Empire’s Cryptic Canvas Illusion

Another exam is upon me tomorrow, so rest of the day means more studying for me. To keep you occupied until tomorrow, check this new Cryptic Canvas game, Empire has launched. This is a time-wasting movie game, involving a painting that contains 50 movie references. It’s a nod to a painting that was put out a few years ago, containing famous rock bands – Virgin’s 75 Bands. The only clue Empire gives is that the movies hidden in the painting are from the last 20 years. I’m not going to allow more than 2 answers per comment, for the sake of allowing the rest of you to spend some time going through this. I’m sure that within a day you can check the comments below to find all 50 of the movies. If you have a feeling you already saw something like this, you’re right – M&M posted their 50 Dark movies on this site, Absolut released their own version where you have to find 82 vodka bottles, Lonely Plantet hid 45 cities in their piece, and Lovefilm managed to squeeze more than 100 movies in their poster (2 x times). To start this game, I’ll point out “No country for old men” – I believe the traffic sign with two old people not allowed is the one referencing this movie. Now I just need to find out what Empire as a company is all about?

50 Hidden Movies In Empire’s Cryptic Canvas
50 Hidden Movies In Empire’s Cryptic Canvas

391 Replies to “Empire’s Cryptic Canvas Illusion”

  1. The feet at the bottom right are for Happy Feet. The signs on the center building are for the movie Signs

  2. Hello from Sevilla, Spain!!!!

    Vurdlak, I really love your site.

    Here my two movies, drawn on the water container:

    – The Matrix

    – Pi

  3. Also in the graveyard I can see “Interview with the vampire”, and in the container there’s a extended Pi number, i can only think in “American Pie”

  4. – The Matrix (a mathematical matrix drawn on the water container)
    – Happy Feet (bottom right hand corner)

  5. Here are my two;
    Swimming with Sharks
    and
    Daddy Day Care

    guy swimming in the tank with sharks
    and the two men with children? :D

  6. i see someones but can’t remember English version the piannist? (on the…?) and monsters inc. XD

  7. “The Green Mile” is the road sign for 5280 feet, since there are exactly 5280 feet in a statute mile.
    I’m going to say that the snakes painted on the side of the biplane carrying the banner represent “Snakes on a Plane.” I see more, but I’m going to follow the rules and only post 2. =P

  8. Scream (the 2 guys with the painting)
    The Last King of Scotland (the tomb on the right hand side)

  9. Monsters Inc. (Frankenstein and cerberus coming out of the incorporated van)
    and could the tombstone with the scottish flag be “The last king of scotland”

  10. king kong, the plane with the empire flag behind it is the same has the ones which shot at king kong.

  11. On the side of the water tank is a transformation matrix which I imagine is from

    A Beautiful Mind

  12. Happy Feet
    Harry Potter
    Pirates of the Caribbean
    Moulin Rouge
    Million Dollar Baby
    Gladiator
    Ice Age
    The Green Mile
    The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
    Interview with a Vampire
    And some of these I’m not sure.

  13. I think I see Daddy Day Care and The Dark Knight (or maybe the Black Knight).

    The feet could either be Happy Feet (most likely) or Footloose ;P

    Pi
    Zodiac
    Ice Age

  14. Zodiac (left bottom corner)
    Shark
    Snakes on a plane
    Charlie and the Chocolate factory (big chocolate bar behind the shed)
    Teenagers
    Ice Age

  15. Which could also, more obviously, be interpreted as Lord of The Rings btw.. But I thought I’d be original :P

  16. Not sure about these

    Million dollar baby (is this even a film, i just recognise the name and it fits?)

    Happy Feet (cos of the feet…that are happy)

  17. Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008. It is the biggest selling film magazine in Britain, consistently outselling its nearest market rival Total Film and is also published in Australia, Turkey and Russia. Empire organises the annual Empire Awards which were sponsored by Sony Ericsson until 2009 and are now sponsored by Jameson[1]. The awards are voted for by readers of the magazine.

    thank you wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_(magazine)

  18. Trainspotting (the guy painting dots on the train)
    Brokeback Mountain (the sign with the two hikers, one of whom is all hunched over)
    The Dark Knight
    Screwed

