The Real Stories Behind Yellowjackets and Society of the Snow

Yellowjackets: A Harrowing Survival Thriller

Netflix has released a new critically acclaimed movie that provides a harrowing, necessary viewing before the upcoming premiere of Yellowjackets season 3. Following hit TV shows like Lost and Manifest, Showtime’s Yellowjackets revitalizes the survival thriller genre on the small screen with plenty of supernatural mysteries to up the stakes. The series follows a high school girls soccer team whose plane crashes in the wilderness on their way to a championship game in 1996. The survivors are left stranded, desperate, and pushed to the limits of their humanity, with the show also switching to their living present-day counterparts. With increasingly shocking survival tactics for the teens, Yellowjackets season 3’s tragedies are only expected to worsen.

The Yellowjackets girls soccer team in the gym

While traveling between the timeline of their crash in the mid-1990s and the survivors’ experiences in the present day, Yellowjackets’ fictional survival storylines partially mirror some real-life events involving plane crashes and disasters. The supernatural mysteries are added in for more intrigue and suspense, but many of the hardships the teens face in the wild come from true accounts of survivors of real crashes, adding another powerful layer to Yellowjackets’ themes and narratives. Yellowjackets season 3’s arrival may be far away, but Netflix’s new survival biopic movie provides a compelling account of a real 1972 crash in the Andes, which has many thematic and story overlaps with Showtime’s series.

Survivors of Yellowjackets' crash standing outside the plane

Though Yellowjackets is a fictional story, the TV show was loosely inspired by various real-life disasters. One of these major inspirations was, in fact, the real tragedy behind Society of the Snow. Regarding the passengers, Yellowjackets’ plane was carrying a soccer team and the crew on the way to a championship game, whereas the Andes flight was carrying a rugby team, their families, and the crew to a match. Of course, both also share parallels in that while several people died in the initial accident, many more died afterward while trying to survive in the wild.

The Yellowjackets sitting in the snow

Society of the Snow: A Real-Life Tragedy

Having dropped on Netflix on January 4, 2024, Society of the Snow is a critically acclaimed new drama that dives into the real tragedies and experiences of the 1972 Andes flight disaster. The Spanish-language movie, directed by J.A. Bayona, depicts the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, carrying 45 passengers and crew members, in the Andes mountains and the initial survivors of the crash’s efforts to endure the life-threatening elements of the wilderness before rescue. Ultimately, it took 72 days before Society of the Snow’s real characters were rescued, with only 16 of the initial 33 survivors living through the time of rescue.

A group of survivors raise their arms around the fuselage of a crashed plane in the Andes mountains in Society of the Snow.

Setting a great early standard for Netflix’s 2024 movie releases, Society of the Snow, which was released in theaters in December 2024, already has plenty of Oscars buzz, particularly in the Best International Feature category. The movie holds a “Certified Fresh” 89% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews praising the movie for its powerful message, thematic explorations of the lengths people must go to survive, and technical achievements, especially in the horrific crash sequence. With the emotional punch packed by Society of the Snow’s ending, watching the Netflix film gives important real-world context to the struggles of the characters in Yellowjackets.

Though Yellowjackets is a fictional story, the TV show was loosely inspired by various real-life disasters. One of these major inspirations was, in fact, the real tragedy behind Society of the Snow. Regarding the passengers, Yellowjackets’ plane was carrying a soccer team and the crew on the way to a championship game, whereas the Andes flight was carrying a rugby team, their families, and the crew to a match. Of course, both also share parallels in that while several people died in the initial accident, many more died afterward while trying to survive in the wild.

The Connection Between Yellowjackets and Society of the Snow

The Real Andes Flight Disaster Partially Inspired Yellowjackets' Plane Crash & Wilderness Survival Storylines

Crashing in the mountains with no civilization anywhere nearby, Yellowjackets season 2 begins to more loosely mirror the 1972 Andes flight disaster with the freezing temperatures and snowy conditions. However, one of the most notable parallels between Yellowjackets’ wilderness struggles and the real tragedy is the survivors’ agonizing decision to resort to cannibalism. Like in Society of the Snow, the survivors in Yellowjackets season 2 decide to eat the bodies of the fallen after losing all other sources of food and nutrition. However, there are still many differences in how Yellowjackets depicts this compared to the real 1972 Andes flight disaster survivors’ actions.

Travis and a yellowjacket wearing antlers in Yellowjackets season 2