History Main / DIsneyDeath

Animated films seem destined to have these, considering the target audience is primarily young kids, and nobody wants to give a DownerEnding to them. Writers who are considering implementing it need to be extremely careful, as it can very easily come across as a tacky and cliched way to add some cheap drama to the ending. Over the years it has been done to — um — [[{{Pun}} death]], and [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt audiences expect it]]. You run the risk of making your viewers remember they're watching television, even if it does shut up the {{Media Watchdog}}s.

* After [[Myth/NorseMythology Ragnarok]]. The world is devastated and everyone is dead. Wait, there are survivors?...
%%* Prince Ivan.

Subtrope of ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated and FirstLawOfResurrection. Compare SortingAlgorithmOfDeadness (how likely this is to happen), OurHeroIsDead (when this is used as a CliffHanger), UnexplainedRecovery, WorldHealingWave (done on a massive scale), OnlyMostlyDead, PlotArmor (you know he's going to live because he's the main character). Contrast KilledOffForReal. May involve NotNowWereTooBusyCryingOverYou. A PrematureEulogy is likely to occur somewhere between the death and the return.

* There is a very long list of people in Franchise/TheDCU who have been revived by the Lazarus Pit. The Lazarus Pit, discovered by ComicBook/RasAlGhul, can revive people at death's door, or full-on bring the dead back to life. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of using the Lazarus Pit is losing your mind. Those who have been resurrected or healed from fatal injuries include [[spoiler:Ra's al Ghul, [[ComicBook/RedHood Jason Todd]], the second ComicBook/BlackCanary, [[ComicBook/BatGirl2000 Cassandra Cain]], ComicBook/LadyShiva, ComicBook/{{Bane}}, Isis, the wife of ComicBook/BlackAdam, and more]].

* We get a brief one in the second ''WesternAnimation/ScaryGodmother'' movie, ''The Revenge of Jimmy'', when it looks like the house fell on Scary Godmother and crushed her. Skully and Bug-a-Boo are crying, while Harry rejoices. Soon enough, Scary Godmother re-appears, commenting on how sweet it is that Skully and Bug-a-Boo miss her.

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In the last episode of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' book 2, Aang is struck by Azula's lightning. Luckily, [[spoiler:Katara has some spirit water that she uses to heal him]], but it doesn't work right away and we don't learn [[spoiler:that he survived until the first episode of the next season]]. Also, the public believes that Aang died in the Avatar State (meaning the Avatar will never be reincarnated) and that the Fire Nation has won [[spoiler:for the first half of the third season]].
* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10: Secret of the Omnitrix'' had two. [[spoiler:Hoverboard's pilot Gludo was blown to pieces by Vilgax, and Gwen was eaten by an evil plant.]] Both were rare examples of actually ''convincing'' Disney Deaths, thanks in no small part to the fact that they [[NeverSayDie actually used the word "dead"]] in reference to both characters.
* In ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'', Grandpa Max pulls off a HeroicSacrifice to stop the Highbreed and was believed to be dead. A season later it was revealed that he survived and was just trapped in the [[PrisonDimension Null Void]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'' "Showdown" two-parter, Malware inflicts one of these on the ''entire Galvanic Mechamorph species'' [[WhereIWasBornAndRazed when he destroys Galvan B]]. They all come back at the end of the episode to help bring him down and the planet is repaired.
* ''WesternAnimation/BumpInTheNight'':
** In the episode "Journey to the Center of the Lungfish" Captain Jetlag appears to sacrifice himself to let Mr. Bumpy, Squishington, and Molly Coddle escape the lungfish. After the three make it out of the lungfish, Bumpy gets the lungfish to cough up Jetlag completely unharmed by blowing raspberries at it.
** The ChristmasEpisode "Twas the Night Before Bumpy" has the earthworm Juaquin Gusanito Sin Manos appear to be crushed by Stonehenge, but the end of the special shows that he survived by ducking into the earth right when the stone structure collapsed.
* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' uses this tropes a lot.
