Since we’ve been out of school so much, I’ve had lots of time to watch movies. Each movie has its own unique qualities that make it either appealing or unappealing. Some movies have a suspenseful plot, some have fantastic soundtracks, and some are just boring. However with all movies there are certain qualities that I look for and appreciate. Some of those qualities are references to other movies and books, easter eggs, and fun characters.

A personal favorite movie of mine that is a reference is “10 Things I Hate About You”. This movie is a reference to the Shakespeare play Taming of the Shrew. The daughters have the same names and personalities as the daughters in the play, and the plots are very similar, the movie just adds a modern spin. One of my favorite movies that has lots of references is “Encanto”. This movie makes many references to other Disney movies, especially “Frozen”. Bruno is very similar to Elsa and he makes many references to her songs when he sings. One of my favorite references though are both “Encanto” and “Beauty and the Beast” open with songs that introduce you to main characters in the movie.

While “Encanto” is a subject at hand, the movie has a few easter eggs. Many of these easter eggs include Bruno hiding, like in the background of the movie poster and in the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”. Some of them, however, include the village children (Alejandra, Juancho, and Cecilia) who are named after important contributors to the movie (Alejandra Espinosa, Jose Velasquez, and Charise Castro Smith). There are tons of easter eggs in this movie, these just barely scratch the surface. “Moana” is another movie with lots of easter eggs such as Olaf’s nose, the heart of Te Fiti looking like Ursula’s necklace, and the baby turtle Moana helps looking like Squirt from “Finding Nemo”. Once again, these easter eggs barely scratch the surface.

A make or break thing for a movie, however, is the characters. If a movie has a lot of flat characters that barely interact with each other, the movie will be boring. Even if the plot idea is wonderful with tons of funny jokes, flat characters are boring. Movies such as “Encanto”, “10 Things I Hate About You”, “Moana”, “Frozen”, and “Beauty in the Beast” have two things in common. While the first, a good, catchy soundtrack, is very appealing, the second thing, well developed characters, is what makes these movies come to mind. In most of the aforementioned movies, almost every character has development, especially the main characters. Mirabel, Kathrine, Moana, Ana, and Belle all go through difficult things and come out with a changed, more developed personality to show for it. 

All movies have unique qualities, but there are some things that can make or break a movie. In my opinion, these things include references, easter eggs, and well developed characters. References and easter eggs keep you invested and on your toes, while the well developed characters keep things interesting and make the movie worthwhile.