Bob’s Burgers is probably one of the best adult animation shows to ever exist. The show is smart, witty and full of heart. It doesn’t rely on gross-out humor to get laughs, and its unique way of recording the episodes makes it feel more like an improvised sketch show than a cartoon.
From the quirky characters to the sensational voice acting, Bob's Burgers truly has it all. One of the most loved qualities of the show is its clever pop culture references and classic movie homages. Yes, styling episodes on famous films is not that original for a comedy show, animated or not, but when Bob’s Burgers does it, it feels fresh and new.
With The Bob's Burgers Movie finally coming to theaters this month after years of anticipation, at long last, we will get to see the Belcher family on the big screen, full of musical numbers, crushes, ridiculous puns, Wonder Wharf insanity, talking horses, Kuchi Kopi, and even more Belcher family insanity.
Before going to see The Bob's Burgers Movie, let's check out all the best movie homages so far from the Bob's Burgers TV show.
12. The Runway Club (The Breakfast Club)
As an instrumental version of "Don’t You" plays in the background we get to see a montage of the Belcher kids and their friends being dropped off at Saturday detention. The formula felt very Breakfast Club-esque, and audiences were excited to see a homage to an iconic 80s movie. So it was a shame when the episode veered off course and became a Project Runway style romp.
For that reason, this episode ranks low on this list. It was slightly disappointing when Mr Frond announced his plan to get the kids competing in a fashion show. But the episode committed to its new premise, and the scenes of the kids creating clothes out of stationery supplies and garbage were ingenious. But their cotton candy version of "Don’t You" almost felt unearned and audiences had definitely forgotten by then that the episode started as a Breakfast Club homage.
11. Flu-ouise (The Wizard Of Oz)
Bob’s Burgers really loves a musical episode, and this musical episode is all about Louise. When Louise comes down with a nasty flu, she falls head first into a crazy fever dream. This lays the foundation for this Wizard Of Oz themed episode.
This episode is further down on this list because, once again, it’s not the most obvious homage Bob’s Burgers has ever done. We do have Louise traveling to a magical land through a tornado made out of her rug. And the characters we meet along the way are voiced by Louise’s family members, just like in The Wizard of Oz.
But besides that, there really isn’t much to connect here. It’s a shame, because it would have been nice to see nods to the famous movie. There could have been a yellow road, or some red shoes. Something! The songs are also quite forgettable in the episode, which is very surprising for the show.
10. The Oeder Games (The Hunger Games)
This homage was a little more subtle. While the name implies that it is a play on the famous Hunger Games movies, it’s really just about a water balloon fight. A group of people fight to the “death” with a bunch of water balloons until there is only one person left standing. Sounds very like The Hunger Games. But if that is true, then that means every other television show that utilizes a game of Assassin, like Community, is a tribute to the movie.
The episode is a lot of fun though, and it frames Bob as a sort of hero in his town. You cannot deny the fun this episode exudes! It’s a brilliant season finale for many reasons. Bob shines as the central figure, and we get appearances by all of our favorite supporting characters! Still, it cannot rank too highly on this list, because the only real connection between the two projects is Zeke’s throwaway line: “I’m the Katniss to your Peetabread”.
9. The Frond Files (The Terminator, Rock and Roll High School, Dawn Of The Dead)
This episode not only pays homage to one iconic movie, but three! Bob and Linda are called into Mr Frond’s office and are made to read the kid’s creative writing projects: Why I Love Wagstaff.
Louise, of course, bases her essay on The Terminator, with Mr Frond as the titular cyborg. Gene writes about a performing farts school from the 80s akin to the one in Rock and Roll High School. And, perhaps most disturbing of all, Tina writes herself into a zombie jock story that is a twist on the famous horror movie Dawn Of The Dead. Except this one ends with her dating a basketball team of Zombies.
Each story has a different style. Gene’s musical fantasy is flooded in neon colors and 80s hairdos and Tina’s story takes place mostly in black and white. This episode proves how strong the creative team is behind Bob’s Burgers and proves that they can tackle many themes and genres while staying funny.
8. Work Hard Or Die Trying, Girl (Die Hard & Working Girl)
Besides their countless homages, Bob’s Burgers is also very well known for another thing: their incredible musical numbers. So, it makes sense then, that one of its best episodes is both a movie homage and a full on musical! It’s the battle of the movie musicals, who will win: Die Hard or Working Girl?
This episode uses its source material to enhance its own story. Every character is in their element. Tina betrays her own brother to star in the rival musical because Jimmy Jr is in it. Louise capitalizes off of her brother’s art by charging people $5 at the door. And finding out Gene has been writing a Die Hard musical for years made perfect sense for his character! The story is entertaining, the songs are a hoot and when the episode ends with a musical number performed by the one and only Carly Simon, it feels like the perfect end to the perfect episode.