** Yumi gets thrown into the Digital Sea in the Season 1 episode "Cruel Dilemma". ''Fortunately'', at the beginning of the episode, falling candy ''just so happens'' to complete the materialization code Jérémie'd been working one since forever for Aelita. Loop Hole: He can use it once since he doesn't know what to press. He actually has to ''think about it'' before deciding to use the one-shot on Yumi and not Aelita. As such, Yumi becomes un-deleted and can be rematerialized.
** Same thing with Aelita in "Just in Time". She does a HeroicSacrifice, but thanks to a hair Jérémie managed to materialize at the beginning, he can bring her back (without her memories of the episode, though).
** In "The Key", XANA takes the keys of Lyoko from Aelita's memory, and in turn kills her lifeforce. She dies, until, ''oh wait'', her father (who was supposed to have been killed by XANA already) appears from the abyss of Lyoko and ''savez her''!
** Speaking of Franz Hopper, all evidence gathered (and Jérémie's rude remarks to Aelita) says that Franz killed himself saving Aelita in said incident above, [[spoiler:''until'' Season 4, when he suddenly lives again as a ball of glittery purple and pink energy. Apparently he can't stay out of the Digital Sea for too long (even though the Digital Sea is supposed to ''delete'' everything thrown into it), or else he'll get attacked by XANA real fast]]. He eventually dies in the Series Finale.
* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' had the main character's destabilized OppositeSexClone die by turning into goo even after he used the antidote to cure her. Cue hero mourning over the bucket of goo, then her head pops out and eventually her whole self -- now stabilized.
* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/DragonTales'' did this with a caterpillar. It wasn't even dead, just metamorphosing into a butterfly.
* ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers'' uses it, and then subverts it. Dodgers' RobotBuddy performs a HeroicSacrifice by hurling itself against a comet and knocking itself to pieces. Dr. I.Q. High is confident that the robot can be rebuilt. But Dodgers really didn't like his Robot Buddy in the first place and "accidentally" breaks the remaining parts. Somehow he comes back later, gathers all the other one-shot villains from previous episodes, and plots Dodgers' demise, only to end up going through the same thing again.
* Princess Elena of ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'' experiences this twice with Shuriki. Prior to the series after she received the amulet from her parents whom Shuriki murdered, Shuriki tried to murder Elena as well but the amulet spared her life by pulling her inside. Then during their final confrontation in "Song of the Sirenas", Shuriki once again tries to kill Elena with the Scepter of Night but she was spared last minute by casting a vanish spell from the Scepter of Light. She disappears just before the hit, and with that, she survives the attack and destroys Shuriki in her place.
* Alec Deleon in ''WesternAnimation/ExoSquad'' actually ''does'' die, but his SuperPrototype HumongousMecha happens to [[VirtualGhost contain his personality and memories]] up to the moment of his death, so his friends simply clone him a new body and download his memories into it, effectively bringing him back to life. (This was actually a result of ExecutiveMeddling.)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': When Timmy, Chester, and AJ are trapped in TheMostDangerousVideoGame, Timmy pulls an HeroicSacrifice in order to save his friends from the FinalBoss. However, pulling this off gives him enough points for an extra life.
* ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFour'':
** Lady Dorma gets stabbed in the chest in "Now Comes the Sub-Mariner", but Reed Richards manages to revive her using his molecular resuscitator.
** The Thing turns out to survive his beating at the hands of the Hulk in the episode "Nightmare in Green".
** [[spoiler:Doctor Doom appears to die in the GrandFinale "Doomsday", but ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibleHulk1996'', which takes place in the same continuity as the 1994 ''Fantastic Four'' cartoon, reveals that he's still alive in the episode "Doomed".]]
* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'': In the ''U.S. Acres'' segment "No Laughing Matter", [[spoiler:the aliens from Clarion get killed by laughing at Roy slipping on a banana]]. In the Quickie before "Much Ado About Lanolin" (a later episode), Orson, Booker, and Shelldon watch a show [[spoiler:about the Clarion aliens, whom are revealed to (still) exist at the end of the Quickie by coming out of the TV]].
