History Main / BigBudgetBeefUp

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' doesn't use any of the budget that one would expect for them to use buying the rights to [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy flashback jokes]]. Instead, they save their budget to take brief indulgences in awesomely animated action-based episodes. Hell, for "Dungeons and Wagons", the amount of budget used for the RPG plot was literally described as "all of it". These episodes usually feature at least two separate hordes of something.

* ''{{Franchise/Terminator}} 2'' - not only the then-record $100 million allowed for a SpecialEffectsEvolution, but the story's scope is bigger and heroes fight more than just a Terminator (such as the police when they invade Cyberdyne).

* While MST3K had always had a pretty small budget, TheMovie had a larger budget, thanks to being backed by Universal Studios. However, the only thing really different is that everything seemed bigger (including an incredibly expanded set showing other areas of the SOL).

* Despite being {{Nickelodeon}}'s most popular and successful show, ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' has always hid it's modest budget with [[LimitedAnimation sparse movement]] made up of strong drawings. When it came time to make TheMovie, the crew went all-out with Creator/JohnKricfalusi-[[DerangedAnimation inspired animation]], expansive use of [[RogerRabbitEffect mixed-media]] and a [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome lush orchestral score]] in place of the series' library of stock music.

* Despite being {{Nickelodeon}}'s most popular and successful show, ''SpongebobSquarepants'' has always hid it's modest budget with [[LimitedAnimation sparse movement]] made up of strong drawings. When it came time to make TheMovie, the crew went all-out with JohnKricfalusi-[[DerangedAnimation inspired animation]], expansive use of [[RogerRabbitEffect mixed-media]] and a [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome lush orchestral score]] in place of the series' library of stock music.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' doesn't use any of the budget that one would expect for them to use buying the rights to [[FamilyGuy flashback jokes]]. Instead, they save their budget to take brief indulgences in awesomely animated action-based episodes. Hell, for "Dungeons and Wagons", the amount of budget used for the RPG plot was literally described as "all of it". These episodes usually feature at least two separate hordes of something.

* FightingGame Anime like ''StreetFighter'' and ''FatalFury'' are notorious for featuring KiAttacks much more powerful than the games would suggest. (And in reverse, when ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' was turned into a FightingGame, Ranma's extraordinarily powerful KiAttacks were substantially weakened.)

* ''{{Serenity}}'' is basically a much more expensive, better-looking episode of [[{{Firefly}} the series it's spun off from]]. And it is ''awesome!''

* ''ThomasAndTheMagicRailroad'' recreated the series' model train set at double the size on a Toronto sound stage. [[UncannyValley Still couldn't make the faces move, though]].

* StudioGainex are known to use their budget on a handful of incredible scenes while resorting to more simplistic visuals for others (one episode of ''Evangelion'' had to be completed with ''static marker drawings!'').
* Despite being {{Nickelodeon}}'s most popular and successful show, ''SpongebobSquarepants'' has always hid it's modest budget with [[LimitedAnimation sparse movement]] made up of strong drawings. When it came time to make TheMovie, the crew went all-out with JohnKricfaluci-[[DerangedAnimation inspired animation]], expansive use of [[RogerRabbitEffect mixed-media]] and a [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome lush orchestral score]] in place of the series' library of stock music.
* ''ThomasAndTheMagicRailroad'' recreated the series' model train set at double the size on a Toronto sound stage. [[UncannyVally Still couldn't make the faces move, though]].

* Several TRPG have this trope supported by the mechanics. In ''DungeonsAndDragons'' (4th Edition), there are monsters classified as 'mooks', which go down when you deal as much as 1 point of damage to them. While these monsters have AC that match their level, players have powers (mostly once-per-day) that never miss.
* In {{Exalted}}, mooks like these are classified as Extras. A ton of powers have effects that basically says 'extras are fucked, only people with Essence-control may avoid'.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'' is this trope in spades. For example, the Daleks are galaxy spanning empires that can field thousands of units - and yet the most we ever saw were the same four or so Daleks costumes paraded around in a circle to make them seem more numerous. . . until the 2005 revival, where the climax of the series featured a Big Budget long shot with millions of Daleks all lusting for the destruction of the Doctor and the extermination of the human race. It made every fan weep tears of joy.

* The CompilationMovie of the first season of ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' noticeably upped the power of the characters, to the point that Nanoha's [[WaveMotionGun Starlight Breaker]] ''levels a city.''

