History Main / BigDamnMovie

The movies: Heroic action/adventure.[[note]]From ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheSpaceHeroes''.[[/note]]]]

** ''Animation/MoonCastleTheSpaceAdventure'' is about them saving the moon.

!!Examples of films adapted from:

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' used to be the TropeNamer, with this trope being called "Why is Arnold Saving Something?" The show itself is an urban slice-of-life comedy with most episodes usually dealing with problems faced by individual characters. ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheMovie'', on the other hand, would feature Arnold saving his neighborhood by using spy gadgets and infiltrating corporate buildings, while also dealing with runaway buses, explosions, and a bulldozer army. Several years later, the show got a GrandFinale in the form of ''[[WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheJungleMovie The Jungle Movie]]'', which saw the characters get lost in a South American jungle and get caught up in a pirate crew's schemes to find a lost city held in an eternal slumber that Arnold's [[ParentalAbandonment missing parents]] also fell victim to.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' has ''WesternAnimation/WakkosWish''. The movie itself isn't as "epic" as most Big Damn Movies, but it ''definitely'' qualifies for this trope by the standards of [[RuleOfFunny Animaniacs]]. It's a sort of {{Elseworlds}} set in an [[AnachronismStew indefinite vaguely European time period]], where the Warners are poor young orphans in a small village called Acme Falls; it's the only time all the show's normally segregated segments come together. Wakko accidentally wishes on the one star in the sky that grants wishes and it falls to Earth, leading to a massive race between the characters to reach the Wishing Star first.
* ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForceColonMovieFilmForTheaters'' has the main characters trying to save their city from an evil exercise machine. [[spoiler:They [[strike:fail]] get sidetracked.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut'', where the main characters have to save Terrance and Phillip and, eventually, the world...with musical numbers! This is lampshaded in the trailer: "Damn, dude. I'm huge."
* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'' took a show where the villains would mostly steal energy sources in order to TakeOverTheWorld into a galaxy-spanning epic involving [[AnyoneCanDie the deaths of virtually the entire main cast of the previous series]] and the protagonists facing a powerful entity intent on wiping them out entirely. This has since rolled back into the franchise, and now "save the universe and everything in it" is a rather common ''Transformers'' series plot.
* {{Double subver|sion}}ted in ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica''. It starts off with a ''{{Franchise/Godzilla}}''-esque giant monster fight between the boys that turns out to be AllJustADream. The two then set out to try and find their stolen TV... and end up getting massively sidetracked into a plot involving a biological weapon that takes them all over America.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'':
** The first live-action ''Flintstones'' film has ambition, loyalty, betrayal, corporate intrigue, and a climactic battle upon an elaborate makeshift DeathTrap. An average episode of the TV series is basically just [[HilarityEnsues Wacky Hijinks]].
** ''WesternAnimation/TheManCalledFlintstone'': The animated movie had Fred turn out to be the exact look-alike of a secret agent who was hung up in the hospital and thus couldn't go back to work. Fred is immediately made into a secret agent himself, and must stop the BigBad and two [[TheMole Moles]] from blowing up an entire city -- oh, ''and'' fix his relationship with Wilma. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And it was a musical]].
* Downplayed in ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow'': The trio don't become heroes, but it played like a standard episode on a grand scale--in a relative sense, as the show basically never left the usual neighborhood or expanded past its MinimalistCast. Again, one of the Eds' scams fails miserably. We [[NoodleIncident never learn what the scam was]], but we see that it injured the other kids greatly. This leads to the Eds having to [[SternChase escape the cul-de-sac via a car chase]]. Eventually, every character in the series is trekking the countryside, all with the destination of Eddy's Brother's house. And the fact that [[spoiler:we actually ''see'' his brother, who has been TheGhost all this time,]] makes the movie even bigger. This is lampshaded with a "In Case of Movie, Break Glass" case, containing a single peanut with a car key inside.
* ''WesternAnimation/PoohsGrandAdventure'' is the darkest and most mature Winnie the Pooh story ever made, which is helped by the fact that it is [[DarkerAndEdgier a lot more scary and intense]] than any movie of this particular franchise released before or since, and certainly darker than anything from ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh.'' The stakes haven't really been matched by subsequent media and the characters go through a pretty powerful journey of self discovery. Could also be seen as justified if one gives credence to the idea that this was the GrandFinale of ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' As it stands, it has become a SeriesFauxnale.
