The history of the Roku screensaver (and how Roku City was born)
The popular Roku screensaver was created in 2008 to prevent screen burn-in on older TV models. The screensaver later evolved into a feature known as the Roku City screensaver, which displayed scenic images from around the world when the Roku device was not in use. It was introduced with little fanfare, but over time, the screensaver became a fan favorite and, dare we say, a cultural icon.
The first version of the Roku City screensaver featured images of various cities, including New York, Paris, and London. In 2012, Roku introduced a new version of the screensaver that featured user-submitted photos of different cities, allowing users to showcase their favorite travel destinations.
In 2015, Roku added a clock and weather widget to the display for additional information while the screensaver was active. Two years later, Roku introduced a new version of the screensaver with 4K Ultra HD images and videos for even more stunning visuals. It looked like this.
In April 2023, Roku released the Roku City Stroll screensaver, featuring a virtual city filled with billboards and even more Hollywood references. The screensaver was designed by former freelance graphic artist Kyle Jones, who now works at Pixar, and includes hidden Easter eggs and references to beloved films throughout the artwork. He said:
See Also
300+ Roku Easter Eggs in Every Screensaver Movie Reference 2018 – 2024What Are All the Movie References on the Roku Screen | Repeat Replay“Rⲟku approached me to reinvent their city skyline screensaver. It was a blast to define the style and research the dozens of film and tv references we snuck in (some obvious and some very not-so-obvious). Rⲟku even ran a contest to see who could find the most references, but sadly I was disqualified.”
Complete list of Roku screensaver (Roku City) hidden Easter eggs
Depending on your screensaver version, you can find the following movie and pop culture references hidden in Roku City’s artwork. You can use the video of the Roku screensaver below to help you spot the references.
- Adams Family (spooky-looking house between bistro and movie theater)
- Back to The Future (Clock building/courthouse, Hoverboard)
- Barbershop (Barbershop)
- Castaway (Island with palm tree and the Wilson soccer ball)
- Christmas Story (iconic leg lamp in the 3rd-floor window)
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Devil’s Tower between Stark Tower)
- Conspiracy Theory (three smokestacks)
- Dr. Who (Tardis phone booth)
- Escape From Alcatraz (Alcatraz Island)
- Forrest Gump (Bench and box of chocolates)
- Ghostbusters (Ghostbusters building)
- The Graduate (Man looking at woman’s extended leg in window)
- Godzilla (giant jawed lizard arising from the water)
- Hunt for Red October or submarine movie (Submarine)
- The Iron Giant (Iron Giant)
- Iron Man (Stark Towers)
- Island at the Top of the World (Crazy Flying Machine / Hyperion Airship)
- Jaws (Fishing boat and shark fin)
- Joe vs. The Volcano (plane over volcano)
- Jurassic Park (T-Rex dinosaur)
- King Kong (Empire State Building and Gorilla)
- Lady and the Tramp (cafe table on sidewalk)
- Lord of the Rings (Mount Doom Volcano and dragon)
- The Majestic (Art Deco Theater)
- Mars Attacks! (Spaceship over House of Parliament (Big Ben))
- Mary Poppins (shadow of a flying lady holding an umbrella descending in the sky)
- The Matrix (one of the buildings in the background has the iconic green Matrix code scrolling down the side)
- Mighty Ducks (retro Diner, this set appears in other movies too)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (sailboat and Kraken)
- Psycho (Bates Motel, hand holding knife in window)
- Rear Window (Man with binoculars in barbershop top floors)
- The Shawshank Redemption (the famous oak tree)
- Singing In the Rain (streetlamp and umbrella)
- Sleepless in Seattle (Space Needle structure)
- Spiderman (swinging from Chrysler Building on a web)
- Star Wars (Deathstar in sky)
- Superman (Daily Planet building)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (glowing eyes popping out around the factory)
- Titanic (Sinking slanted ship)
- West Side Story (Set of diagonal fire escapes)
- Wizard of Oz (Emerald City)
Roku screensaver locations
The Roku screensaver includes several real-life locations that appear in many movies.
