The world of film, just like the ordinary world we live in, is very much detailed and complicated. Tricky plot twists, character development and spicy nuances can really make one not only feel baffled but also dizzy. Not to mention all those hidden trifles that can be spotted by a skilled and experienced eye only.
If you’re someone who is fond of motion pictures and just loooves uncovering Easter eggs left in movies, buckle up, because the Bored Panda team has collected a new batch of concealed details and other references and subtle in-jokes slipped in by filmmakers from a very well-known subreddit, r/MovieDetails. It has over 3.8M members sharing their interesting discoveries that you might find exciting as well.
For more thrilling Easter eggs, check out our other articles here, here and here. How many of these details have you noticed yourself?
#1 In Erin Brockovich (2000), Erin, Played By Julia Roberts, Is Ordering Food At A Restaurant. She’s Being Waited On By Julia, Played By Erin Brockovich
Image credits: llism
#2 In Encanto (2021), The Multicoloured Water Was Inspired By A Real Place In Colombia...the Caño Cristales River. The River Is Commonly Called The "River Of Five Colors" Or The "Liquid Rainbow," And Is Noted For Its Striking Colors
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#3 The Four Hobbit Actors From Lord Of The Rings (2003) All Confirmed On Podcasts That An Orc Leader's Look Was Based On Harvey Weinstein, After He Wanted Miramax To Cut The Trilogy Down To One Film (And All That Other Stuff) Before A Deal Was Made And New Line Cinema Rescued The Epic Saga
Image credits: strawberrybrooks
To get to know more about the significance of hidden details and Easter eggs in movies, we reached out to Michael W. Boyce, Ph.D., writer, educator, administrator and host of the podcast, Geek 4.
As it is written on his website, Dr. Michael Boyce has taught a wide selection of literature and film courses, including Film History, British Film, Religion and Popular Culture, Fantasy Literature, and Television Studies, Film Adaptation, Film Noir and Film Genre. He writes, speaks, and tweets about literature, film, media, TV, comics, and multiple aspects of popular culture.
#4 In Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022) You Can See That Dobby The House Elf Became A Model For Gucci After The Harry Potter Series Wrapped
Image credits: rasta4eye
#5 In The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (2019), You Can See Velma From Scooby-Doo In The Crowd. When Asked Why The Other Members Of The Gang Weren’t Included, The Director Said "In A Post-Apocalyptic World, Velma Would Have Been The Only One To Have Survived. The Other Kids Wouldn’t Have Made It"
Image credits: NubbyNob
#6 In The Mummy (1999), Brendan Fraser’s Character Is Shown Loading Individual Rounds Into His Rifle, In Spite Of Its 8 Round Capacity. This Is Consistent With French Military Training, As The Lebel 1886 Was Equipped With A Magazine Cutoff; So That Soldiers Could Hold Rounds "In Reserve"
Image credits: AnonTexan1297
Firstly, we wanted to know what value Easter eggs add to a movie. Boyce thinks it’s a matter of rewarding fans of these films for spotting something – usually visual references to other works – that other people don’t notice. "This is especially true with large-budget superhero films with highly invested and passionate fandoms who will pay to see a film multiple times to spot as many of these Easter eggs as possible. Many people enjoy that kind of secret knowledge, whether to feel like they’re a better audience member for noticing the minutia of a scene or that they’re a more avid fan of a film than the average filmgoer."
#7 In Uncharted (2022) Nathan Drake And Chloe Frazer (Tom Holland And Sophia Ali) Wash Up On A Beach And Meet A Stranger Who Says Something Similar Happened To Him Once. That Actor Is Nolan North, The Original Voice Actor For Nathan Drake In The Uncharted Video Games
Image credits: NewUploader1
#8 Matilda [1996]: Miss Trunchbull Is A Corrupting Influence In A School, A Place Meant To Be Colorful And Joyful. She Competed In The 1972 Olympics, Planned To Be A Colorful And Joyful Celebration... Which Was Marred By Being The Site Of The Munich Massacre
Image credits: res30stupid
#9 In Frozen/Frozen 2 (2013/2019), The Only Time Olaf Bends His Elbows Is During His Own Dreams/Fantasy (See: “In Summer”). Otherwise, His Arms Are Always Straight, As Real Twigs Would Be
Image credits: idiomech
Due to the trickiness of Easter eggs, sometimes it's hard to rule out their authenticity. Boyce told us that most generally accepted eggs have a number of people agree that it is indeed an Easter egg. "That typically means the more obvious ones (i.e. the Star Wars references found in the early Indiana Jones or a blue Tobias Funke in Guardians of the Galaxy), more often than not, modern filmmakers are more than happy to confirm them. If the reference seems obscure – a shot that looks a little like a shot from another movie – you could always consider whether the filmmaker has claimed to love that other film and has a history of including such Easter eggs."
#10 In Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), The Poolside Bartender Is Played By An Actor Credited Under The Nickname Dr. Toad, But His Real Name Was Robert Todd Williams, And He Was Robin Williams’ Older Brother. A Vintner By Trade In Real-Life, This Was His Only Film Appearance
Image credits: VictorBlimpmuscle
#11 In Forrest Gump (1994), Because Forrest Is So Fast, Nobody Can Tackle Him, Making Him The Only Player On Either Team To Have A Spotless Uniform
Image credits: supernasty
#12 In The Expendables 2 (2012) Dolph Lundgrens Character, Gunnar, Is Said To Have Achieved A Masters In Chemical Engineering Then Quit To Be A Bouncer In Attempt To Form A Relationship With "This Girl". All Of Which Dolph Lundgren Actually Did In Real Life. The Girl Was Grace Jones
Image credits: 400Smithy
But why do filmmakers hide some details that are not necessarily contributing to the plot? Dr. Boyce explained that many modern filmmakers are passionate fans themselves and are the sort of moviegoers that like searching out Easter eggs. "They grew up as rapid consumers of popular culture and their work reflects that love. Also, do it, it seems, to directly appeal to those fans, fans who would be willing to pay for multiple trips to the theatre and (sometimes various versions of) collector’s edition DVDs and Blu-rays."
#13 In Luca (2021), The First Time Luca Stands On Land He Exhibits A Medical Finding Called Gower's Sign. Classically Seen In Patients With Muscular Dystrophy, It Is Due To A Lack Of Strength In The Hip And Thigh Muscles Causing The Patient To "Walk" Up Their Body To Stand From A Seated Position
Image credits: TheHornChemist
#14 In Coraline (2009), You Can See The Phrase "Stopmo Rulez" On The Back Of The Moving Van. Coraline Was Made With Stop Motion Animation
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#15 In Hook (1991), The Flying Couple On The Bridge Is Actually George Lucas And Carrie Fisher. Carrie Even Worked On The Movie's Script
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
Lastly, Boyce shared that superhero films seem to have an abundance of Easter eggs and probably the most Easter eggs on average right now, in part because of the passion of the fan base and the wealth of material to reference (comics, television adaptation, previous film versions)."
#16 In Mr Bean's Holiday (2007), The Girl With The Stereo Is Played By Lily Atkinson, The Daughter Of Rowan Atkinson. In The Movie, She Is Also Named Lily
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#17 In A Beautiful Mind (2001), Marcee Runs Through A Group Of Birds
She isn't real. She is a hallucination, part of John's schizophrenia. Therefore the birds don't react to her presence and scatter
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#18 The Horses Of The Nazgul In Lord Of The Rings (2001) Have The Eye Of Sauron On Their Chest Riding Gear
Image credits: Martijngamer
#19 In The Opening Scene Of Forrest Gump (1994), His Shoes Are Worn Out From Running Across The Country For Years, But He Wouldn’t Get Rid Of “The Best Gift You Could Get In The Wide World” From Jenny. But He Kept The Laces Fresh To Keep Them Operable
Image credits: grsims20
#20 In The Batman (2022), You Can See A Bust Of William Shakespeare At Wayne Manor. This Is A Reference To The 1960s Batman Show; Bruce Would Lift Up Shakespeare's Head And Press A Button To Open The Entrance To The Bat Cave
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#21 This Scene In Scream (1996) Hints At The Killer‘S True Identity Early On
Image credits: Mairess99
#22 In Zootopia (2016), Chief Bogo's Calendar Has A Picture Of San Fransokyo From Big Hero 6 (2014)
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#23 In Jaws (1975) - Quint Goes To Hunt The Shark In His Boat Orca. Orcas In Real Life, Otherwise Known As Killer Whales, Actively Hunt Great White Sharks To Kill Them
Image credits: Beedee0823
#24 In Black Widow (2021), Alexei Arm-Wrestles A Prisoner Named Ursa. In The Comics, Ursa Major Is A Russian Hero Who Has The Ability To Turn Into A Bear. Alexei References This By Calling Him A Bear
Image credits: AtlanteanLord
#25 On The Batman Begins (2005) Soundtrack, Tracks 4-9 Spell Out B-A-T-M-A-N
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#26 Little Detail That Was Brought Back From Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 1 (2002) In Spider-Man No Way Home (2021). Willem Dafoe Wears Prosthetics As Norman Osborn, But As The Goblin Persona He Retains Dafoe’s Natural, Less Perfect, Teeth
Image credits: CalmGameshow
#27 In The Final Scene Of Django Unchained (2012), Django Wears The Same Outfit Calvin Candie Was Wearing When They First Met—right Down To The Extended Cigarette
Image credits: duckinfum
#28 In The Exorcist (1973) This Face Pops Up For A Few Frames When Chris Macneil Turns On The Light After Returning Home
Image credits: Maleficent-Read1710
#29 In Spider-Man No Way Home (2021), The Taxi Is Number 1228. This Is A Reference To The Birthday Of Stan Lee: 28th December
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#30 The 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Is An Iconic Car That Makes An Appearance In Almost All Of Sam Raimi's Films Starting From The Evil Dead(1982). Sam Raimi's Father Originally Bought The Car In 1973 And It Has Become A Trademark In His Films
Image credits: schouse13
#31 Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Venom Discards All Red M&M's Before Carnage Is Seen By Eddy Or Himself. This Is Because Venom Is Scared Of "The Red Ones". He Uses This Term When Referring To Red Aliens Such As Carnage. His Fear Leads Him To Retreat When Seeing Carnage For The First Time
Image credits: spillytalker
#32 The Helicopter Pilot Seen At The End Of The Predator(1987) Is Kevin Peter Hall, The Actor Who Plays The Predator. John Mctiernan Gave Him The Brief On-Screen Role, Because His "Work As Predator Was So Exhausting"
Image credits: Majami1
#33 In In The Heights (2021), This Elderly Couple Are The Parents Of Lin Manuel Miranda, Who Created The Original Stage Musical
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#34 In The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), In This Shot, Pagoda Is Perfectly Positioned To Block Out The Statue Of Liberty. This Was A Stylistic Choice By Wes Anderson. He Wanted To "Defamiliarize" New York City For The Audience
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#35 In Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018), For A Split Second In The Opening Logos, The Columbia Lady Is Knocked Off Her Pedestal By A Giant Banana. This Is A Direct Reference To The Opening Of Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (2009), Where The Same Thing Happened
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#36 In Monster Inc (2001) You Can See A Reference To The Next Pixar Release (Finding Nemo (2003)
Image credits: Unique-Guide813
#37 In The Opening Montage Of The Breakfast Club (1985) We Very Briefly See A Burnt Out Locker - We Later Discover This Belongs To One Of The Students In Detention That Day
Image credits: mkfrndsinfluenceppl
#38 In Jason Goes To Hell (1993) A Character Discovers The Necronomicon From The Evil Dead (1981)
Image credits: Corndogeveryday
#39 In The "Being John Malkovich" (1999) Poster, There Is A Real John Malkovich In The Top-Right Corner
Image credits: pazqo
#40 In Back To The Future Part II (1989), One Of The Newspaper's Sections Has A Review For Jaws 19. And Judging From The Section's Title, It Ain't Good
Image credits: L0rd0f5paghetti
#41 In Birds Of Prey (2020), The TV Is Playing An Episode Of "Days Of Our Lives" That Stars Arleen Sorkin. Arleen Was The Original Voice Actor For Harley Quinn In "Batman: The Animated Series" In The 90s
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#42 In Don't Look Up (2021) Shovels Are $599.99 As People Have Panic-Bought Them To Assumingly Build Bunkers
Image credits: ArmitageShanks3767
#43 In Star Wars A New Hope(1978) And Star Wars The Force Awakens(2015), The Inmate Number Of Princess Leia And The Soldier Number Of Finn Is The Same
Image credits: Kriths123
#44 In The Royal Tenenbaums (2021), Mordecai's Dramatic Change In Appearance Was Written Into The Movie Because The Hawk Portraying Him Was Kidnapped During Filming
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#45 In Mulan (1998), Barry Cook And Tony Bancroft, The Directors Of The Movie, Appear As Two Firework Handlers
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#46 In The Dark Knight (2008), After The Joker Steals The Bank Owners Shotgun He Can Be Seen Repeatedly Using It Throughout The Movie
Image credits: Killerpig14
#47 In Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Jessica Appears Different In The Newspaper Than In The Original Patty-Cake Photo. This Is Because The Design Used In The Newspaper Was From Early Concept Art
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#48 In Birds Of Prey (2020), Harley Owns A Stuffed Beaver. This Is A Reference To The 2014 Harley Quinn Comic, Where She Owned A Similar Beaver Named Bernie
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#49 In The Hateful Eight (2015), The Pipe That John Ruth Smokes Actually Belongs To Kurt Russell. He Commissioned It From An Italian Company Named "Mastro De Paja". He Has Been Buying Their Pipes For Years
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#50 Star Wars Ep. 2: Attack Of The Clones (2002) Obi-Wan Remarks Anakin Has Become Arrogant- And Yoda Agreed That Arrogance Is More Common In Jedi. Two Scenes Later, The Jedi Librarian Proves Yodas’ Point
Image credits: usaflumberjack54
