On November 20th, Hunger Games fans were ecstatic with the release of the “Sunrise on the Reaping” movie trailer. This movie adaptation of Suzanne Collin’s book follows just nine months after the book’s release in March of this year. Although the movie is not set to come out for another year, it hasn’t stopped “Hunger Games” fans from putting the trailer on repeat and searching for all the easter eggs they can find. Here’s a rundown of all the hidden details and easter eggs you missed.
The Raven
At the beginning of the trailer, we see Drusilla rolled off of her stand and she delivers the speech to begin the district twelve reaping. As aligning with the book, she appears to be pumped full of fillers and other prosthetics. She wears an ugly yellow outfit, but she is not wearing the hat that is described in the book. Instead, she wears a raven, splayed out atop her head, wings outstretched as if it’s going to take flight. The raven is often associated with death, which would be fitting for someone drawing names of the kids who will fight to the death. This is also used, however, to connect to the central motif in the story: Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “The Raven.” In this poem, a grieving narrator is visited by a raven that reminds him of his lost love, Lenore and this solitude makes him go mad. This poem is used in every aspect of the story. For starters, the poem is Lenore Dove’s namesake, but the poem also represents Haymitch and Lenore’s tragic story. Lenore Dove is the girl that the narrator mourns in the poem and in the book, Haymitch goes crazy after he’s starved of her love. It’s interesting how the trailer draws to this raven in such a striking way, as the first thing you see.
The Whistle
As we pan to the tributes standing around the cornucopia, we hear a muffled version of Rue’s whistle melody, the one she originally whistled in district 11 to end the work day, but has since morphed into a symbol of the rebellion against the Capitol. The volume of the whistle symbolizes the current strength of the rebellion. In the 2012 trailer for the original “Hunger Games,” this whistle is played at the end, loud and clear. This symbolizes how, during Katniss’ games, it was the height of the rebellion, it was growing in both strength and influence. However, in this instance, the whistle is almost indistinguishable, representing how the rebellion was only just gaining traction and it didn’t have the strength or influence to make a change yet.
The Numbers
“Twice the number of tributes, twice the glory. It’s time for the second quarter quell.” That’s what we hear announced before the countdown begins. This countdown from ten is used strategically to show snippets of scenes that reveal the reality behind the mask of the beautiful arena.
“08”
On the number eight, a picture of the beautiful flowers in the arena, all arranged in a circle, fills the screen. A photo fills the silhouette of the numbers “08”. This photo is of Haymitch and Lenore Dove, likely hanging out in the forest. This little detail ties the artificial “beautiful” arena to the person that Haymitch is most concerned about during his time in the arena: not himself or the area’s beauty, but his love, Lenore Dove.
“07”
This pattern shows up again with the “07,” where the numbers are filled with a picture of what appears to be a tribute token. It looks like Maysilee Donner’s necklace, which Haymitch ends up with after she dies. The “07” silhouette is on top of the background image, which seems to be Haymitch and Maysilee walking together. This scene shows Maysilee alive in the foreground, but the necklace scene within the number represents all that’s left of her now.
“04”
Number four is hard to make out, but it seems to be people who have turned and are looking at the camera. Although you can’t see exactly what it is, it could be shot from Haymitch’s perspective as he walked through the people up to the stage after being illegally reaped. However, it could also be the district 12 tributes getting onto the chariots because the girl looking at the camera wears braids and looks similar to Louella McCoy. It was shortly after this scene in the book that Louella was killed during the chariot parade. After her death, the Capitol replaces her with Lou Lou, a body double who has been tortured by the Capitol and forced to take Louella’s place to cover their tracks. In the background of this scene is Lou Lou and Haymitch as they walk through the arena together. This shows, again how the silhouettes of the numbers are being used to show the reality. Not Lou Lou, the one that was replaced for the Capitol’s enjoyment, but Louella, the one who tragically died in the chariot accident.
“03”
The last time we see this is in the numbers “03,” which is showing a large group of people holding up the three-finger salute. This salute of respect and the rebellion, was used in the funeral scene after Haymitch’s mother and brother are murdered, alongside Wyatt Calo’s dad. This scene reveals the reality of what the Capitol is doing. The scene behind the number shows us what the Capitol shows the viewers, but what we don’t see is that they’re executing people just to make it hurt more.
Some people may say that fans are reading too far into things. But these details, whether intentional or not, are a testament to the dedication of amazing film directors who incorporate their love for the franchise into their film; and the fans can feel it. Whether this is your first introduction to the “Hunger Games” franchise or you’re a day-one fan, you can appreciate the effort that went into creating this trailer and hopefully the film next year, as well.