- The Aurora Borealis
- Empire State Building
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Hollywood Sign
- London Eye Ferris wheel
- One World Trade Center in NYC
- San Francisco Bay Bridge
- Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco
Roku screensaver ambiguous references?
Then there are various objects that we’re not sure what they reference (but clearly are intended to reference something specific).
- The volcano and dragon
- Three masked faces around the factory (If it’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, where is the fourth ninja turtle?)
- The Alien Ship and Big Ben Clock Tower
- The Futuristic building
- The Large Robot
- The Monster with teeth (Most say it is Godzilla but, come on…)
- The Barbershop
- The Theater
- The factory
- The Batman Building in Nashville
- The Long Triangle Building
- The Oval Radio Tower
- The Zepplin
- The Office Building
Special event versions of the Roku Screensaver
From time to time, Roku replaces the default screensaver with artwork related to a specific theme (e.g., Western, kids), holiday (e.g., Christmas, Valentine’s Day), or time of year (e.g., Spring, Winter). These special Roku City screensavers also include hidden Easter eggs.
2003 Roku Screensavers
Paramount+ Roku City Neighborhood (Limited Screensaver Version – May 25 to 29 Only) – Roku Screensaver Summer 2023
Roku Screensaver 2023 – Paramount Plus Roku City Neighborhood: Roku Easter Eggs
- Transformers (Optimus Prime and Bumblebee)
- Star Trek (Star Trek Starship, shuttlecraft; The building showing Vulcan salute; Starfleet Headquarters)
- Bevis and Butthead (Bevis and Butthead are watching TV in the house)
- SpongeBob SquarePants (Patrick Star and SpongeBob SquarePants)
- Halo (Halo’s helicopter, building, vehicle; Halo Master Chief)
- Halo or SEAL Team (troops on the rope about to descend from the hovering helicopter)
- Wolf Pack (wolf on the island)
- iCarly (The Space Needle)
- PAW Patrol (The Paw Patrol Tower)
- RuPaul’s Drag Race (The stage)
- Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Four ladies with their pink signature jackets standing in front of Frosty’s Palace)
- Yellowstone (Yellowstone Dutton Ranch)
- 1883 and 1923 spinoffs (old carriage next to the Dutton Ranch)
- Peppa Pig (Peppa Pig on the second floor of the house next to the UEFA Champions League building)
- Blue’s Clues & You (Blue on the ground floor of the same house as Peppa Pig)
- Monster High: The Movie (The clock tower)
- Survivor (man on the island holding a torch)
- Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick (man with his bike in front of the diner)
- Rugrats (The dinosaur – Reptar)
- America’s Wild Seasons or Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (two humpback whales near the Golden Gate Bridge)
Spring Stroll in the Park Roku Screensaver
Roku Screensaver 2023 – Spring Stroll in the Park: Roku Easter Eggs
- Spirited Away (train above the water’s surface)
- Godzilla (Godzilla)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (factory near Godzilla)
- Neverland (Double Rainbows and the skull island)
- Encanto (house with pinky Jacaranda flowers covered partly (The Magical Casita in the movie))
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (apple on the table and the shrink ray on the top floor of the house next to Encanto’s house)
- Shrek (The Duloc building)
- The Sound of Music (movie theater’s left poster)
- Avatar (movie theater’s right poster)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (baby Groot is listening to music and dancing in the second floor of the house two blocks to the right of the movie theater)
- Wall-E (A little tree is planted in a boot on the first floor of the house two blocks to the right of the movie theater)
- Vertigo (Convent and bell tower)
- The Great British Bake Off (tent near the bell tower)
- Amélie (Café des Deux Moulins next to the Roku building)
- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Wonkavator is flying next to the mountain)
- Lord of the Rings (hobbit houses on the hills near the Eiffel Tower)
- One Tree Hill (The only tree on the hill to the left of hobbit homes)
- Bridgerton (The Ranger’s House)
- Winnie-the-Pooh (tree house with the beehive on a branch)
- Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies (Bugs Bunny’s home (a post with a hole))
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (car on the street)
- Nope (Jean Jacket in the cloud (a cloud with a tail))
- The Notebook (boat with ducks around)
- Moulin Rouge! (windmill near the Eiffel Tower)
- Little Shop of Horrors (carnivorous plant in a store to the left of the robot statue)
- The Secret Garden (vine-covered door to the left of the movie theater)
- Hugo (clocktower glowing orange)
2022 Roku Screensavers
Winter Wonderland Walk Roku Screensaver
Roku Screensaver 2022 – Winter Wonderland Walk: Roku Easter Eggs
- Christmas Vacation (Clark Griswold’s house with Cousin Eddie’s RV)
- Home Alone (The statue is knocked over in front of the door; two paint cans are hanging on the second floor)
- Elf (Mr.Narwhal, in the scene, says “Bye Buddy, hope you find your dad!”)
