Rounding up the Cars 2 easter eggs!

July 5th 2011, 5:46pm

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Part of the fun of any Pixar movie is watching it again and again to find all the easter eggs hidden within each film. The artists there are so detailed they always leave fun little things hidden for the most dedicated of viewers. Even though CARS 2 is still in theaters, we’ve already got a little cheat sheet on how and where you can spot some of the secrets!

In each Pixar movie there is a reference to A113, which is the classroom that CARS 2 director John Lasseter (along with other Pixar vets Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter) studied in at CalArts. In CARS 2, A113 is both on Mater’s license plate and is the registration number of Siddeley, the spy jet.

– While still in Radiator Springs, Mater and Lightning McQueen drive past a movie theater that’s playing “The Incredimobiles.”

– Another item that makes an appearance in every Pixar film is TOY STORY’s Pizza Planet truck. Given that this is a car-based movie, it makes a few appearances. It’s both a guest on the “Tire Talk” TV program and later in Radiator Springs as Mater takes his rocket-propelled victory lap.

– Pixar likes to hid characters from future films in each of their current films (Dug was in RATATOUILLE and Lotso was in UP) and while you might think it was tricky, they found a way to fit in some characters from BRAVE. When the Lemons crash into “Ye Left Turn Inn” during the London sequence, keep an eye out for some familiar BRAVE faces that have been, well, “car-ified.”

– Directors of the film, John Lasseter and Brad Lewis, both voice characters in CARS 2. Lasseter voices Jeff Gorvette’s crew chief and the car gambling with the fuzzy dice. Lewis voices Tubbs Pacer, one of the film’s bad guys.

– When there is an overhead shot of Paris, you can see a restaurant named “Gastow’s,” a reference to RATATOUILLE’s “Gusteau’s.”

– While in London, you can briefly see an ad for “Lassetyre” brand tires.

– The character of Flo was originally intended to have her own cooking show in the film before that subplot was cut. But during some sequences in Radiator Springs, you can still see the set outside the V8 Cafe.

If you found any that we haven’t listed here or have any photos we missed, let us know and we’ll add it here!