Tropescilloscope: Animal Motifs

The use of an animal/animals to underline a theme or make a statement about a character. (read more at tvtropes.org)

More Tropes Take a Third Option Pretty Little Headshots Adaptation Name Change Call-Back As Long as It Sounds Foreign Evil Is Hammy Composite Character The Lost Lenore Mystery and Detective Films Happily Married Cool Guns Heterosexual Life-Partners You Have Outlived Your Usefulness There Is No Kill Like Overkill Cool Old Guy Tempting Fate Parental Incest Car Fu All Girls Want Bad Boys folderlabel The '70s Spanner in the Works Knife Nut Pimped-Out Dress Major Injury Underreaction Parental Neglect Artistic License – Biology Evil vs. Evil Closed Circle Shout-Out Unreliable Narrator Stock Footage Extreme Doormat Disney Villain Death From Nobody to Nightmare The Remake Dark Reprise Badass Longcoat Artistic License – Military Left the Background Music On Dropped a Bridge on Him Science Fiction Films Corrupt Corporate Executive Bolivian Army Ending Flashback Dramatic Gun Cock Put on a Bus Wrong Genre Savvy Broken Bird Police are Useless Bait-and-Switch Be Careful What You Wish For You Have Failed Me Bad "Bad Acting" Monumental Damage Everyone Has Standards My Beloved Smother Evil Cannot Comprehend Good Unwitting Instigator of Doom No-Holds-Barred Beatdown Morality Pet Arranged Marriage All There in the Manual Artistic License – Law Evil Plan Overprotective Dad Your Cheating Heart Empathic Environment Dressing as the Enemy Determinator The Ace Blood from the Mouth Author Appeal Sports Stories Logo Joke Vomit Indiscretion Shot May–December Romance Cold-Blooded Torture Babies Ever After The Ditz Up to Eleven Badass in a Nice Suit Corpsing Pyrrhic Victory Bavarian Fire Drill Damsel in Distress Despair Event Horizon Badass Bookworm Only Known by Their Nickname Heroic Sacrifice The Hero Dies All Men Are Perverts Lighter and Softer Scare Chord The Smart Guy Soundtrack Dissonance Obstructive Bureaucrat It's Personal Shut Up, Hannibal! Red Oni, Blue Oni Drill Sergeant Nasty My Greatest Failure Distracted by the Sexy Important Haircut Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" Hollywood Law Market-Based Title Roaring Rampage of Revenge Freeze-Frame Bonus B-Movie Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy Bloodier and Gorier Gratuitous English Meet Cute Index of Film Westerns Costume Porn Drives Like Crazy Crazy Jealous Guy The Dog Bites Back Dramedy I Did What I Had to Do Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping Alliterative Name Ship Tease Camera Abuse Taking You with Me Creepy Child Celebrity Paradox Foregone Conclusion Taking the Bullet Informed Ability Artistic License – Gun Safety Meaningful Echo For the Evulz Sexy Discretion Shot Bi the Way Wham Shot Beard of Evil Horror Comedy Riddle for the Ages Russian Films Fiery Redhead Vacation Films Black Best Friend The Film of the Book Spiritual Successor Took a Level in Badass Obviously Evil Evil Is Petty Pragmatic Adaptation Tranquil Fury Light Is Not Good Henpecked Husband Product Placement Hoist by His Own Petard Hong Kong Films Red Right Hand Anachronic Order Poor Communication Kills An Arm and a Leg Black Comedy Fatal Family Photo Dwindling Party Blood Knight Spared by the Adaptation Match Cut British Films And I Must Scream Madness Mantra Spiteful Spit Soft Glass Dark Action Girl Evil-Detecting Dog '80s Hair Thriller Our Zombies Are Different Even Evil Has Standards Eyepatch of Power Gone Horribly Right Brother–Sister Incest Bland-Name Product Parental Abandonment Arc Words Genre Shift Reality Is Unrealistic Sanity Slippage