14 Small but Important Details in Films That Were Not So Easy to Spot During the First Viewing

When we watch a movie for the first time, we tend to follow the story and empathize with the main characters. But many movies have some hidden messages that are usually discovered by some very attentive fans.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

In the movie Spider-Man: No Way Home, MJ wears a broken necklace with a black dahlia. This is the gift from Peter who gave it to her at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).

Lightyear (2022)

A vending machine in the animated movie Lightyear sells Wade Water. This is a reference to Pixar’s next movie Elemental (2023). The main character of this upcoming film is Wade Ripple, and he is a water elemental.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

In the movie The Prestige, Andy Serkis’ character mentions a magic trick in which one person guesses the item in a person’s pocket. The same trick fooled Gollum, who was also played by Serkis, in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012).

Coraline (2009)

Caroline’s father wears a sweater that has an inscription “Michigan State.” It was added by producer Bill Mechanic who attended this university and wanted to pay tribute to his alma mater.

Field of Dreams (1989)

When Ray asks “Shoeless” Joe Jackson what he likes about playing baseball, Joe says “the thrill of the grass.” This is the title of W.P. Kinsella’s 1985 book of short stories about baseball.

Toy Story 4 (2019)

In the scene, where Woody and Bo Peep are preparing for the jump, there are VHS tapes that have the names of several Pixar short films like Knick Knack (1989) and Lifted (2006).

Do Revenge (2022)

In the scene where Russ offers Drea a motorcycle ride, you can see a sign saying Horowitz Hall. This is a reference to the movie Clueless (1995) and its main character Cher Horowitz in particular. In fact, the movie pays homage to many other classic teen films of the 1990s and 2000s.

Jaws (1975)

The license plate that Hooper removes from the shark’s body has the number 007 on it. This is a reference to Steven Spielberg always having the desire to direct a James Bond film because he is a fan of this franchise.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)

In the movie Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, you can see flyers for band auditions. One of them is advertising “Kuni’s Karate School.” Kuni was a character of the 1989 film UHF, who ran a karate school and berated his pupils for being “stupid.”

The Mask (1994)

In the scene where Milo is stealing keys for Stanley to help him break out of jail, you can see a TV set showing the Ren & Stimpy cartoon series. In this episode, Stimpy also tries to escape from his cell.

Your Name (2016)

In the anime Your Name, Taki works at the restaurant called “Il giardino delle parole,” which is Italian for “the garden of words.” This is a reference to the movie The Garden of Words (2013) which was also directed by Makoto Shinkai.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)

In the scene in which Al is making a bologna sandwich, there’s a box of Raisin Bran and a box of Cap’n Crunch on the counter. This is a reference to the lyric of the song Eat It (“Don’t want no Cap’n Crunch, don’t want no Raisin Bran”).

Madagascar (2005)

In the scene where Alex is making a call from a telephone booth, there is a paper ad on its side saying, “Room for rent, EAST Village, $10,000/mo, call Tom & Eric.” The names Tom and Eric refer to Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, the directors of this cartoon.

Blonde (2022)

Norma Jeane’s father appears briefly at the premiere of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, in the same hat and coat he’s seen wearing throughout the movie. This happens when she looks around to spot him. He is standing behind a waving gentleman at the left edge of the frame.

Did you ever spot some other hidden messages or details in movies?