History Main / InevitableWaterfall

** ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', with LampshadeHanging as outlined in the above quote. They go over, and Kuzco screams "BOOYAHAHA!!" on the way [[[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhOrxkGlLDM]] down.]]

'''Kuzco''': ''(beat)'' Bring it on."

* Happens on ''TheFairlyOddParents'' on the episode where Timmy and the fairies visit Niagara Falls. The fact that they were visiting Niagara Falls made it even more inevitable than normal.
* In one sketch on ''TheMrMenShow'', Mr. Stubborn goes over a waterfall while going to a calm stream.

* Parodied on ''{{Jimmy Two-Shoes}}''. While on a cruise, the boat hits a waterfall...which is so small it just rocks the boat a little. Then there are two more just like it, so [[{{Satan}} Lucius]] doesn't worry about the fourth one...which is a big one.
* The ''Bongo'' segment of ''FunAndFancyFree''
* The ClassicDisneyShort featuring DonaldDuck as ''Commando Duck''. Unlike most of the examples in fiction, the waterfall's relevance doesn't end when Don falls thru it. It immediately takes over the plot and leads to a glorious CrowningMomentOfAwesome for Donald. [[ItMakesSenseInContext Watch the short so it makes more sense.]]

* In the "It's a Wonderful Nine Lives" episode of ''EekTheCat'', Eek is in the water with his blonde-haired pig friend during one of his AmusingInjuries. They go over a waterfall (much to Eek's cowardice) and the pig somehow disappears. Then Eek gets trapped inside a sewer and fortunately swims out of it.
* ''TazMania'': "Doubting Dingo" contains a ludicrously tall example, with Taz's fall almost veering into OverlyLongGag territory.

** I think we can all agree that the Dead Fantasy series is [[WorldOfBadass made of]] RuleOfCool.

* ''DarthsAndDroids'': [[http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0035.html #35]] Qui-Gon, Obi-wan and Jar-jar, after traveling though the [[AlienGeometry underwater core of Naboo]], only to emerge right in front of one. It even links to this very page!

* ''ThePerryBibleFellowship'': comic [[http://www.pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF057-Raft_Friends.jpg Raft Friends]] has one of these. It ends the way most [[ThePerryBibleFellowship PBFs]] do.

** "Simpson Tide": Homer joins the Naval Reserve. In one scene, Homer is tying a ship to the dock, but forgets to actually tie the rope to the ship. The ship then sails off into the ''ocean'' only to fall off a giant waterfall.
*** At first, it looks like the ship is [[FlatWorld falling off the edge of the Earth.]]

* The ''{{Futurama}}'' episode "Mars University".

* ''{{Rugrats}}''

* ''TinyToonAdventures: How I Spent My Summer Vacation''.

* Shana dealt with this trope in the ''{{Jem}}'' episode, 'Last Resorts'.
* ''ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop''
* From a short on ''OhYeahCartoons'':

* ''{{Peanuts}}'': Shows up in ''Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown''. Given that this is during a camp-sponsored raft race, the possibility of this happening to a bunch of young children who are rafting without adult supervision makes this an even more egregious example of AdultsAreUseless than is usually present in Peanuts cartoons.

* In the Hasty But Tasty episode of ''TheAntAndTheAardvark'' this was averted and then inverted when the aardvark, on a motorcycle, falls over a cliff into a river. He restarted the bike at the last possible moment to do a miracle 180... only to fall off the other waterfall behind him.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpiritStallionOfTheCimarron''

* In ''Literature/Patrimony'' by Alan Dean Foster, Flinx has to deal with one of these things.
** In ''[[Literature/{{Spellsinger}} The Hour Of The Gate]]'', also by Foster, Jon-Tom's party only survive the InevitableWaterfall because [[spoiler: the wizard Clothahump levitates their boat]] over the Helldrink. This was even more harrowing than most examples, as they were on a subterranean river with no way to change course or land, and were being pursued by an EldritchAbomination at the time.

** ''[[Disney/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day]]''

* ''AceVentura: When Nature Calls''. Ace is tied, along with his capuchin monkey Spike, to a log-raft that Ace deduces is going over said waterfall. The monkey escapes from the ropes and is about to free Ace, then changes his mind and jumps to shore while he still can, leaving Ace to go over the edge.

* In ''Patrimony'' by Alan Dean Foster, Flinx has to deal with one of these things.
** In ''[[{{Spellsinger}} The Hour Of The Gate]]'', also by Foster, Jon-Tom's party only survive the InevitableWaterfall because [[spoiler: the wizard Clothahump levitates their boat]] over the Helldrink. This was even more harrowing than most examples, as they were on a subterranean river with no way to change course or land, and were being pursued by an EldritchAbomination at the time.
* In ''Snakehead'', seventh installment in Anthony Horowitz's ''Alex Rider'' series, Alex steals a float and oar from a seaplane, and uses them to form a kayak. He then navigates through treacherous rapids [[spoiler:and tries to avoid a marksman aiming at him from a helicopter,]] and only after getting through this does he tumble down the 50-yard high Bora Falls...and, being the protagonist, survives. This is not the first time that it is made blindingly obvious that the kid is BornLucky, nor is it the last.