Well-Intentioned Extremist Manchild Drowning My Sorrows Film Noir Index Chuck Cunningham Syndrome Crazy-Prepared Evil Sounds Deep Deliberate Values Dissonance Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! Stylistic Suck Psychological Thriller Never Found the Body Redshirt Army Unspoken Plan Guarantee Impaled with Extreme Prejudice What Happened to the Mouse? Colour-Coded for Your Convenience aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience More Dakka Gender Flip Jerk with a Heart of Gold Ugly Guy, Hot Wife Handicapped Badass Pre-Mortem One-Liner Attempted Rape Final Girl Alpha Bitch Politically Incorrect Villain Television Movie Index Mundane Made Awesome Early Installment Weirdness Video Credits Vomit Discretion Shot Suspiciously Similar Substitute Arch-Enemy Not What It Looks Like The Un-Reveal Kill It with Fire Foreshadowing Made of Explodium The Oner Leave the Camera Running Those Two Bad Guys Cat Fight The Bad Guy Wins Title Drop Playing Gertrude Only a Flesh Wound Department of Redundancy Department Leitmotif I Want My Beloved to Be Happy The Voiceless Gilligan Cut Chewing the Scenery Dies Wide Open Suddenly SHOUTING! Genre Savvy Pre-Asskicking One-Liner Documentary Paper-Thin Disguise The End... Or Is It? Woman Scorned Disney Death Lock and Load Montage Expository Hairstyle Change Nothing Is Scarier Rule of Three How We Got Here Pun aka: Incredibly Lame Pun Film Noir Beta Couple Retired Badass I Need a Freaking Drink The Power of Love Here We Go Again! Determinator aka: The Determinator Our Vampires Are Different Credits Gag As Himself Adaptation Expansion Nice Guy Black Dude Dies First Setting Update Villain Song Central Theme Fourth Date Marriage Manipulative Bastard Comically Missing the Point Getting Crap Past the Radar Token Minority Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds Nice Hat Creator Cameo Anguished Declaration of Love Eye Scream Spell My Name with an "S" Face–Heel Turn The Musical Defiant to the End Deconstruction Does This Remind You of Anything? Girl-on-Girl Is Hot Adaptational Attractiveness Rich Bitch Skewed Priorities Vampire Fiction Adaptation Dye-Job Extremely Short Timespan Action Genre Slasher Movie Catch-Phrase The Mole She's Got Legs Facial Horror Interrupted Suicide Dirty Old Man Did Not Get the Girl Camp Gay Beware the Nice Ones Badass Boast The Dreaded It Will Never Catch On Scenery Porn Dirty Coward Star-Crossed Lovers No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Meaningful Background Event Woman in White Domestic Abuse Punctuated! For! Emphasis! Batman Gambit Big "NO!" Amusing Injuries Bowdlerise Not So Different Hooker with a Heart of Gold No Ending The '80s Suspiciously Specific Denial A God Am I Heroic BSoD Smoking Is Cool The Big Guy Grey and Gray Morality Cain and Abel Dissonant Serenity Posthumous Character Hypocritical Humor Male Frontal Nudity Once More, with Clarity! Re-Cut Manic Pixie Dream Girl Crapsack World In the Back Screw This, I'm Outta Here! Sequel Escalation Real Life The Casanova Retcon Hero of Another Story Pragmatic Villainy Punch-Clock Villain Malevolent Masked Men From Bad to Worse Evil Counterpart The Hero Training Montage Maybe Ever After Faux Affably Evil Improbable Weapon User The Chick Jitter Cam Wicked Cultured Big Bad Duumvirate Contrived Coincidence Homage The Great Depression Chekhov's Gunman Very Loosely Based on a True Story Cool Old Lady Grievous Bottley Harm The '90s Screw the Money, I Have Rules! Humiliation Conga Developing Doomed Characters The Sociopath Romantic Comedy Parental Substitute Hell Is That Noise Rule of Funny Leaning on the