12 Movies With Hidden Fun Facts That Only a True Fan Would Notice

There are movies and series that we remember, even many years after watching them. Their plots, characters, and images all come together so that as soon as we see them, they become our favorite films. That’s why they become classics, cult series, and films that arouse not only interest but also the unconditional support and fervor of the public. And it’s this same audience that enjoys watching them as much as they love looking for winks, clues, secrets, and hidden messages. And, of course, they find them all.

Bright Side loves hidden messages and camouflaged Easter eggs. So we went out looking for some and were surprised to find many secrets left to be revealed. Read all the way to the end, and tell us at what point you wondered, “How have I not seen this before?”

1. Clara, the teacher, is out of focus in Back to the Future Part III.

In the scene in which Doc and Marty are analyzing the map at the station, they realize that Clayton Ravine is also called Shonash Ravine. Right behind them, someone is out of focus and oblivious to the fact that the people who would soon save her life are there. You can see the teacher, Clara Clayton. Her appearance in the background actually marks the exact point in time at which the actions of each of the characters begin to synchronize.

2. A relationship of dependence in A Bug’s Life

Aphie, the queen’s pet in A Bug’s Life, is a real-life aphid with which the ants actually do maintain a relationship of mutual dependence. On the one hand, ants protect them from possible predators that could harm them and, in exchange, the aphids bring food to the ant colony.

The aphid is officially called Aphididae, and it secretes a sugary liquid known as “honeydew” that is considered to be nectar for both ants and bees. That’s why wherever we see aphids, we are likely to see ants as well, and that’s also why you see them having a very close relationship in the movie.

3. Monsters, Inc. and a cheating monster

You probably can recall that scene in Monsters Inc. when the scary monster, George Sanderson, keeps messing up at work and gets children’s objects stuck to his thick fur. These objects are considered to be extremely dangerous by the agents of the CDA (Child Detection Agency). In fact, the CDA goes so far as to shave him to disinfect him thoroughly. After that, he is bathed and a cone is placed on his head to make sure he’s out of trouble. You might also remember that this happens more than once throughout the movie.

Well, apparently, the monster’s careless attitude takes root in his student days, but that’s only revealed in the prequel to the movie, Monsters University. In this installment of the famous Pixar franchise, he is disqualified in the first Scare Games challenge because instead of learning how to keep the children’s belongings from sticking to him, he prefers to cheat by using illegal gels. And the possible lesson to take away from this is that cheating could have very upsetting consequences, even years after doing it, so you’d better stick to the rules.

4. Easter eggs for Pixar fans in the Toy Story movies

People who like Pixar movies know that one of the signatures that make this studio so famous is, among others, the fact that all of their films include a hidden reference to previously released works. Characters, objects, titles of other short films, or simply internal nods to Pixar staff form a network whose threads only become visible to the eyes of true fans. We’re thinking, for example, of the famous Toy Story movies. Among the franchise’s many references to other Pixar movies, there are 2 that may not be as popular or as noticed thus far.

In Toy Story 2, you can trace the presence of at least 2 of the studio’s previous movies through hints that they’ve left. Mrs. Potato Head is reading a storybook called A Bug’s Life when Mr. Potato Head appears with an earring. The drawings in this story are a clear reference to the movie of the same name. And another even more blurred and camouflaged hidden fun fact can be found in the later movies. When Bonnie is in kindergarten, busy creating Forky, from far away, blurred, and at another table, she is watched by the unforgettable Boo from Monsters, Inc.

5. Heroes and villains share a secret location in Daredevil and Spider-Man

Both Daredevil and Spider-Man are franchises owned by Marvel, so they technically belong to the same cinematic universe. Apparently, Marvel also enjoys connecting their movies in the same subtle ways that Pixar uses. However, while Pixar leaves hidden hints to previous works, Marvel doesn’t make them so easy to find. This is a privilege that only the most observant and fanatical viewers will enjoy. It may just be that so far, only true fans have been able to notice that Spider-man and Daredevil share a very particular setting.

In case you weren’t aware of this fact, we’re actually referring to the hidden rooftop gardens of Rockefeller Center, a skyscraper located in New York City. It’s there that Fisk and Madame Gao have a private conversation in a scene from the first installation of Daredevil. However, in that very same place, Spider-Man leaves Mary Jane after rescuing her from the Green Goblin, as you might remember.