- Star Wars (An AT-AT)
- Frozen (Elsa’s ice castle)
- Peanuts (Lucy Van Pelt’s psychiatrist help stand)
- Small Foot (The Yeti)
- Batman Returns (The Penguin’s Duck)
- Misery (cabin behind the Duck mobile)
- Miracle on 34th Street (The baseball player balloon in the background)
- New Years Eve (Times Square NYE ball drop (the towers with a ball above, and fireworks))
- The Grinch (Mount Crumpit)
- The Shining (The Overlook Hotel next to Mount Crumpit)
- The Day After Tomorrow (The Frozen Statue of Liberty)
- Black Panther (The Ancestral Tree)
- Die Hard (Nakatomi Plaza)
- Superman (Superman’s Fortress of Solitude)
- The Gremlins (The Gremlin in the movie theater)
- Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Lamp Post)
- It’s a Wonderful Life (man standing in the window with a hat above the lampost)
- The Snowman ( snowman wearing a hat)
- Citizen Kane (The Rosebud Sled)
- Sleepless in Seattle (The Heart-Lit Skyscraper)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (The Technodrome appears in a toy store’s window)
- Transformers (Optimus Prime next to the Technodrome)
- Happy Feet (penguins)
- March Of The Penguins (poster on the left side of the movie theater)
- The Nutcracker (The Nutcrackers in the first window of the toy store)
- My Little Pony (Ponies in the last window of the toy store)
- Apocalypto (The Eclipse)
- Serendipity (The Ice Rink)
- Soul (The Half Note Jazz Club)
- Better Off Dead (The ski slope)
Fall Stroll in the Park Roku Screensaver
Roku Screensaver 2022 – Fall Stroll in the Park: Roku Easter Eggs
- October Sky (rocket in the background)
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (wave near the rocket in the background)
- Signs (mountain with marks and a UFO above it)
- Purple Rain (The “Prince Bike”)
- Zodiac (blanket under the tree)
- The Simpsons (alien octopus in the background)
- Headless Horseman or Beetle Juice (The covered bridge)
- Harry Potter (The arena with flags in the background near the alien octopus – The Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch Arena)
- Fly Away Home (ultralight aircraft with birds following)
- Batman (skyscraper with the “W” on it – The Bruce Wayne Building)
- Bobby Fischer or Queens Gambit (Chess tables in the park)
- The Ring (well in the park near the chess tables)
- Rudy or Any Given Sunday ( blimp and the stadium with an image of a guy with his arms up)
- Coco (The Marigold Bridge near the blimp)
- Hocus Pocus (house with the purple smoking chimney near the bridge)
- Mary Poppins (The four kites)
- Tangled (lanterns in the river)
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (E.T. is on the ground floor of a house)
- Friends (fountain with a couch in the front)
- You’ve Got Mail (bookstore and the man with a laptop on the first floor)
- Poltergeist (The TV is on with a creepy silhouette on the second floor of a house)
- The Black Phone (black balloon in front of the house with a TV)
- Ratatouille (restaurant with a chef sign)
- Stranger Things (The abandoned house)
- Back to the Future 3 (building being constructed with a clock)
- The Big Lebowski (The bowling alley)
2021 Roku Screensavers
Romance (Valentine’s Day – Roku Special Screensaver For Couples)
Roku Screensaver: Romance – Roku Easter Eggs
- Under the Tuscan Sun (two-floor house with cypress trees)
- Mona Lisa Smile (Leaning Tower of Pisa)
- Sleepless in Seattle (houseboat from the movie)
- Roman Holiday or Rome in Love (couple on the Vespa near the Colosseum)
- Moulin Rouge (The windmill)
- Palm Springs (couple on the inner tubes and wearing glasses)
- Dirty Dancing (Patrick Swayze doing the lift overhead with Baby)
