Among the highly anticipated summer blockbusters of 2025 is a particularly unconventional team-up within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Thunderbolts*, which is set to come out in May, is Marvel Studios' newest ensemble, featuring a rag-tag group of characters made up of former antagonists from earlier projects. With the likes of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), the Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenk), the unexpected group also had some surprising influences, particularly from one remarkable Pixar movie.

In an interview with Empire Magazine, Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier spoke about the different films that influenced and helped to shape the story. Among some understandable standouts, like Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut Reservoir Dogs and Brad Bird's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, there was the unexpected choice of Toy Story 3, with the film's darkest moment serving as an...