Movie References in World of Warcraft

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“This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine”

  • Airplane!!
    • On occasion, the Scarlet Peasants in the death knight starting area will say “I picked the wrong week to quit drinking” which is a memorable quote from Steve McCroskey (Lloyd Bridges). The word “drinking” was a substitute for drug-references in the movie
  • Aladdin
    • The comment on the buff icon when riding the [Magnificent Flying Carpet] says “Don’t you dare close your eyes!” which is a quote from the song “A whole new world” sung in Disney’s Aladdin, while Aladdin and Jasmine are riding the flying carpet.
    • The same reference goes for the buff icon when riding the [Frosty Flying Carpet] that says “A new fantastic point of view!”, wich is also a quote from the song “A whole new world” sung in Aladdin
  • Aliens
    • The achievement They’re Coming Out of the Walls is a line used by Pvt. Hudson in the movie Aliens.
    • Just after starting the encounter in Violet Hold, Lieutenant Sinclari says, “Prison guards, we are leaving!”. This references the line by Cpl. Hicks, “Marines, we are leaving!”
  • American Pie

    Harrisson Jones in Zul'Aman

    • The quest This One Time, When I Was Drunk… refers to the constant anecdotes starting with “This one time, at band camp…” told by Alyson Hannigan’s character Michelle in the 1999 teen comedy American Pie.
  • Apocalypse Now
    • The achievement I Love the Smell of Saronite in the Morning is a play on the famous quote “I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smell like…victory.”
  • Army of Darkness
    • The Stormforged War Golems in the Storm Peaks drop an item that starts the quest Armor of Darkness, a play on the movie title.
    • The item [Mark “S” Boomstick] is a reference to Ash’s Boomstick from the movie. The reagents [Walnut Stock] and [Hair Trigger] used in crafting it refer to the line, “It’s got a walnut stock, cobalt blue steel, and a hair trigger.”
    • The achievement  Shop Smart, Shop Pet…Smart refers to the S-Mart slogan repeatedly used by Ash: “Shop smart, shop S-Mart!” (it is more likely that this is a reference to the old slogan for the Pet Store named PetSmart)
  • Back to the Future trilogy
    • The item [Fluxing Energy Coils] is a reference to the Flux Capacitor device used in the movies. A coil can function as a capacitor, which is also used in the third movie, where the Flux Capacitor of the Time Train is a large coil of wire.
    • The LMS Mark II in Ulduar turns around by hovering upwards from the rail, reminiscent of the Time Train in the third movie, which was equipped with hover technology.
  • Bambi
    • In Grizzly Hills, there are four NPCs located near each other with interesting names. These NPCs in question are one adult female deer named Mother of Bambina, a younger female deer named Bambina, also beside them there are one skunk named Flora and a small rabbit named Thudder, these four are clearly a reference to Bambi.
    • A hunter will come out and shoot Mother of Bambina, exactly what happens in the Disney film Bambi.
    • Whenever “Mother of Bambina”, “Flora”, and “Thudder” are killed, “Bambina” turns into “Vengeful Bambina” which makes her hostile to anyone and gives her a buff called “Bambina’s Vengeance”, increasing all her damage dealt by 2000% and attack speed by 150%.
  • The Big Lebowski
    • A questgiver named Donny in Howling Fjord gives the quest  Out of My Element?. This is a direct reference to the character named Donny (played by Steve Buscemi) in The Big Lebowski. Several times in one of the major scenes, Walter Sobchak (played by John Goodman) tells Donny “You’re out of your element!”
    • There is an NPC named Walt at the Explorers’ League Outpost who gives the quest  Iron Rune Constructs and You: The Bluff in which he says: “Walt at the Explorers’ League Outpost in the Howling Fjord wants you to use the Iron Rune Construct’s Bluff ability on Lebronski after you’ve walked on his rug”. This is a clear reference to The Big Lebowski. In the movie, Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski (Lebronski) is visited by 3 thugs. One of them relieves himself on “The Dude’s” rug, and several references are made of the rug through-out the movie. Also, after you’ve completed all the quests Walt has to give, when you open his chat window he says “The Dude over yonder is pretty upset about his rug”. Phone’s Ringin’ Dude!
  • A Christmas Story
    • The [Red Rider Air Rifle] is an item obtained during the Winter Veil 2009 event. It is a reference to the Red Rider BB gun that the main character, Ralphie, wants for Christmas. The rifle will sometimes “backfire” causing the player to become stunned for a short period of time. The debuff is called Right in the eye! which is an obvious reference to the movie.
  • Full Metal Jacket
    • During the Death Knight starting quests in Acherus, at the early stage of creating your first rune blade, a book can be read near the runeforges with the text “This is my runeblade, there are many like it but this one is mine.” This is an obvious reference to the mantra the Marine recruits are ordered to recite in Full Metal Jacket: “This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine”.
  • Galaxy Quest
    • Grubthor, a rare spawn in Silithus may be a reference to Alan Rickman’s repeated line, “By Grabthor’s Hammer, you shall be avenged!”
  • Glengarry Glen Ross

    "Come with me if you want to live."

