‘Thank U, Next’ Video Filled with Easter Eggs

Thank+U%2C+Next+Video+Filled+with+Easter+Eggs

Rian Sanders, Staff Writer

After teasing her “Thank U, Next” video for days on end by posting pictures of familiar faces from early 2000s movies such as Mean Girls, 13 Going on 30, Legally Blonde and Bring It On, Ariana Grande finally released the video on Nov. 30 which quickly hit 1 million views. Let’s talk about all those Easter Eggs.

The video opens with an intro that emulates the 2004 movie Mean Girls. Celebrities like YouTuber Colleen Ballinger, singer Troye Sivan and original Mean Girls actor Jonathan Bennett were seen gossiping about Grande just like in the movie, going as far to include the famous line, “One time, she punched me in the face. It was awesome!”

The video, which is over 5 minutes long, shows Grande flipping through her version of the Burn Book, and honestly, it’s pretty on point. The only difference is that instead of scribbling insults and obscenities in the book, she writes heartfelt messages for each of her exes. Big Sean, Mac Miller and Pete Davidson are all in the book.

The next Easter egg seen in the video is Ariana’s fellow Victorious cast member Liz Gillies. Gillies and Grande go on to recreate the iconic Jingle Bell Rock talent show scene from Mean Girls, with Kris Jenner portraying Regina George’s mother, and I have to say, it is beautifully done.

As the video continues, it merges perfectly into Legally Blonde with Grande dressed pretty in pink. She even includes the elliptical scene with her dog watching other dogs on television. This is when Jennifer Coolidge comes in, taking back her spot as the best nail tech in the world.

The final movie reference is from Bring It On. Grande is among the cheerleaders who compete during a football game. They end up cheering together and ending the video.

All in all, the video itself is perfect. Showing proper respect to legendary teen movies that shaped Grande as well as her audience, the video could not have been better. As for the cameos, there was one for everyone. Showing respect to long-time friends from Grande’s acting career was the icing on the beautiful cake that is the Thank U, Next video. I can happily say that I will be playing this video time and time again, admiring the sheer beauty of it all, and I’ll also be re-watching all the movies as well.