19 Movies and Series Where Creators Left Important Details in Plain Sight, and We Almost Missed Them
Movie and series creators often hide small details in plain sight to help the viewers understand the story and characters better or just to leave Easter eggs for movie fans. We don’t always notice these little things during the first watch. Here are some examples from the series and movies of recent years that you might have missed.
House of the Dragon (2022—...)
Observant viewers may have noticed that, in the beginning, Viserys wore square clothing, but as he aged, his silhouette became softer and rounder due to changes in his wardrobe. Additionally, in later episodes, costume designers dressed the character in long robes that seemed to weigh him down. These clothing details illustrate how the once-great ruler began to weaken and wither.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Michelle Yeoh character’s daughter had a pig tattoo. It’s supposed to represent her family. That’s because the Chinese symbol for family (or home) consists of the symbols for “pig” and “roof.”
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
At the beginning of the film, a vibrant color palette is used. Some viewers even found it cartoonish compared to the rest of the darker part of the movie. This demonstrates the internal state of the main character, portrayed by Colin Farrell, before he is confronted with the loss of his friend. Here you can read the story of Barry Keoghan, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role in this film.
The Last of Us (2023—...)
In the 7th episode, Ellie appears in a T-shirt and a sweater with shorter sleeves than usual in the series. This detail emphasizes that the main events in the episode occurred before the attack on the girl. Therefore, at that time, she did not need to hide a mark on her skin under her clothing, which could have led other characters to mistakenly believe she was infected.
When it was announced that Bella Ramsey had been cast as Ellie, many fans of the game were unhappy. However, they later saw her in action and changed their minds.
Smile (2022)
When Rose comes home, you can see in her mail an envelope with the words “Last Chance.” After this, her therapist, who’s been trying to convince the character to discuss the loss of her mother, calls her, but the woman hangs up. With the inscription on the envelope, the filmmakers hinted that this was the last chance for Rose to deal with her trauma and thus avoid the influence of an evil entity, but she missed it.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
When the Wolf reveals his intentions during his first appearance, Puss was drinking his 9th glass while the rest are on the table. The empty glasses represent the lost lives of Puss, and the last one represents the one that Death wants to take personally.
M3GAN (2022)
The scene in the hallway (right before M3gan performs her famous dance) reminds us of the iconic episode with the twins from the movie The Shining (1980). This detail could have been just an Easter egg for horror fans, but some believe it has a special significance for the plot. Perhaps, M3gan deliberately positioned herself in the hallway in such a way as to show that she has embraced her role as a villain.
Pinocchio (2022)
Honest John’s outfit is just as deceiving as he is. His “cloak” is a shower curtain, the cuffs of his sleeves are doilies, and the “buttons” he wears on his shirt are coins.
Disenchanted (2022)
During the performance of one of the songs, Morgan hints that she doesn’t feel very comfortable in her surroundings. The main character of the animated movie The Little Mermaid (1989) also experienced similar feelings. To make the reference to Ariel’s story even more apparent, the film copied the scene where the mermaid leans against a rock, and a wave breaks behind her back.
The Amazing Maurice (2022)
A bust of Terry Pratchett is in Boss Man’s Office. Maurice sits on top of it at one point. Terry Pratchett wrote the book the animated film is based on.
Triangle of Sadness (2022)
The movie’s title refers to a term used in the beauty industry. The “triangle of sadness” is the area between the eyebrows and the bridge of the nose. With age, wrinkles appear in this area, making one look sad, even when the face doesn’t express any emotions. This physical characteristic can be corrected with the use of botox.
According to one interpretation, the title was chosen to suggest the tendency of the characters to see serious problems where there are none (just like a person with a “triangle of sadness” appears sad even when they’re not). They have the ability to deal with difficulties, but they prefer to spend their energy creating real problems for themselves.
The Menu (2022)
The newspaper article makes it clear that the chef used to work in a restaurant called Tantalus. This is the name of a character from Ancient Greek myths. He invited gods for dinner and tricked them. As punishment for this, the gods condemned him to stand in a body of water beneath a fruit tree. Every time he reached for the fruit on the tree, its branches would rise out of reach, and when he leaned down for water, it would recede. This is reminiscent of the story of the chef who fed the rich and lost his passion for food because of them.
Uncharted (2022)
In Uncharted, Nathan and Chloe wash up on a beach and meet a stranger who says that something similar had happened to him once. That actor is Nolan North, the original voice actor for Nathan Drake in the Uncharted video game.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical (2022)
At the beginning of the film, a sign with the words “No Giraffes” can be seen on the school lawn. Later, when the students and Miss Honey take control of the institution, a giraffe appears next to the building. You can read about the touching story that unfolded during the filming of the previous adaptation of the book Matilda here.
The Wonder (2022)
In the village, many surfaces inside and outside the houses are painted in green. For example, O’Donnell’s house has a green door and green walls. At the same time, the main character wears a plain simple blue dress for most of the film, which emphasizes how different she is from the surroundings and other women.
Jungle Cruise (2021)
The main character in the film is named Lily Houghton. The full name of the actress Katherine Hepburn was Katherine Houghton Hepburn. She starred in the movie The African Queen (1951), which is very similar to Jungle Cruise.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
In one scene, Miles is wearing jeans and a black turtleneck — the same clothes as Steven Jobs wore. Besides, Andy says, “The reality distortion field ends here.” The term “reality distortion field” was used to describe Jobs’ power of persuasion.
You (2018—...)
At the end of season two, the character Ellie, played by Jenna Ortega, was forced to escape. The creators of the series wanted to continue her story in season four, but Jenna couldn’t return because she was busy in Wednesday. But her character is still mentioned in the new season — in this article abstract, you can read she is still missing.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
There are some differences in appearance between the avatars and the real Na’vi. For example, avatars have five fingers, while the Na’vi have four. Jake and Neytiri’s children are half-bloods. Two of their children take after their mother and have four fingers, but Lo’ak has five. Perhaps that’s why he feels imperfect and tries to gain recognition from his father, which leads him into trouble.