You should also know that this place is, in fact, hidden to most people and can only be revealed before the eyes of those who are apt to find secrets — like the viewers capable of noticing this tiny detail.

6. The pink bear drifting in Breaking Bad

After the death of his daughter, Jane’s father enters her room to look for suitable clothes for the burial. At the beginning of the scene and throughout the sequence, you can see a mural painted by the girl. It’s there you can spot a woman who looks very much like Jane and, at the upper right part of the wall, there’s a pink bear floating adrift. Walt finds a strikingly similar stuffed animal in his pool after a plane crash that her father was responsible for.

7. Tom Hanks learns from a child in Forrest Gump

During an interview for The Graham Norton Show, Tom Hanks talks about the origin of his famous character’s southern accent. Apparently, the boy who plays the little Forrest influenced his adult role much more than we thought. Hanks says that Michael Conner Humphreys, the actor that plays the child version of his character, found it hard to break out of his typical southern accent and speak with a more neutral tone. So Hanks decided that instead of forcing him to deviate from his particular way of speaking, he would copy the child’s accent while playing his character. And that’s how Forrest Gump learned his famous southern accent.

In the same interview, the actor reveals that he spent hours talking to the boy who, back in the day, was barely 8 years old at the time. Apparently, to this day, Hanks still keeps some of the tapes they recorded of conversations they had to practice his accent.

8. Stranger Things’ Eleven shares an outfit with a very special character.

The Duffer brothers, the creators of the famous series, recognized their admiration for Steven Spielberg and, in general, for the aesthetic and themes of some of the most popular movies from the 1980s. That’s probably why there are so many references and connections to be found between Stranger Things and all those other films that were being released in movie theaters around the world more than 3 decades ago.

For those of us who’ve seen E.T. multiple times, it’s not really hard to notice that there’s a secret homage to Spielberg’s classic film throughout the series. However, it’s understandable that younger fans may have missed a few details. For example, take the similarities between E.T. and Eleven. They both have telekinetic abilities, they are both in danger, and they both fail to be understood by the rest of the world. Both Eleven and the alien are hidden by children who ride bicycles and are in charge of protecting them. And they both disguise themselves, as you can see in the collage above.

Gertie, the little girl from E.T., played by Drew Barrymore when she was just starting her career as an actress, disguises the confused alien in a dress and a blonde wig. The children hiding Eleven disguise her so that she can go to school as well. Although the girl seems to fit in the costume a little better, they both seem equally alien and uncomfortable in an outfit that clearly doesn’t reflect who they are.

9. A special guest at the funeral in Men in Black 3

The alien who appears with his skull exposed at Z’s funeral is actually Rick Baker, the special effects and makeup artist known for creating the world’s most famous movie creatures. He won an Oscar for “Best Makeup” with Men in Black.

10. The LEGO Batman Movie and the first Batmobile on the back cover

At Commissioner Gordon’s retirement party, Batman, who attends as Bruce Wayne, not as the superhero, picks up a magazine with himself on the cover. On the back cover is an advertisement for Barris Automobiles. The Barris company, owned by George Barris, designed and created the Batmobile exclusively for the Batman series in the 1960s.

11. In Luca, we see that a blow to the head doesn’t always make you see stars.

In Pixar’s Luca, when the main character of the same name falls off his bicycle and hits his head, he sees anchovies instead of the classic yellow stars. This is because Alberto, his inseparable marine friend, had told him that the stars were actually small shiny anchovies.

12. In The Truman Show, the key is in the name of the characters.

If you haven’t seen the movie, then beware — some spoilers are coming your way. Truman’s fictional life is full of details, Easter eggs, and clues that appear almost simultaneously to him and to viewers. We may become aware of them before the character does or, conversely, he may be the first to “open his eyes.” One of these clues can be found in the name of the streets of the town in which he lives and its inhabitants.

All the streets in Seahaven refer to movie actors, and the town’s inhabitants are named after movie stars, like Meryl (for Meryl Streep), Marlon (for Marlon Brando), Lauren (for Lauren Bacall), Kirk (for Kirk Douglas), etc. This is true for every character except Truman, whose name is a union of the words “true” and “man.” He is the only character whose name does not refer to an actor; that is, he is the only one who is not playing a role.

What other hidden details of movies and TV series that we haven’t mentioned here do you know and can share with us?