  19. 1) No country for old men
    2) Anchorman
    3) Ironman
    4) The million dollar baby
    5) Happy feet
    6) Liar liar
    7) Bolt
    8) The Dark Knight
    9) Swimming with sharks
    10) Hook
    11) The Zodiac
    12) Enter the dragon
    13) Milk
    14) Eagle eye
    Still finding more… I’ll upload a picture when done…

  20. Gladiator (by the graveyard)
    Daddy Day Care (the group with strollers)
    Zodiac (the poster in the far left foreground)
    Saw (right foreground)
    Bolt (near the saw)

  21. I see Eagle Eye, Interview with a vampire, Frankenstein, Saw(?), Million dollar baby, Scream(?), Liar Liar, and Happy feet. The ones with question marks I’m not sure about though. ^^

  22. Signs
    Tightrope
    My two Dads (was that a movie?)

    the picture being carried is “the Scream”
    the train could also represent “Speed”

    could the dragon be for a future movie to be… The Hobbit?

  23. eagle eye

    enter the dragon

    honey i shrunk the kids

    milk

    happy feet

    saw

    choclatl

    karate kid(next to the gravestone)

    last king of scotland

    liar liar

    twin towers

    flags of our fathers

  24. I see Walk the Line, Pi, Daddy Day Care, Also the plane in the sand on the Right could be Flight of the Phoenix. THe Bottom Right has Bolt and Saw.

  25. eagle eye

    enter the dragon

    honey i shrunk the kids

    milk

    happy feet

    saw

    choclatl

    karate kid(next to the gravestone)

    last king of scotland

    liar liar

    twin towers

    flags of our fathers

    pi

    ice age

    dark knight

    signs

    million dollar baby

  26. eagle i (top left)
    million dollar baby (baby w/ 1000000$ price tag)
    happy feet (bottom right-ish two brown feet with happy faces)

  27. PI (3.14159… on the side of the water tank)
    The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (self explanatory top of tank)
    Chocolate (next to the building)

  28. Cloverfield (field of clover lower right)
    Zodiac (zodiac sign on water tower)
    Hook (same)
    Lord of the Rings (guy on rings between Two Towers)
    Trainspotting

  29. The iron and anchor talking to each other are Iron Man and Anchorman, respectively. The bird carring ‘I’ is Eagle Eye, the two severed feet with faces are Happy Feet, and the saw next to the feet is, quite obviously, Saw.

  30. As of typing, these haven’t been posted yet
    The diving bell and the butterfly and American Pie ? (cos of the no. for pie on the side of the tank)

  31. -Saw
    -The Anchorman
    -Chocolate (next to Milk)
    -PI
    -The Matrix (There’s a matrix on the side of the pool right under the number PI)

  32. Zodiac (Zodiac symbols in lower left side)
    Black Knight (next to the 20 years building in black armor)

  33. No Country for Old Men, the sign underneath Hollywood.

    π(Pi), the number on the water tank.

    I see more, how many do you see? :)

  34. Ice Age (frozen 20 years?)
    Milk (milk carton on the side)
    Eagle Eye (eagle carrying the I)
    Enter The Dragon (cars driving into dragon)
    Liar Liar (the lyres on the side of the pool)
    Swimming With Sharks (the man with the sharks)
    Flags of Our Fathers (the flags reading “Dad”)
    Interview With A Vampire (the girl interviewing the vampire in the graveyard)
    Monsters Inc. (Frankenstein and Cerebus coming out of the Incorporated van)
    Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers (the two towers)

    ONES I THINK

    Genius – The charts and numbers on the side of the tank.

  35. Woops, Vurdlak already mentioned the first one.
    Then I submit Snakes on a Plane, the plane with Empire behind it has a snake on it.

  36. “Anchorman” is talking to “Ironman” (which was already mentioned).

    Also, I think the cars near the dragon might represent the movie “Cars”.

  37. On the side of the water tower we find “The Matrix”.

    In the shadows of the warehouse I saw “the Dark Knight”.

