The Pixar Timeline Theory

I don't know what brought this up or how it made its way to me only now, but Ray decided it was time to enlighten me on the interconnectedness and the timeline that is PIXAR (written by Jon Negroni). Maybe after my little gushfest about Kubrick and our frequent discussions about the interconnectedness of Belly's cartoons, he finally remembered long enough to get me at the computer to read the article.

One of the problems I run into frequently with all this is ensuring I am in a state of mind where I can appreciate everything I am doing. I'm still suffering from the backlash of tons of personal issues in my life. So even though I am loving this blog and recording my adventures, sometimes I can't get myself to do the necessary entry, even though I am still geeking out.

Well that was a bit of a digression. Let's move forward.

I've been a huge PIXAR fan from the beginning. A good time back I remember the threats of PIXAR closing and I was beyond devastated. I think Cars was supposed to be the last Disney-PIXAR movie, but I for some reason have a completely different view of the situation looking back and being kind of in-the-mix of the film industry at the time. According to my resources, in 2006, Disney picked them up and "saved" PIXAR, but still allowed them to be liberated and an individual studio, which is why they are not just "Disney" or just "Pixar" films, but "Disney-PIXAR" films. I do have to say that my favorite movies are Toy Story 2, Up, and The Incredibles. The funny thing is, I LOVE pretty much all the PIXAR films. I am not partial, though, to Finding Nemo and A Bug's Life. I can watch any of the others on repeat, all day, until I pass out. How do I know this? Because I have a three-year-old who has invested herself in the wonder of Disney-PIXAR animation (including the shorts).

The article that my husband passed along to me describes in only so much detail, the interconnectedness of all the films, arranging them into an almost bleak view of the world. This timeline (click to see his timeline on his site) creates a vision of a world without humans, but lots of talking animals, monsters, bugs, and robots/machines.  This view of PIXAR relates heavily to the PIXAR mascot, of the bouncing light. If machines are coming alive to eventually rule the planet, then the opening credits are a prime example of machines "procreating" and be animate. How do these opening titles relate to the timeline? I would love to know!

I can honestly say I was mentally geeking about this. Have I mentioned I love INTERCONNECTEDNESS!!! My webs are spinning and I'm seeing this whole thing unfold in my mind!  And then. . . it hit me. . . where are all the shorts? How do the shorts fit into the timeline? The article seems to be edited with comments and other things people have contacted the guy about. It makes me want to figure out how all of these tiny things fit into this greater timeline. All of a sudden I can't help myself from wanting to scour the internet for all the information I can get, watch all of the films and examine an extensive visual graphic of the universe. It gives credence to Brave and Monster's University, and might also explain the transportation A.I. advancement of Planes (which are not on the 23 Years timelines).

An incredibly interesting read. An amazing piece of work, but now I want more.

This is the full timeline, it's just a bit too big to have as the right size, but click and enlarge.