The Simpsons Movie Reference Database
The Simpsons Movie Reference Database is a searchable, sortable collection of every movie parody, homage, and reference in the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons.
The Most Referenced Movies on The Simpsons
What is the #1 most referenced movie from the golden age of The Simpsons? The answer might surprise you. Explore the Database.
The Most Referenced Directors on The Simpsons
Before there was the AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies, there was The Simpsons. The show is filled with homages to some of the most influential film directors in history. Explore the Database.
The Simpsons Episodes with the Most Film References
While almost every episode includes a reference or two, a few stand out for their prodigious parodies. Explore the Database.
The Simpsons Movie References By the Numbers*
1,890
Total Movie References
640
Major References to Scenes, Plots or Characters
6.5
Movie References Per Episode on Average
Types of References
In the Database, we distinguish between major references, like scene, plot, and character references, and minor references, like mentions, allusions, quoted dialogue; textual, visual, and audio references; and references in the opening credits or title of the episode.
Scenes are by far the most common type of reference. These typically include a combination of dialogue, visual, and audio elements that come together as more than the sum of their parts.
Audio references were by far the most under-counted reference type, with 30% of entries added by Springfield Googolplex.
What Kinds of Movies Get Referenced on The Simpsons?
896
Movies Referenced
598
Directors Referenced
1974
Average Release Year of Referenced Movies
85%
Of University of Turin’s 20 Most Influential Movies Are Referenced
67%
of AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies (1998) Are Referenced
50%
of Sight & Sound’s The Greatest Films of All Time (Critics, 1992) Are Referenced
The Top 10 Most Referenced Movies on The Simpsons
Star Wars (1977)
30 Total, 3 MajorThe Wizard of Oz (1939)
29 Total, 5 MajorCitizen Kane (1941)
17 Total, 10 MajorThe Godfather (1972)
16 Total, 7 MajorPsycho (1960)
16 Total, 4 MajorIt's a Wonderful Life (1946)
15 Total, 6 Major (Podcast Episode)Godzilla (1954)
15 Total, 2 Major (Podcast Episode)Goldfinger (1964)
14 Total, 5 MajorPlanet of the Apes (1968)
14 Total, 4 Major (Podcast Episode)2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
13 Total, 7 Major
Honorable Mentions with TV/Movie Overlap:
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
31 Total, 2 MajorBatman: The Movie (1966)
19 Total, 8 Major
The Top 10 Most Referenced Directors on The Simpsons
Steven Spielberg (1946–)
57 Total, 25 MajorStanley Kubrick (1928–1999)
49 Total, 21 Major (Podcast Episodes)Francis Ford Coppola (1939–)
42 Total, 19 MajorRobert Wise (1914–2005)
41 Total, 5 MajorAlfred Hitchcock (1899–1980)
38 Total, 16 MajorGeorge Lucas (1944–)
38 Total, 6 MajorVictor Fleming (1889–1949)
37 Total, 8 MajorJames Cameron (1954–)
29 Total, 12 MajorLeslie H. Martinson (1915–2016)
27 Total, 10 MajorIshirô Honda (1911–1993)
21 Total, 3 Major (Podcast Episodes)
What Movie Genres Are Referenced Most on The Simpsons?
Compared to both the full database of films on IMDb and AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies (1998), the movies referenced on The Simpsons tend to embrace more genre and populist film, including Thriller, Action, Sci-Fi, Horror, Musical, and Fantasy.
Much like the AFI list, The Simpsons also tends to include more Crime, Biography, War, Western, and Film-Noir movies, and fewer Comedy, Family, Music, Animation, Sport, and History movies than the overall IMDb list. Meanwhile, Drama and Romance are underrepresented on The Simpsons compared to both lists.
How Have Movie References Changed from Season to Season on The Simpsons?
Movie references started slow in the season 1 under Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon as showrunners, but quickly picked up starting in season 2.
On the show’s commentary, many writers note the increase in these kinds of references in seasons three and four under Al Jean and Mike Reiss, as the popularity of VHS allowed an easier way to replicate classic films. Ultimately, Jean and Reiss left the show to start The Critic (1994-95), which allowed them to focus even more on movie parodies.
Seasons five and six under David Mirkin mark a new peak of movie references, both in terms of total references and major references.
Ironically, by trying to get back to the family-centric stories of Jean and Reiss, Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein took a less reference-heavy approach for seasons seven and eight that drew more from the writers’ own lives.
Season nine continued with the lower number of references introduced by Oakley and Weinstein, with multiple past showrunners chipping in episodes and Mike Scully beginning his eventual run as full-time showrunner.
Seasons ten and 11 under Scully marked another high water mark for movie references, but with a greater proportion of minor references over scene and plot parodies. However, these references have been undercounted by other sources, likely because they are not discussed as much on the commentary.
Finally, in season 13 the show saw an average number of references with the beginning of Al Jean’s long stint as showrunner, while the number of major parodies continued to remain low.
The Top 10 Most Movie Reference-Heavy Episodes of The Simpsons
Beyond Blunderdome (S11E1)
35 total, 7 majorA Star Is Burns (S6E18)
27 total, 9 majorMayored to the Mob (S10E9)
26 total, 8 majorTreehouse of Horror X (S11E4)
23 total, 8 majorE-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt) (S11E5)
20 total, 4 major (Podcast Episode)The Springfield Files (S8E10)
19 total, 5 majorGuess Who’s Coming to Criticize Dinner (S11E3)
19 total, 4 majorTreehouse of Horror VI (S7E6)
17 total, 6 major (Podcast Episodes)Viva Ned Flanders (S10E10)
15 total, 2 majorTreehouse of Horror III (S4E5)
15 total, 8 major (Podcast Episodes)
The Simpsons Seasons Ranked by Movie References per Episode
Season 11 (1999–2000)
11.0 per episode (Podcast Episodes)Season 10 (1998–99)
8.6 per episode (Podcast Episodes)Season 5 (1993–94)
8.2 per episode (Podcast Episodes)Season 6 (1994–95)
8.0 per episode (Podcast Episodes)Season 4 (1992–93)
7.6 per episode (Podcast Episodes)Season 2 (1990–91)
6.1 per episode (Podcast Episodes)Season 7 (1995–96)
5.5 per episode (Podcast Episodes)Season 3 (1991–92)
5.5 per episode (Podcast Episodes)Season 9 (1997–98)
5.0 per episode (Podcast Episodes)Season 8 (1996–97)
5.0 per episode (Podcast Episodes)Season 13 (2001–02)
5.0 per episodeSeason 12 (2000–01)
4.6 per episode (Podcast Episodes)Season 1 (1989–90)
3.2 per episode (Podcast Episodes)
*This page is a work in progress while we rewatch the series to fact check and add new references to the database. This page was last updated on June 24, 2024 with seasons 1-11 rewatched.