8 Movies The Simpsons (Probably) Spoiled For You

The Simpsons loves movies. Loves. Like, almost as much as we do. Ever since they exploded from filler shorts into animation behemoth the show's been injecting it's increasingly zany family stories with nods and recreations of everything, from all-time classics to the latest pop culture fad.

Obviously these jokes assume some cinema knowledge, but the show has now been running so long and remains so popular (its classic episodes at least) that for those who haven't seen whatever film's getting ripped into this week (and, let's not forget, an entire adult generation now exists that was weaned on this show), it can often mean people are experiencing these icons first through their animated counterpart.

Of course, most of its choice references tend to play on something that's so in the pop culture consciousness that you've probably picked it up anyway. But sometimes it goes beyond mere references and swift gags about transcendent moments and the parodies become so intricate that they straight up spoil the whole damn thing. Here's eight movies that any millennial (probably) had ruined for them by The Simpsons.

"18,000 letters, all addressed Santa Clause"

It's such a great scene, coming completely at random in the middle of New Kid On The Block's already pretty random courtroom drama, and is brushed away as fast as it's introduced. And, in the space of ten seconds manages to completely spoil Miracle On 34th Street; how Kris Kringle can be legally declared Santa Claus without a single drop of fairy dust.

Of course, Miracle's been an essential point of reference throughout The Simpsons' history, fitting seeing as how it's the sort of film that would have played endlessly at Christmas through the eighties, the exact thing the show started off lampooning; the very first episode has a Homer/Bart take on Santa being real. Weirdest of all though, in Season 26's I Won't Be Home For Christmas a clip from the actual movie plays in the cartoon world.