19 Times Writers, Directors, And Producers Snuck Easter Eggs From Their Own Movies Into OTHER Movies

Easter egg-ception.

As an obsessive lover of all things movies, one of the absolute easiest (and most addictive) rabbit holes to fall down on ye olde interwebs is the subreddit r/MovieDetails, which documents fan-found details and Easter eggs in movies!

NBC

And an interesting subgenre of this subreddit documents Easter eggs wherein a film's writers, directors, and/or producers sneak in little self-references to OTHER movies they've worked on!

DisneyPlus

So, with that in mind, we rounded up just a few of the best self-referential movie details that writers, directors, and/or producers snuck into their own movies, and we put them all in one place for your viewing pleasure! Ready? I sure hope so! Here we go:

1. The brand name of the caviar seen behind Remy in Pixar's Ratatouille (2007) is "Nemo" — a semi-dark nod to Pixar's Finding Nemo (2003).

In Ratatouille (2007), the restaurant has "Nemo" brand caviar, a reference to Finding Nemo (2003). from MovieDetails

Pixar

2. Red in The Shawshank Redemption (1994) is kept in cell number 237, which is a direct reference to the infamous room number in The Shining (1980) — another Stephen King adaptation.

In The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Red is in cell 237. Which is also the number of the infamous hotel room from The Shining (1980). Both movies are based on a Stephen King novel. from MovieDetails

3. Burke in Candyman (2021) is seen reading Weaveworld by Clive Barker — the author who also wrote the short story Candyman is based on.

In Candyman (2021), Burke is seen reading Weaveworld by Clive Barker, who also wrote the short story “The Forbidden” which the original Candyman is based off from MovieDetails

Universal Pictures

4. A passenger on the plane in Die Hard 2 (1990) is reading an advertisement for Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) — Joel Silver has producing credits in both movies.

In Die Hard 2 (1990), a passenger on the plane is holding a magazine with an advertisement for Lethal Weapon 2, both movies were produced by Joel Silver. from MovieDetails

5. The iconic soundtrack for Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) can be seen momentarily in another one of his classic films — A Clockwork Orange (1971).

In the film A Clockwork Orange (1971) directed by Stanley Kubrick, you can see in the record store a copy of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) another film by Stanley Kubrick. from MovieDetails

Warner Bros.

6. Disney's Soul (2020) features a direct reference to the Partners Statue found at the entrances of both Disneyland and Disney World.

In Soul (2020), a statue in the Hall of You resembles the famous Partners Statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, found in Disneyland, California. from MovieDetails

7. Hiro in Big Hero 6 (2014) has a toy solider from the video game in Wreck-It Ralph (2012).

In Big Hero 6 (2014), one of Hiro's toys is a soldier from Wreck It Ralph (2012). from MovieDetails

8. The horror films Hush (2016) and Gerald's Game (2017) were both directed by Mike Flanagan and feature a novel titled Midnight Mass — which is also the title of Flanagan's Netflix original series.

In Hush (2016) and Gerald’s Game (2017), both directed by Mike Flanagan, a book titled ‘Midnight Mass’ can be seen. The book also shares the title of Flanagan’s new Netflix series. from MovieDetails

9. Graffiti seen momentarily in The Blues Brothers (1980) pays tribute to John Landis and Deborah Nadoolman — the director and costume designer, respectively — who were married the year of the film's release.

In The Blues Brothers (1980) a piece of graffiti features the names “John” and “Deborah” surrounding a heart with an arrow, a reference to John Landis and Deborah Nadoolman (the director and costume designer respectively) who were married the same year. from MovieDetails

Universal Pictures

10. In Christmas Vacation (1989), Clark is seen watching a film reel titled "XMAS 59," which is a direct reference to the title of the short story — Christmas 59 — that John Hughes based the film on.

Christmas Vacation (1989) was based on a short story John Hughes wrote for the Dec 1980 National Lampoon magazine called “Christmas 59”. “X-mas 59” can be seen on the label of the home movie reel Clark watches. from MovieDetails

11. A VHS cover for Rob Reiner's When Harry Met Sally... (1989) can be seen in Misery (1990), which was also directed by Reiner.

In Misery (1990), a videotape of When Harry Met Sally... (1989) is visible in the store. Both films are directed by Rob Reiner. from MovieDetails

Columbia Pictures

12. The positively terrifying Annabelle doll makes a quick cameo in Shazam! (2019) because director David F. Sandberg also directed Annabelle: Creation (2017).

In Shazam! (2019) the Annabelle doll can be seen for a split second. The director, David f Sandberg also directed Annabelle: Creation from MovieDetails

13. The genie's lamp from Aladdin (1992) makes a quick cameo on Tamatoa's shell in Moana (2016) — both films were directed by Ron Clements and John Musker.

In Moana (2016), you can see the lamp from Aladdin (1992) in Tamatoa's shell. from MovieDetails

14. Birds of Prey (2020) features a beer brand named "Timm Dini Beer," a nod to the creators of Batman: The Animated Series, Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, the creators of Harley Quinn.

In the beginning of Birds of Prey (2020), Harley Quinn says her dad "traded me for a six pack of beer.". Said six pack is a "Timm Dini Beer", with a "1992" on it aswell. This is a nod to Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, who created Harley for Batman: The Animated Series, which first aired in 1992. from MovieDetails

15. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks wanted to make sure viewers knew they'd worked together several times before _Catch Me If You Can _(2002), sneaking in "Steven and Tom's 4th project" on the blackboard in the background.

In Catch Me If You Can (2002), you can see the words "Steven and Tom's 4th project" written on a blackboard. This is a reference to director Steven Spielberg and actor Tom Hanks. from MovieDetails

16. A poster for Open Season (2006) can be seen in the background of a scene in Arthur Christmas (2011), both films being produced by Sony Animation.

In Arthur Christmas (2011), you can see a poster for Open Season (2006) in a kid's bedroom. Both movies were made by Sony Pictures Animation. from MovieDetails

17. An advertisement for the burger joint in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) — Big Kahuna Burger — can be seen on the side of a bus in Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. (2019).

In "once upon a time in Hollywood"2019- and advert for Big Kahuna Burger can be seen on a bus advert. It is the main burger joint in the Tarantino universe. from MovieDetails

Sony Pictures Releasing

18. The Goonies (1985) directly references a moment from Gremlins (1984) during a character's prank call — both films were written by Christopher Columbus.

In The Goonies (1985) written by Christopher Columbus, there is a scene where Chunk contacts the Sheriff who references a previous prank call about "all those little creatures that multiply when you throw water on them". This is a reference to Gremlins (1984) also written by - Christopher Columbus. from MovieDetails

19. And finally — in a super-meta moment, Ryan Reynolds snuck a tongue-in-cheek reference to his own gin brand, Aviation Gin, in a "Subtle Product Placement" ad in Free Guy (2021).

In Free Guy (2021), you can see a bottle of gin labelled "Subtle Product Placement". This is actually a bottle of Aviation Gin...a brand which is partially owned by Ryan Reynolds. from MovieDetails

20th Century Fox

Did you catch any of these upon viewing these movies? Do you know any other examples of this/have a favorite?! Share in the comments below!

H/T: Reddit, r/MovieDetails