Much is said about the cinematographic parallels in several films that we love. But keep your hand down, there are crossovers in the seventh art that we would never imagine would happen. And among them are references to The Shining in Toy Story… yes, as you read it, we are not hallucinating.
At first glance it would seem that there is no relationship between the animated film that Pixar released in 1995 with the classic adaptation of Stephen King’s novel that Stanley Kubrick presented in 1980. However, as strange and bizarre as it may seem, there are several things that unite Toy Story y The Shining.
The references to ‘The Shining’ in ‘Toy Story’
It turns out that throughout the movies Toy Story a lot of references have appeared that are obviously a tribute to the legendary film adaptation of The Shining starring Jack Nicholson. And no, it’s not a joke when we tell you that an animated film pays homage to one of the greatest horror movies in history.
And it is that in the films of the Disney / Pixar franchise, there are nods to the Stanley Kubrick film that are very obvious, but we also have others that go unnoticed. And if they don’t believe us, Here we tell you about some references to The Shining in Toy Storyso get ready to end up with the square eye.
The Overlook Hotel rug at Sid’s house
Let’s start with the references to The Shining in Toy Story with one you may already know. In the first movie we see how Woody and Buzz end up in the house of the fearsome Sid, and wow, that whole part is pure fear, because it is very clear to us that this boy only wants to hurt the toys by experimenting with them.
And to give it a scarier touch, the creatives of Toy Story decided to include a carpet in Andy’s house that is the same as the one we see in the Overlook Hotel, the mythical and sinister place where the story of The Shining. From that moment we must have realized that Woody and Buzz would have a very bad time.
An iconic photograph and walk of Gabby Gabby
We continue with the references to The Shining in Toy Story, and it’s time to go to the fourth part of the Disney / Pixar franchise. In this movie we meet Gabby Gabby, an old doll who has a faulty voice mechanism and wants to take Woody’s away to fix that mistake. And boy, when she meets our favorite cowboy and Forky, it’s a moment that she gave us quite a scare.
In this scene, Gabby Gabby gives the protagonists a tour of the antique store while a song called “Midnight, The Stars And You” plays. de Ray Noble and His Orchestra. Curiosamente, This is the same song that is heard in the mythical final scene of The Shiningwhen we see a black and white photograph of Jack Torrance at the Overlook Hotel in 1921. High references.
Danny’s imaginary friend works in Sunnyside?
The red bone fans of The Shining surely you will remember Tony, the imaginary friend of Danny Torrrance. In the Stanley Kubrick film, it is said that she lives in Danny’s mouth and is very important, as she helps him detect spirits and see past, present and future events during his stay at the Overlook Hotel.
And probably those with eagle eyes noticed that the name of the janitor at Sunnyside Daycare is also Tony, who, oddly enough, spends his only scene in Toy Story 3 looking in a mirror not noticing Woody escaping through the bathroom window. Curiously, to talk to his imaginary friend, Danny does exactly the same, look in the mirror… References to The Shining in Toy Story they are small but amazing.
Room 237 and the number in ‘Toy Story’
As you can see, the references to The Shining in Toy Story there are many. One of them the 237which in the film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel is the number representing the haunted room of the Overlook Hotel, where the ghost of a woman who drowned lived.
Like the famous A113, this number appears sporadically throughout the movies. Toy Story. In Toy Story 3is displayed three times: on a security camera, on the license plate of the garbage truck Sid drives and on the username “Velocistar237”, who Trixie the dinosaur sends messages to online.
The 237 can also be seen on Toy Story 4, for it is the house number of the granny whom Ducky and Bunny comically attack in a dream. So as you can see, it seems that Disney/Pixar creatives are big fans of The Shining by Stanley Kubrick.
An intercom and a box of tissues
Ok, it’s time to talk about a few references to The Shining in Toy Story very subtle but raffles. In Toy Story 3, the control room at Sunnyside Daycare is run by a well-known cymbal-clapping toy monkey, and if that’s not creepy enough, it also has plenty of 1980s Easter eggs.
On the desk it looks the old-fashioned intercom that looks exactly like the one Wendy uses to try to communicate with the outside world while at the Overlook Hotel. On the right, a box of tissues appears that has the same design as Sid’s famous carpet and the hotel itself. The Shining that we mentioned before.
¿Here’s Benson?
For many, there are more references to The Shining in Toy Story, but perhaps they are more elaborate and not so exact. However, obviously that in the Woody and Buzz movies they had to pay homage to the most iconic scene from Stanley Kubrick’s film: Yeah, when Jack Torrance cuts a hole with an ax, sticks his face in and says “¡Here’s Johnny!”.
Toy Story 4 did a tribute to that scene when heBenson’s mannequins chase Woody and Forky and one breaks through a barrier with a creepy face similar to Jack’s… a small and very obvious wink, but it turned out great. And you, have you seen more references to The Shining in Toy Story?
