20 Times Animated Movies Gifted Us With Easter Eggs and Fascinating Details

Recently, Stranger Things surprised its fans with a real-world Easter Egg in its latest season, where a phone number displayed in the show would lead to a special message from one of the characters when dialed. To the delight of fans of animated movies, this practice is also fairly common in Disney and Pixar movies, for example. Although it might take eagle eyes to spot them, we’ve gathered here a fun few.

Ratatouille

No stone is left unturned in Pixar’s movies. The proof of it is that animators added to this character even a small detail that lots of cooks and chefs have. It is very common for them to have small burns on their forearms. They get them accidentally when putting food on the grills or ovens or when taking it out.

Frozen

The white lock in Anna’s hair is one of the details that highlight the problems between the sisters. It appears at the moment when Elsa accidentally wounds Anna which causes the girls to drift apart. But the lock disappears at the end of the story when the sisters overcome their difficulties and become close again.

Frozen II

At the beginning of the film, you can see the warm relationship the parents and the daughters share, but there are details revealing that this is the last day of harmony for the family.

Before King Agnarr tells his daughters the story about the Enchanted Forest, Anna whispers to Elsa that they’re going to make a snowman. This phrase and the same clothes are seen in the first installment of the franchise.

Before the accident, Elsa often used her magic to entertain her sister. For example, Elsa created a lot of interesting characters, among which you can see Dumbo, Baymax, Snow White, and Prince Charming.

The movie also contains a great joke for adults. When Kristoff appears in front of Anna all dressed up, warning her that he put it on only for an hour, the girl has a curious reaction to it. She gives a kiss to her beloved, rubs his hair, and says, “I prefer you in leather anyway.” These words embarrass Kristoff and he grins foolishly.

Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 4

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.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The animators tried to show the beauty of Notre-Dame de Paris by paying a lot of attention to the gargoyles. Some of them became friends with the main character and some served as Easter eggs. So, in the scene where Quasimodo and Esmeralda try to run away from Frollo, you can see Pumbaa from The Lion King.

Zootopia

In Zootopia, among the pirate DVDs, you can see the alternative versions of Big Hero 6, Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, Moana, and even Frozen II which wasn’t released at the time.

And the seller of the DVDs is an interesting character. Duke Weaselton is voiced by Alan Tudyk, the same actor that voiced Duke of Weselton in Frozen. When you look at the names, you can see the similarities: Duke Weaselton and The Duke of Weselton.

Additionally, Chief Bogo is obviously a fan of Big Hero 6 — or in this universe, Pig Hero 6. In his office, you can see a calendar featuring the city of San Fransokyo.

Treasure Planet

In the main characters’ rooms, there are many hints about their personalities, upcoming story beats, and unusual secrets. For example, Jim Hawkins has Stitch from Lilo & Stitch on his shelf.

The Little Mermaid

The act of referencing characters from past Disney movies is a classic move among Disney animators. But the creators of The Little Mermaid went a step further. Not only did Goofy, Donald Duck, and Mickey Mouse come to listen to the songs of Ariel and her sisters, but Kermit the Frog, one of the leading characters of The Muppet Show, also came to watch.

Tangled

The animators of Tangled also left small Easter eggs for viewers to find. Over a long period of time the girl spent in the tower, she drew all over the place. But her pictures are especially interesting on the stairs because they’re references to other Disney princesses — the apple is for Snow White, the shoe is for Cinderella, the rose is for Belle, and the shell is for Ariel.

Lilo & Stitch

Chris Sanders became the director of Lilo & Stitch after his successful work on Mulan. This is probably why there are 2 Mulan Easter eggs in Lilo & Stitch: a poster in Nani’s room and the name of the restaurant, Mulan Wok.

Moana

Dwayne Johnson, who was the voice actor for Maui, is not only an actor but also a famous wrestler known as The Rock. The creators of the animation used this fact to their advantage. The funny rooster named Hei Hei that eats a rock in one scene later bites Maui.

When Moana decides to save her island, she takes only the most important stuff with her: dishes, food, and — a part of the snowman, Olaf. She wanted to be prepared for anything. What if she suddenly needed to make a snowman?

The star duo, Ron Clements and John Musker, directed Moana long after they had already created The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. So it’s not surprising that in Moana, there are references to both of these classic films. When Maui is singing his song, you can see Flounder, Ariel’s friend; and in Tamatoa’s treasury, you can see Aladdin’s lamp.

Ralph Breaks the Internet

When Ralph and Vanellope get on the internet, they’re followed by commercials. On one of the posters, you can see Cass Hamada from Big Hero 6.

Shrek 2

When Prince Charming finally reaches the tower where Fiona has been imprisoned, he finds the Wolf there instead of the princess. The character from the classic fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood, appears to be entertaining himself by reading an interesting magazine, Pork Illustrated, a play on Sports Illustrated.

Encanto

The clothes of the characters in Encanto reflect who they are. For example, Louisa’s dress, the strongest character, has dumbbells on it, Dolores has soundwaves on the skirt (she has super hearing), and Pepa has a sign of weather because her mood impacts the weather in town. And if you look closely, you will notice that every character has something on their clothes that reveals something about them.

Have you ever found any interesting details in animated films or do you just prefer to watch the story?