* In AndreNorton's ''Storm Over Literature/{{Warlock}}'', floating down to the sea in a raft is interrupted by a waterfall -- for once, one they know about in advance and avoid.

* An episode of ''{{Rentaghost}}'' had Mr. and Mrs. Meeker narrowly avoid going over UsefulNotes/NiagaraFalls. In ''[[CriticalResearchFailure England]]''.

* On AllMyChildren, Julia and Noah fled to Jamaica to escape his false murder conviction, where they were pursued by the deranged Taylor, who wanted Noah for herself. Taylor chased Julia to the top of a waterfall, eventually shoving her over. Luckily, she was unharmed.
* Luke and Laura's 1993 return to GeneralHospital was chock-full of adventure. The culmination of this was them leaping from a stalled plane into a raging river and nearly going over the falls before being rescued by a helicopter.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', Sabin and Cyan jump down a waterfall in order to reach their destination. Cyan will hesitate and Shadow will calmly leave your party if he's still with you at that point, but there's still very little pause given before jumping off a waterfall so large you've got time for a few random encounters and a minor boss battle on the way down.
** The two do end up unconscious, but they float to shore and wake up in short order. [[GameplayAndStorySegregation You don't take any hp damage from this incident]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Exile}}'': Warns you shortly before a '''long''' series of them. The final set is multiple in a row. You are pre-warned, but, by then, you've long since crossed the PointOfNoReturn.
** All they do is take away your food, though. The party remains unharmed.

* In ''[[Disney/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day]]'', Piglet and Owl end up heading toward one of these while [[ItMakesSenseInContext floating on a chair]]. Owl has his back to the waterfall, and is, of course, so busy [[OldWindbag telling Piglet a story]] that he's oblivious to the latter's attempts to warn him. (Of course, ''he'' can fly and therefore has nothing to worry about.) Fortunately, the chair ends up catching on a tree root.

* ''LightNovel/Slayers''

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -Live Action]]
* ''Film/WithoutAPaddle''. Also in the sequel.
* ''Film/{{Bushwhacked}}''
* ''Film/GeorgeOfTheJungle''
* ''The Wrong Guys''
* ''Film/LastOfTheMohicans''

** ''A Goofy Movie''
--> "Ahyuck, a waterfall. ''(realizes)'' '''''WATERFALL?!?!?!?'''''"

* Used tragically in ''TheMission''. With the DistantReactionShot of the denouement providing the art for the [[FilmPosters Film Poster]] and the cover art for the EnnioMorricone [[CultSoundtrack soundtrack album]].
* ''[[{{Anaconda}} Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid]]'', where the boat somehow manages to go over a waterfall while heading ''up'' the river.

* ''GiveMyRegardsToBroadStreet'', during the "Eleanor's Dream" sequence.
* ''Cat City''
* BusterKeaton's ''Our Hospitality''.
** Another Buster Keaton comedy, "The Balloonatic", subverts it at the end. When the characters' canoe, newly outfitted with a simple canopy, reaches a waterfall's edge, it [[spoiler:continues moving in the same direction despite gravity. A long shot reveals that what looked like a canopy was just the bottom of a newly-repaired hot-air balloon]].
* ''PoliceAcademy 4: Citizens On Patrol''.
* ''Evan Almighty''. A real trick, considering it involves an ark and a flood.

* ''MiloAndOtis'' is about a kitten who gets too curious for his own good and climbs in a box floating down the river, only to be washed away down into a waterfall and [[IWillFindYou the rest is history.]]
* The ending of ''PureLuck''.
* In ''TheIncredibles'', Mr. Incredible gets thrown over a waterfall.
* In TheFellowshipOfTheRing this scene appears to pop up, [[AvertedTrope but it's ok they're just banking at The Gates of Argonath.]]

* Occurs in ''AGoofyMovie'' with Max and Goofy [[MoodWhiplash after a long father-son talk]].
-->'''Goofy:''' Ah-hyuck. A waterfall. ({{Beat}}.) '''[[OhCrap A WATERFALL!]]'''

* ''AkazukinChaCha'': A school ''ice-skating'' race - naturally the river is frozen making the waterfall much more of an issue. Luckily Chacha's skirt turns into an impromptu parachute (though she's not too happy, especially with her two male friends [[PantyShot hanging onto her ankles]]).
* ''TheSlayers''
* Midway through ''RanmaOneHalf'', [[GenderBender Female-Ranma]] and [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever Pantyhose Taro]] went over a waterfall while fighting on a drifting log. The thing is, nobody (not even the onlookers) even realized there was a waterfall there until the combatants went over the edge.
* In ''DinosaurKing'', The Alpha Gang has a tendency to fall over these, preceded by a "this feels familiar". In the UsefulNotes/NiagaraFalls episode, it occured twice!
* In ''{{Naruto}}'', Team 7 has a mission cleaning up a river. During the entire episode, Naruto tries to prove that he's better than Sasuke. So, naturally, he gets too close to the giant waterfall, loses his footing, falls into the water, and goes screaming over the waterfall, only to be caught by an annoyed Sasuke.
* In ''ArashiNoYoruNi,'' Mei and Gabu tumble over a series of several waterfalls (culminating in one big one) when they attempt to escape from their clans' attempts to have them betray one another.

