The 20 best movie trios

Arguably the most iconic movie trio of all time, there is no Harry without Ron and Hermione in the Harry Potter series. When they meet during their first year at Hogwarts, it doesn’t take long for them to become best friends who will remain in each other’s lives forever. While Harry is the Chosen One, Ron brings the humor and Hermione the brains. There’s no way Harry could have gotten through his tumultuous school years and evaded Lord Voldemort without Ron and Hermione by his side.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is one of the most popular teen comedy films to come out of the 1980s, following the titular Ferris Bueller as he ditches school with his best friend and girlfriend. Together, they explore the city of Chicago and create an epic day they won’t forget. Cameron is a nervous wreck as he and his pals use his father’s Ferrari, while Ferris and Sloane try their best to keep him calm. Together, they balance each other out and deliver excellent on-screen chemistry.

It’s been over twenty years since the first Jurassic Park movie, and Dr. Ian Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, and Dr. Ian Malcolm still find themselves together thanks to the longevity and success of the franchise. While Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler each make for a more conventional paleontologist and paleobotanist, Dr. Malcolm is a very cool and rockstar mathematician. Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum are perfectly cast, most recently appearing together in Jurassic World: Dominion.

Steven Spielberg’s Jaws is the masterpiece that made everybody afraid to go to the beach. While it is a creature feature and the shark is the main star, the film also features a great friendship trio in the form of Brody, Quint, and Hooper. Brody is a police chief, Quint a professional shark hunter, and Hooper a scientist. With their combined talents and areas of expertise, they band together to stop the great white that is terrorizing their beach community. 

Shrek remains a pop culture phenomenon after all these years, and that is largely thanks to the clever humor and characters in the film. While the first movie consists of the polar opposite duo Shrek and Donkey, they pick up a new addition in Shrek 2, and that is Puss in Boots. While Puss is originally hired to take out Shrek, he becomes one of his most loyal friends alongside Donkey. With Shrek’s smarts, Donkey’s mouth, and Puss’s swordsmanship, they make for a dynamic team. 

Regina George, Karen Smith, and Gretchen Weiners make up The Plastics, an A-list clique of popular school girls in Mean Girls. The Plastics are girls that everybody hates but secretly wants to be, including Cady Heron. They are known for their stylish outfits and ability to make everybody feel miserable. Lines like “On Wednesdays we wear pink”, “That’s so fetch” and “Get in loser, we’re going shopping” have become endlessly quotable thanks to the Plastics.

With five movies and a sixth on the way, Manny, Sid, and Diego from the Ice Age series have gone down in animation history. The serious mammoth, naive sloth, and cunning saber-toothed tiger first came together to deliver a human baby back to its family during the Ice Age. Starting off as strangers with nothing in common and different motives, the three eventually became loyal to one another. Sid’s silly side mixes well with Manny and Diego’s maturity, making for a perfect recipe. 

Star Wars has grown into a multi-billion dollar brand that nobody could have ever imagined, but it all started back in 1977 with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia Organa. Luke was a young man sensitive to the ways of the Force, Han a charismatic smuggler, and Leia a fearless royal fighting for justice. Together, they became the biggest heroes of the Rebel Alliance and helped take down the Empire. They remain the true heart of the series and what audiences initially loved.

With both TV shows and movies under their belt, Alvin and the Chipmunks are the coolest group around. Debuting all the way back in 1958, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore have evolved and been brought back to life for a new generation. Alvin is the cool one, Simon is the smart one, and Theodore is the cute one. Together, with their high-pitched melodic voices, they make the perfect chipmunk trifecta. Despite their differences, they work as one and love each other.

They’re kooky, spooky, and absolutely fabulous. The Sanderson sisters, made up of Winifred, Mary, and Sarah, are centuries-old Salem witches who are resurrected in Disney’s Hocus Pocus. They feed off of children in order to maintain their youth and are completely evil and diabolic. However, they are also brilliantly flamboyant and comedic, largely due to the larger-than-life performances of the three leads. They also know how to pull off a great musical number.

