WARNING: The following article contains minor spoilers for Toy Story 4, in theaters now.
Pixar's Toy Story franchise is packed full of nods to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, and Toy Story 4 is no different. Series veteran Lee Unkrich, who co-directed Toy Story 2, directed Toy Story 3 and executive produced Toy Story 4, is a Shining super-fan who even runs a website devoted to the film.
You can count on him to plant a ton of terrifying Easter eggs into this children's franchise that will make you question whether you really trust these animators to have your child's best interest in mind.
THE OVERLOOK HOTEL CARPET PATTERN
Sid, who is the main antagonist of Toy Story, lives in a house decorated with the same carpet design as the one featured on the second floor of The Shining's Overlook Hotel. Its inclusion telegraphs pure dread to The Shining fans, mostly because just like Danny and Wendy, Buzz and Woody are trying to escape a massive maze while pursued by a violent character.
ROOM 237
In Toy Story 3, most of the Easter eggs focused on the infamous Room 237, the most haunted area of the Overlook Hotel. Here, Danny and Jack Torrance were attacked and seduced by the decaying ghost of a drowned woman.
But, that's not all. The security camera at Sunnyside's Daycare is the model Overlook R237, Woody chats online with a dinosaur username Velocistar237 and the garbage truck license plate is RM237.
THE RADIO AND TISSUE BOX
Sticking with Sunnyside Daycare's control room, there's also a very similar radio to the one that Wendy uses to contact the outside in The Overlook Hotel, as well as a tissue paper box with The Overlook's carpet pattern.
MR TONY THE JANITOR
Also, Sunnyside’s Daycare janitor's name is Mr. Tony, just like Danny Torrance's imaginary friend and secret superpower. And, what is Mr. Tony doing in that scene? Looking straight into a mirror, just like Danny does when he speaks to Tony.
FORKY IS TONY, SNOOPY, WENDY AND GOOFY
In Toy Story 4, Bonnie makes Forky her new friend just like Danny makes Tony his in The Shining. Forky’s design, color scheme and rainbow on his foot is a clear reference to the Snoopy sticker stuck on the door of Danny’s room. Even in Forky’s first appearance in the first Toy Story 4 teaser, he already had the same pose as that particular Snoopy.
However, his color scheme (red arms, light blue accents) are also a callback to Wendy and Goofy’s attire in the same scene, which was extensively discussed in the 2017 documentary, Room 237, and linked to the way in which Danny (and Bonny) perceive the world as children -- in primary colors.
GABBY GABBY AND THE GRADY TWINS
The big bad of Toy Story 4, Gabby Gabby, is based on Mattel’s Chatty Cathy, which was one of the first dolls that could speak. However, her color design (pastel, yellow polka dot dress on a light blue floral background) is the exact reverse of the Grady Twins in The Shining who wear a pastel blue polka dot dresses and stand in front of a light yellow floral background.
It could be a coincidence, but when Woody meets Gabby Gabby, the song playing in the background is "Midnight, the Stars and You," which also appears in The Shining.
THE BENSON DUMMIES, LLOYD AND JACK
To drive that musical point home, Gabby Gabby’s companions, Benson the ventriloquist dummies, are dressed and have the same facial expression as Lloyd the creepy bartender, and to a lesser degree, Jack Torrance’s final appearance in the 1921 Ball photograph, which is when "Midnight, the Stars and You" plays. Again, the color scheme is reversed: Lloyd wore a black tie and a red jacket, and the Bensons wear a red tie and a black jacket.
HERE'S JOHNNY!
Again from Toy Story 4, the shot when one of the Bensons is chasing Woody is the same shot as the famous, "Here’s Johnny!" scene from The Shining.
FURRIES
The infamous bear-suited character from The Shining makes a cameo in Toy Story 4 in the Lost Toy Bar where Bo takes Woody.
ANTIQUE STORE, OVERLOOK HOTEL FAÇADES
The outside shots of the antique store and carnival in Toy Story 4 are a direct inversion of the Overlook Hotel shots. Notice the same location in front of a mountain range covered with pine trees as the presence of an entertainment structure in front of it. The roles of these two spaces are inverted in both movies.
In The Shining, the hotel is the transient space that welcomes visitors for a limited time, while the labyrinth is the trap of sorts. In Toy Story 4, the carnival is clearly seasonal, while the Antique store is a permanent business that might trap the toys forever.
THE LONGEST MOUNTAIN ROAD
While we are looking at outside locations, the Toy Story winding road that leads to the Antique store/carnival is very similar to The Shining's winding road that takes Jack, Wendy and Danny Torrance to The Overlook Hotel.
APOLLO 11, TO INFINITY AND BEYOND
Finally, we can always trust Lee Unkrich to throw in a couple of Apollo 11/Danny's sweater references, usually related to Buzz Lightyear, and in Toy Story 4 he doesn’t disappoint.
First, there's a shot of one of the carnival stands, which has a very similar rocket to the one that appears on Danny Torrance's sweater. Next, there's Buzz strapped to the carnie toy grill -- lots of rockets, caps and star on star patterns. And, finally, although blurry, the wallpaper in Andy's bedroom has another Apollo 11 callback, complete with the same yellow stars.
Directed by Josh Cooley, Toy Story 4 stars Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Keanu Reeves, Annie Potts, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Jeff Pidgeon, Blake Clark, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele and Tony Hale. The film opens Friday nationwide.