    Thats my two

  38. Oooooooh…..Pi is there too. I love that movie. I really need to study but i cant stop looking at this awesome picture….. sorry for the multiple posts :)

  39. 1. charlie’s angle (3 cheerleader)
    2. daddy day care ( 2 dads, with 6 childrens)
    3. ice age (20 yrs, ice melting)
    4. snake on a plane (picture of snake on a plane)
    5. chocolate

  40. Trainspotting (next to thin red line)
    Chocolat (next to the milk cartons)
    Zodiac (above the 2 lyres)
    Bolt (nxt to the Saw)

  41. The math-movie named “Pi”… It is the number on the watertank 3.1459etc

    “Le scaphandre et le papillon” aka “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” just at the top of the watertank

  42. Two previously not given:

    -Brick
    -Traffic

    I am stuck at 42 at Empire’s website.

    Can’t figure out the lady shredding money, the dads with the children, the 3 chinese fighting chicks, the dead turtle on the graveyard, or the poster on the water tank. Nor can i figure out the top right bird nor the guy balancing on a thread line.

    Some help please

  43. Pi (the number on the water depot)
    No country for old men (the sign to the right of the dragon)

  44. The Dark Knight (in front of milk and chocolate)
    Gladiator (next to lawn)
    No Country for Old Men (next to the green mile)

  45. No Country for Old Men
    Diving Bell
    The Fisherking
    Lord of the Rings
    Scream
    Zodiac
    American Pie(?)
    Crash
    Snakes on a Plane
    Walk the Line
    Chocolat

    Not sure about the raven with an iris or woman mincing books!

    Good puzzle!

  46. Samyak, you mentioned Iron Man. Didn’t you see who he was chatting with?

    Anchorman! (Well, nobody probably remember this move. I mean, who likes Will Ferrel anyway? LOL…)

    And the obvious up there on the left: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

    Well, that’s two.

  47. I see:
    The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Middle left)
    and I’m going to assume it’s American Pie, only I can’t see the part that represents America. Pi (the number) is on the side of the tank

  48. Trainspotting (the person painting red spots onto a train at Centre-right)
    Anchorman (the Anchor wearing had with arms and legs at the bottom, not sure why it’s talking to an Iron though)

    And you seemed unsure what Empire was in the opening post, I beleive it is a poplular Movie magasine, at least in my country.

  49. flags of our fathers (on top of towers)
    Lord of the Rings: The two towers (the two towers with the guy on the rings)
    Star Dust (guy cleaning star)
    Signs (the signs…)
    Children of Men (Possibly the children with the men)
    Also its Eagle Eye not iron eagle.

  50. I didn’t see anyone else say Eagle Eye… upper left corner, the eagle with the I…

    also liar liar (lyre lyre, by the pool)

    Seriously people, read all the comments before you do. So many repeats!

  51. The last three I need are:
    – The three cheerleaders doing karate (it is not Karate Kid)
    – The man hunched over with a gun
    – The pirates next to the water tank (they are not the pirates of the carribean)

  52. Eagle Eye (the eagle with the “I”)
    Enter the Dragon (though its more than 20 years old)
    Interview with a Vampire

  53. wait only 2?

    The Last King of Scotland (grave stone with HRH and Scottish flag)
    Flags of our Fathers

    I had 36 in my previous comment.

  54. A few more not mentioned so far:

    Interview with a vampire (at the graveyard)
    Signs (at the big buildings front)
    The Two Towers (obviously:))
    Ice age (it´s aged 20 it seems)

  55. million dollar baby is the only one i found, the abby in the picture has a 1,000,000 dollar tag on it.

    and the pirates at the bottom maybe pirates of the caribean but im not sure

  56. The eagle at the top isn’t Iron Eagle, it’s Eagle Eye – the one with Shia Labouf

    And either Daddy Day Care or Daddy Day Camp to the left of the graveyard.

  57. Nice picture that’s one…

    I think I saw a Million Dollar Baby … (the baby crawling with the million dollar tag)
    and maybe a Harry Potter movie (the first i believe) with the Three Headed Dog…

    So:

    Million Dollar Baby
    Harry Potter (And The Phelosepher Stone or how you write it)

  58. Zodiac, thanks

    43 solved, 7 left:

    lady shredding money,
    2 dads with children,
    the 3 mini children
    3 chinese fighting chicks,
    dead little man on top of graveyard
    top right bird
    guy balancing on a thread line.

  59. I have 44 verified using the interactive site, but I took them alll from the comments. I think I got Pirates of the Caribbean by myself. I’m not sure if I should list them though. Also, the movie names are found through visual cues. Happy Feet actually is…happy feet. Notice the lack of dancing penguins. The sharks don’t represent the movie jaws just because they’re sharks, there need to be some jaws showing. That’s my hint.

