History Main / ShortCutsMakeLongDelays

** ''VideoGame/WipEout'' calls its track bypasses "skillcuts" for this exact reason. Many of them shave off whole corners, but they require committing to a completely different racing line. Botch it and you'll scrape a barrier of plow into a wall and lose more time than just going the easy way. They can also be a tactical consideration, as many of them are narrow and/or have their own weapon pads, so a follower can pick up a missile and have the leader dead to rights.

* ''WesternAnimation/HamsterAndGretel: The titular duo have to enter through a pipe to get to a cat trapped down a well. Kevin tries to guide them to the well, but Gretel prefers to punch right through the wall. Kevin warns her that she could break a water main and flood the well, but Gretel doesn't listen and just goes through the wall. She gets there right after Hamster, who followed the pipe like Kevin wanted, and predictably, a water main breaks and floods the well. Fortunately, Hamster swallows all the water and everyone is safe... except for Kevin when Hamster spits out all the water on him and the van.

* ''Film/TheLifeAquaticWithSteveZissou'': who '''didn't''' see disaster coming when Steve took a shortcut through [[TemptingFate Unprotected Waters]]?

* Pretty much the whole point of ''Film/RatRace'', in which six different people (often with family/sidekicks) try to be the first to get to a town in the next state. HilarityEnsues as increasingly improbable circumstances slow them down - the helicopter pilot discovers her boyfriend cheating on her and runs out of fuel in the ensuing vengeful maneuvers, a "helpful" woman provides shortcut directions to one driver that sends them over the edge of a cliff because they didn't buy a squirrel, and so on. The movie was kinda remake of ''Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' anyway, so that's to be expected...

* In ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', Epheremelda doesn't buy into the idea that Zelda has suddenly warped from Turtle Rock to the swamplands, and recommends that they go find the map first. Link, blinded by his devotion, forges ahead and mounts of a successful rescue of...a Wizzrobe. Whoops.

* Racing games, especially ones that are not serious (''VideoGame/{{Burnout}},''Videogame/NeedForSpeed, VideoGame/MarioKart'') often include shortcuts that, if not executed properly, will cost the player even more time than the shortcut is intended to bypass.

* The dreaded [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Southern-Gregson_Street_Overpass "11 Foot 8 Bridge"]] in North Carolina, affectionately known as The Can Opener, for being such an unusually low bridge that vehicles collide with it roughly once a month. Countless drivers have decided to challenge it to take a shortcut, grossly underestimating how low it actually is, only for the bridge to deem them unworthy and shave the roof off of their truck instead. In October of 2019, the bridge was raised from 11'8" to 12'4" in an attempt to reduce collisions; after that, collisions became much rarer, but ''never'' completely stopped.

* In ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'', there's the RoadTrip episode "Game At Clay City". Mr. Conklin, [[BavarianFireDrill appointing himself navigator of Miss Brooks' car]], determines they should take a shortcut. After the car breaking down going up a steep hill, getting lost, giving a ride to a hitchhiker who misdirects them to a neighboring town, the gang finally arrive at Clay City . . . only to find that the football game is over and Madison High School had been clobbered.

* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': In "WesternAnimation/EightBallBunny", Bugs tries to get a small penguin to Antarctica where he belongs. While traveling through Africa, the scene shifts, showing that the pair has been CapturedByCannibals. Bugs turns to the penguin and grumbles, "You and your short cuts..."

* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'': In "[[Recap/ThomasTheTankEngineS3E23Bulgy Bulgy]]", the titular double-decker bus tries to prove that he can get the passengers home faster than Duck can. He attempts to take a shortcut by going under a bridge, [[HelpImStuck but he only gets himself stuck under it]] as a result. The passengers are not pleased with this.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'': In "[[Recap/ThomasTheTankEngineS3E23Bulgy Bulgy]]", the titular double-decker bus tries to prove that he can get the passengers home faster than Duck can. He attempts to take a shortcut by going under a bridge, [[HelpImStuck but he only gets himself stuck under it]] as a result. The passengers are not pleased with this.

* Racing games, especially ones that are not serious (''VideoGame/{{Burnout}}, VideoGame/MarioKart'') often include shortcuts that, if not executed properly, will cost the player even more time than the shortcut is intended to bypass.

Typically AnAesop against cheating. All the regular characters are on a RoadTrip or some other [[TheQuest quest]]. One character suggests they take a shortcut: sure, it [[LostWorld may not be on the maps]], but he knows the route like the back of his hand. Besides, it will shave a few hours off the trip, and be all-around more interesting than the [[ScenicRoute boring old interstate]]! Persuaded, the other characters agree to take the shortcut.

If the proposed shortcut is described beforehand as "the ScenicRoute", it's pretty much [[RiverOfInsanity doomed from the start]].

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''
** The arc ''Steel Ball Run'' gives a very straight (if particularly layered) example in the final stretch of the part, said by [[spoiler:Gyro right before dying at the hands of Valentine (having realized he wouldn't win)]].

