Line #8 WesternAnimation/StanleyAndStellaInBreakingTheIce


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stanleyandstella.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Stanley is above, Stella is below]]
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4	''Stanley and Stella in: Breaking the Ice'' is a 3 minute 1987 short film from Symbolics Graphics Division. It can be viewed on Website/YouTube [[https://youtu.be/pbFEQv259yw here]].
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6	In a structure in space reassembling a spherical snow globe two colonies of animals are separated by a sheet of ice. In the top part there are birds, and the bottom has fish. Stanley, a bird, calls to a fish named Stella. They meet each other on both sides of the ice. Soon they form a friendship, and spin around for fun. Then Stella taps the ice with her tail. Stanley gives an approving look, flies as high as he can, then smashes through the ice at full speed. he appears to be unconscious until Stella touches him. The camera zooms out, showing that the fish and birds are no longer separated, and can go anywhere in the sphere they want.
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8	This was also included in many different compilations of 3D animation from TheEighties and [[TheNineties '90s]]. These include the 1989 Pioneer UsefulNotes/LaserDisc demo ''[[https://youtu.be/BSlF6uKvsh4?t=817 Laser Optics II]]'' and the 1990 compilation ''WesternAnimation/TheMindsEye''. The latter retitles it "Love Found" and uses different music.
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10	----
11	!!''Stanley and Stella in: Breaking the Ice'' provides examples of:
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13	* AllCGICartoon: and an early example of one, too.
14	* AmbiguousRobot: Or rather, the fish are ambiguous MechanicalLifeforms. They have metallic textures on the gold parts, which could easily just be jewelry. Their textures aren't as shiny as the birds, and their bodies can bend [[ShapedLikeItself just like a fish]]. They have lips, but they never open, unlike the birds' beaks. The birds have [[MasculineLinesFeminineCurves more angular features]] and visible joints on the wings, putting them [[{{StealthPun}} squarely]] in the camp of Mechanical Lifeforms.
15	* ArtificialGravity: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]]. The sphere is in space, and the orientation of the animals suggests that an objective "up" direction exists. However, they all appear to float, and can even fly/swim in water/air, respectively. The fact that Stanley can land and rest on the ice proves there is some kind of gravity there. However, when Stanley [[TheNamesake breaks the ice]], he doesn't fall straight to the bottom, he slowly descends as if he was in water, and [[StationaryWings can float where he is without hitting the bottom]]. No water surface is visible, either, showing that birds fly and fish swim in the same substance.
16	* ExtremelyShortTimespan: Nothing suggests the story happens in any timeframe longer than three minutes.
17	* FloatingLimbs: Both birds and fish appear to have these. The closer you inspect, the more you find.
18	** Birds:
19	*** The crests on their head
20	*** Their legs and feet
21	*** Their eyebrows
22	** Fish:
23	*** Stringless pearl necklace
24	*** Dorsal fin
25	*** Segmented pectoral fins
26	* InterspeciesRomance: The whole plot. Stanley is a male bird and Stella is a female fish. They fall in love with each other.
27	* MasculineLinesFeminineCurves: Birds and fish, respectively.
28	* MeaningfulName: [[Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire Do the main characters' names sound familiar?]]
29	* MechanicalLifeforms: Birds appear to be these, having visible joints on their wings and angular features. [[AmbiguousRobot Fish are more ambiguous]].
30	* NameAndName: The title.
31	* TheNamesake: Stanley breaks the ice that segregates fish and birds from each other.
32	* NoAntagonist: The closest thing to an antagonist is the ice segregating birds and fish, but it is not a sentient being.
33	* NoEndorHolocaust: When Stanley breaks the ice, it creates massive shards, which disappear before they can hurt any fish.
34	* OneGenderRace: The birds are all male, and the fish are all female.
35	* PinkMeansFeminine: The fish are [[SpeciesEqualsGender all]] [[OneGenderRace female]], and have pink faces.
36	* RealTime: The short takes place all in one scene.
37	* SecondarySexualCharacteristics: All the fish have lips, eyelashes, a golden pearl necklace, and [[PinkMeansFeminine pink]] and purple bodies. All the birds are red, have more angular features, and more masculine eyebrows. MasculineLinesFeminineCurves is also in effect here.
38	* SeparatedByTheWall: Or in this case, the ice. In fact, this segregates birds and fish from each other.
39	* SilenceIsGolden: No words appear in the whole film.
40	* SpeciesEqualsGender: all birds are male, and all fish are female. In fact, [[YouAllLookFamiliar all members of a species look identical to all the other members]].
41	* StationaryWings: Mostly [[AvertedTrope averted]], as the birds and fish move realistically. The one time it's played straight is after [[TheNamesake Stanley breaks the ice]]. Stanley appears to be able to maintain his position with minimal wing movement. [[AmbiguousSituation Though it's not clear]] if he is suspended in [[WaterIsAir air or water]].
42	* WaterIsAir: An unusual variation of the trope appears. It starts in a sphere with [[SeparatedByTheWall a sheet of ice segregating birds on top and fish below]]. It is easy to assume that the birds have air and the fish have water.[[note]]The distortions that a half sphere of water would provide aren't there, but hey, [[HandWave it's CGI from 1987]].[[/note]] However, when Stanley [[TheNamesake breaks the ice]], it is revealed that fish swim and birds fly in the same substance. Stanley is able to maintain his position with minimal wing movement, [[AmbiguousSituation meaning he is either]] in water [[SuperNotDrowningSkills (and can breathe)]] or he is in air and has StationaryWings.

Context WesternAnimation / StanleyAndStellaInBreakingTheIce