- A Star Is Born (Super A Foods – The building with the letter “A”)
- Some Like It Hot (Hotel del Coronado in the background)
- Full House (The 6 houses (Alamon Square))
- Say Anything (John Cusack standing in front of the car)
- Desert Hearts (couple near the cactus)
- When Harry Met Sally (car from the film in front of 5th Avenue)
- Casablanca (couple with hats on and facing each other)
- La La Land (couple dancing among the stars in the sky)
- Love Locks (Locks on the bridge)
- Love and Basketball (couple kissing while holding a basketball in their hands)
- Two Turtle Doves (Two birds next to the bridge)
- The Apartment (man straining pasta onto the tennis racket)
- Pretty Woman (girl in the bubble bath)
- Ghost (pottery scene in the film)
- You’ve Got Mail (The bookstore)
- Love Actually (man holding a sign near the bookstore)
- The Vow (wedding scene under the Cloud Gate (or The Bean) in Chicago)
- Grease (Danny standing on the Lightning Car)
- Friends (A couch and a lamp in front of a fountain)
- Enchanted (princess coming out of the sewer hole)
- A Walk to Remember (couple with the telescope)
- My Girl (Two kids jumping from the dock into the lake)
- 10 Things I Hate About You (couple on the couch right behind the two kids)
- Crazy Rich Asians (Marina Bay Sands in the background)
2020– Roku Screensavers
Kids Roku Screensaver
Roku Screensaver: Kids – Roku Easter Eggs
- Up (The house with balloons floating in the sky)
- The Wizard of Oz (The Yellow Brick Road, Tin Man’s oil can on a stump, and the ruby slippers under the stump)
- Cars (Lightning McQueen in garage)
- Marry Poppins (Kites hanging on house)
- Wreck-It Ralph (Ralph is on the top of the house next to the kites)
- The Secret Life of Pets (dog (Max) and the cat (Chloe))
- Dr.Seuss (The Truffula trees, fish in the bowl)
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (E.T. in foreground)
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (giant Jell-O Mold with Flint inside)
- Alice in Wonderland (Caterpillar smoking a hookah on the giant mushroom)
- The Smurfs (Smurf house near giant mushroom)
- Princess Mononoke (A small part of the forest with the light going through)
- My Neighbor Totoro (Totoro on top of the trees)
- Peanuts (Snoopy’s doghouse)
- The Iron Giant (giant robot)
- The Lego Movie (Lego man standing on Atomo)
- Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies (Bugs Bunny’s hole with the mailbox)
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (Spiral Hill in the background)
- Muppets (rainbow and the banjo on a log in the middle of lake)
- Lion King (lion standing on Pride Rock in the background)
- Despicable Me (Grumobile)
- Jack and the Beanstalk (Beanstalk and a harp on it)
- How to Train Your Dragon (Hiccup riding on his dragon)
- Sonic the Hedgehog game series (checkerboard track, loop, and rings in the background)
- Mario game series (Two pipes, a block, and a flag next to Sonic’s track)
- Flight of the Navigator (CGI Spaceship)
- Princess Bride (Dread Pirate Roberts climbing ruins at top of the Cliffs of Insanity)
- Dumbo (flying elephant near the Beanstalk)
- Aladdin (Aladdin on the flying carpeth)
- Harry Potter (Hogwarts Castle and Hogwarts Quidditch pitch)
Western Roku Screensaver
Roku Screensaver: Western – Roku Easter Eggs
- A Fistful of Dollars (man wearing the poncho and walking in the foreground)
- Back to the Future 3 (clock building being constructed)
- The Alamo (Alamo mission and fortress)
- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (man riding on a horse with his guitar)
- Stagecoach (stagecoach)
- Wild Wild West (giant spider)
