The inside joke behind mysterious 'A113' code that appears in nearly every Pixar film f

The inside joke behind mysterious 'A113' code that appears in nearly every Pixar film from Toy Story to Up

The mysterious combination of numbers and letters 'A113' that has been popping up in Pixar films for over a decade is well known to people in the animation industry.

The secret behind the code, which made appearances in various forms in the Toy Story trilogy, Finding Nemo, A Bug's Life, Up, Brave, as well as animated shows like The Simpsons and American Dad, and even live-action movies like Hunger Games: Catching Fire, is that it's an intentional inside joke.

As it turns out, 'A113' is the number of a classroom at the famed California Institute of Arts where the first generation of animators studied graphic design and character animation.



Among the prominent alumni who at one time or another graced the hallways of CalArts and sat in that fabled room was John Lasseter, chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
'it's one of those little things you have to look for,' Lasseter said in 2009 in reference to A113.
Director Brad Bird, who created The Incredibles and Ratatouille for the studio, was the first to plant A113 as an Easter Egg - a secret message - in the 1987 show Amazing Stories in tribute to his alma mater.
According to a Wiki page dedicated to A113, the code has appeared in at least 45 cartoons, movies and even video games.
If you spot A113 in a show or an animated feature, it means that someone from CalArts has played a part in making it.
Bird said of A113: 'I put it into every single one of my films, including my Simpsons episodes.'
Even Bird's Twitter handle features the magic number: BradBirdA113.