Basic Trope: A character in an adaptation of a work is a different age than they were in the source material.
- Straight:
- Alice, the Tagalong Kid of the Five-Man Band in the books, has been aged up several years in the show.
- Bob, the Token Adult of a team of kid heroes, is aged down to be the same age as his teammates in the adaptation.
- Exaggerated: Every single character from the books have their ages changed.
- Downplayed: Alice is only a year or two older than she was in the books.
- Justified:
- The show is a Darker and Grittier adaptation, and it wouldn't be appropriate to have a child among the main cast.
- Alice is Older Than They Look.
- The show starts a few years after the book's conclusion.
- Inverted: ???
- Subverted:
- The adult Alice turns out to be the mother of the Alice who's a bigger character.
- When the Five-Man Band first hears about Alice, they are told she is thirteen. When they actually meet her, they realize she is an alien and is the equivalent of a seven-year-old girl.
- Double Subverted: The adult Alice ends up playing the role the younger Alice played in the books.
- Parodied: Every single character is now in preschool.
- Zig Zagged: ???
- Averted: Alice is seven, just like she was in the books.
- Enforced:
- The showrunners aged Alice up to make her more relatable to the target age demographic.
- Some of the things which happen to Alice in the books are fine for print media, but there would be legal issues if a child was shown doing such things onscreen.
- It is initially decided to keep Alice the same age she is in the books, but to hire an older actress due to strict Child Employment Laws. However, the actress who gets the role looks noticeably older than Alice is supposed to be, so the decision is taken to age the character up.
- Lampshaded: "For some reason, I thought you'd be younger."
- Invoked: Alice shapeshifts into an older girl so people will take her seriously.
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: A spell is put on Alice that turns her into a seven-year-old.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: "Wait a minute, Alice is supposed to be a seven-year-old girl. This Alice is at least twice as old!"
Back to Age Lift.