- Westworld (man (Gunslinger) hiding behind the cactus)
- Tombstone (four men with hats on walking away from the burning building)
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Two guys running out of the building)
- Hellfighters or There Will Be Blood or Giant (oil gusher)
- Three Amigos (three men standing in front of a church)
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Three men standing in the Sad Hill Cemetery)
- City Slickers (man being pulled by bull)
- Shane (man sitting on a horse right in front of the sunset)
Nautical Roku Screensaver
Roku Screensaver: Nautical – Roku Easter Eggs
- Sphere (man shining a flashlight onto a sphere-shaped thing)
- Austin Powers (shark with the laser)
- The Little Mermaid (The seagull (Scuttle) holding a fork near the advertising)
- Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (The Nautilus submarine and the squid)
- The Hunt for Red October (The submarine)
- The Creature from Black Lagoon (The creature hiding in the hill near the undersea station)
- The Abyss (The undersea station)
- The Goonies (The treasure with the scale)
- Finding Nemo (Dory and Marlin near the treasure)Above the sea level (Master and Commander (The ship with a man holding a sword)
- Cast Away (The man on an island with the burning leaf; His only friend – the volleyball under the tree)
- Life of Pi (The boat with a tiger on it)
- Swiss Family Robinson (The treehouse)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (Jack Sparrow stepping on the dock while the ship is sinking)
- Jaws (The shark attacking the fishing boat)Background (Treasure Island (The pirate ship firing the cannon)
- 2012 or The Poseidon Adventure (A huge tsunami hitting the cruise ship)
- Pacific Rim (Gipsy Avenger (the robot) with the sword fighting against a Kaiju)
- Top Gun or The Final Countdown or Stealth (The aircraft carrier with three static fighter aircraft and one is landing on the carrier)
Jungle Roku Screensaver
Roku Screensaver: Jungle – Roku Easter Eggs
- Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (The Golden Idol)
- Jumanji (The Jumanji board game glowing in the center)Middle Ground (The African Queen (The man pulling the boat with a woman sitting on it)
- Jurassic Park (T-Rex chasing the jeep, the man sitting in the back and scaring; The huge footprints near the Rihno)
- King Kong (The giant ape holding the blonde-hair woman)
- Jungle Book (Baloo is scratching his back against a tree trunk)
- Tarzan (Tarzan is swinging on the vine)
- Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (The Rihno near Tarzan)
- Predator (The silhouette of a Yautja hiding in the bushes next to the rhinoceros)
- Africa Screams (Two hats in the quicksand (Abbott’s and Costello’s))Background (Apocalypse Now (Helicopters in front of the sun)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (The rope bridge)
- Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Boulder rolling after a man)
- Apocolypto or The Road to El Dorado (The temple)
- King Kong (The giant gate (village door) in the movie)
Space Roku Screensaver
Roku Screensaver: Space – Roku Easter Eggs
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan; Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (The USS Enterprise keeps following the screensaver)
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (Eva Pod near the pyramid ship; The monolith on the pink planet; The astronaut)
- Stargate (The pyramid ship and the gate from the movie)
- Blade Runner (The blimp and the Tyrell Corporation)
- Star Trek: TNG (The LCARS panel between the hexagon and circle windows)
- Star Wars (HAL 9000 placed between the octagon and circle windows)
