The scene where Carl goes downtown and jump from building to building is an homage to Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man", where Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) tests out his new powers for the first time.
The scene in which the Wheezers theatrically scale Mt. Incredibly Unstable with their newfound powers pays homage to the Rocky films and their iconic training montage scenes. The music playing is similar to the film's theme, Bill Conti's "Gonna Fly Now", and the way they joyously celebrate by leaping into the air with their fists raised above their heads is strikingly similar to how the films' titular character, Rocky Balboa, celebrates at the conclusion of said montages. The Wheezers even go as far as to imitate the infamously banal "mid-air jump freeze frame", which is utilized in both the second and third Rocky films.