** The two Disney Animated Canon ''Pooh'' films count avert it however, being consistently light hearted SliceOfLife antics with Pooh and co, and lacking even the bigger adventures or emotional development of some episodes of ''New Adventures''. Interestingly it is only the {{B Team Sequel}}s by Disneytoon Studios that amp up the stakes and CharacterDevelopment, even if none get quite as intense as ''Pooh's Grand Adventure'' or ''WesternAnimation/TheTiggerMovie''.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
** ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'' was much more epic than the show. While most episodes of the show were (and still are) basically about anything and didn't take themselves very seriously at all, the movie involves [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick going on an adventure to retrieve King Neptune's stolen crown and, while generally lighthearted, still has some very dramatic moments and unconventional moments. Plankton finally stole the Krabby Patty recipe and the consequences of it were worse than merely driving the Krusty Krab out of business. It's justified because it was intended to be the GrandFinale, with all episodes produced afterwards chronologically occurring before the movie.
** ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water]]'' also counts. Bikini Bottom is turned into a hellish [[TheApunkalypse apunkalypse]], the BigBad is able to rewrite reality at his will, and the entire thing is generally played more seriously than a regular episode (though it's a lot more lighthearted than the first movie).
** ''Theatre/TheSpongeBobMusical'' has [=SpongeBob=] having to save Bikini Bottom from being destroyed by a volcano.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie'' involves the family attempting to save Springfield from destruction, by the E.P.A. While many episodes have featured the characters saving something (greyhound puppies, Krusty, the Leftorium) and a few have involved even larger threats ("You Only Move Twice" has Hank Scorpio threatening the UN with a doomsday device, for example), the one in the movie is definitely above average.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' is about a bunch of babies and everyday life through their perspective. ''WesternAnimation/TheRugratsMovie'' is about the same babies being stranded in the forest with a robot dinosaur car and their ringleader's new baby brother. Then they did it again with ''WesternAnimation/RugratsInParis'', which involves the babies hijacking a HumongousMecha to stop one kid's dad from marrying a manipulative BitchInSheepsClothing, and ''again'' with ''WesternAnimation/RugratsGoWild'', a CrossOver with ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' that sees the kids and their families stranded on an island.
* Most of the ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'' movies, in particular, ''WesternAnimation/ChannelChasers'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Wishology}}''. ''WesternAnimation/AbraCatastrophe'' is this too, but only in the final act when things actually start going to hell.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/YogiBear Hey There It's Yogi Bear!]]'' sees Yogi and Boo-Boo moved to the San Diego Zoo and Cindy getting kidnapped by the circus. The film reaches its climax at a construction site. The live-action ''WesternAnimation/YogiBear'' adaptation also falls into this, as Yogi and Boo Boo will have to team up with Ranger Smith to prevent Jellystone Park from being closed for good.
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb''
** ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbTheMovieAcrossThe2ndDimension'': Phineas and Ferb finally find out that Perry is a secret agent, and go into an AlternateUniverse where a more evil version of [[HarmlessVillain Dr. Doofenshmirtz]] rules. And there are lots of [[KillerRobot killer robots]]. All the characters have alternate selves who (except for the title characters) are part of LaResistance. In the TV show, they're usually enjoying the summer making cool contraptions in their backyard. However, this was ''definitely'' an example of Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, as the fandom rejoiced both before and after the film premiered.
** ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbTheMovieCandaceAgainstTheUniverse'' sees Phineas and Ferb lead their friends, along with Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Agent P, on a rescue mission [[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace IN SPACE!]] to save Candace from a group of aliens who believe her to be The Chosen One, culminating in the gang fending off both an alien invasion and an alien plant kaiju from wreaking havoc in Danville.
** The various hour-long specials fit this trope to various extents as their plots usually raise the stakes massively from usual episodes, from [[Recap/PhineasAndFerbSaveSummer the Earth being pulled out of orbit]] to [[Recap/PhineasAndFerbNightOfTheLivingPharmacists a zombie pharmacist apocalypse]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Pingu}}'': The WeddingEpisode, where Pingu and his family attend a best friend's wedding. There is a lot of mischief and havoc in this, [[HappilyEverAfter but at least the ending is happy]].
* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'': While the series is all about the Tennyson's adventures on Earth, ''WesternAnimation/Ben10SecretOfTheOmnitrix'' is all on a galactic scale. Much like the ''Transformers'' example, saving the galaxy became a regular thing as well.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheJetsons'':
