Finding Every Movie Reference and Easter Egg in Minions & Monsters

Movie and Pop Culture References Being The Norm – And We Love It!

We’ve actually seen this done earlier this year with a different animated movie, The Super Mario Galaxy, and their smart use of easter eggs.

For Mario, they tie it more with Nintendo references, and we’re guessing because they want to stay true to their brand, but with the Minions and Monsters, the gloves are off. They really went ALL IN on the Hollywood references, and we love it.

It’s almost like playing a mini-game where, while watching the movie, we are paying more attention because we don’t want to miss a reference.

Well, if you did miss out, here’s like a cheat sheet of all the Hollywood and movie references that were hinted at.

Disclaimer: Moving forward, we will be including important plot lines, so spoilers are unavoidable. Reader’s discretion is advised.

All Movie References and Easter Eggs We Managed to Find in Minions and Monsters

There are a LOT. Like seriously, we weren’t kidding when we said they went all out. So, to make things easier, we’ve segregated the references based on their release year.

The Silent Era of Hollywood (1878–1928)

The references start at the very dawn of film history itself. Here are the references we caught from that era:

1. The Horse in Motion (1878)

The Minions gallop on a racehorse, mirroring Edward Muybridge’s earliest motion picture experiment. Even the promotional zoetrope popcorn bucket is a nod to this.

2. Dog Running (1887)

The Minions jog alongside a dog, just like in this early film.

3. L’Arroseur Arrosé (1895)

The classic gardener-gets-tricked gag makes an appearance.

4. Train Pulling Into a Station (1896)

A train action sequence leads the Minions straight into this iconic station.

5. A Trip to the Moon (1902)

The famous Man in the Moon getting poked in the eye? Replaced here with a giant, grinning Minion face in the sky.

6. The Great Train Robbery (1903)

The Minions pull off a similarly chaotic heist.

7. The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906)

Subtle shades of this early feature-length film are woven in.

8. Safety Last (1923)

A man is seen dangling from a clock tower, just like Harold Lloyd’s legendary stunt.

9. Metropolis (1927)

Fritz Lang’s iconic robot is on display in the film museum.

10. The General (1927)

The Minions pack the front of a train, Buster Keaton-style.

11. The Call of Cthulhu (1928)

The first monster Henry and James conjure, a little green tentacle-faced creature named Goomie, is a clear nod to H.P. Lovecraft’s cosmic horror icon.

12. Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

The famous falling house facade stunt is recreated in full Minion chaos.

The Golden Age of Hollywood (1932–1955)

As the Minions navigate the transition from silent films to talkies, the references get even richer:

1. The Mummy (1932)

A classic Universal monster makes a full appearance, with the Minions briefly trying to make him their “Big Boss” — until one of the crew accidentally unravels him.

2. Modern Times (1936)

A mustachioed man gets knocked into the cogs of a machine, a direct recreation of Charlie Chaplin’s iconic scene.

3. Fantasia (1940)

The dark wizard who owned the monster-conjuring book bears a striking resemblance to the sorcerer in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” segment and his helpers are equally terrible at following instructions.

4. The Great Dictator (1940)

An inflatable globe in the museum references Chaplin’s famous globe-juggling scene.

5. Citizen Kane (1941)

One of the film’s most celebrated scenes gets an extended Minionese parody. Director Orson Welles also appears in the museum display.

6. The Maltese Falcon (1941)

The Minions attempt a hard-boiled noir film, starring a Minion called “Humphrey” as in Humphrey Bogart.

7. Casablanca (1942)

Rick Blaine appears in the museum, and the studio heads — twins voiced by Jeff Bridges — request that pianist Sam “play it again.” He obliges with the iconic theme.

8. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

A robot named Dort is an obvious stand-in for Gort, the film’s legendary mechanical guardian.

9. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

The entire plot; silent film stars struggling to survive the transition to talkies mirrors this beloved classic. (And 2022’s Babylon, which the filmmakers also acknowledge.)

10. The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1953)

The gill man is on display in the museum, right next to the Metropolis robot.

11. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

Kirk Douglas can be spotted in the museum.

12. Lady and the Tramp (1955)

The Minions recreate the iconic spaghetti-eating scene.

The New Hollywood Era and Beyond (1958–1999)

Here are the movies that are referenced in the more modern era of Hollywood.

1. The Blob (1958)

The film’s ultimate villain, Eyereen, bears a strong resemblance to the shapeless, all-consuming monster from this sci-fi classic.

2. The Party (1968)

A wild, elephant-filled party was originally meant to evoke Blake Edwards’ Peter Sellers comedy, though it ended up feeling more like Babylon. “The Babylon thing came after the fact,” director Pierre Coffin told Den of Geek.

3. The Birds (1963)

Alfred Hitchcock appears in the museum, surrounded by birds, naturally.

4. Jaws (1975)

The Minions survive a shark attack in a clear nod to Spielberg’s summer blockbuster.

5. Airplane! (1980)

The titular plane is on display in the museum.

6. Clash of the Titans (1981)

A cyclops that the Minions encounter as a potential Big Boss appears inspired by this fantasy classic.

7. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Elliot and E.T. are on display in the museum alongside other Spielberg memorabilia.

8. Back to the Future Part II (1989)

The hoverboard makes a museum appearance still not invented in real life, for the record.

9. The Matrix (1999)

Neo appears in a museum display as the tour group walks past.

Other Easter Eggs in Minions and Monsters: Famous Directors and Actors

Besides movie references, Minions and Monsters also subtly associated characters with real life directors and actors.

Did you catch any?

Mentions of Famous Directors

In a scene where director Max (voiced by Christoph Waltz) bids farewell to a long line of Minions, each shares a first name with a legendary filmmaker:

• Federico (Fellini)
• Quentin (Tarantino)
• Steven (Spielberg or Soderbergh)
• Erich (von Stroheim)
• Ridley (Scott)
• Denis (Villeneuve)

This was technically confirmed by the director himself.

“That was an ad-lib from Christoph Waltz,” director Pierre Coffin revealed to Variety. “I had written regular Minion names, like Tim and John, and he said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if they were directors?'”

Real-Life Legends in the Museum

The film museum is a treasure trove for cinema buffs, with displays featuring:

• Bruce Lee
• Alfred Hitchcock (with his birds)
• Orson Welles
• Kirk Douglas
• George Lucas — who even recorded a line of dialogue for the film himself