The Pixar Theory

Toy Story

Enter Toy Story. Here we see humans using and discarding "objects" that are clearly sentient. Yes, the toys love Andy and other humans, but over the course of the Toy Story sequels, we see toys becoming fed up. But wait, toys and inanimate objects aren't necessarily machines, so how do they have some kind of intelligence?

Syndrome points to the answer. He tells Mr. Incredible that his lasers are powered by Zero Point Energy. This is the electromagnetic energy that exists in a vacuum. It's the unseen energy we find in wavelengths and a reasonable explanation for how toys and objects in the Pixar world draw power.

By the events of the Toy Story movies, we are in the 90s until 2010. It's been 40-50 years or so since the events of The Incredibles, giving A.I. plenty of time to develop BNL.

Meanwhile, Pixar is hinting at dissatisfaction among pockets of toy civilizations. The toys rise up against Sid in the first movie. Jesse resents her owner, Emily, for abandoning her. Lotso Huggin' Bear straight up hates humans by the third movie.

Toys are obviously not satisfied with the status quo, providing a reason for why machines and objects alike are ready to take over.

So, by the 2000s, the super-humans all but gone, and mankind is vulnerable. Animals, who want to rise up Planet of the Apes style, have the ability to take over, but we don't see this happen.

Also, A.I. never takes over humans by force. Why do you think that is? It's reasonable to assume that machines did take over, just not as we expected. The machines used BNL, a faceless corporation (which are basically faceless in nature) to dominate the world, starting in the 1960s after the Omnidroid fails to defeat the Incredibles.

In each of the Toy Story movies, it's made painfully clear that sentient objects rely on humans for everything. For fulfillment and even energy. It's hinted at that the Toys lose all life when put away in "storage" unless they are in a museum that will get them seen by humans.

So machines decide to control humans by using a corporation that suits their every need, leading to an industrial revolution that eventually leads to...pollution. When the animals rise up against the humans to stop them from polluting the earth, who will save them? The machines.

We know that the machines will win the war, too, because after this war, there are almost no animals left on Earth. Who's left?