** ''WesternAnimation/JetsonsTheMovie'' repurposes Mr. Spacely into a CorruptCorporateExecutive trying to [[GreenAesop mine an asteroid inhabited by cute aliens]]. He's given a mild redemption at the end, at least. There are also some '80s musical numbers.
** An earlier (made for TV) movie, ''Rocking with Judy Jetson'', had the family (primarily Judy, who is given musical aspirations) caught up in a scheme by an alien overlord to remove all music from the universe.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeachersPet'' was about a talking, thinking dog who disguised himself as a boy so he could go to school. The movie was about said dog and his owner having a summer adventure in Florida where Spot (the dog) sees about becoming a human permanently, though he ultimately decides he'd rather be a dog.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheProudFamily'' movie (which also served as the GrandFinale) involved the titular family getting lured to an island by a MadScientist trying to steal Oscar's Proud Snacks recipe, peanut-shaped clones, and a [[DancePartyEnding concert at the end featuring Penny and her friends]]. The TV series did have some bizarre episodes, but nothing as extreme as saving the world from evil clones.
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossibleMovieSoTheDrama'', the original GrandFinale of ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' could count as this as not only did the world come second closest to ending (this was overtaken by the events of the second finale), but it ended with a RelationshipUpgrade that a lot of fans had been wanting to see.
* ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCatTheMovie'' has [[WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat Felix]] traveling to AnotherDimension called Oriana. There he must help a [[GratuitousPrincess Princess]] reclaim her kingdom, escape a CircusOfFear and defeat an EvilOverlord with help from his friends and his [[MagicHat Magic]] [[AwesomeBackpack Bag]] [[BagOfHolding Of]] [[LoyalPhlebotinum Tricks]].
* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' is a TV series about a group of talking steam engines. TheMovie, ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndTheMagicRailroad'', features a truly villanious diesel engine, who made a [[spoiler: magical]] steam engine crash ForTheEvulz, and a SaveBothWorlds plot. It was originally supposed to be even ''more'' epic, but ExecutiveMeddling changed all that.
* The ContinuityReboot, ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriendsAllEnginesGo'' is even LighterAndSofter than its predecessor, [[JustTrainWrong with engines constantly defying the laws of physics]] much to the chagrin of fans of the original. However, the ''Race For The Sodor Cup'' movie undoes that by having Kenji chase after a nearly-derailing Kana (and derailing due to anything seemed impossible in this show) and [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome damaging his fender doing so]]... and Kana still derails in her practice run going around Cannonball Curve. The movie itself still heavily defies logic the way the TV show does, but these were steps towards this not being your ordinary episode.
* 1993’s ''[[http://www.atlasfilm.com/product/by-genre/family---children/the-ottifants.html The Ottifants]]'' were Germany’s failed attempt at creating their own animated sitcom à la WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons. Most episodes of its only season had fairly mundane {{Random Events Plot}}s that were adapted from the newspaper comic it was based on. Then, in 2001, eight years after the show aired, a just as obscure movie was released, in which Paul, Grampa, and Baby Bruno go on an epic quest to find Störtebeker's treasure to replace the donations Paul accidentally lost betting on pigs in order to save his job and the hospital the donations were for, all the while being hunted by gangsters who want to find the treasure first.
* The ''WesternAnimation/PoundPuppies1980s'' movie ''WesternAnimation/PoundPuppiesAndTheLegendOfBigPaw'' had villains that wanted to take over the world rather than just control a pound of puppies.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicRoundabout'' the series: Five minutes of funny and mildly surreal dialogue. ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicRoundabout2005''[[note]]released in North America under the more confusing title ''Doogal''[[/note]]: Zebadee's EvilTwin is released from [[SealedEvilInACan his prison under the Roundabout]], and the characters must prevent him from creating a new Ice Age.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirlsMovie'' was first conceived to have all the main villains on [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998 the show]] battle over who would take over Townsville, but creator Creator/CraigMcCracken found it left little screentime for the girls. He eventually pitched the movie as an [[OriginsEpisode origin story]] for the girls, with the main plot of them having them unwittingly helping Mojo Jojo set the table in creating a race of supermonkeys. (The aforementioned "battle between villains" plot ironically ended up being reworked into the much shorter 10th Anniversary special.)
