History Main / CelestialDeadline

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'' we have the Great Conjunction, an alignment of the world's three suns, described as a catalyst for "great change." In the film, the Dark Crystal must be completely reassembled and the Mystics and Skeksis reunited by the upcoming Great Conjunction in order for harmony to be restored.
* Mogwai shall not be fed "after midnight", lest they turn into ''Film/{{Gremlins}}''. Nothing is said about when you can feed them again. In fact, a lot of people make jokes about this rule when the heroes try to warn them about the gremlins. (The one about "if he's eating on an airplane, and passes through a time zone" is probably the most complex. They [[JerkassHasAPoint actually raise a valid point]]: the rule is kind of vague.)
* In the silent film ''Film/TheGolem'', the Rabbi can only create the Golem while a certain astronomical constellation occurs. The occurence of another constellation supposedly causes the Golem to rebel.
* ''Film/{{Ladyhawke}}'': A couple is cursed so that she's a hawk by day and human by night, and he is human by day and a wolf by night. They only get to see each other in the moments of sunrise and sunset then were saved by [[RulesLawyer Rules Lawyering]]

* In the vampire movie ''Film/OnceBitten'', the lovely female vampire must have blood from 3 virgin males before Halloween each year to retain her youthful appearance. Although she does drink non-virgin blood, this merely sustains her, not her looks.

* In ''{{Film/Soultaker}}'', the heroes have until their life support is turned off at midnight to reunite with their bodies. And then the movie more or less completely ignores said deadline.
* In ''Film/YourHighness'', the evil wizard needs to perform a certain ritual with a virgin to [[spoiler:create a dragon]]. This ritual may only be performed once every 100 years when the two moons align.

* Mogwai shall not be fed "after midnight", lest they turn into ''Film/{{Gremlins}}''. Nothing is said about when you can feed them again.
** In fact, a lot of people make jokes about this rule when the heroes try to warn them about the gremlins. (The one about "if he's eating on an airplane, and passes through a time zone" is probably the most complex. They [[JerkassHasAPoint actually raise a valid point]]: the rule is kind of vague.)

# '''[[FantasticFragility Magic Has Its Rules]]''': Somehow setting limits such as a "RuleOfThree" or [[WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}} "Until the Castle Rises Above the Clouds"]] or "Until the Sun Sets" makes the power work better or at all. [[MagicAIsMagicA So whatever happens needs to happen within the rules instead of at one's convenience]]. If a rules lawyer is around this sometimes leads to NoManOfWomanBorn.

* ''AMidsummerNightsDream'': The fairies show up WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve.

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Literature/ConanTheBarbarian story ''Literature/ThePeopleOfTheBlackCircle'', the king is killed by magic on a certain date.
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Literature/{{Kull}} / BranMakMorn story "Kings of the Night", Kull's appearance is governed by this.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', the Beast had to learn to love another and earn her love in return before the last petal on the enchanted rose fell off in order to break his curse. Fortunately, this also undid [[spoiler:his apparent death]].

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's ConanTheBarbarian story ''Literature/ThePeopleOfTheBlackCircle'', the king is killed by magic on a certain date.

* In ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'', it was said that when the clock struck the [[NumberOfTheBeast Hour Of The Beast]] (i.e six seconds after 6:06 PM), the undead Gigimon king would reveal his true form as a beast (i.e Myotismon being reborn as [=VenomMyotismon=]).

* In ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'', it was said that when the clock struck the [[NumberOfTheBeast Hour Of The Beast]] (i.e six seconds after 6:06 PM), the undead digimon king would reveal his true form as a beast (i.e Myotismon being reborn as [=VenomMyotismon=]).

* ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid'': The contract is made until the sunset on the third day. Covering sunsets and the rule of three.
* ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', the Beast had to learn to love another and earn her love in return before the last petal on the enchanted rose fell off in order to break his curse. Fortunately, this also undid his supposed death.

* ''{{Franchise/Shrek}}'' is big on this. In the first, sunrise and sunset were important times for Fiona. In the second, Shrek had until midnight to make the effects of his potion permanent. Lampshaded:
-->'''Shrek''': Why is it always midnight?

* In AdrianTchaikovsky's ''[[ShadowsOfTheApt Dragonfly Falling]]'', Uctebri explains he is awaiting the most auspicious date.

* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[ProsperosDaughter Prospero Lost]]'', Theo recommends that if they can't wait for a holiday, to use the Ouiji board on Wednesday. (Odin, and Hermes, the two gods associated with that day, were both associated with magic.)

* ''Literature/Cinderella'': The magic stops working at [[WhenTheStrikeTwelve midnight]].

* ''Cinderella'': The magic stops working at midnight.

* In ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'', it was said that when the clock struck the [[NumberOfTheBeast Hour Of The Beast]] (i.e six seconds after 6:06 PM), the undead digimon king would reveal his true form as a beast (i.e Myotismon being reborn as {{VenomMyotismon}}).

* In ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'', it was said that when the clock struck the HourOfTheBeast (i.e six seconds after 6:06 PM), the undead digimon king would reveal his true form as a beast (i.e Myotismon being reborn as VenomMyotismon).

* On ''RockosModernLife'', Filburt has an uncontrollable urge to go back to Kerplopitgoes Island on his 21st birthday, which coincides with the alignment of the planets.

* In WenSpencer's ''{{Literature/Tinker}}'', Windwolf explains that times are important for spells -- blessings are best at noon, curses on moonless nights.

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's {{Kull}} / BranMakMorn story "Kings of the Night", Kull's appearance is governed by this.

* ''{{Inuyasha}}'' has a instance of being a human when the new moon comes around.

# '''Magic Has Dramatic Units of Time''': Sunrise, sunset, [[WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve twelfth gong of the clock-tower]], the phases of the moon, birthdays, saint's days, Sabbath, etc. Which invokes all kinds of FridgeLogic, such as, what would use something so inaccurate as when the sun sets, especially since the world is round and there's always a sunset somewhere?

-->-- '''Creator/RobertEHoward''', ''Literature/PeopleOfTheBlackCircle''

* While not quite magical, in ''WesternAnimation/OnceUponAForest'', the heroes have only until "the moon is full" to collect the herbs and return them to save their friend Michelle.
** In this case, it might not have been so much the Moon itself as it was an approximation of how much time they had before Michelle's illness reached a point where it would be uncurable.

* In ''Film/YourMajesty'', the evil wizard needs to perform a certain ritual with a virgin to [[spoiler:create a dragon]]. This ritual may only be performed once every 100 years when the two moons align.

# '''[[FantasticFragility Magic Has Its Rules]]''': Somehow setting limits such as a "RuleOfThree" or "Until the Castle Rises Above the Clouds" or "Until the Sun Sets" makes the power work better or at all. [[MagicAIsMagicA So whatever happens needs to happen within the rules instead of at one's convenience]]. If a rules lawyer is around this sometimes leads to NoManOfWomanBorn.

* In ''Film/Soultaker'', the heroes have until their life support is turned off at midnight to reunite with their bodies. And then the movie more or less completely ignores said deadline.

* In ''Film/YourMajesty'', the evil wizard needs to perform a certain ritual with a virgin to [[spoiler:create a dragon]]. This ritual may only be performed once every 100 years when the two moons align.

* In ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'' we have the Great Conjunction, an alignment of the world's three suns, described as a catalyst for "great change." In the film, the Dark Crystal must be completely reassembled and the Mystics and Skeksis reunited by the upcoming Great Conjunction in order for harmony to be restored.
* Mogwai shall not be fed "after midnight", lest they turn into ''Film/{{Gremlins}}''. Nothing is said about when you can feed them again.
** In fact, a lot of people make jokes about this rule when the heroes try to warn them about the gremlins. (The one about "if he's eating on an airplane, and passes through a time zone" is probably the most complex. They [[JerkassHasAPoint actually raise a valid point]]: the rule is kind of vague.)
* In the silent film ''Film/TheGolem'', the Rabbi can only create the Golem while a certain astronomical constellation occurs. The occurence of another constellation supposedly causes the Golem to rebel.

** Werewolves change during a full moon [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent sometimes]]

* In ''GhostTrick'', the ghost Sissel is told that he will vanish from this world at dawn. [[spoiler:It turns out that this is a lie to motivate him.]]