  60. Happy Feet, the two feet in bottom right.

    Flags of our Fathers, The 2 green flags that say “Dad’s”

    The Thin Red Line, The red line with the tightrope walker by the train.

  61. Moulin rouge (the windmill on the mounatains)
    Interview with the vampire (in the graveyard)
    Frankenstein (the green guy beside the 3-headed dog)

    (I can’t see the lord of the rings, where is it?)

  62. Stardust (the guy in the building cleaning the dust from a star)
    The thin red line? (I don’t know how it is called in English [La delgada línea roja], it is parallel to the train)
    Signs (traffic signs and other kind of signs in the building)

  63. COUTE:
    The last three I need are:
    – The three cheerleaders doing karate (it is not Karate Kid)
    – The man hunched over with a gun
    – The pirates next to the water tank (they are not the pirates of the carribean)

    I found a movie called “Ninja Cheerleaders”.

    About the other 2, i have no idea.

  64. I have noticed three that no one has mentioned and there are:

    1: the film ‘signs’ below 20yrs

    2: ‘the day after tomorrow’ I think is repersented by 20yrs.

    3: and the grave stone with the scottish flag I think is ‘the last king of scotland’

  65. i think the frozen 20 years might be “Ice Age”
    then there’s “Flags of our fathers” on top of one tower
    and I found a movie called “the girl who hated books”
    Couldn’t the empiresign behind the plane be “Empire strikes back”?

  66. Thanks guys and girls for

    “crow” (is that a crow?), children of men, walking the line. Combinedly you have failed to answer only 4 now:

    – lady shredding money,
    – the 3 mini children
    – 3 chinese fighting chicks,
    – dead little man on top of graveyard

    ernesto, you seem to know the top 2. Pirates of the caribbean is correct and ninja cheerleaders is not correct.

    http://www.empireonline.com/crypticcanvas/

  67. -Monsters inc. (The van with the cerberus has “incorporated” painted on one side)
    -Frankenstein.
    -Pirates of the Caribbean.
    -Interview with the Vampire.
    -The Crow.
    -Moulin Rouge.

  68. Finally I got all of them.

    that was hard… and now I must make up for all the time I wasted…

    Thanks for this one.

  69. Cloverfield (see the clovers in the graveyard?)
    Walk the Line (as part of the Thin Red Line)
    That definitely is Pirates of the Caribean. That’s a flag of the Bahamas behind the pirate on the right.

    Is the train Runaway Train? And why is the Gladiator standing in between two lights / cameras?

    Also need the CCC by the Pianist.

  70. Just need the last three like many other people: 3 cheerleaders (I thought it was Bring it On but it’s not); the old man; and the small children (thought it was Little Women..NOT)

  71. Will somebody give me a hint on my last four? The answers haven’t been mentioned in the comments.

    – lady shredding money,
    – the 3 mini children
    – 3 chinese fighting chicks,
    – dead little man on top of graveyard

    Some of you claim to have solved them all, so you could give me some tips.

  72. The Cheerleaders are Attack of the Clones
    The lady with money is Pulp Fiction (not money, they are books)

    The Pianist

    I have 49 but can’t even figure out where the 50th one is?

  73. Ok-had to verify some of our guesses…
    Vampire with reporter (not Interview with a Vampire); butterfly (not Butterfly or Butterfly Effect); bell (not Diving Bell); pirates (not Pirates of the Carribean); towers (not Lord of the Rings) and still have NO clue what the cheerleaders, three mini children, and little dead/bowing man represent. Come on…somebody must know! Not knowing is killing me!

  74. OK-Cheerleaders AND little bowing man verified as Attack of the Clones; Thanks Pat for the answer! The towers AND the guy swinging by the rings IS: The Two Towers (Lord of the Rings); I was typing Twin Towers (duh)!

  75. Jeannie, its Interview with THE vampire

    Diving bell and the butterfly

    it is pirates of the CariBBean

    three mini children is little children

  76. Thanks a lot all. I now only have 2 left:

    – the 3 mini children
    – and a number 50 which perhaps is not there. The only thing that still lights up is the children.