* The '80s ''WesternAnimation/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' has ''WesternAnimation/TheChipmunkAdventure''. The Chipmunks and Chipettes compete in a ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays''-style race, only to stumble into a diamond smuggling scheme.
* In the movie ''WesternAnimation/MuchaLucha: The Return Of El Malefico'', Rikochet, Buena Girl and The Flea who are {{The Chosen One}} must prevent El Malefico from taking over the world.
* Several of the ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' movies come to mind, with ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland'' being the first and most notable example. Overall, while episodes of the various TV shows will generally stick to the enemies being [[ScoobyDooHoax bad guys in masks]] (with [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated some exceptions]]), the movies have the Mystery Inc. crew more likely to encounter actual supernatural threats.
* Averted by ''WesternAnimation/DuckTalesTheMovieTreasureOfTheLostLamp''. Uncle Scrooge and the kids find a magic lamp with a genie in it, but that's barely impressive by the already outlandish standards of the TV show -- which, in addition to its famous "racecars, lasers, [and] aeroplanes", also treated viewers to battles with powerful witches and such. In fact, the show itself already had an episode revolving around a magic lamp and his genie.
** The movie did, however, feature a quest to save the Money Bin from a villain who stole it using the genie's powers.
* While a few ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episodes threaten to destroy the universe (For instance, "The Farnsworth Parabox" and "Time Keeps on Slippin'") the movies usually have more at stake.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** Strangely enough, it was inverted by ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls1''. In a series that already regularly jumps between SliceOfLife hijinks and more high-stakes adventure episodes, having the first movie based on the series be chasing a jealous former student of Princess Celestia's into a HighSchoolAU ultimately came across to fans as an extended version of one of the show's more relaxed episodes. Even if said jealous former student transforms into a demon for the climax and brainwashes the school. Is a bit of a moot point now that ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Equestria Girls]]'' is a self-contained SpinOff series in its own right, with very entry more-or-less carrying this tone.
** Played straight by ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017 My Little Pony: The Movie]]''. After an AttackOfTheTownFestival, Twilight Sparkle and the crew are forced to leave show's setting of Equestria and go on a world-spanning friendship adventure to different nations in order to defeat the BigBad, while his [[TheDragon right-hand unicorn]] is consistently hunting them down. Right off the bat a much different and bigger scale of adventure and stakes compared to the usual stuff. What's more, Twilight's obsession to save Equestria [[AesopAmnesia conflicts with all she learned about friendship]] and nearly breaks her bond with her friends.
* ''WesternAnimation/MagicAdventuresOfMumfie'' has "Mumfie's Quest", where the characters try to save The Queen Of Night's island. Even though it first aired as separate episodes, [[CanonDiscontinuity the other episodes try to pretend it didn't happen at all.]]
* The 2014 ''WesternAnimation/PostmanPat'' movie involves Pat retiring to pursue a singing career and having his duties carried out by robot copies of himself. [[AIIsACrapshoot No bonus points for guessing where this is going]].
* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShowTheMovie'' is about the park workers ''saving the whole universe'' in a somewhat literal RaceAgainstTheClock, as Earth's history in time is seemingly being picked away at bit by bit. Granted, such a thing is par for the course for these characters, so the stakes are additionally raised by having Mordecai and Rigby's friendship put at risk.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrysMovie'' ups the ante by having Eliza have to rescue a Cheetah cub from poachers. She is also sent away to boarding school when her grandmother disapproves of her [[SpeaksFluentAnimal talking with animals.]] That being said, Eliza had plenty of high scale adventures of her own in the main show -- so it's not too drastic a difference.
* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' had "[[WesternAnimation/EgoTrip Ego Trip]]", where Dexter attempts to save the world from a BadFuture where Mandark takes over, teaming up with his various future selves along the way. The absence of Dee Dee for most of the plot and Mandark taking a level in evil (including ''traumatizing Dexter through whipping and mentally abusing him'') adds a darker tone to the movie than the series. It was also [[UnCancelled originally intended to be]] the GrandFinale.
* ''WesternAnimation/RoliePolieOlie'' had the DTV movie ''The Great Defender Of Fun''. The movie's plot revolves around Olie and his family and friends teaming up with superhero Space Boy to stop villainous space pirate Gloomius Maxmimus from first ruining Zowie's birthday, then from trying to pull Olie's whole entire planet into a misery-filled galaxy, never to be seen again. While still remaining pretty silly in tone for the most part (in fact, ''literal weaponized'' silliness is what resolves the plot), it's a pretty far cry from the whimsical SliceOfLife plots the preschooler-aimed show is known for.