* ''StrikeWitches:'' TheMovie: After Yoshika rescues a dog stranded on a rock in a river, she falls in and quickly heads towards one of these. [[spoiler: She goes over the falls, but is saved by a Witch cadet who [[ContrivedCoincidence happens to be flying by.]]]]

* ''{{Tintin}}'' narrowly avoids going over one or two of these.
* Played with in ''LuckyLuke'': As the Dalton brothers are about to fall into one, Jack ([[ThoseTwoGuys or is it William?]]) tells Joe not to worry, that in such situations the characters are always saved in the nick of time. In fact, nobody comes to the Daltons' rescue, and they fall over. Of course, they make it.

[[folder:Film]]

* ''IceAge 3'' with a lavafall.
* ''Without a Paddle''. Also in the sequel.
* ''Bushwhacked''
* ''GeorgeOfTheJungle''

** Some Disney shorts, where a huge waterfall is just downstream of where a whole bunch of people are skating on a frozen river.

->'''Pacha''': [[OhCrap Uh-oh]].\\
'''Kuzco''': [facing the other way] [[GenreSavvy Don't tell me.]] [[DiscussedTrope We're about to go over a huge waterfall.]]\\
'''Pacha''': [[CasualDangerDialogue Yep.]]\\
'''Kuzco''': [[DeadpanSnarker Sharp rocks at the bottom?]]\\
'''Pacha''': [[ThisIsGonnaSuck Most likely]].\\
'''Kuzco''': ''({{beat}})'' [[BringIt Bring it on]].
-->--''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhOrxkGlLDM]]

** ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', with LampshadeHanging as outlined in the above quote. They go over, and Kuzco screams "BOOYAHAHA!!" on the way down.

If the characters are rafting, swimming, or just floating down [[RiverOfInsanity a river]], then they will either go over a waterfall or narrowly avoid going over a waterfall. Always. No exceptions. You could take it to the bank.[[note]] But you actually can't, because you're going over a waterfall - you'd swim to the bank if you could... 'cause the side of a river is called a bank, and um... never mind.[/note]]

If the characters are rafting, swimming, or just floating down [[RiverOfInsanity a river]], then they will either go over a waterfall or narrowly avoid going over a waterfall. Always. No exceptions. You could take it to the bank.[[hottip:*: But you actually can't, because you're going over a waterfall - you'd swim to the bank if you could... 'cause the side of a river is called a bank, and um... never mind.]]

* ''{{Okami}}'' has an interactive challenge involving one of these on a log rushing towards a waterfall
* ''Call of Duty: ModernWarfare 2'' has one [[spoiler: at the finale, when you are chasing Gen Shepherd's helicopter in a Zodiac raft. Made doubly badass because you could have escaped going over, but you and Price deliberately stayed in order to take the killer shots.]]

* In ''TheSimpsons Arcade Game'', this causes the unconsciousness that leads to level 6, Dreamland.

* Can potentially happen in ''VideoGame/{{Skyrim}}'' if you decide to swim around in it's rivers.

* In ''DinosaurKing'', The Alpha Gang has a tendency to fall over these, preceded by a "this feels familiar". In the NiagaraFalls episode, it occured twice!

* The NiagaraFalls themselves show up in Creator/JulesVerne's novel ''Master Of The World''. Two torpedo ships chase a mysterious vehicle, called the ''Terror'', across Lake Erie, until they corner it before the falls. Instead of either letting the ships catch or sink the ''Terror'', or perishing by being dragged down the falls, the vehicle's inventor and captain [[TakeAThirdOption takes a third option]]: [[spoiler: The Terror spreads its wings and flies away.]]

* An episode of ''{{Rentaghost}}'' had Mr. and Mrs. Meeker narrowly avoid going over NiagaraFalls. In ''[[CriticalResearchFailure England]]''.

* Happens on ''TheFairlyOddParents'' on the episode where Timmy and the fairies visit NiagaraFalls. The fact that they were visiting Niagara Falls made it even more inevitable than normal.

* In TheFellowshipOfTheRing this scene appears to pop up, ''AvertedTrope but it's ok they're just banking at The Gates of Argonath.''

* In TheFellowshipOfTheRing this scene appears to pop up, but it's ok they're just banking at The Gates of Argonath.

* In ''JonahHex'' #39 (original series), Jonah faces one in a flashback to Civil War days. {{Lampshaded}} by Jonah's internal monologue: