History Film / Shorts

[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-shortsposter_493.jpg]]
A 2009 film by Creator/RobertRodriguez. The film follows the adventures of a group of children living in the neighborhood of Black Falls, Texas and a rainbow-colored rock that grants any wish. The movie is comprised of a series of shorts told in non-sequential order by the narrator and protagonist, Toby "Toe" Thompson. There are 5 "episodes", not including Episode 0, played just before the film begins, with each episode focusing on a different set of characters and their experience with the wishing rock.

!!This movie provides examples of the following:

[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-shortsposter_493.jpg]]A 2009 film by Creator/RobertRodriguez. The film follows the adventures of a group of children living in the neighborhood of Black Falls, Texas and a rainbow-colored rock that grants any wish. The movie is comprised of a series of shorts told in non-sequential order by the narrator and protagonist, Toby "Toe" Thompson. There are 5 "episodes", not including Episode 0, played just before the film begins, with each episode focusing on a different set of characters and their experience with the wishing rock.

* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Helvetica’s obvious crush on Toby, and vice versa. Toby knows it. Even Toby’s parents know, and they haven’t even met her.

* {{Foreshadowing}}

* LonersAreFreaks: Toby.

* MadScientist: Mr. Noseworthy.

* PacManFever:

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Implied to be the reason why Toby endures the bullying he suffers at the hands of Cole and Helvetica, cause he knows standing up to them could jeopardize his parents’ jobs.

[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-shortsposter_493.jpg]]A 2009 film by Creator/RobertRodriguez. The film follows the adventures of a group of children living in the neighborhood of Black Falls, Texas and a rainbow colored rock that grants any wish. The movie is comprised of a series of shorts told in non-sequential order by the narrator and protagonist, Toby "Toe" Thompson. There are 5 "episodes", not including Episode 0, played just before the film begins, with each episode focusing on a different set of characters and their experience with the wishing rock.

* BubbleBoy: Nose and his father live in a completely sterile house, afraid to travel outside without full body suits.

* DrunkWithPower: Helvetica namecalls this when her dad uses the stone to "become the most powerful thing in the entire world" (a giant black box-constructed robot).
* EmbarrassingNickname: Toby hates when Helvetica calls him "Toe". Naturally he's delighted, and she mortified, when her father calls her "Hel" in front of him.

* MissingMom: Neither Nose or Helvetica appear to have mothers.

** Various characters are often shown playing ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}''. Normally this wouldn't be all that bad, but the characters are shown playing it multiplayer (Spore is a single player game), on a [=PS3=] (''Spore'' is PC exclusive, you can even see a (unmoving) mouse cursor in the game) and while randomly mashing buttons all while showing the Creature Creator on screen. To top it all off, nothing was even happening on the screen while said button mashing was happening, the creature clearly in it's idle animation.

* ReedRichardsIsUseless: Lampshaded. When Loogie holds the wishing stone, one of his brothers suggests feeding the hungry, curing cancer, or creating world peace. Instead, Loogie wishes for a fort, a moat, man eating crocodiles, venomous snakes, an unlimited supply of candy, telephonisis, and telekinesis. In the end, they decide to get rid of the rock by placing it on a catapult. Just before they launch it, Loogie suggests to take care of the world peace problem before they get rid of it, but it is accidentally launched before they get the chance.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Lug, Loogie and Laser have only one baby sister, [[NoNameGiven who's name is never revealed]] and is only addressed as "The Baby".

* WhoWouldWantToWatchUs: In the end, one of the kid says that he wishes they were in a Hollywood movie. The other kids tell him how stupid the idea is.

** Various characters are often shown playing ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}''. Normally this wouldn't be all that bad, but the characters are shown playing it multiplayer (Spore is a single player game), on a [=PS3=] (''Spore'' is PC exclusive, you can even see a (unmoving) mouse cursor in the game) and while randomly mashing buttons all while showing the Creature Creator on screen. To top it all off, nothing was even happening on the screen while sad button mashing was happening, the creature clearly in it's idle animation.

** Various characters are often shown playing ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}''. Normally this wouldn't be all that bad, but the characters are shown playing it multiplayer (Spore is a single player game), on a [=PS3=] (''Spore'' is PC exclusive) and while randomly mashing buttons all while showing the Creature Creator on screen. To top it all off, nothing was even happening on the screen while sad button mashing was happening, the creature clearly in it's idle animation.

* BigDamnKiss: Subverted numerous times by Mr. and Mrs. Thompson when they keep trying to go for one(implied to be their first in a while) but their Black Boxes with all the connecting features you can think of continuously distracting them. Very nearly played straight until Toby stops the movie and fasts forward to the final chapter.

** Stacey's ex-boyfriend, after she tells him that she wishes he would just grow up. He ends up 50 feet tall, and the process of getting there is implied to be extremely painful.

* DrunkWithPower: Helvetica namecalls this when her dad uses the stone to "become the most powerful thing in the entire world"(a giant black box-constructed robot).

* OneEyedShot: Closeup of Stacy's eye while she's going through the decontaminator in the Noseworthy house.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Lug, Loogie and Laser have only one baby sister, who's name is never revealed and only addressed as "The Baby".

** Mr. and Mrs. Thompson after Mrs. Thompson wishes that they could be closer together while holding the wishing rock-their bodies merge into each other from the waist down.

** Mr. and Mrs. Thompson after Mrs Thompson wishes that they could be closer together while holding the wishing rock-their bodies merge into each other from the waist down.

* FailedAttemptAtDrama: After Stacey faints at the sight of her now 50 foot tall ex John, Loogie tries to take advantage of the situation by running up to her, setting his Black Box to fan mode and blowing it on her while seductively introducing himself. She wakes up...and just gets confused.

* PunnyName: Both of the Black children. Cole (Coal) Black, and Helvetica Black, an allusion to the font. And their father's first name is Carbon.

* ReedRichardsIsUseless: Lampshaded. When Loogie holds the wishing stone, one of his brother suggests feeding the hungry, curing cancer, or creating world peace. Instead, Loogie wishes for a fort, a moat, man eating crocodiles and venomous snakes, unlimited supply of candy, telephonisis, and telekinesis. In the end, they decide to get rid of the rock by placing it on a catapult. Just before they launch it, Loogie suggests to take care of the world peace problem before they get rid of it, but it is accidentally launched before they get the chance.

[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-shortsposter_493.jpg]]A 2009 film by Creator/RobertRodriguez. The film follows the adventures of a group of children living in the neighborhood of Black Falls and a rainbow colored rock that grants any wish. The movie is comprised of a series of shorts told in non-sequential order by the narrator and protagonist, Toby "Toe" Thompson. There are 5 "episodes", not including Episode 0, played just before the film begins, with each episode focusing on a different set of characters and their experience with the wishing rock.

* WorkingTitle: The Warrior of Waverly Street

**

{{Foreshadowing}}:

* {{Foreshadowing}}:

* Foreshadowing:

* Foreshadowing

* Foreshadowing

* BigDamnKiss: Subverted numerous times by Mr. and Mrs. Thompson when they keep trying to go for one(implied to be their first in a while) but their Black Boxes with all the connecting features you can think of keep distracting them. Very nearly played straight until Toby stops the movie and fasts forward to the last chapter.
* BraggingThemeTune: Helvetica gets a theme tune (aptly called ''Helvetica Rocks'') when she gains control of the rock. Notable more since she is the only character who gets her own song.
* BrainyBaby: Loogie accidentally wished his baby sister to become one of these. She was so smart, she could speak telepathically, and even displays an ability to use Telekinesis on objects to stop them in midair.

** Mr and Mrs Thompson after Mrs Thompson wishes that they could be closer together while holding the wishing rock.
** Stacey's ex-boyfriend, after she tells him that she wishes he would just grow up.

* DrunkWithPower: Helvetica lampshades the above trope when her dad uses the stone to "become the most powerful thing in the entire world"(a giant black box-constructed robot).
* EmbarrassingNickname: Toby doesn't like it when Helvetica calls him "Toe". Naturally he's delighted, and she mortified, when her father calls her "Hel" in front of him.

* IndyPloy: To prevent Toe from getting eaten by his giant booger, Nose quickly thinks to take another out of his...well, you know...and threatens to eat it if the booger eats Toe. Given that Nose probably does this all the time, he's not bothered by it and it works.

* LiteralGenie: The wishing stone. It doesn't help that one of them, despite falling victim to this multiple times, continues to make extremely vague wishes.

* MindOverMatter: Loogie wishes for telekinesis in order to get away from the mutant man eating crocodile army.
* OneEyedShot: Closeup of Stacy's eye while she's going through the decontaminator in the Noseworthy home.

* PunnyName: Both of the Black children. Cole (Coal) Black, and Helvetica Black, an allusion to the font. And their father's name is Carbon Black.

* TerrifiedOfGerms: Dr. Noseworthy and Nose. On another level - he specializes in their extermination. There's a decontamination chamber that all guests have to go through to enter. They wear full bio suits upon exiting their house; it and almost everything in it is covered in plastic wrap.

* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: Seriously, Loogie, Lug and Laser? Their infant sister only known as "the Baby"? With unusual names for kids though hopefully they could've been just nicknames.

* PacManFever: Various characters are often shown playing ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}''. Normally this wouldn't be all that bad, but the characters are shown playing it multiplayer (Spore is a single player game), on a [=PS3=] (''Spore'' is PC exclusive) and while randomly mashing buttons all while showing the Creature Creator on screen. To top it all off, nothing was even happening on the screen while sad button mashing was happening, the creature clearly in it's idle animation.

* ProductPlacement: Loogie's endless supply of chocolate bars consists entirely of Reese's Nutrageous. Also, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are referenced once.
** Additionally, an Ikea van can be seen in the background as Toby, Stacey, Loogie, and Nose are escaping the Noseworthy house.

* WrongGenreSavvy: Subverted. Toby suggests to Helvetica that she's only bullying him because she has a crush on him and is [[{{Tsundere}} antagonizing him in order to hide these feelings]]. While he gets his ass handed to him after doing this, his prediction ends up coming true as it's shown Helvetica indeed has feelings for him by the end of the movie.