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': planned but averted in the development of the TV episode "Something Big". As its title suggests, the episode was based around an attempt by a villain, which had been previously foreshadowed, to completely destroy the Candy Kingdom in some of the biggest and most serious battle scenes ever attempted in the show, which was originally intended as part of the plot for a 45 minute special. However, when the planned TV movie didn't work out, the opening of it was reused for a TV episode, to avoid leaving the plot threads hanging. Other plot elements from the cancelled TV movie were also used in the latter half of season 5, and season 6 (particularly in the episode "Orgalorg").
* ''The WesternAnimation/ShaunTheSheep Movie''. A typical episode of the TV show involved Shaun and the flock getting up to mild hijinks, and Blitzer trying to put a stop to it before the Farmer notices. In the movie, Shaun's hijinks lead to the Farmer ending up in the Big City with EasyAmnesia, and Blitzer and the flock have to go on a quest to retrieve him, falling afoul of a DiabolicalDogcatcher in the process.
** The sequel ''Farmageddon: A Shaun the Sheep Movie'', while LighterAndSofter in some respects, still features Shaun trying to help a stranded alien evade government agents while trying to fix her ship and get home.
* ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut'': Regular show? The adventures of a HighSchoolHustler (ok, ''elementary'' school hustler) and his group of friends when dealing with the weird societal "ecology" of their school's playground. The movie? The same hustler and his friends (and some of the school's adults) trying to stop a plan to create EndlessWinter ([[InsaneTrollLogic the plan's leader truly believes that this will help American kids become better students, you see -- and will make people elect him President]]) and the apocalyptic ecological devastation that will ensue.
* Parodied by ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' in a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8RvTmJdumoa PSA for the Will Rogers Institute]]. The movie has an alien invasion, Bobby becoming a giant, Dale becoming invisible, the destruction of Washington DC, a genie, and Bill being played by Ned Beatty. The cast watching the movie overall thinks that the only good thing to result of this was the Will Rogers combo packs they got at the concession stand.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseTheMovie'' follows up on the season five finale (itself a major WhamEpisode) by introducing a massive status quo change, a TimeSkip, and a KnightOfCerebus who’s far more dangerous than most of the show’s previous villains. The plot is also significantly more high-stakes than usual, with the Crystal Gems in a RaceAgainstTheClock to save Earth from total destruction.
* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZimEnterTheFlorpus'' features Zim going from VillainProtagonist to straight-up BigBad, enacting his greatest EvilPlan ever to conquer Earth [[spoiler: and briefly succeeding]]. In response, Dib becomes an actual [[TheHero Hero]], [[TookALevelInBadass taking levels in badass]] to face off with Zim in a [[FinalBattle truly massive action sequence]].
* The aptly-named ''Literature/CliffordTheBigRedDog'' movie ''Clifford's Really Big Movie''. Set within the continuity of the PBS Kids TV show, the movie involves Clifford, T-Bone, and Cleo running away to join a traveling animal act after Clifford feels unappreciated by Emily Elizabeth and her parents. Things get serious when Clifford ends up being tricked into being signed into the ownership of a CorruptCorporateExecutive, leading the animals, as well as Emily Elizabeth, to set out to rescue Clifford and bring him back home.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'' parodies the franchise’s use of these when Mariner makes a holodeck movie of the crew in lieu of therapy.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' is set to have one in 2022 tentatively called The Amazing World of Gumball The Movie! Normal show? The satirical and wacky misadventures of a 12 year old cat and his best friend goldfish as they explore their messed up world. The Movie? One of the show's [[AscendedFanboy biggest fans]] discovers the lost final episode to the series and upon watching it accidentally opens a gateway to Elmore. Gumball Darwin Anais Nicole and Richard must team up with the fan to prevent [[EldritchLocation The Void]] from erasing Elmore while unintentionally unleashing another threat that seeks to end all of existence.
* ''Jungle Beat'' is a series of humorous short vignettes focused on animals that live in jungles and savannas. ''Jungle Beat: The Movie'' features several of those animals in a genuine adventure story, as they are greeted by a friendly alien that they must team up with in order to prevent his emperor father from conquering Earth.
* ''WesternAnimation/WeBareBears'' wraps up the series as a whole, with the Bears being shunned by the community and getting chased by a nature-restoring agent, while also touching on how the Bears first established the brotherhood.
[[/folder]]

