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