Pixar movies have covered all types of fantasy worlds with a variety of characters, and one of its most bizarre universes is, by far, that of the Cars movies, but a theory gives it an origin story through an underrated villain from 2004. For years, Pixar (along with Disney) has been the leading studio in the field of animation, and its success began in 1995 with Toy Story. Since then, Pixar has explored worlds with talking bugs, monsters who scare humans for a living, fish going on big adventures, and a lot more.
One of Pixar’s weirdest worlds is that of Cars, where humans are nonexistent and, instead, anthropomorphic cars have taken over the world. The success of Cars spawned a franchise with two sequels, two spinoff movies focused on planes (yes, really), and more. Of course, Cars also earned a place in the Pixar Universe Theory, but a different theory gives this bizarre world of talking cars an origin story that goes back to a successful 2004 Pixar movie and its underrated (and often forgotten) villain.
Pixar Theory Claims The Incredibles’ Syndrome Is Responsible For The Cars Universe
Syndrome’s Invention Might Have Had A Bigger Impact On The Pixar Universe
In 2004, Pixar brought The Incredibles, written and directed by Brad Bird. The Incredibles takes viewers to a retro-futuristic 1960s to meet Bob (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) and Helen Parr (Holly Hunter), two superheroes who get married and form a family. The Parrs have three children: Violet, Dax, and Jack-Jack, all of them with unique sets of superpowers. However, 15 years earlier, superheroes were forced to hide their powers and live normal lives, until Bob is approached by a mysterious woman with a secret project that requires his superpowers.
Syndrome became wealthy by inventing weapons that mimic superpowers, and his biggest invention is the Omnidroid.
Bob and the rest of his family end up suiting up and facing Syndrome (Jason Lee), a genius villain who, when he was a kid, was a huge fan of Bob. Syndrome became wealthy by inventing weapons that mimic superpowers, and his biggest invention is the Omnidroid. This is a huge robot equipped with artificial intelligence that can quickly analyze enemies during battle, adapting its fighting strategies to its enemies’ weaknesses. Syndrome’s plan is to perfect the Omnidroid by pitting it against different superheroes, so he can then unleash it in the city and defeat it, gaining “hero” status.
A theory suggests Syndrome established the basis for the takeover of cars in, well, Cars.
The next step is to sell his inventions to the world, thus rendering superheroes obsolete. It’s definitely a very elaborate plan but also one that could have been brilliant if it hadn’t been for the robot’s AI. The Omnidroid recognizes Syndrome’s remote control as a threat and destroys it, leaving him without a way to defeat it as he had planned. Thanks to this, a theory, shared by Screen Crush, suggests Syndrome established the basis for the takeover of cars in, well, Cars.
The theory says that the technology created by Syndrome showed excellence in problem-solving, so much so that it saw the threat of Syndrome’s control, and this would be enough for this technology to preserve itself and even evolve. Syndrome’s technology could have uploaded itself to other machines, such as cars, and spread hatred against humans, thus getting rid of them and making way for the Cars universe.
It Has Been Confirmed That Humans Used To Exist In Cars’ Universe
There Might Be Something More Sinister In The Cars Universe
Perhaps the biggest question about the Cars universe is how and why anthropomorphic cars took over the world and if humans ever existed in it. The Pixar Universe Theory suggests that humans did exist, as seen in most of the studio’s movies, but there was a series of events that led to the universe of Cars. Humans, then, were wiped out when these machines became sentient. As it turns out, this isn’t just a theory, as that’s exactly what happened in the world of Cars.
According to Cars creative director, Jay Ward, the cars indeed got so smart that they decided that humans weren’t necessary anymore (via Screen Geek). The cars got rid of humans, but they adopted the personality of the last person who drove them. It’s definitely a dark explanation for a family-friendly movie, but the question itself doesn’t invite a happy answer. However, exactly why and how the cars became so smart is still a mystery.
How This Theory Changes With The Pixar Universe Theory
The Pixar Theory Is Already Confusing Enough
The Pixar Theory brings together most (if not all, as some are trickier to place) Pixar movies to create one confusing universe. The theory begins with The Good Dinosaur and moves on to explore how toys became sentient, animals evolved in more human ways due to pollution and experimentation, and machines eventually rose against humans, forcing them to escape Earth (which is why there are no humans left on the planet in WALL-E).
If Syndrome is indeed responsible for the rise of machines in Cars and humanity being destroyed, it would make sense given The Incredibles‘ place in the Pixar Theory timeline.
In the Pixar Theory, The Incredibles comes before Toy Story, as the technology in it is what eventually made toys sentient. If Syndrome is indeed responsible for the rise of machines in Cars and humanity being destroyed, it would make sense given The Incredibles‘ place in the Pixar Theory timeline. There would have been plenty of time for this technology to evolve to that point by the time of the events of Cars, so instead of messing with the Pixar Theory, this theory actually adds to it and makes it slightly more believable.
Source: Screen Crush, Screen Geek.