* ''Anime/PrettyCure'' has two types of movie- one that tends to air alongside a season and another where multiple teams from each of the series team up with one another. They tend to have the Cures go up against an original villain, who generally isn’t part of the season's bad guys.

** All of these pale with the fourth film: ''Anime/YokaiWatchShadowsideTheReturnOfTheOniKing'', set after a 30-year TimeSkip (Nate is no longer the hero, and he no longer can use the Yo-kai Watch, plus Enma has been dethroned and Kaira decided to destroy most of the watches) and having a DarkerAndEdgier tone as higher things are at stake: the Onimaro Virus infects people's mallice and one of the human main characters -Touma-, pulling on his DarkAndTroubledPast, is swayed to lead them (before his HeelFaceTurn), action scenes are more intense and the Yo-kai themselves look more fierce, and it also has TheHeroine -Natsume, who is the wielder of the new Yo-kai Watch- redeeming Touma by showing [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre he's loved by his parents and some kids wanted to be friends like him]]. Oh, and did I mention it has ''the'' single vilest BigBad of the franchise who [[spoiler:nearly kills ''the aforementioned two main characters''?]]
** Taking cues from the fourth movie, ''Anime/YokaiWatchForeverFriends'', manages to do so despite its main characters only appearing in said movie and ''VideoGame/YokaiWatch4''. In succession: A poor boy named Shin,has his otherwise happy life struck down when his mother dies thanks to the machinations of Tamamo-no-mae; he latter attemtps suicide only to be saved by Itsuki, who hates Yo-kai; aided by a young Onmyoji named Tae and a seemingly weak Yo-kai named Suu-san, they use an ancient Yo-kai Watch (Yo-kai Watch Elda Zero) and three oddball Classic Yo-kai in order to take down Tamamo-no-mae, [[spoiler:only to find she was acting on orders from [[RoyalBrat Shien]] to harvest souls and obtain power to take the throne of the Yo-kai World by force; the heroes gain permission from Enma Gouen to enter the tournament in order to prevent so; but it turns to be NotJustATournament as an AncientEvil known as Soranaki corrupts Shien and eventually overtakes him; Itsuki takes a fatal blow in order to protect Shin and it turns out he was DeadToBeginWith and was using borrowed time from a deal with a Yo-kai in order to set things straight; his GuardianEntity, a Deva Yo-kai, gives him an even stronger Yo-kai Watch Elda, and with it the mentioned Classic Yo-kai attain a [[SuperMode Godside Form]]; Itsuki tries to reach to Shien, and [[FusionDance he becomes the Lord Enma we all know an love!]]; Soranaki flees to the human world and battles Yasha Enma, Genbu, and Byakko alongside Yamata-no Orochi and Asura (the Kenbumajin); when all seems lost, Suu-san [[SuperMode regains his true power, and he turns into Susanoo]] -who is a GuardianEntity formed from Shin's lost father- and defeats Soranaki; and Enma decides to reborn in order to grow properly, becoming the Enma who appears from the second movie onwards]]. Yep, a tale of friendship and several revelations about characters from the OG and the Shadowside series.