Fourth Wall Heel–Face Turn Narrator Same Language Dub The Stoic "The Reason You Suck" Speech Fan Disservice Fainting Peek-a-Boo Corpse Visual Pun Get Out! Mind Screw Hair-Trigger Temper Wham Line Kick the Son of a Bitch Instant Death Bullet Rewatch Bonus Knight Templar Covers Always Lie Fantasy Films Whole Plot Reference Ominous Latin Chanting He Knows Too Much Every Car Is a Pinto Sealed Evil in a Can Mooks Freudian Excuse Military and Warfare Films Bound and Gagged Exactly What It Says on the Tin Air-Vent Passageway Antagonist Title Fat Bastard Annoying Younger Sibling Deus ex Machina Those Two Guys Only One Name Better to Die than Be Killed Improbable Aiming Skills This Is Gonna Suck Let's Get Dangerous! Room Full of Crazy Unusual Euphemism Rule of Cool Canadian Movies Why Don't You Just Shoot Him? It's All About Me Brainless Beauty Storming the Castle "Well Done, Son!" Guy Ambiguously Gay Canon Foreigner Blatant Lies And the Adventure Continues Romantic False Lead Offscreen Teleportation Chiaroscuro Needs Wiki Magic Love Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene Shoot the Shaggy Dog Not Using the "Z" Word Would Hit a Girl Show Within a Show Only Sane Man An Axe to Grind Worthy Opponent Meaningful Name Body Horror Mama Bear The Stinger Revenge Historical Hero Upgrade Italian Films Age Lift Apocalypse How Black Comedy Rape Cruel and Unusual Death Action Girl Sadistic Choice Epic Movie Totally Radical For Want of a Nail Captain Ersatz The Faceless Noodle Incident Say My Name Never Trust a Trailer Curse Cut Short Ghost Fiction Rasputinian Death The Stoner Captain Obvious Adult Fear Imagine Spot The Atoner Dogged Nice Guy Bottomless Magazines Bloody Hilarious Fate Worse than Death Darker and Edgier Hypocrite The Alcoholic Gory Discretion Shot Foil Cool Car Villainous Breakdown Villain Protagonist Anyone Can Die Outrun the Fireball Fake Shemp Self-Deprecation Didn't Think This Through Deadpan Snarker Anti-Villain Boom, Headshot! Shipper on Deck Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! Big-Bad Ensemble Stealth Pun Martial Arts Movie Authority Equals Asskicking He Who Fights Monsters BFG Daylight Horror Motor Mouth Fanservice Extra Fire-Forged Friends Cloudcuckoolander Evil Brit Plot Hole Moment Killer Badass Grandpa Lampshade Hanging Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil Karma Houdini Karmic Death Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other A Minor Kidroduction Crucified Hero Shot Slashed Throat Silence Is Golden Unusually Uninteresting Sight Evil Laugh Hate Sink Line-of-Sight Name Actor Allusion timeperiod Jump Scare Anachronism Stew Insane Troll Logic I'm a Humanitarian Wounded Gazelle Gambit Improbable Infant Survival aka: Infant Immortality Dark and Troubled Past Red Shirt Driven to Suicide Establishing Character Moment Intergenerational Friendship Nice Job Fixing It, Villain! Award-Bait Song Laughing Mad Horror Films Killed Mid-Sentence Hope Spot No Antagonist La Résistance Kubrick Stare Idiot Ball Cluster F-Bomb The Un-Favourite aka: The Un Favorite Sir Swears-a-Lot Not Quite Dead Disappeared Dad Roger Ebert: Great Movies List Bitch in Sheep's Clothing Not Even Bothering with the Accent Non-Indicative Name Good Is Not Nice Gainax Ending Mood Whiplash Love at First Sight Gold Digger Running Gag Card-Carrying Villain Music Stories Manly Tears Tagline All There in the Script Fingore The Starscream Fatal Flaw The X of Y Green-Eyed Monster Death Seeker Reality Ensues Offscreen Moment of Awesome One-Man Army Decoy Protagonist I Just Shot Marvin in the Face Eiffel Tower Effect The Brute Man on Fire