Wes Anderson is an American film director known for his distinctive visual and narrative style.
Anderson creates fast-paced, character-driven comedies filled with articulate dialog and melancholy moments where his characters deal with everything from first loves, to rivalries, grief and more.
Anderson makes meticulous use of space and symmetry in the composition of his shots. He also is a fan of detailed motion tracking sequences and hand-made miniatures. Most of Wes Anderson’s films also have a specific color cast that evokes an earlier or nostalgic time and place.
Fans of Anderson’s films often create parodies and mini-homages that combine the well-known characteristics of films like “Rushmore” or “The Royal Tenenbaums” with other famous Hollywood films and directors.
Here are a few of our favorite Wes Anderson inspired parodies.
#1 – “The Grand Overlook Hotel”
Steve Ramsden noted similarities between Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” and Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” So, Steve created “The Grand Overlook Hotel” which combines footage from these two classic films to create a funny yet terrifying adventure.
#2 “Forrest Gump” by Wes Anderson
Louis Paquet created this short sequence to see what the opening credits to “Forrest Gump” would look like if Wes Anderson had directed it. Here we see a delightful montage of the key artifacts from “Forrest Gump” including a feather, a box of chocolates, bootcamp gear, ping pong equipment, shrimp boat tools, and more.
#3 – The Ice Bucket Challenge
Claudette Tinsley shares her musing regarding the Ice Bucket Challenge made popular in 2014 and challenges Bill Murray, Edward Norton, and Stephen Fry to complete the challenge.
#4 – “The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders”
The team at Saturday Night Live dreamed up this “all-new thriller from the mind of Wes Anderson” during their 2013 season. Here we see the Edward Norton take on the persona of Owen Wilson and SNL cast members as previous Anderson characters played by Gwyneth Paltrow and Tilda Swinton.
#5 – What if Wes Anderson Directed “X-Men”
Patrick (H) Willems wondered what a story about Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters would look like when set in the universe of Wes Anderson. The result is pretty clever.
#6 – Wes Anderson’s “Star Wars: Episode VII” Audition Tape
This parody was created by Conan O’Brien’s brilliant comedy team and released in 2012. The whole setup for the clip was that even Wes Anderson desperately wanted a role in the Star Wars film being directed by JJ. Abrams. This was Mr. Anderson’s audition tape.
#7 – Point Break Remake
This is another parody from Patrick (H) Willems created in 2013. Willems said, “A Point Break remake is a terrible idea, but if it had to happen, here are some directors who might at least make it interesting.” Willems selected Wes Anderson, David Lynch, Tommy Wiseau, and Joe Swanberg to direct the remake.
#8 – “The Grand Sausage Pizza”
Nacho Punch brought us this short foray into what the world of Wes Anderson might look like if set in the adult film industry.
#9 – “Star Wars Force Awakens” trailer
Here we see Jonah Feingold’s take on how the new J.J. Abrams Star Wars trailer would look done up Wes Anderson style. We think this trailer also incorporates a dash of Quentin Tarantino.
#10 – “2001: A Space Comedy”
M. Deicke recut Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” to cast the HAL 9000 as a lovable computer “on a hilarious, runaway journey through the cosmos!”
#11 – “My Life, My Card”
Here we learn that the best person to parody Wes Anderson is in fact Wes Anderson. This video was done as part of the “My Life. My Card.” campaign for American Express in 2004.
