Even though the Fantastic Beasts movies are [ahem] not as Stupefying as the originals, they’re still fun to watch. We’re still unsure about the plot but we do know that at least some of the action will take part in Brazil. The 1984 fantasy film The NeverEnding Story was beloved by kids of the decade—especially ones obsessed with weird creatures and magical quests (sound familiar?). Reiser plays the shady Dr. Owens in Stranger Things, a not-so-subtle nod to his Aliens role as corporate weasel Burke. But this time, Reiser’s character gets redemption, while Bob gets the boot. The Duffers have confirmed that Steve’s look was inspired by real-life ‘80s icons, and Joe Keery even said he used Farrah Fawcett hairspray on set (just like Steve tells Dustin in season 2).
If you watch the movie closely you’ll see thatDavid Finchermanages to slip a Starbucks coffee mug in nearly every scene of the movie. Which means it’s really not that weird that you end up craving a grande mocha every time you pop the movie in. I know that a lot of you Magical Pandas are huge fans of the Harry Potter movies. If you’re like me, you can’t wait for someone to mention The Boy Who Lived because it’s the perfect moment to share all of your in-depth Wizarding World knowledge (yeah, I’m a geeky Ravenclaw—what gave it away?). This woman sings her one line and then dances off the screen to make way for other verses but her name is literally hilarious. “Encanto” creator Jared Bush shared on Twitter that coming up with clever character names is one of his favorite movie-making activities.
Nods to Pixar’s next movie, Hoppers
During the credits, they show the house being rebuilt as well as pictures and animation of Stitch doing different things or wearing different outfits including Elvis Stitch and Superhero Stitch (or as my kid calls him, bra Stitch). The aforementioned pink-suited female guard later manages to infiltrate the game master’s quarters after a deadly battle against one of the head masked officers (played by Park Hee-soon). Before the final game, the remaining nine players are treated to a grand feast in their sleeping quarters, swapping their green tracksuits for black-tie attire, and the lettering along the walls is revealed in full.
Out of the 60+ films that Hitchcock directed, he made cameos in 39 of them. After a while, it became a fun little gag for his audience to search for him hanging out in his own movie. The pain of Abuela losing her husband is what caused the family miracle to blossom in the mountains.
Eleven isn’t just a powerful character—she’s part of a long literary lineage of supernaturally gifted girls who deserved better. In Stranger Things season 3, when Dustin and Suzie belt out The NeverEnding Story theme mid-apocalypse, it’s the perfect combo of adorable and absurd. Eleven’s love of Eggos became instantly iconic—but it’s more than just a cute quirk. Her affinity for the frozen waffles echoes E.T.’s Reese’s Pieces obsession. In addition to other Pixar nods, the animators also highlighted a few references to the team who helped make the movie.
So cast Descendium to scroll down and Wingardium Leviosa to upvote your fave Harry Potter details collected by our keen-eyed Bored Panda Aurors. Let us know in the comments what other hidden movie details you’ve found! Oh and when you’re done with this list, check out our post about an artist who drew several powerful scenes from the books that were missing from the movies. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Pixar movie if it didn’t tease the next film the studio has planned. In Elio, viewers can specifically find an Easter egg for Pixar’s next film Hoppers, which is set to hit theaters in spring 2026. The space movie features a scene with a lizard that will be a main character in Hoppers.
In The Chamber Of Secrets, You Can Spot Gilderoy Lockhart’s Second Wig On His Desk
Quite the specific greenery situation and undeniably a nod to the adorable trash-compacting robot, WALL-E. The mythical creature she is referencing is a three-headed dog in Greek mythology that was said to guard the gates of the Underworld. Sometimes referred to as “The Hound of Hades”, it was among the creatures conquered by the mighty Hercules. One of the most impressive aspects of Hercules’ defeat of the creature was the fact that he didn’t kill it, but he did assert his dominance and drag it into the land of the living. In the 1997 animated feature “Hercules,” there is even a scene where Hercules bursts into Hades’ throne room riding on the back of Cerberus in order to rescue his beloved Meg.
When Robert Zemeckis tackled Chris Van Allsberg’s popular children’s book Polar Express, he attempted to answer the age-old question of how Santa—and his train, the Polar Express—traveled to and from the North Pole in one night. Taking a cue from Back to the Future—another film directed by Zemeckis and one released the same year that the original Polar Express book was released— Zemeckis actually installed a Flux Capacitor inside the Express. During the scene where Smokey and Steamer are juggling the cotter pin, you can see the Flux Capacitor on the left side of the engine cab. You’ll need to pause or slow down the film to catch it, but it’s there. The argument could be made that the Titanic isn’t the first or only boat to strike an iceberg before, but it is the most famous.
In the animated movieRango, Johnny Deppplays a chameleon who finds himself in the small outpost town of movie quiz Dirt, a place that’s in rather desperate need of a new sheriff. It’s a fun, family-friendly movie that ends up sharing a connection with another Depp movie that is far less appropriate for school-aged kids. While Erica may have crawled through those vents for lifetime ice cream, Lucas’s soda monologue is a real Easter egg. The Duffers worked with Coca-Cola to resurrect the drink just for the show, making it one of the most meta product placements in TV history. The film’s closing credits are displayed across the Marauder’s Map, with shoe prints weaving through and around the credits. As the motion control camera crew has their names flashed across the screen, the image pans downward to the bottom of the map and then to the right.
NO. 6: MORRIS CHESTNUT TEASES SHERLOCK HOLMES EASTER EGGS IN ‘WATSON’ MEDICAL DRAMA
One of those insider references is a striped blue shirt that Elio wears. “There are a few Easter eggs — or more than Easter eggs — where with our next film, a full-on character shows up,” Hathaway told Gold Derby. However, the directors got creative with it, as the number actually appears as “Area 113” embroidered on the back of Elio’s camouflage backpack. In addition to it being a nod to the famous phrase, it also pays homage to the real, highly classified Area 51 Air Force base. “The cosmic misadventure introduces Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession,” the film’s synopsis reads.
People found the little robot in the scene where the Enterprise arrives off the planet Vulcan in the middle of a debris field. The debris are the remains of Federation ships destroyed by the Romulan ship Narada. Just after the ship does a barrel roll, you can see R2-D2 on the bridge view screen, floating among the debris. The shadow of an X appeared on the hospital room wall just before Camonte killed a patient there. Flashlights cross each other as the focus comes to rest on a corpse (pictured above). In one memorable scene, seven thugs are lined up against a wall and—in the style of the St. Valentine’s Day massacre from just three years earlier—brutally murdered.
His books often included magical realism, which is also seen throughout Encanto. There’s a very subtle reference to “Let It Go” from Frozen hidden in Encanto. Some of the connections are small, like the carpet from Aladdin showing up inBeauty and the Beastor Scar being used as a rug inHercules. However, there’s a lot of evidence that points toFrozenbeing close to the center of this complicated web. Meet the Robinsons jumps around in time, but every year is a good year to be a fan of The Jungle Book.