** Slightly less extreme in ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldGetsReal''. The setting is a crazy world on the other side of the comics page-- and Garfield gets sucked into the real world, prompting his friends to dive in as well to save him. This one wound up with two sequels:

* The ''Literature/PaddingtonBear'' books are about Paddington comically misunderstanding everyday situations and muddling through regardless (although sometimes he has to give someone a Hard Stare). ''Film/Paddington2014'' is an OriginStory that also has him being pursued by a CruellaToAnimals taxidermist. ''Film/Paddington2'' is somewhere in the middle - where it's more SliceOfLife but has a more action-packed climax.

* ''Series/DrakeAndJosh Go Hollywood'' . [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Exactly what you might expect happens.]] While in Hollywood, Drake and Josh get mixed up with a counterfeiter. Also, Josh wears an earring. And said criminals in this (TV) movie are some of the most wanted men in America; they even threaten at one point [[NeverSayDie to drown Drake and Josh.]] Er...this film's based off a... FAMILY show, right?

* ''Film/{{Bean}}'' has Series/MrBean travelling to America and saving his new friend's career... admittedly from Bean himself. Spoofed in the trailer for ''Film/MrBeansHoliday'' -- which, the deep-voiced narrator informs us, is about "one man's journey...[[MundaneMadeAwesome to the beach]]."
* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' had two {{Made For TV Movie}}s - ''Film/SabrinaGoesToRome'' and ''Film/SabrinaDownUnder''. Both had a more dramatic and serious tone than the FantasticComedy they were based on. The former has Sabrina trying to uncover the mystery behind why one of her ancestors was trapped in a magical locket, while two mortals try to capture her using her powers on camera to sell a story. The latter features a GreenAesop about saving a mermaid colony in Australia.

** In ''Big Bird in China'', Big Bird and Barkley [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin go to China]] [[VisualPun on a very slow boat]] - and encounter two shape-shifting Chinese gods once they get there.

* {{Double subver|sion}}ted in ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica''. It starts off with a ''{{Franchise/Godzilla}}''-esque giant monster fight between the boys that turns out to be AllJustADream. The two then set out to try and find their stolen TV...and end up getting massively sidetracked into a plot involving a biological weapon that takes them all over America.

** ''WesternAnimation/TheManCalledFlintstone'': The animated movie had Fred turn out to be the exact look-alike of a secret agent who was hung up in the hospital and thus couldn't go back to work. Fred is immediately made into a secret agent himself, and must stop the BigBad and two [[TheMole Moles]] from blowing up an entire city--oh, ''and'' fix his relationship with Wilma. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And it was a musical.]]
* Downplayed in ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow'': The trio don't become heroes, but it played like a standard episode on a grand scale--in a relative sense, as the show basically never left the usual neighborhood or expanded past its MinimalistCast. Again, one of the Eds' scams fails miserably. We [[NoodleIncident never learn what the scam was]], but we see that it injured the other kids greatly. This leads to the Eds having to [[SternChase escape the cul-de-sac via a car chase]]. Eventually, every character in the series is trekking the countryside, all with the destination of Eddy's Brother's house. And the fact that [[spoiler:we actually SEE his brother, who has been TheGhost all this time,]] makes the movie even bigger. This is lampshaded with a "In Case of Movie, Break Glass" case, containing a single peanut with a car key inside.
* ''WesternAnimation/PoohsGrandAdventure'' is arguably the darkest and most mature Winnie the Pooh story ever made, which is helped by the fact that it is [[DarkerAndEdgier a lot more scary and intense]] than any movie of this particular franchise released before or since, and certainly darker than anything from ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh.'' The stakes haven't really been matched by subsequent media and the characters go through a pretty powerful journey of self discovery. Could also be seen as justified if one gives credence to the idea that this was the GrandFinale of ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' As it stands, it has become a SeriesFauxnale.

* Averted by ''WesternAnimation/DuckTalesTheMovieTreasureOfTheLostLamp''. Uncle Scrooge and the kids find a magic lamp with a genie in it, but that's barely impressive by the already outlandish standards of the TV show - which, in addition to its famous "racecars, lasers, [and] aeroplanes", also treated viewers to battles with powerful witches and such. In fact, the show itself already had an episode revolving around a magic lamp and his genie.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrysMovie'' ups the ante by having Eliza have to rescue a Cheetah cub from poachers. She is also sent away to boarding school when her grandmother disapproves of her [[SpeaksFluentAnimal talking with animals.]] That being said, Eliza had plenty of high scale adventures of her own in the main show - so it's not too drastic a difference.

* ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut'': Regular show? The adventures of a HighSchoolHustler (ok, ''middle'' school hustler) and his group of friends when dealing with the weird societal "ecology" of their school's playground. The movie? The same hustler and his friends (and some of the school's adults) trying to stop a plan to create EndlessWinter ([[InsaneTrollLogic the plan's leader truly believes that this will help American kids become better students, you see -- and will make people elect him President]]) and the apocalyptic ecological devastation that will ensue.

* ''Series/DadsArmy'' revolves around the World War II-era British HomeGuard group that causes [[ArmedFarces hilarious and chaotic antics]] in their town (mostly by stepping on each other's toes and/or [[RagTagBunchOfMisfits not being exactly what you would call "Britain's Finest"]]). [[Film/DadsArmy2016 The 2016 film adaptation]] has said Home Guard group causing hilarious and chaotic antics as they battle a Nazi infiltrator ring that is using Walmington-on-Sea as a staging ground, and the film climaxes with them trying to prevent the Nazis from escaping Britain with the secrets they plundered.

* ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'' is normally a WorkCom where the story rarely ever leaves the Grace Brothers Department Store and almost all the plots are about petty conflicts or accidental misunderstandings among the employees. . .so when they have a movie, it's about the staff going to a beach resort town as it's attacked by a group of guerrillas trying to start a revolution.

* ''Literature/TheMoomins'' is about weird creatures of Finnish imagination having cute (albeit scary) adventures in GhibliHills. The movie is about EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrysMovie'' ups the antics by having Eliza have to rescue a Cheetah cub from poachers. She is also sent away to boarding school when her grandmother disapproves of her [[SpeaksFluentAnimal talking with animals.]] That being said, Eliza had plenty of high scale adventures of her own in the main show - so it's not too drastic a difference.
* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' had "Ego Trip", where Dexter attempts to save the world from a BadFuture where Mandark takes over, teaming up with his various future selves along the way. The absence of Dee Dee for most of the plot and Mandark taking a level in evil (including ''traumatizing Dexter through whipping and mentally abusing him'') adds a darker tone to the movie than the series. It was also [[UnCancelled originally intended to be]] the GrandFinale.

* ''Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses'' is a group of internet reviewers. The anniversary specials are evolving into this.

* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnpTcrtsN3U Dora the Explorer: The Search for the Infinity Orb]]'' (Unfortunately, this isn't real, it's just a fake trailer, albeit a really well done one, with Creator/ArielWinter as [[WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer Dora]].) They've made a real miniseries now, due to the amount of fans commenting on the Website/YouTube video DEMANDING they make one: [[http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6874662/dora-the-explorer-and-the-destiny-medallion-part-1 watch it here]].
** [[HilariousInHindsight And then]] ''Film/DoraAndTheLostCityOfGold'' came out late summer 2019.

** Some of WesternAnimation/GarfieldSpecials are a bit more dramatic than the comic strip. For example, "Here Comes Garfield" has Garfield saving Odie from the pound, "Garfield on the Town" has Garfield reuniting with his family in the alleys, and "Garfield in the Rough" has Garfield fighting a ''panther''. And then there's ''ComicBook/GarfieldHis9Lives''.
** Slightly less extreme in ''Garfield Gets Real''. The setting is a crazy world on the other side of the comics page-- and Garfield gets sucked into the real world, prompting his friends to dive in as well to save him. This one wound up with two sequels:
*** ''Garfield's Fun Fest'' involves Garfield going on an adventure to reclaim his lost sense of humor.
*** ''Garfield's Pet Force'' features Garfield teaming up with his superhero counterpart, Garzooka, while his friends temporarily transform into the remainder of the titular Pet Force (Odie becomes Odious, Arlene becomes Starlena and Nermal becomes Abnermal) to do battle with the evil Vetvix.

** ''The Dark Age of Nintendo'' trilogy may also count if you consider the CompilationRerelease combining all three episodes into an hour-and-45-minute-long saga. Said trilogy involves Scott going to therapy after playing what he considers to be [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing three of]] [[VideoGame/MarioTennis the worst]] [[VideoGame/ChibiRobo Nintendo games]] ever made.

The movies: Heroic action/adventure[[note]] from ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheSpaceHeroes'' [[/note]].]]

* Most of the Heisei ''Franchise/KamenRider'' films have been [=BDMs=], pitting the stakes to ''post-apocalyptic levels'' in some (namely ''[[Series/KamenRiderFaiz Faiz]]'' and ''[[Series/KamenRiderKabuto Kabuto]]'').

* Parodied by ''Creator/ProZD'' in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEfFy-uZ8_g "anime timeskips and spinoffs"]]. ''Chairem Anime'' is (or at least, [[CerebusSyndrome starts out as]]) a lighthearted HaremGenre show about a woman named Tomoko interacting with sentient furniture. ''Chairem Anime: The Movie'', however, ends up being about Tomoko meeting a sword-wielding warrior and traveling to an ice kingdom to slay a dragon.

** ''AnimationTheMythicalArkAdventuresInLoveAndHappiness'' has them saving everyone from a flood.