- Alien (1979) (The cat (Jonesy) near HAL 9000)
- Alien Series (The Alien above the cat; The egg)
- Space Jam (The big basketball planet in the background)
- Contact (The Machine and the radio telescopes on the pink planet)
- Arrival (The floating spaceships on the pink planet)
- Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back (Exogorth from the asteroid)
- Armageddon (The Asteroid Vehicle in the movie (near the Exogorth))
- Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi (Khetanna and Sarlaac on the yellow planet)
- Galaxy Quest (Gorignak from the movie)
- The Martian (The base and Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV))
- Dune (Paul Atreides riding the sandworm)
- Spaceballs (Eagle 5 (Space Balls Winnebago) – above the sandworm)
2018 Roku Screensavers
City Stroll: Movie Magic Roku Screensaver
Roku Screensaver – Roku City Stroll: Movie Magic – Roku Easter Eggs
- King Kong (Kong is on the top of the Empire State Building and fighting against fighter planes)
- Sleepless in Seattle (The Space Needle)
- Jaws (Fishing boat and shark fin)
- Titanic (Sinking boat and the iceberg)
- Mars Attacks! (Spaceship over the House of Parliament (Big Ben))
- Mary Poppins (The flying shadow in the sky)
- Lord of the Rings (Volcano (Mount Doom) & the dragon (Smaug))
- Wizard of Oz (The image of the Emerald City)
- Castaway (The island with a palm tree and a soccer ball)
- Spiderman (A man swinging from the Chrysler Building)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Glowing eyes pop out around the factory)
- Psycho House (Bates Motel – a hand holding a knife in Mother’s window)
- Iron Man (The Stark Towers)
- Superman (The Daily Planet building)
- Barbershop (The barbershop)
- Rear Window (A human with binoculars on the barbershop’s top floors)
- Alcatraz movies (Escape From Alcatraz; Alcatraz Island; etc.) (The Alcatraz island)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (The famous six-sail boat “Black Pearl” and the Kraken)
- Dr.Who (The Tardis (call box))
- Back to The Future (The Courthouse (four-pillar clock building) and the skateboard)
- Ghostbusters (The Ghostbusters building)
- Forrest Gump (The bench and a box of chocolates)
- Mighty Ducks (The marquee and diner)
- Singing In The Rain (The lamp post and umbrella)
- Christmas Story (The leg lamp in the 3rd-floor window)
- Conspiracy Theory (The three smoke stacks)
- The Majestic (The Art Deco Theater)
- Island at the Top of the World (Crazy Flying Machine – The Hyperion Airship)
- Lady and the Tramp (The cafe table)
- The Iron Giant (The giant robot)
- Hunt for Red October (The submarine)
- Godzilla or Pacific Rim (The giant lizard)
- Star Wars (That’s no moon in the sky (Death Star), between the Stark Tower and Godzilla)
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (The Devil’s Tower between the Stark Tower and Godzilla)
- Adams Family (The house between the Bistro and the movie theater)
- The Graduate (The woman’s leg with a figure in the background)
- West Side Story (The fire escape)
Share your Roku Screensaver/City Easter egg references
Leave a comment below if you know of any movie references or want to suggest a Roku screensaver to explore. We are constantly updating our list of references, so stay tuned for more Easter eggs.
Image Credits
In-Article Image Credits
Complete Roku screensaver graphic showing entire Roku City via Roku with usage type - Editorial use (Fair Use)
Roku screensaver Roku city via Roku with usage type - Editorial use (Fair Use)
Featured Image Credit
Roku screensaver Roku city via Roku with usage type - Editorial use (Fair Use)
