If you love watching movies, you probably enjoy looking for Easter eggs and clues that connect films to one another or to outside references.
Some fans are absolute experts at finding these hidden clues while the rest of us just get to enjoy the results of their sleuthing.
Here are 10+ Easter eggs that were cleverly hidden in famous 2000s movies.
The original *Toy Story* has references to *The Shining.*
In the first installment of the franchise, there are references to The Shining during the scenes that involve Sid.
For one thing, the carpet in Sid’s house looks a lot like the carpet in the Overlook Hotel from the film adaptation of the novel.
Sid shows up in *Toy Story 3.*
Fans of Pixar know that the company loves to include Easter eggs in their movies.
During Toy Story 3 , there’s a scene with a garbage truck and a sanitation worker. The worker appears to be Sid from the original film.
This mistake from *The Princess Diaries.*
One of the reporters is wearing a blazer and a dress shirt but he paired it with…shorts?
Is this a mistake, a fashion faux pas, or something that actually happens more than we think, and we just don’t know about it?
This creepy detail from *Black Swan.*
While Disney films might include Easter eggs often, there are other much darker movies that rely on clues and references to create atmosphere.
In Black Swan , there are many details that work as metaphors for Nina’s mental state.
One of these is in the ballet director’s office where there’s a model of a swan skeleton behind a mirror that Nina looks through.
Stitch makes an appearance in *Treasure Planet.*
There are actually many Disney movies that have a hidden Stitch in them, so many fans have been dedicated to finding every single one.
In Treasure Planet , a stuffed animal stitch can be seen on the shelf in the bedroom of Jim Hawkins when he’s a kid.
Peter Jackson has cameos in all three *The Lord of the Rings* films.
Peter Jackson, who directed the trilogy, made sure to be in a cameo in each of the three films.
In the first movie, he shows up at Bree in the rain eating a carrot. Then, in The Two Towers , he makes an appearance as a Rohan soldier at Helm’s Deep.
Finally, in Return of the King, he’s one of the Corsairs of Umbar on the ship.
Jack Skellington is in *The Princess and the Frog.*
While Stitch might show up in a lot of Disney movie cameos, some characters are more of a rare find.
In The Princess and the Frog when the Shadow Man says he has “Friends on the Other Side” he conjures shadows including one that looks a lot like Jack Skellington.
Pinocchio shows up in *Tanlged*.
There are many Easter Eggs that point to other Disney movies, and Tangled has many of them.
In the scene at the Snuggly Duckling, Pinocchio is in the background while everyone sings. Pinocchio upper is perched near the roof on a ledge.
Newt Scamander is on The Marauder’s Map.
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , Harry is given the Marauder’s Map by the Weasley twins.
In the scene, if you look closely, you can see Newt Scamander’s name walking around the map near the center-right. Why was he at Hogwarts during this time is the question?
These *Mean Girls* necklaces show who is in charge.
This 2004 classic film made a big impact on pop culture, so it’s fun to see the ways the movie addresses the drama between the characters.
At the start of the movie, Regina George is the queen bee and is regularly shown wearing an “R” necklace. Later, after Cady Heron takes her place, she starts wearing a similar necklace but with the letter “C.”
The purple pants in *The Incredible Hulk.*
Before Mark Ruffalo took on the role of Hulk, there was the 2008 film.
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One Easter Egg in this movie is a nod to the Hulk comics. Betty Ross gives Bruce Banner a pair of stretchy purple pants that look similar to the ones Hulk wears in the comics.
Elle Woods isn’t actually blonde.
We all know Elle Woods from Legally Blonde as an iconic blonde woman, but the movie actually lets audiences know that she dyes her hair.
In the opening credits, there’s a frame that shows an Herbal Essences hair dye, but, of course, she could have been born blonde but wanted a more striking shade.
*The Departed* uses imagery to show fans who is going to die.
There are many deaths in 2006’s The Departed , and fans noticed clues in the film that point to who is going to die.
Characters that will meet their ends are shown at some point close to an X. It happens over and over in some pretty creative ways.
Stephenie Meyer makes a cameo in *Twilight.*
It’s not uncommon for directors or writers to make cameos in the films they’re involved in creating.
One of these cameos is in the original Twilgiht film where Stephenie Meyer can be seen sitting in the cafe where Charlie and Bella eat.
This clever detail in *13 Going on 30.*
In the scene where Jenna is in the closet at her party, she’s wearing a blindfold with a bold, colorful pattern.
Then, when she wakes up as a 30-year-old, she’s wearing a sleeping mask that is made with the same fabric.
