Our Favorite Movie Easter Eggs: Star Wars, Dead Silence, Tangled and more!

January 23rd 2015, 12:23am

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

These days, part of the fun of watching a movie in theaters or at home with the ability to freeze frames, is finding the Easter eggs hidden within. For the history buffs out there, the origin of the cinematic Easter egg dates back to THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. Supposedly one day on the set, the cast decided to have a traditional Easter egg hunt, as you do, but some of the eggs were never found and actually appeared in frames of the movie! So if you're obsessed with finding hidden messages, jokes, and ways to make you look smart in front of your friends, check out these Easter eggs!

Understandably some of these have been around for a while, but some may be new to other readers; there’s no expiration date on sharing so enjoy and have fun!

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS**

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES – Play it again, Stanley

Although I was ultimately disappointed with Matt Reeves' Planet of the Apes sequel, I was rather impressed with the motion capture effects and film's score, both of which played a key role in the opening scene of the film which plays homage to the opening scene of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. When Caesar alerts the deer in the scene, the music that's playing is very similar to that heard in the opening of 2001. It’s no coincidence that both scenes introduce apes using tools as well.

STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE– Brought to you by Reese's Pieces

Remember that scene in E.T. when on Halloween the kids walk by someone dressed as Yoda and E.T. gets all excited and says, "Home! Home!"? Well, that’s because E.T. is from the same galaxy…just go with me on this one. During the senate hearing in STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, look over the queen's shoulder at the bottom left of the screen there is a group of E.T.’s getting rowdy for some politics.

DEAD SILENCE – Hey Dummy!

In 2007, James Wan (SAW, THE CONJURING) decided he would make a creepy, albeit forgettable, puppet movie (or ventriloquist if you want to be professional about it). There is a scene in the film when the main character, Jamie, and a detective discover a puppet collection in the abandoned theatre. Everyone’s favorite puppet, Billy, from the SAW films (also created by Wan) can be seen for more than a brief moment. Honestly, when I saw this in the movie, I thought it was actually going to play a role considering how obvious and long it was left on screen for. That might have been a better movie!

TANGLED – I Nose him

I caught this when watching this for the first time a few weeks ago; I have nieces and nephews, so it happens. During one of the musical numbers, “I’ve Got A Dream”, you can briefly see Pinocchio in the rafters. Now, you might think that he’s gone downhill from the work he had in SHREK, but keep in mind this version of Pinocchio is from the 1940 Disney film.

Let’s rock!