'We weren't able to do it': A Minecraft Movie's Jared Hess explains why one of its funniest scenes isn't in the final cut

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Exclusive: 'It would've been super fun to have that'

Steve and Garrett lock arms as Dawn watches on in A Minecraft Movie
Collaboration was key in all aspects of A Minecraft Movie's development (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/Mojang Studios)
  • One of A Minecraft Movie's funniest scenes was left out of the final film
  • Its director has explained why the sequence didn't get used
  • Jared Hess has also revealed his favorite Easter eggs in Minecraft's movie adaptation

A Minecraft Movie director Jared Hess has opened up on the "really hilarious" scene he was disappointed to leave out of the film's final cut.

Ahead of the movie's April 4 release, I sat down with Hess to discuss his latest feature film. And, while A Minecraft Movie isn't exactly on the long side for a family-friendly movie – it runs for one hour and 40 minutes, FYI – Hess admitted it would've been a few minutes longer if he'd successfully *ahem* mined it for more material.

There's one particular scene that Hess was most upset to leave out, too. Indeed, when I asked if anything was considered off-limits by Minecraft creator Mojang Studios for the film adaptation, Hess said yes. His answer was unexpected, though, because it had nothing to do with Mojang telling him what he couldn't use in the Warner Bros-distributed flick.

Spoilers immediately follow for A Minecraft Movie.

A widescreen shot of Steve's Lava Chicken Shack in A Minecraft Movie

The film's crew made sure that everything that appears on the screen could actually be made in Minecraft (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/Mojang Studios)

"Yeah, there were a ton of fun sequences we wanted to do," Hess said. "[Popular Minecraft YouTuber] Mumbo Jumbo, who's a Redstone genius, was working on a great scene that we just couldn't do.

"We had a sequence that involved a giant Piglin robot, which was a Trojan horse-type thing that worked via Redstone," Hess continued. "I storyboarded it, we had full animatics of it, and it was a really hilarious scene. But, we just weren't able to do it.

"Everything we designed for the film, we wanted to make sure that you could actually go and make in the game," he added. "So, even Steve's Lava Chicken Shack and all of those things, we'd be like 'Gosh, are we sure we can do this? Does it work? Okay, let's go to the game and build it right now. Right, it checks out. It's bulletproof.'

"It would've been super fun to have that Mumbo Jumbo-designed sequence, but ultimately it didn't work out. He designed a bunch of crazy booby traps for us as well, but we couldn't make those work in the confines of our movie, too."

'There are some really special Easter eggs in our movie'

A shot of Steve's rare collection of items in A Minecraft Movie

There's a seemingly infinite number of Minecraft secrets and references hidden within A Minecraft Movie (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/Mojang Studios)

Disappointed though Hess was about that sequence's absence, there are plenty of Minecraft Easter eggs and wider video game references he was able to include in one of 2025's new movies.

From real in-game physics and genuine item and food crafting recipes, to a whole host of blink-and-you'll-miss-them objects, Hess and company made sure to populate the flick with as many gaming Easter eggs as possible. There are so many secrets, in fact, that Minecraft devotees and fanatical gamers will need to watch A Minecraft Movie several times to spot them all.

There are a couple of surprise additions above all others, though, that Hess was most proud to include.

The four main characters in A Minecraft Movie looking baffled as they stare at something off-screen

Did you spot every Easter egg in your screening of A Minecraft Movie? (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures)

"There are some really special ones," he told me. "We've got some amazing Minecrafters that have mini cameos like Mumbo Jumbo, DanTDM, and Aphmau.

"There are a bunch of others that I'm missing, but there are some funny Easter eggs that I think die-hard Minecrafters and members of the community will notice. There's a really special Easter egg that Sebastian Hansen, who plays Henry, came up with. There's a nod to an amazing Minecrafter in the film that you'll just have to check out, but I won't say who it is!"

I guess you'll all have to run out and watch the film if you want to work out what that secret is, then! Before you do, be sure to read my review of A Minecraft Movie to see if it's worth watching. Then, read my A Minecraft Movie end credits article to see if there are any and what they tell us about a potential sequel.

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Tom Power
Senior Entertainment Reporter

As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

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