Broken Aesop Kill 'em All Advertised Extra As You Know Badass Normal Book-Ends The Quiet One Break the Cutie Ambiguous Ending Victoria's Secret Compartment Diabolus ex Machina Christmas Movies Index Jerk Jock Chekhov's Gun Older Than They Look French Films The Place Heel Realization Shower Scene Based on a True Story Death Glare Failed a Spot Check Hidden Depths An Aesop Big Bad Insistent Terminology Shell-Shocked Veteran Unresolved Sexual Tension Author Avatar "Awesome McCool" Name Cat Scare Action Survivor Animated Credits Opening Recap / RiffTrax aka: Riff Trax Movies Chase Scene Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass Villain Ball Toilet Humour aka: Toilet Humor Race Against the Clock Naïve Newcomer Ripped from the Headlines Double-Meaning Title Broken Pedestal Made of Iron Downer Ending Chekhov's Skill Scenery Gorn Amoral Attorney The Ghost Cool Shades Why Did It Have to Be Snakes? Bar Brawl Slap-Slap-Kiss Fish out of Water Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane Belligerent Sexual Tension Wretched Hive You Killed My Father Have a Gay Old Time Easily Forgiven Pretty in Mink German Films Funny Background Event Drugs Are Bad Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism She Cleans Up Nicely Calling the Old Man Out Cowboy Cop Agony of the Feet One Steve Limit Not So Stoic N-Word Privileges Adaptational Badass 20 Minutes into the Future Ax-Crazy Dying Moment of Awesome Actually Pretty Funny Shown Their Work War Is Hell The '50s Stealth Hi/Bye Naked People Are Funny Funny Foreigner Creative Closing Credits Double Entendre Pay Evil unto Evil Artistic License – History Blonde, Brunette, Redhead Daddy's Girl Anti-Hero Fun with Acronyms Properly Paranoid A.I. Is a Crapshoot Sassy Black Woman Smug Snake Dutch Angle Sole Survivor Make It Look Like an Accident Conspicuous CG Back from the Dead Truth in Television Groin Attack Ambiguous Disorder Laser-Guided Karma A Date with Rosie Palms Genre Throwback Brutal Honesty Rousing Speech Off with His Head! Throwing Your Sword Always Works Big Applesauce Yandere Intrepid Reporter Protagonist Title Greater-Scope Villain Asshole Victim What the Hell, Hero? Serious Business The Smurfette Principle True Companions Film Series Abusive Parents Sci-Fi Horror Artistic License – Physics Papa Wolf Slasher Smile Mexican Standoff Betty and Veronica "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue Names to Run Away from Really Fast Insult Backfire Disproportionate Retribution No OSHA Compliance Disguised in Drag Loads and Loads of Characters Big Damn Heroes A Father to His Men Irony Eureka Moment You Have Got to Be Kidding Me! Bare Your Midriff Almost Kiss Word of God Defrosting Ice Queen Bond Villain Stupidity Bad Boss Framing Device No-Sell Dumb Blonde Femme Fatale In Medias Res Brick Joke Bury Your Gays Biopic Enemy Mine Super Strength Demonic Possession Serial Killer Ironic Echo Never My Fault Half the Man He Used to Be Four-Temperament Ensemble Ascended Extra Toplessness from the Back Continuity Nod Kids Are Cruel Bring My Brown Pants Australian Movies Accidental Misnaming Break the Haughty Heroes Want Redheads Danny Peary Cult Movies List Immune to Bullets Stalker with a Crush Psychopathic Manchild Sequel Hook Adorkable Silent Movie Obfuscating Stupidity Male Gaze Alas, Poor Villain Retirony Race Lift Ragtag Bunch of Misfits Eldritch Abomination Recycled IN SPACE! Due to the Dead Dramatic Irony The Dragon Precision F-Strike Historical-Domain Character Demoted to Extra Together in Death Pet the Dog What You Are in the Dark Stepford Smiler Tap on the Head Aluminum Christmas