* David Vincent saw ''Series/TheInvadersTVSeries'' after getting lost "looking for a short cut that he never found".

* David Vincent saw ''Series/TheInvaders'' after getting lost "looking for a short cut that he never found".

* The dreaded [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Southern-Gregson_Street_Overpass "11 Foot 8 Bridge"]] in North Carolina, affectionately known as The Can Opener, for being such an unusually low bridge that vehicles collide with it roughly once a month. Countless drivers have decided to challenge it to take a shortcut, grossly underestimating how low it actually is, only for the bridge to deem them unworthy and shave the roof off of their truck instead. In October of 2019, the bridge was raised from 11'8" to 12'4" in an attempt to reduce collisions.

-->'''Brian:''' Where the hell is the suit store? We've been walking for forty-five minutes!
-->'''Champ:''' Brick, I thought you said this was a short cut.
-->'''Brick:''' ''(laughing)'' Fantastic!
-->'''Ron:''' Well, is it a short cut, or not?
-->'''Brick:''' ''(laughing)'' OK!

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TwoStupidDogs'', Mr. Hollywood is a man, temporarily blind after a trip to the eye doctor, who buys the dogs to use them as guide dogs. Little Dog's "shortcuts" eventually lead him to the top of [[ConstructionZoneCalamity a building under construction]].
* Invoked in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGummiBears,'' where Cavin is transformed into an ogre in order to infiltrate the ranks of Duke Igthorn's army. After accidentally "capturing" Cubbi, he ends up taking point on the Duke's next invasion, which he tries to sabotage by leading Igthorn and his ogres on a variety of wild goose chases in the guise of "shortcuts."

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'' has the two miss the bus back home; rather than walk home, Butthead suggests they take a shortcut. The duo end up in a different neighborhood and end up spending an entire day just to get back to their school.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': Bender is helping a robot fraternity win a boat race and claims to know a shortcut. Ends up [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-zagging the trope]], as the route is more dangerous but does turn out to be slightly quicker (allowing them to just barely win the race).
-->'''Gearshift:''' Hey, Bender, you sure this is a shortcut?
-->'''Bender:''' Not as sure as I was an hour ago.
* In a ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoon "Eight-Ball Bunny", Bugs tries to get a small penguin to Antarctica where he belongs. While traveling through Africa, the scene shifts, showing that the pair has been CapturedByCannibals. Bugs turns to the penguin and grumbles, "You and your short cuts..."
* In the ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' episode "Road Rash" Heffer tells Rocko to take a shortcut on their motorcycle trip. They end up passing numerous landmarks including the Egyptian Pyramids, Stonehenge, a Venetian canal, Moai Statues on Easter Island, the Eiffel Tower, Rocko's house, and the Taj Mahal. Heffer says that must have saved them hours. While they were previously 500 miles from their destination, now they are only 499 miles away. Rocko asks him if he is reading the map right.
* A recurring plot element and running joke in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Rupert}} Bear'' cartoon series is that all of Bill's "short cuts" invariably lead to some sort of strange adventure, but never where they wanted to go in the first place. In one episode, the two decided to split up and make a race out of it. Naturally, this time it's Rupert taking the proper route who finds himself in a land of adventure, which implies that it's not the shortcuts that lead to adventure, it's Rupert.
* Has occurred several times in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' (most often at Homer's instigation). In fact, the page quote is from one such episode in which the family take a shortcut on a trip. They reach their destination ''much'' later than expected with an overall destroyed car sporting a wagon wheel as a spare tire, infested with farm animals, and a US Military Missile embedded into the back.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' episode "The Trojan Smurf", the Smurfs must carry a big statue of Papa Smurf (which is really a TrojanHorse for Gargamel to infiltrate the Smurf Village) to the village, but cannot get it across the river because the bridge is too small. Brainy suggests a "short cut", which ends up taking the statue down a very steep slope, only to fall into a raging river that ends in a waterfall that Bigmouth is taking a bath at the bottom of, and said ogre mistakes the statue for a talking Papa Smurf doll.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Stoked}}'': In ""Reef, Broseph and Emma's Totally Stupid Adventure", Broseph, Reef and Emma go into town for beaver tails (a local pastry), but stay too long and realize they're late for work. They try to take a shortcut through the woods, but end up lost in the woods for the day. HilarityEnsues.
* Gen's bad shortcuts are given a lampshading in the ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'' episode "The Real World part 1", when Leonardo, Usagi, Gen, and Lord Noriyuki find themselves at a cliff, and then are soon attacked by Neko Ninja.
-->'''Leo:''' This is the way to Edo?
-->'''Gen:''' It's a shortcut.
-->'''Usagi:''' Your shortcuts will be the end of us.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' episode, "[[Recap/ThomasTheTankEngineS3E23Bulgy Bulgy]]", the titular double-decker bus tries to prove that he can get the passengers home faster than Duck can. He attempts to take a shortcut by going under a bridge, [[HelpImStuck but he only gets himself stuck under it]] as a result. The passengers are not pleased with this.

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