Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Bob’s Burgers Movie.
Finally in theaters, The Bob’s Burgers Movie is well worth the near-two-year wait. Delivering on its cinematic promise with a beautifully animated, emotionally engaging big-screen experience, The Bob’s Burgers Movie feels like an epic, oversized, feature-length episode of the series in the best way possible.
After watching the movie, it’s the perfect time to rewatch some classic Bob’s Burgers episodes. From the Itty Bitty Ditty Committee reunion to another nefarious plot by a Fischoeder, The Bob’s Burgers Movie revisits many familiar concepts from the series.
Human Flesh (Season 1, Episode 1)
After watching The Bob’s Burgers Movie and seeing how far this patty-flipping family has come in the past decade, it’s the perfect time to go back to the beginning and start the series all over again.
In the pilot episode, Louise spreads a rumor around the school that Bob cooks human flesh into his hamburgers, prompting a visit from the health inspector. The pilot isn’t quite as great as the show ended up being, but it’s full of promise.
Moody Foodie (Season 2, Episode 7)
In the season 2 episode “Moody Foodie,” much like in the movie, Bob has to face the reality that his burger restaurant might not survive. A ruthless food critic reviews the restaurant and his negative could drive customers away.
This episode has the hilarious, now-iconic nightmare sequence in which Bob imagines settling down into a mundane nine-to-five office job. He and his co-workers just stand around the water cooler and repeat the outdated “my wife” reference from Borat over and over again until Bob wakes up screaming.
Itty Bitty Ditty Committee (Season 5, Episode 17)
Not only does The Bob’s Burgers Movie feature the reunion of Gene’s titular band from the season 5 episode “Itty Bitty Ditty Committee”; the movie also has a similar storyline for Gene as he doubts his musical abilities.
In the episode, Gene is kicked out of the band he started for lacking traditional musical talent. So, he tries taking a piano lesson and doesn’t even have the patience to learn a scale. But he ultimately decides that if he follows his heart, it doesn’t matter if he really knows how to play.
Ambergris (Season 4, Episode 18)
Felix Fischoeder has a big role in The Bob’s Burgers Movie. Felix was first introduced in the “Ambergris” episode. There’s a fun Treasure of the Sierra Madre homage with the kids in this episode as Louise tries to cheat Gene and Tina out of their ambergris profits.
But ultimately, Zach Galifianakis steals the show with his debut as Felix. Felix comes to the restaurant to fix a plumbing issue and insists on renovating the customer bathroom.
Housetrap (Season 5, Episode 19)
Essentially, The Bob’s Burgers Movie is a murder mystery as the Belcher kids discover the skeleton of a murder victim and set out to clear their landlord’s name when he’s charged with the killing. Season 5’s “Housetrap” is another Bob’s Burgers whodunit.
Like an Agatha Christie story, the episode is confined to a house in the middle of nowhere. The Belchers are stranded in a large beach house during a storm, where the creepy owner – a widow played hilariously by guest star Kaitlin Olson – may have killed her husband.
Bob Day Afternoon (Season 2, Episode 2)
After the “Sunny Side Up Summer” musical number, The Bob’s Burgers Movie gets some early laughs out of Bob and Linda’s struggle to impress their decidedly unimpressed banker.
The show explored similar gags in the classic season 2 episode “Bob Day Afternoon,” an homage to Dog Day Afternoon in which Bob is taken hostage during a trip to the bank.
The Secret Ceramics Room Of Secrets (Season 8, Episode 10)
Teddy is always desperate to in the business, and in The Bob’s Burgers Movie, he finally gets a chance to work with Bob and Linda as he builds them a burger cart to use while there’s a sinkhole in front of their door.
In the B-plot of season 8’s “The Secret Ceramics Room of Secrets,” Teddy moves his cell phone repair business into the restaurant and causes all kinds of problems for Bob. He clogs the employee toilet and accidentally sends a tiny screw flying across the room onto a customer’s plate. The A-plot also has parallels with the movie, as the Belcher kids investigate a mystery.
Work Hard Or Die Trying, Girl (Season 5, Episode 1)
True to the style of the show, The Bob’s Burgers Movie is a musical with many catchy numbers from “Sunny Side Up Summer” to “Not That Evil” to the closing Itty Bitty Ditty Committee performance.
The season 5 premiere is a musical episode about musicals. Gene stages a Die Hard musical while Courtney stages a Working Girl musical. On opening night, they end up combining the two musicals into one ambitious crossover: “Work Hard or Die Trying, Girl.”
Ear-sy Rider (Season 3, Episode 1)
The Bob’s Burgers Movie finally explains the origin story of Louise’s beloved bunny-eared hat (and it’s a heartwarming delight). Louise’s emotional attachment to the bunny ears was first explored in the season 3 premiere, “Ear-sy Rider.”
Louise suffers from an existential crisis when a teenage bully steals the ears from her, and she ends up sending a biker gang that’s been hanging out at the restaurant to intimidate the kid and get the ears back.
Wharf Horse & World Wharf II: The Wharfening (Season 4, Episodes 21/22)
The two-part season 4 finale – comprised of “Wharf Horse (or How Bob Saves/Destroys the Town – Part I)” and “World Wharf II: The Wharfening (or How Bob Saves/Destroys the Town – Part II)” – has a very similar plot to The Bob’s Burgers Movie.
Like the movie, the season 4 finale has a climactic showdown at the Wonder Wharf, the Belchers getting trapped under the pier, and a nefarious plot by an underappreciated Fischoeder motivated by money.