Trees Hero Antagonist Blackmail Adaptation Distillation Bloodless Carnage Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking Armor-Piercing Question Historical Villain Upgrade Catapult Nightmare Casting Gag Improvised Weapon The Mafia Historical In-Joke No Name Given Bullying a Dragon Real Life Writes the Plot Deliberately Monochrome Accidental Murder Mythology Gag "Shaggy Dog" Story Mighty Whitey Depraved Bisexual Dual Wielding Becoming the Mask Famous Last Words Big Fancy House Big Eater Flipping the Bird Kick the Dog Off-into-the-Distance Ending Coming-of-Age Story Plucky Comic Relief Mugging the Monster Mercy Kill Your Head A-Splode Small Name, Big Ego Bilingual Bonus Butt-Monkey Fanservice Jerkass Has a Point Beauty Is Never Tarnished Neck Lift Not So Above It All Action Prologue Reasonable Authority Figure Exact Words Affectionate Parody Hollywood Darkness Translation Convention Neck Snap In Name Only Ass Shove Oh, Crap! Reality Has No Subtitles Sacrificial Lion Twist Ending Villain with Good Publicity Only in It for the Money Random Events Plot Missing Mom One-Word Title Gorn Adaptational Heroism Guns Akimbo Bond One-Liner The Cavalry Time Skip Vitriolic Best Buds Redemption Equals Death Adaptational Villainy All Just a Dream Villain Opening Scene Punny Name Take That! NO INDOOR VOICE Honor Before Reason As the Good Book Says... O.O.C. Is Serious Business Curb-Stomp Battle The Alleged Car Earn Your Happy Ending Would Hurt a Child Last-Name Basis Reckless Gun Usage Children Are Innocent Country Matters It Can Think No Celebrities Were Harmed Five-Man Band The Reveal Large Ham Novelization The Load Mr. Fanservice Awesome, but Impractical Combat Pragmatist Bald of Evil Ms. Fanservice Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique Call-Forward The Lancer Trailers Always Spoil Those Wacky Nazis Abhorrent Admirer Loophole Abuse Character Development Red Eyes, Take Warning Zombie Stories Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday Mr. Exposition The '60s Black and Gray Morality And Starring Rule of Symbolism Really Gets Around Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer Screw the Rules, I Have Money! Death of a Child Never Trust a Trailer aka: Trailers Always Lie Darkest Hour Stuff Blowing Up Does Not Like Shoes Police Brutality Face Death with Dignity Bunny-Ears Lawyer Fantastic Racism Took a Level in Jerkass Faking the Dead The Bully Sinister Minister Humans Are Bastards Red Herring Death by Irony The Chessmaster My God, What Have I Done? Mistaken for Gay Rated M for Manly Guile Hero Frame-Up Works Set in World War II Even Evil Has Loved Ones I Have Your Wife Superhero Married to the Job Friend to All Children Cassandra Truth Adapted Out Artistic License – Geography Berserk Button Expy Animal Title Index MacGuffin Early-Bird Cameo Affably Evil Japanese Films Bittersweet Ending Undying Loyalty The Vamp Love Triangle Dark Is Not Evil Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold Dirty Cop Too Dumb to Live Death by Sex Psycho for Hire The Cameo World of Ham Rape as Drama Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas Ungrateful Bastard Epic Fail Jerkass Destination Defenestration After the End Auto Erotica Mad Scientist Aside Glance Implacable Man Public Domain Feature Films Scary Black Man Death by Adaptation Adults Are Useless Big Brother Instinct Straight Gay Overly Long Gag Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome Breaking the Fourth Wall Refuge in Audacity Animal Motifs All for Nothing Shirtless Scene Deal with the Devil Dull Surprise Eagleland Men Are the Expendable Gender