Pixar's Toy Story movies are inundated with Easter eggs referring to The Shining. From the original Toy Story in 1995 to 2019's Toy Story 4, the animation studio's brilliant franchise is peppered with visual nods and winking allusions to Stanley Kubrick's horror masterpiece. Lee Unkrich is an influential figure behind their existence. As a film editor on Toy Story, co-director on Toy Story 2, director on Toy Story 3, and then executive producer on Toy Story 4, Unkrich has added a treasure trove of Overlook references that are easy to overlook.
Unkrich, who left Pixar in 2019, has previously spoken about his obsession with Kubrick's movie, especially The Shining's woman in room 237. In an interview with Empire in 2012, Unkrich explained, "I think it was because it was the first film I saw that so pervasively had a specific mood to it. I'd never seen a movie that had made me feel so unsettled during the entire film." Unkrich has a website dedicated to closely analyzing The Shining and is featured in a documentary about The Shining theories called Room 237. He also made sure almost every Toy Story film he was involved in was loaded with references.
Andy's Bed Covers in Toy Story Match Danny's Sweater
Perhaps the most recurring reference to The Shining across the Toy Story franchise is those to Danny's Apollo 11 sweater. The first sighting is in Toy Story when Andy starts favoring Buzz Lightyear, despite it being unlikely that Pixar's recent Lightyear would be Andy's favorite movie and his space aesthetic over Woody and Westerns. The dark blue coloring of space, various space rocket imagery, and, most importantly, the stars are clear nods to Kubrick's film.
The stars also feature on Andy's bedroom wall in Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3, although the Buzz bedding changes by Toy Story 3. Pixar then continues the Apollo 11 references in Toy Story 4. Buzz, at one point, is strapped to a carnie's grill with both toy rockets and star-shaped balloons beside him.
The Carpet In Sid's House in Toy Story Looks Like The Overlook's
Possibly the most obvious nod to The Shining, and certainly the first that had cinephiles sitting up and taking note of Pixar's Kubrick obsession, is that the carpet in Sid's house in Toy Story is practically identical to The Shining's carpet, one of the many precise Overlook Hotel details. The film laid the foundations for Pixar's family-friendly entertainment legacy, while references such as Sid's carpet simultaneously provided them with film nerd credibility. Additionally, the trippiness of The Shining's carpet is intended to provoke a sense of unease in viewers, and that carries over into how unnerving Toy Story's sequences are in Sid's house.
Room 237 In Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 was Unkrich's first Pixar film as director, and it is loaded with references to The Shining. There are no fewer than three allusions to room 237, where Danny is attacked by the old woman in Kubrick's film. At Bonnie's house, it turns out Trixie has been messaging a toy called Velocistar237. There is also a garbage truck with the license plate RM237. Lastly, a security camera at Sunnyside Daycare has the model number Overlook R237.
The Janitor Is Called Mr. Tony in Toy Story 3
One of Toy Story 3's many references includes a nod to The Shining's Tony, who is both Danny Torrance's imaginary friend and the manifestation of his psychic ability to shine. The janitor at Sunnyside is called Mr. Tony. For an extra, particularly niche aspect to the reference, Tony the janitor is looking into the mirror in the screenshot above, just as Danny often does when he converses with Tony his friend.
The Sunnyside Intercom Is Similar To The Overlook's
Another Toy Story 3 allusion to Kubrick's film is the intercom in Sunnyside, as seen in the security room with the cymbal monkey watching for toys trying to escape. It's a reference to the Overlook's intercom in its office area, which Wendy uses to try and call for help during Jack Torrance's potentially shine-based descent into madness. Also, to hammer the point home, the security room features a tissue box with the same pattern and color as the Overlook Hotel carpet (and Sid's house).
Toy Story 4's "Here's Johnny" Moment
A gag so good Pixar made it twice. Both Finding Nemo and Toy Story 4 invoke one of The Shining's most memorable scenes when Jack breaks through the bathroom door with the fire axe. He then sticks his head through to exclaim with a horrifying grin, "here's Johnny!" Bruce the shark, after getting a whiff of fish blood, loses control of himself and chases Dory and Marlin in Finding Nemo. He bursts through a submarine to say, "here's Brucey!" The Toy Story 4 Easter egg features a shot of the Bensons chasing Woody which is strikingly reminiscent of the "here's Johnny!" moment, as Benson's head is framed by splintered wood.
Toy Story 4 Repeats The Shining's Final Song
Another unnerving nod to The Shining in Toy Story 4 is the use of the song which closes Kubrick's film, "Midnight, the Stars and You." The haunting, old Foxtrot song from the 1930s occurs during The Shining's ending, with a zoom-in on a photo of a party from the Overlook's halcyon interwar years. The camera eerily spots Jack Torrance, after being left frozen and dead in the Overlook's maze by Danny and Wendy, as having been absorbed into the photo and, subsequently, the ghastly history of the true story-inspired Overlook Hotel. It's an appropriate song choice to soundtrack Woody and Forky's disturbing entrance into the antique store with Gabby Gabby.
The "Kalinga" Technique In Toy Story 3
Kubrick's films, especially The Shining, famously utilize their orchestral score to establish a tense mood. This is a tactic also used by Unkrich in Toy Story 3. "When I'm trying to evoke creepiness in a scene, I tend to fall back on the feeling of the music Kubrick used," Unkrich told Empire. He mentioned a technique called Kalinga that composer Penderecki used, explaining it's "when the violin players tap their bows against the strings rather than strumming," making for an "insect-y sound" that he labeled "unsettling."
Unkrich employs the Kalinga technique during one of Toy Story 3's dark moments. It involves Big Baby standing guard as the gang tries to escape Sunnyside. Big Baby is ominously by itself on the swing in the playground, watching for any toys with fantasies of escape as the orchestral music turns sinister. Randy Newman is the composer Unkrich tasked with introducing the Kalinga element to the score. It might not be a clear-cut nod to The Shining, but it is yet another clever Toy Story ode to Kubrick's opus.
