Alien: Earth viewers blindsided by unlikely movie reference in new horror series

‘It’s heartwarming to know that in 2120 people are still seeing these movies,’ one excited fan wrote

Fans of the decades-spanning Alien franchise are tuning in to watch its first ever TV spin-off, Alien: Earth, but in a somewhat surprising twist, its first episode has thrust another long-running film series back into the spotlight.

In the opening episodes, Sydney Chandler’s lead character Wendy, a grown-up synthetic who is supplied with the consciousness of a young girl, is shown watching the fourth film in the Ice Age franchise, Continental Drift.

After the episode’s release on Tuesday (12 August), social media was filled with screenshots showing Sydney Chandler’s lead character alongside a reflection of the animated film’s sloth character, Sid (John Leguizamo).

Considering Alien: Earth is set in 2120, this would make the 2012 film 108 years old. Other characters are shown watching Peter Pan, the 1953 Disney classic that would be 167 years in the show’s timeline.

The film’s inclusion in the series, created by Noah Hawley, has sparked a fun debate about what other media will stand the test of time and still be viewed in 100 years’ time.

“It’s heartwarming to know that in 2120 people are still seeing the Ice Age movies,” one viewer wrote, with another adding: “There’s a scene in Alien: Earth where Sid the Sloth from Ice Age slowly fades onto the screen as a transparent overlay during a really emotional scene, and I gotta say that’s... that’s just wonderful.”

Another added: “The cassette futurism in Alien: Earth is completely perfect and then BOOM: Ice Age 4 (2012) is plot relevant and Sid the Sloth crossfades into view as the protagonist relives a memory.”

‘Alien: Earth’ character Wendy (Sydney Chandler) watching ‘Ice Age 4’ (Hulu)

Other media to have been referenced in the Alien franchise include David Lean epic Lawrence of Arabia (1962), which is a favourite of Michael Fassbender’s android David.

David is also shown reading works written by 19th-century novelist Mary Shelley.

Alien: Earth is set after Prometheus and Alien: Covenant and directly before Alien, Ridley Scott’s 1979 original that kicked it all off. In a funny twist, Ice Age: Continental Drift was released the same summer as Prometheus.

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There have been five Ice Age films to date, with a sixth set to be released in 2026. Leguizmo will return to voice Sid the Sloth alongside Ray Romano, Denis Leary, Simon Pegg and Queen Latifah.

Sid the Sloth was an unlikely cameo in ‘Alien: Earth’ (DreamWorks)

Hawley has become a trusted figure when delivering standout extensions to existing films, having created X-Men spin-off Legion and Fargo, the TV series based on the Coen brothers’ 1996 film of the same name.

Alien: Earth airs weekly in the UK on Star on Disney+ and in the US on Hulu. Also starring are Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin and Lily Newmark.