

However, if it's for Cars 3, well...there were a lot of cars.

If it's for the Day of the Dead inspired Coco, then I believe it may have something to do with this guy's shirt and what's written on it. 

19) After Credits Scene

Make sure you stay for the after credits scene to see the fate of the Tank Gang! Also, notice how Jacques' bag is the only clean one out of the bunch. Details.

20) Die Hard

In an interview with Collider, the director and producer of Finding Dory talked about incorporating a spoof theory into the movie about Die Hard that went viral on the internet. 

The first reference to the action franchise comes with the parallels between the famous vent scene from Die Hard and Dory's travels through the pipes. The second comes from a play on words with hands and Hans - aka: Hans Gruber.

21) The Pixar Theory

To wrap it all up, we have the extension to the Pixar Theory. If you don't know about it, read this book NOW. It pretty much connects all of the Pixar films, talks about an apocalypse and even points at Wall-E as being the new messiah.

The best connection we see in Finding Dory - and is actually my favorite Easter Egg - comes when Marlin and Nemo are in the gift shop tank and the fish toy tries to get Marlin's attention. After doing so it even points him towards the direction he needs to go. 

Just a coincidence from a faulty display or is Pixar known for having toys that have a mind of their own....

So what were your favorite Easter Eggs? Which references did you catch? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments!