Even the most devoted cinema aficionados succumb to the enduring power of hidden movie details waiting to be uncovered. Take infinite patience, add hours and hours of rewatching, and mix in some much-needed luck, and you may spot an Easter egg.
But since it’s easier said than done, we are gonna take a shortcut and trust the detectives from the r/MovieDetails subreddit gifted with eagle vision and supreme understanding of any reference that comes up.
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With 2.4 million members, it’s obvious the community is keeping itself busy by clicking our all-time favorite movies one by one. Like it was no big deal! Let’s scroll through the newest batch of hidden gems of the big screen explained, and be sure to check out our previous posts on r/MovieDetails here, here and here.
#1 In The End Credits Of Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2011), It Is Confirmed That While No Penguins Were Harmed During The Making Of The Movie, Jim Carrey Was Not So Fortunate
Image credits: VictorBlimpmuscle
#2 In Anastasia (1997), The Drawing That Anastasia Gives To Her Grandmother Is Based On A 1914 Painting Created By The Real Princess Anastasia
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#3 In Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), These Rebel Soldiers Are Played By Mark Hamill’s Children. From Left To Right; Nathan Hamill, Chelsea Hamill, And Griffin Hamill
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
In a previous interview, Redditor u/Niiue, one of the moderators of the Movie Details community, spoke with Bored Panda about the hidden details in movies and whether directors place them in the hope that the audience will find them. “Most details are definitely there for the audience to find, but I think a lot of it also just comes down to creative people wanting to have fun with their projects. Speaking from experience here (though I work on video games, not movies), it really is a lot of fun to add little Easter eggs and whatnot just for the hell of it,” Niiue said.
#4 In “Moana” (2016), Maui’s Visual Appearance Is Partly Modeled On Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Grandfather, Samoan-American Professional Wrestler Peter Maivia
Image credits: reddit.com
#5 In Zootopia (2016), Chief Bogo Wears Eyeglasses To Read Documents. This Is A Reference To The Fact That Buffalo Have Poor Eyesight. Confirmed By The Directors In A Q&a
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#6 In Mulan (1998), Mulan Touches Her Hair A Lot Because The Animators Noticed That Mulan’s Voice Actor, Ming-Na Wen, Touched Her Hair A Lot While Recording. So, They Added It To The Character
Image credits: reddit.com
We were also interested to know which production houses and directors are most adept at hiding Easter eggs in their movies. “Besides the obvious choices like Pixar, I think Edgar Wright is another example of someone great at hiding details in his movies. Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim, and Hot Fuzz are the first ones that come to mind in this regard. You’ll find that his movies tend to get featured on this subreddit a lot, which I think reflects his skill as a director.”
#7 In Brave (2012), You Can See Merida And Her Mother Hidden In The Logo Of The Movie. Look At The Top Left Of The B And E
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#8 Chicha From The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) Is The First Pregnant Female Character To Appear In A Disney Animated Feature Film, According To The Dvd Commentary. She’s Also One Of The First Mother Characters In A Disney Film Not To Be Killed Off Or Villainized
Listen beautiful relax classics on our Youtube channel.
Image credits: _Raines_
#9 In The Dark Knight (2008), Joker Is Constantly Licking His Lips. This Is Actually Because Of The Prosthetic Scars That Heath Ledger Wore. They Kept Falling Off, So Heath Would Lick His Lips To Keep Them In Place. Gradually, It Became A Part Of The Joker’s Character
Image credits: Russian_Bagel
Moderator Niiue also told us all about their personal favorite hidden movie details. “Personally, I liked the way Scott Pilgrim had a recurring number motif tied to the Evil Exes. For those who aren’t familiar with the story, the gist of it is that the protagonist has to fight his new girlfriend’s six ex-boyfriends (and one ex-girlfriend) in order to continue their relationship, as a parody of the bosses fought in a typical video game,” they summed up the plot of the movie.
#10 In The Truman Show (1998), The Identical Twins Are Played By Ron And Don Taylor, Two Police Officers Who Were Working On The Set As Security Guards. Director Peter Weir Saw How Friendly They Were With The Film’s Cast And Crew, So He Hired Them As Actors
Image credits: reddit.com
#11 In The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), The Man Who’s Eaten By The T-Rex Because He Tried To Push On A “Pull” Door Is The Film’s Screenwriter, David Koepp. He Is Listed In The Credits As “Unlucky Bastard”
Image credits: reddit.com
#12 In Toy Story 4 (2019), A Car Has The Licence Plate “Rmrf97”. In 1997, Someone At Pixar Accidentally Typed “Rm -R -F “, Deleting The Entire Toy Story 2 Movie From The Pixar Database. Fortunately, The Film’s Supervising Technical Director Had A Backup Copy At Home, And The Movie Was Restored
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#13 In Goodfellas (1990), Robert De Niro Didn’t Like How Fake Money Felt In His Hand And Insisted Using Real Money. So The Prop Master Withdrew Several Thousand Dollars Of His Own Money To Use. At The End Of Each Take, No One Was Allowed To Leave The Set Until All The Money Was Returned & Counted
Image credits: VictorBlimpmuscle
#14 In Zootopia (2016), Mr Big, The Mafia Boss, Is An Arctic Shrew. Director Roy Moore Made This Choice Because “The Arctic Shrew Is The Most Vicious Predator On Earth”. Arctic Shrews Eat Three Times Their Own Body Weight And Even Eat Other Shrews
Image credits: reddit.com
#15 In Titanic (1997) There Is A Scene Showing A Boy Playing With A Spinning Top On Deck. This Is Actually A Recreation Of A Real Photo Taken Onboard The Ship On April 11th, 1912 By Francis Browne. It Shows 1st Class Passenger Frederic Spedden And His 6 Year Old Son Douglas. Both Survived The Sinking
Image credits: KawaiiPotato15
#16 In 1953’s How To Marry A Millionaire, Lauren Bacall Is Trying To Convince William Powell That She’s Attracted To Older Men. One Of The Examples She Cites Is ‘That Old Fellow’ In African Queen. She’s Referring To Humphrey Bogart, Her Real Life Husband
Image credits: reddit.com
#17 In A Bug’s Life (1999), The Queen Is Seen To Have A Pet Named “Aphie.” In Real Life, This Little Bug Is An Aphid (Also Known As Aphids) And They Live In Harmony With The Ants, But Not As Pets, But As “Livestock”
Image credits: John-Coffey-
#18 In Spirited Away (2001), The Family Car Is Based On The First-Generation Audi A4 1.8t, From The Mid-1990s. The Production Team Even Drove Around An Audi A4 1.8t On Some Jagged Roads And Recorded The Sounds To Make The Film As Accurate As Possible
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#19 In Deadpool 2 (2018), Wade Wears A Shirt That Says: “Olivia & Meredith. Best Friends Purrrr-Ever”. The Two Cats Actually Belong To Taylor Swift. The Production Crew Had To Get Permission From Her To Use Their Image
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#20 In The Final Shot Of ‘The King Of Staten Island’ (2020), Pete Davidson Turns And Looks To The Direction Where The Twin Towers Used To Stand As A Tribute To His Father
Image credits: reddit.com
#21 In Spaceballs (1987), Dark Helmet Is Drinking From A Styrofoam Cup Because Crew Members Would Leave Them Around The Set. So, Mel Brooks Decided To Just Make Them A Part Of The Universe
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#22 In Joker (2019), Joaquin Phoenix Improvised The Iconic Dance In The Bathroom. Originally, Arthur Was Just Meant To Stare Into The Mirror And Quietly Contemplate His Actions, But After Hearing Some Of The Composer’s Music, Phoenix Thought The Dance Was More Appropriate
Image credits: reddit.com
#23 In 22 Jump Street (2014), Jonah Hill Was Attacked By A Parrot During The Car Chase. His Panicked Reaction Is Real. On The Dvd Commentary, He Said: “That Was Not Acting. I Don’t Like Birds.”
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#24 In Wreck It Ralph (2012), Bowser Holds His Cup Of Tea In A Particular Way. This Was Actually An Addition By Nintendo. Before The Film Was Released, They Contacted The Filmmakers And Said That Bowser Was Drinking His Tea The Wrong Way In The Group Therapy Scene. So, It Was Changed
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#25 In The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies (2014), Gloin Wears A Distinctive Helmet In One Scene. His Son Gimli Will Later Inherit It And Wear It During The Lord Of The Rings
Image credits: reddit.com
#26 During The Vault Scene In Mission: Impossible (1996), Tom Cruise Kept Hitting His Head When Attempting To Hover Inches Off The Floor, So He Put English Pound Coins In His Shoes To Maintain His Balance
Image credits: Invictusology
#27 In Deliverance (1972), During The “Dueling Banjos” Scene, Billy Redden, Who Played The Young Banjo-Playing Local, Didn’t Know How To Play Banjo. To Make It Look Authentic, A Skilled Banjo Player Hid Behind & Played The Chords With His Left Arm In Redden’s Sleeve While Redden Picked With His Right
Image credits: VictorBlimpmuscle
#28 In Skyfall (2012), A Stolen Painting Is Being Shown To A Man. The Painting Is ‘Woman With A Fan’ By Amadeo Modigliani. It Was Stolen In Real-Life In 2010 And Has Yet To Be Recovered
Image credits: reddit.com
#29 In La La Land (2016), As Sebastian And Mia Walk Through The Studio Lot, They Pass By Two Actors Filming A Romantic Scene. Those Two Actors Are Actually Ryan Gosling’s And Emma Stone’s Body Doubles
Image credits: Numerous-Lemon
#30 In The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), The Scene In Which Lock, Shock And Barrel Remove Their Masks Was Based On A Season Five Episode Of The Twilight Zone Called “The Masks,” Which Had A Huge Impact On Burton As A Child
Image credits: reddit.com
#31 In The Emperors New Groove (2000), Baby Kuzco Has A Toy Llama, A Toy Parrot, And A Toy Whale. Later On In The Movie, He Turns Into All Of These Animals
Image credits: reddit.com
#32 In Independence Day (1996), The Office Worker Killed During The Alien’s Attack Is Played By Volker Engel, The Special Effects Supervisor Of The Movie. He Won The Oscar For Visual Effects For His Work, The Only Oscar That The Movie Won
Image credits: reddit.com
#33 In Toy Story 2 (1999) Steve Jobs Is On The One Dollar Bill
Image credits: reddit.com
#34 In The Mitchells vs. The Machines (2021), Katie’s Socks Have The Same Pattern As The Iconic Carpet From The Shining
Image credits: sps97grt
#35 In Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001), The Shot Of Proudfoot With His Feet Up In The Air, Is A Direct Homage To The 1978 Animated Adaptation Of The Lord Of The Rings, Directed By Ralph Bakshi
Image credits: reddit.com
#36 In Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith (2005) The Young Jedi Who Saves Bail Organa Was Played By George Lucas’ Son Jett Lucas
Image credits: reddit.com
#37 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018) Has A Blink-And-You-Miss-In Joke – When Miles Throws A Bagel At The Alchemax Employee The Word “Bagel!!!” Appears Above The Worker’s Head, Instead Of “Pow!!!” Or “Blam!!!”
Image credits: finnishflash128
#38 An American Werewolf In London (1981) Has A Suitably Different Take On The Standard End-Of-Movie Disclaimer
Image credits: JoshuaCalledMe
#39 In Aliens (1986), Is Is Revealed That Lambert, From The First Alien (1979), Was Transgender, During A Quick Recalling Of The Crewmember Deaths From The First Movie
Image credits: DraftDraw
#40 In Kung Fu Panda (2008), When Shifu And Tai Lung First Saw The Blank Dragon Scroll, They Had The Same Initial Reactions: Looking At It Sideways And Folding It And Opening It Again. Like Father, Like Son
Image credits: reddit.com
Source: boredpanda.com