    • At the forge in Warsong Hold, the Grand Master Engineering trainer is named Chief Engineer Leveny, after Shelly Levene, one of the salesman in the real estate office, played in the movie by Jack Lemmon. The Goblin Siege Engineer’s complaints about tools is similar to the complaints of the real estate salesman in the film complaining about their leads: “These tools are junk!” and “How do they expect us to craft with these things?” They also ask about a meeting they are being made to attend, which turns out to be with Blakelow, who abuses the engineers (“You call yourself a crafter, you son-of-a-gnome?”) and challenges them to a crafting contest (“As you all know, first prize is a [Turbo-Charged Flying Machine]. Anyone want to see second prize? Second prize is some [fused wiring]. Third prize is YOU’RE FIRED!”), ending in an exortation to “Always be crafting!” similar to a speech in the film by Alec Baldwin.
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    • Arthas, as the Lich King, bears a near perfect resemblance to the Witch-king of Angmar as depicted in The Return of the King
    • In the quest It’s All Fun and Games, you’re asked to destroy the The Ocular, which floats above Shadow Vault’s spires. The Ocular bears a strong resemblance to the eye of Sauron atop the tower of Barad-dûr from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King film.
    • The Lich King’s helmet has spikes on the top like those on Sauron’s. The Lich King and his undead minions want to kill all living things not under his power, just as Sauron wants his army to take down all living things not under his power.
    • Angrathar the Wrathgate appears to be based on the Black Gate of Mordor the only major way of getting into Mordor, and in WoW Angrathar is the only real entrance into Icecrown. They are also both of the same design, made of a black metal with spikes coming out, and a large battle outside them.
  • The Matrix
    • The flavor text of [Crude Eating Utensils], found in Rusted Prisoner’s Footlocker, says “There is no spoon.”
    • The only happens if you do  Projections and Plans stand in the center of the floating platform on the Glittering sand area of Dragonblight, during this quest, and you’ll see the falling symbols in the same effect as the opening title sequence in the Matrix: reloaded, before or after this quest, your character stands on a shield that prevents you from standing on the platform.
  • A Mighty Wind
    • The zeppelin that transports you between Orgrimmar and Warsong Hold, The Mighty Wind, is a reference to the Christopher Guest film “A Mighty Wind”.
  • Pinocchio
    • In Dalaran, there is a placed called Wonderworks. The shopkeeper is named Jepetto Joybuzz, which sounds like the name of the man who made Pinocchio.
  • The Nightmare Before Christmas
    • The NPC Alchemist Finklestein is a tribute to Doctor Finklestein. He gives out the quest  Lab Work which also references the fact that Doctor Finklestein was the Halloween Town’s mad scientist.
  • The Princess Bride
    • The NPC Father Inigo Montoy is involved in some quests in Light’s Hope Chapel and is also hinted to be the real identity of Thel’zan the Duskbringer in  An End And A Beginning. In the movie The Princess Bride, Inigo Montoya was the name of the Spanish swordsman who helped Wesley.
  • Pulp Fiction
    • The quest  Zedd’s Probably Dead is a reference to the movie Pulp Fiction. It is the name of one of the pieces of music from the movie, and also a character named Zed who gets killed, after which Bruce Willis’s character exclaims ‘Zed’s dead, baby. Zed’s dead.'”

  • "Say hello to my BIG friend!"

    Scarface

    • When you fight Gal’darah he will sometimes summon rhinos. While doing that he says “Say hello to my BIG friend!” which is a reference to Scarface’s “Say Hello To my LITTLE friend!”.
    • The quest  Bury Those Cockroaches! in the Borean Tundra is a reference to Tony Montana’s line: “I bury those cockroaches!”.
    • While fighting Salranax the Flesh Render in the quest The Air Stands Still, the orc death knight Munch also uses the line “Say hello to my little friend!” before summoning his ghoul.
  • Star Wars
    • Scourgelord Tyrannus shares the Sith name of Count Dooku from the Star Wars franchise. Also, both serve a dark master (Lich King and Emperor Palpatine respectively)
  • Superman II
    • The item Zod’s Repeating Longbow has “Kneel before him” in the flavor text. This is a reference to the movie’s main villain, General Zod, who makes the President of the United States (and later tries to make Superman) bow before him with the phrase, “Kneel before Zod.”
  • Sweeney Todd
    • Jelinek Sharpshear, the goblin proprietor of the Stormwind Barber Shop, was named “Sween Neetod” in the Wrath of the Lich King beta. The skeletons of his victims are still hidden beneath a floorboard on the second story of the shop, next to his trusty razor.
  • The Shadow
    • In the quest The Battle For The Undercity, King Wrynn says “I know what evil lurks in the heart of Orcs” this is a take off from the comic book, movie, and radio program called The Shadow. His catch line, which still has its place in the American Lexicon, is “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men”.
  • This Is Spinal Tap
    • In Howling Fjord, you receive a quest called It Goes to 11… which is a reference to the movie This Is Spinal Tap, in which the guitarist is asked why he doesn’t just make 10 louder on his amp, he replies “But it goes to 11…”.
    • Going along with this reference, the achievement in Pit of Saron named  Doesn’t Go to Eleven refers to the same quote about the amp, this time joking that it doesn’t go to eleven.
  • The Terminator
    • In Wintergarde Keep, during the quest Flight of the Wintergarde Defender, your character says “Come with me if you want to live”. This is a running line from The Terminator series. Kyle Reese (played by Michael Biehn tells this to Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton in the first movie. In the second movie, a terminator (played by Arnold Schwarzennegger repeats this line to Sarah Connor, while in the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles the line is reprised by Summer Glau in her role as Cameron Philips, a terminator modeled after captured freedom fighter Allison Young who was sent back (of course) to protect John Connor.
    • The description for the warrior talent Bladestorm is inspired by a quote from Kyle Reese when he tries to explain the threat posed by the Terminator.
  • They Live
    • When Macalroy in Valgarde offers the “Hell has Frozen Over” quest, he says “Report to Vice Admiral Keller just northwest of here and let him know that you’re all out of bubble gum” which is a reference to the 1988 movie They Live in which the character Nada, played by “Rowdy” Roddy Piper announces “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass…and I’m all out of bubblegum”

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