  77. Would the mini children be Honey, I shrunk the kids? It came out in 1989, so that’s 20 years ago.

  78. @Erik: the little children are, oh well, “Little Children” :)

    @Jeannie: The correct titles are “Interview with the Vampire”, “Pirates of the Caribbean” & “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”.

    I’m also missing one and have no idea where it is.

  79. $1,000,000 baby- crawling baby with tag stating $1,000,000.
    Cloverfield- clovers in the graveyard (bottom right.)

  80. Thanks gonzesse and Electricbuddah – I’ve got 48 of 50 now. My southern accent was interfering with my spelling. LOL

    Now, the row of cars ??? and I can’t find the last one (nothing will light up for an answer). This is going to be the death of me.

  81. Found it! Found it! They were being sneaky….last one was the “Iris” that “The Crow” in the upper right hand corner is carrying. Yippee! Now I can rest.

  82. Thanks Jeannie and Gonzesse!

    @shar: the hollywood sign is not a hidden movie

    @others: all the answers are in the comments

  83. I have all of them.

    Moderator: I wnat to send the jpg file with the solutions. Can you tell me where to?

  84. No country for old men (sign behind train)

    Last king of Scotland (gravestond with HRH and scottish flag)

  85. the green mile all the way on the right 5280 feet= one mile the sign is green also i dont think tose are children there alvin and the chipmunks you can see the shirts

  86. hey i think the two guys with the kids is chuck and larry and ummm the 2 guys holding the painting r 4 the movie “scream”

  87. Nobody spotted Happy feet? :P
    The 2 smiling feets at the lower right corner..

    and what is 3,14……. ( i know its pi but wich movie?)

  88. the row of cars, as someeone mentioned is traffic, but it is also CARS.

    the two guitar like things resting aside the water tank, are called lyres. There are two of them making-Liar Liar

  89. The two men and the children are:

    “DADDY DAY CARE” Thanks to my little sister who just told me! :0)

    The man dusting the star is “Stardust”.

    The fallen plane on the right Im guessing is “Crash”.

    What is the blonde woman dropping a brick from the tower, all about?!
    Also, the flags that say “Dads” what is that for?

  90. Ice Age
    Monsters Inc.
    Ironman
    Anchorman the legend of Ron Burgundy
    Scream
    Interview with the vampire
    Happy Feet
    Saw
    The Last King of Scotland
    The Matrix
    Zodiac
    The Fisher King
    The hunt for eagle one
    Lord of the rings the two towers
    Stardust
    Million dollar baby
    Little Women
    The Green Mile
    Flags of our fathers
    No country for old men
    Trainspotting
    Walk the line
    Milk
    Chocolat
    Pi
    Hook
    Traffic
    The Dark Knight
    Pirates of the Carribean ?
    Silent Hill ?
    Dark City ?
    Before Sunset ?

  91. that sign post- no country for old men

    those feet- happy feet

    those girls -charlie’s angels

    jaws

    enter the dragon

    dracula

    frankenstein

  92. Indianna Jones with the snakes on the plane part, and 300 from the spartan warrior near the graveyard

  93. Empire is a UK-published magazine dealing with the movies – cinema showings, DVDS, soundtracks, books, if it’s movie-related, thety cover it. I’ve got this issue somewhere – it was a competition they ran. I entered but didn’t win.

  94. “Swimming with Sharks” rather than Jaws

    “Netherbeast Incorporated” rather than Monsters, Inc.

    Liar Liar (the two lyres/musical instruments)

    Gladiator

  95. iron man
    gladiator
    frankenstien
    anchorman
    jaws
    hook
    million dollar baby
    happy feet
    trainspotting
    fisherking
    divving bell and the butterfly
    2 towers
    eagle eye
    ice age
    the piano
    bolt
    saw
    cloverfield
    last king of scotland
    dracula
    interviwe with a vampire
    the windmill

    all I got so far.

  96. How could you not have gotten King Kong? The iconic red plane with “Empire” on it is a big giveaway.

  97. the plane that says”empire”…. if u zoom in and look closely you will see a snake on the plane…… Snakes On A Plane!!!

  98. the truck by the pool has three movies, Frankenstein obviously, three headed dog is harry potter, both are monsters in a truck that says incorporated so monsters inc.

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