7. The Taking Of Funtime One Two Three (Ocean’s Eleven)
Bob’s Burgers really delivered with their Ocean’s Eleven homage. Instead of a group of male con-artists and gangsters robbing a bunch of casinos, you’ve got the Belcher kids attempting to win enough tickets to get a dune buggy at the local arcade!
The references are on point in this episode. You have the montage of the siblings assembling their perfect team. You have the rundown of the heist scene. You even have the double bluff, where you think everything has gone wrong but, wait a minute, it was what they had planned all along!
This episode doesn't have much character development or story progression, but it is so much fun to watch.
6. The Silence of Louise (The Silence Of The Lambs)
When a disturbed student savagely sabotages school property, it’s up to Louise and the evil mastermind Millie to figure out who it is before the school water park trip is canceled. If that doesn’t sound like the dynamic between Clarice and Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, don’t worry. Bob’s Burgers makes sure you know what they are referencing when Millie appears in dental headgear so that she makes “I ate his liver with some fava beans” noises and everything.
It’s an extremely clever homage, and the episode puts effort into its intriguing whodunit. Bob’s Burgers asked the question: I wonder what The Silence of the Lambs would be like if it was made for children and made for laughs.
5. The Belchies (The Goonies)
“The Belchies” was another early episode in the series, being the first episode of the second season. The episode is a clever and nostalgic look at the 80s classic The Goonies. It’s actually the perfect movie for them to recreate, after all it’s about a group of misfits that go looking for buried treasure. Tina, Gene, Louis, and their closest confidants fit the description almost too perfectly, and a treasure hunt makes total sense as a mischievous adventure for the gang to go on.
The parallels don’t just stop there though. We get to see the group as they wrestle with booby traps. We meet a Sloth-like character in the form of Taffy, the taffy-shaped model of a man. The themes of friendship and adventure weave through both stories, and a too-close-for-comfort-escape making the ending both fun and exhilarating. They even managed to bring in Cyndi Lauper to sing their end credit song!
4. Dawn Of The Peck (Jurassic Park & Dawn Of The Dead)
There are differing opinions on what this Bob’s Burgers episode is homaging, some people think it’s based on Jurassic Park, others believe it is based on Dawn Of The Dead. Truthfully though, it seems that it's lovingly paying homage to both.
The episode begins with a cold open akin to the beginning of Jurassic Park, and it seems only natural to draw parallels between the wild, blood-thirsty birds and their dinosaur heritage. But, on the other hand, a town being overrun by attacking creatures sounds a lot like Dawn Of The Dead, not to mention the title of the episode is a pun on that exact movie. Whichever way you look at it, this episode is a hilarious riff on two classic movies. The ridiculousness of a town overrun by savage birds sounds like it shouldn’t work, but as usual Bob’s Burgers sticks the landing with this ingenious episode.
3. O.T. The Outdoor Toilet (E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial)
It seems Bob’s Burgers has an affinity for 80s movies. This episode ranks high on this list for many reasons, but mainly because it focuses on the only Belcher son, Gene. Gene is one of the best characters from the series and this episode truly utilizes him to his full extent.
This episode truly commits to the wonder of the 80s classic E.T. With a whimsical score, a strong theme of friendship and stereotypical grown-up villains. It is a joy to watch, and a sure highlight comes in the form of the recreation of the famous bike chase scene. When the episode freeze frames on Gene in a red hoodie riding the toilet over the moon, you truly feel the love the creators had for the movie.
2. Crawl Space (The Shining)
It seems unbelievable that this was only the second episode of Bob’s Burgers, but it’s true! And while the show perfected homages over time, making them bigger and more extravagant as the series went on, this one is still one of the best.
“Crawl Space” doesn’t really give off the impression of a homage episode. The episode’s title isn’t a play on words like most of the later ones, and the first 10 minutes doesn’t really give any clues away either. So, halfway through the episode when Bob starts hallucinating Shining-esque bar scenes, it takes the audience by surprise.
While it isn’t obviously a homage episode until the bar scene, they do throw hints to the famous Stanley Kubrick film early on in the episode. For example, they keep flashing up inter-title cards and playing snippets of a Shining-esque score. It’s a subtle way of making you think of the film without telling you what they’re referencing. The references ramp up from there, eventually ending with a twist of the iconic line: “HERE’S BOBBIE!”
1. The Deepening (Jaws)
This episode is amazing from beginning to end. You can tell how much the writers and performers enjoyed making the episode, and the show’s love for Jaws is very clear in it’s loving way of homaging the 70s creature-feature. That is why this episode tops this list.
“The Deepening” is perhaps the most meta of the episodes on this list as it not only follows the plot of Jaws, but it features the characters watching and commenting on a Jaws-like movie called “The Deepening”. The parallels are delightful, and the references are spot on. From Teddy fake-scratching his nails on a chalkboard, to the play on the iconic line, “We’re gonna need a bigger boat”, this episode is guaranteed to brighten your day and make you laugh.