** They did get some AppliedPhlebotinum (the scythe spell) to account for the mass group TookALevelInBadass, though.
** Fear may have also been a factor - not knowing what of the 'usual tricks' would work, particularly when it seemed to fail the first time.
** They know how to kill regular vampires and still get kicked in, no excuse.
** Also, saying it took Buffy the whole episode is a bit misleading. She was definitely in trouble for the first third to half, but she also kept the Turok-Han alive long enough so that she could defeat it in front of all the potentials. Which might have something to do with that fear not being a factor.

* ''SailorMoon'' often did this near the end of its seasons with nondescript monsters. The usual sentai formula of fights also didn't apply to the movies, which often have individual characters mowing down hordes of monsters.
** Especially jarring in the movie, where a single plant demon proves a challenge to the entire team. Then they destroy hundreds of them in a massive battle.
*** Partially Justified by the fact that the first demon managed to feed on some lifeforce before the fight.

** The Live Action version, ''PrettyGuardianSailorMoon'', did as well, which is expected as it's a Toku series.

This often comes up in {{OVA}}s and {{Non Serial Movie}}s, which have less time and more budget to impress the viewer, but occasionally it'll pop up in the show proper near the season finale.

* Several TRPG have this trope supported by the mechanics. In ''DungeonsAndDragons'' ($th Edition), there are monsters classified as 'mooks', which go down when you deal as much as 1 point of damage to them. While these monsters have AC that match their level, players have powers (mostly once-per-day) that never miss.

* ''Film/GodzillaFinalWars'' had this in spades. In the ultimate fanboy "Franchise/{{Godzilla}} versus Everyone" film, Big G plows through almost all his classic opponents, easily dispatching monsters that formerly fought him for an entire movie. In fact, at one point he takes down ''three'' at once in a fight that lasts about a minute. In a largely unrelated bit of intense FanService, he also kills the [[Film/{{Godzilla 1998}} American Godzilla]] in a matter of seconds.

** Compare: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_4AEl4ZgR8 series Sahaquiel]]... [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTtg8MnW0Ig movie Sahaquiel.]]

* ''Film/GodzillaFinalWars'' had this in spades. In the ultimate fanboy "Godzilla versus Everyone" film, Big G plows through almost all his classic opponents, easily dispatching monsters that formerly fought him for an entire movie. In fact, at one point he takes down ''three'' at once in a fight that lasts about a minute. In a largely unrelated bit of intense FanService, he also kills the American Godzilla in a matter of seconds.

*** However, this is a case of the Beef Up failing, and actually made the movie worse. The cgi zords were terrible, the costumes were hard to move in and fell apart easily, and the American action movie style fighting just didn't go well with the typical Sentai fighting of the regular series. The next movie went back to spandex versus PeopleInRubberSuits.

** Happened before that. The PeterCushing [[DrWhoAndTheDaleks Dalek]] [[DaleksInvasionEarth2150AD movies]] really make a Dalek invasion look like one ''should,'' the first movie even being a remake of the Daleks' show debut, making the very same story seem much more epic. The movies are often reviled by fans for their deviation from canon (Cushing's First Doctor is apparently a human named Dr. Who, primarily) but at the time, it was amazing. They looked at least as good as the 1980s episodes, with a more 'summer blockbuster' feel, at a time when the TV show hadn't worked its way up to color, or having the ''matte paintings'' that were supposed to make the hallways look longer '''[[SpecialEffectFailure actually go all the way to the floor.]]'''

* While in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' we were lucky to get a single Angel at a time, ''End of Evangelion'' showed Asuka and Unit 02 defeating ''nine'' Mass Production Evas. In five minutes. [[spoiler:And if you thought they wouldn't miss a chance to subvert this, you guessed right]].
** Now that HideakiAnno has his life back on track and being backed by his own studio[[note]]he's the founder AND president of Khara inc., the company who makes the ''Rebuild'' films; so in a way, he's his own boss[[/note]], he's managed to do this ''again'' with RebuildOfEvangelion. The first thing he did was make it BloodierAndGorier. As well as LighterAndSofter. [[MindScrew Possibly]].

** Now that HideakiAnno has his life back on track and being backed by his own studio[[hottip:*:he's the founder AND president of Khara inc., the company who makes the ''Rebuild'' films; so in a way, he's his own boss]], he's managed to do this ''again'' with RebuildOfEvangelion. The first thing he did was make it BloodierAndGorier. As well as LighterAndSofter. [[MindScrew Possibly]].

** The NonSerialMovie has three main monsters and countless creatures springing from Ivan Ooze. It should be noted also that the rest of the budget was used for the Rangers' suits (they all get breastplates, while some of them gain special abilities) and the special effects, which step up from PeopleInRubberSuits to ConspicuousCGI.