Where does ‘Elements’ fit into the Pixar Theory?

The so-called “Pixar Theory”, created by the writer and journalist Jon Negroni in 2013, expresses the idea that all Pixar films take place in the same universe and are connected in some way. Evidence that this theory may be true is the various “easter eggs” scattered throughout the studio’s animations, which can range from objects to prominent locations.

However, there is some controversy about how the feature film “Elements”, released in June 2023, fits into the Pixar Theory, since it does not have human characters in its plot. Instead, the story takes place in Element City, a metropolis formed by inhabitants who make up the four elements of nature, namely: Fire, Water, Earth and Air.

Since the theory seeks to tell the history of planet Earth since the beginning of civilization, then the films must also fit into this context. Following this logic, the timeline presents us, in a general context, with “The Good Dinosaur”, “Brave”, “Finding Nemo”, “Ratatouille” and “Up”, where we are finally brought to the present day, a time when technology begins to occupy a large space in people’s lives.

Due to environmental pollution, Charles Muntz’s super-intelligent animals rebel against humans, which ends up extinguishing most of this race. In the meantime, machines enter the story to help, evacuating the Earth with those who are left and taking them to the “Wall-E” spaceship. After repopulating the Earth and “dying”, the machines make room for plants, where the characters from “A Bug’s Life” were supposedly living before their transformation into the monsters from “Monsters Inc.” due to radiation from BnL, a corporation that also appears in “Wall-E”.

After all these events, the protagonist Boo would become a kind of “time traveler” between universes, using the doors that connect the children’s rooms in the human world to the factory in the film. Determined to find Sully, she returns to the times of “Brave”, becoming the witch of the forest and spreading magic throughout the Pixar timeline.

Finally, returning to “Elements,” we note the presence of a Pizza Planet car from “Toy Story” in the film. This suggests that Boo may have visited the “Elements” universe via this car, thus connecting all the other Pixar films in his search for Sully. However, the most plausible explanation for this connection is that the “Elements” universe establishes the beginning of the timeline, and not “The Good Dinosaur,” outlining the beginnings of life eons ago.

Currently, it is possible to analyze the detailed clues about the Pixar Theory through Disney+, since the film is available for streaming; check out the trailer!