Lucky Day, Ned Nederlander, and Dusty Bottoms are the three unlikely heroes of Three Amigos!, the classic slapstick ‘80s comedy. The three actors are invited to a Mexican village to perform as their action movie characters, The Three Amigos, but the community mistakes them for actual gunfighters and asks them to stop a group of bandits. What makes Three Amigos! work so well is the collaboration between Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Chevy Chase, three of the greatest comedians of our time.

Moe, Larry, and Curly make up The Three Stooges, the most influential slapstick trio in pop culture. Known for their stylized physical comedy, these three characters have been making audiences laugh for decades through appearing in multiple shorts and television shows. The Stooges got a modern upgrade in 2012’s The Three Stooges, which sees Moe, Larry, and Curly try to save their childhood orphanage. They are a timeless comedic group that shaped a lot of what we watch today.

There is an abundance of mobster movies, but the one that always stands out is Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas . Ray Liotta plays Henry Hill, who grows up idolizing gangsters and eventually joins them. Along with Jimmy, played by Robert De Niro, and Tommy, played by Joe Pesci, he decides to make his way up the ranks. Three acting greats come together to play this central trio, who is torn between loyalty and greed, which ends in betrayal and violence.

The Big Lebowski is the ultimate hangout movie, centered on bowling trio The Dude, Walter, and Donny. Their tournament championship hopes are ruined when The Dude is mistaken for a millionaire with the same name and becomes involved in a kidnapping plot. The trio tests each other’s patience, especially when The Dude derails the tournament with his far bigger concerns. The best scenes in the film are when the trio hangs out at the bowling alley, making for excessively quotable dialogue. 

The Hangover was one of the most popular raunchy comedies to come out of the 2000s and even spawned two more films. The original, which is definitely the best, saw groomsmen Phil, Stu, and Alan go to Vegas for a bachelor party for soon-to-be-married Doug. The next morning, Doug is missing, and the trio has no recollection of the previous night. As they try to hilariously put the pieces together and solve the mystery, their chaotic chemistry shines, making for an absolute hoot. 

While Woody and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story start as enemies, they become the best of friends. Their duo becomes a trio in Toy Story 2, with cowgirl Jessie being introduced. The three become loyal toys to Andy and then eventually Bonnie at the end of Toy Story 3. Their dynamic becomes a lot of fun when Buzz falls for Jessie, especially in the third movie when his programming is changed. While Woody and Jessie have more in common, Buzz is the glue that holds them together.

The Lord of the Rings films are epic in scale and plot, featuring dozens of characters and storylines. However, one of the strongest friendships that stands out in the trilogy is between Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. They are initially at odds with each other due to their differing races of man, elf, and dwarf. However, they end up uniting in the battle to stop Sauron and destroy the One Ring. They perfectly exemplify acceptance and finding common ground with one another. 

Banzi, Shenzi, and Ed are the hyena trio loyal to the evil Scar in The Lion King. After being banished from The Pride Lands, they become Scar's minions and serve him in any way possible. While Scar sends them out to do his dirty work, they aren’t actually the brightest bunch. Shenzi is the leader, while Ed is the comic relief whose tongue lolls out of his mouth and only communicates through laughter. They’re not who you’d want to run into, but they are also “idiots,"  according to Scar.

Eddie Murphy is a comedy legend. One of his most iconic characters is Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop. When the Detroit cop arrives in Beverly Hills to investigate the murder of his friend, detectives Rosewood and Taggart try to get him off of the case because he isn’t following protocol. Foley plays pranks on them until the three team up in the end after concrete evidence has surfaced. With their differing styles, Axel, Rosewood, and Taggart remain friends for the following three films.

Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are the good fairies who protect Aurora from the evil Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty. They all have different heights and personalities. Floria is authoritative, Fauna is sensitive, and Merryweather is feisty. Due to this, the fairies often clash and have disagreements, particularly over the color of Aurora’s dress. They all possess a shared love for Aurora, raising her in the forest and trying to make her lonely life as happy as possible.