** Speaking of "Much Ado About Lanolin", [[spoiler:in that episode, the fake Lanolin, Lanolina, disappears with sparkles after kissing Orson]].
** In "Snow Wade and the 77 Dwarves", [[spoiler:Snow Wade dies after eating the poison apple. His last words? "Uh-oh, I'm doomed." He also holds his stomach while doing this]].
*** Unlike [[WhatTheHellHero Orson and the other characters who only took this as a story]], [[spoiler:Roy (who was taking this seriously near the end of the two-parter) was the only one, who seemed alarmed/upset that Wade could really be hurt/dead, when Wade didn't wake up right away]].
* A good example of a Robot Disney Death in ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002'' episode "The Roboto Gambit", where the episode's title character sacrifices himself to foil an evil plan, complete with a death scene. Later, Teela mourns that she should have appreciated Roboto's courage and resourcefulness when she had the chance. However, Man-At-Arms immediately states that she will have that opportunity, as he presents the good-as-new Roboto, whom he just repaired.
* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'':
** In the episode "Bad, Bad Rubber Piggy", Zim throws rubber piggies into the past to ruin Dib's life. Replacing the defibrillator with pigs appears to seal Dib's fate, complete with a flat line. Cue Professor Membrane fixing him, not only keeping him alive but provoking a WeCanRebuildHim moment where Zim's plan backfires.
** Iggins was supposed to die in an elevator crash in the episode "Game Slave 2". [[ExecutiveMeddling Nickelodeon said "nope."]] What we got was '''''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET-veNOQ5V0 IGGINS!!!]]'''''
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'' has the apparent death of Franchise/TheFlash after [[Awesome/JusticeLeague he single handedly takes down "Brainthor"]], but overtaxes his powers and ends up vanishing into the Speedforce. He stays dead just long enough for us to resolve the whole [[HeWhoFightsMonsters "is Superman gonna turn into his]] [[KnightTemplar Justice-Lords Counterpart]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt and bring about an apocalypse]]?" plotline that's been foreshadowed all season. Only then does J'onn reveal that Wally is [[OnlyMostlyDead not dead yet]] and the League say ScrewDestiny and drag him back from the brink.
** The episode "Hereafter" is a particularly prominent example; all of part 1 deals with Franchise/{{Superman}}'s apparent death and the reactions to it, and then part 2 explains how he survived.
** Teased towards the end of "The Brave and the Bold" when the League tries to stop nuclear missiles from hitting Gorilla City. Franchise/WonderWoman stops a missile from exploding but she appears to be crushed under some rubble. Somber music plays, the League and gorillas look on sadly, and [[ShipTease Batman frantically searches for her while shouting her name.]] She emerges a minute later with the guidance system.
* ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' did this in its first season, with Brainiac 5 handing Superman a little piece of himself before running off on a suicide mission. Clark can't both do his part to free the rest of the team ''and'' save Brainiac, and when they find him, he's mourning Brainy's lifeless body. The Legionnaires promptly ask who has the back-up disc.
* The immortal ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short ''WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc'', in which we see WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd actually ''kill'' WesternAnimation/BugsBunny (in a particularly malevolent fashion), at which point [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone he laments the foolishness of his actions]], carrying Bugs away. Bugs looks to the audience and asks "What did ya expect from an Opera? A ''happy'' ending?"
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''
** In the episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E21OverABarrel "Over a Barrel"]], the settler ponies and a tribe of buffalo are feuding over land, eventually leading to the two groups fighting it out. The fighting then ends when both sides are horrified at the buffalo chief is taken out, but he then turns out to be just fine. Of course, it's not too surprising considering the thing that took him out was an apple pie to the face.
** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E22ABirdInTheHoof "A Bird in the Hoof"]], Celestia's allegedly "sick" pet bird Philomena burns to ashes in front of a shocked Fluttershy... shortly before it is revealed[[note]]after the fact[[/note]] that she is actually [[ThePhoenix a phoenix]] that was just about to rise from her own ashes. There is absolutely no clue to this whatsoever.
** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E13MagicalMysteryCure "Magical Mystery Cure"]], Twilight is [[DisappearsIntoLight "vaporized"]] after casting Starswirl's completed spell, [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascends to the astral plane]], where she has a [[ContinuityCavalcade life review]] with Celestia, and [[CameBackStrong returns to the physical world]] as an [[WingedUnicorn alicorn]] princess.
** In the season 4 premiere, [[spoiler:Twilight, thinking that Luna has turned back into Nightmare Moon, sobs over the body of Princess Celestia, after she is struck by Nightmare Moon. It is only after Celestia recovers and activates the Elements of Harmony does Twilight realize that she is witnessing the night Nightmare Moon was banished]].
** Twilight has ''another'' one in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017'' where [[spoiler:she, along with the Storm King, are sucked into a raging storm and presumed dead. Turns out, she reclaimed the [[MacGuffin Staff of Sacanas]] and manages to make it back on her hooves in one piece. Unfortunately, the Storm King ''also'' survives and attempts to take out the heroes with an [[TakenForGranite Obsidian Orb]], but a [[HeelFaceTurn reformed]] Tempest Shadow makes a HeroicSacrifice (and Disney Death of her own) to make sure his demise sticks]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/OhYeahCartoons'' short "The Feelers", Mitzi Moth gets sprayed by bug spray and appears to die in Mo Skito's arms. She turns out to be alive after Crusty starts playing the Feelers' recorded song and the song is praised by Mr. Katzeneisner.
* In ''WesternAnimation/Phantom2040'', Rebecca Madison blows up Dijkstra Station, apparently killing Sean One and everyone else on board... except it later turns out they all managed to get to escape pods in time. Sean One then exploits this to prompt a vote among the Orbital Nation to formally declare independence and cut all ties with Earth.
%%* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' does this to the titular trio in both "The Rowdyruff Boys" and "Knock It Off".
* Nightcrawler appears to die near the end of ''WesternAnimation/PrydeOfTheXMen'', but subsequently turns out to have survived his fall to Earth by teleporting into a closet at the last second.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' has given Slimer at least two fake-out deaths.
** In "Big Trouble with Little Slimer", Walter Peck appears to succeed in blowing Slimer to pieces, but Slimer manages to reassemble himself shortly afterward.
** Slimer ends up one of the ghosts vaporized by the titular ghost-hunting robot in "Robo-Buster", but it later turns out that all of the ghosts Robo-Buster blasted weren't destroyed, but simply fused into a giant ectoplasmic amalgamation. The Ghostbusters manage to separate Slimer from this fusion while trapping the other ghosts that make up this enormous entity.
* In the first of the two animated specials based on the short-lived ''WesternAnimation/RosePetalPlace'' toyline of TheEighties, Rose-Petal is hit with a double whammy by the villainess Nastina: First she's tricked into consuming a potion that ruins her magical singing voice, and then imprisoned in a virtually lightless room -- being a flower-woman, this proves fatal. Her friends manage to recover her body and [[EverybodyCries as they weep]], their tears fall upon the tear-shaped crystal on her leaf-and-blossom headdress. She and they were originally borne of a little human girl's tears falling upon flowers, so [[SwissArmyTears this is sufficient to bring her back to life and full health]].
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Rupert}}'' episode "Rupert and Billy Blizzard" had Rupert Bear's snowman sacrifice himself to defeat Billy Blizzard, but the young bear is fortunately able to rebuild him later.
* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'':
** Happens twice to [[spoiler:Nova. First as a ShoutOut to ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' then when she appears to have flatlined in the hospital, it turns out she's being possessed]].
** In "The House of the Nightmare Witch" Shaggy appears to have fallen to his death. Scooby barely has a few seconds to start crying before Shaggy quickly opens his eyes.
** In "Gates of Gloom" [[spoiler:Fred, Velma, and Daphne all apparently perish inside the Mystery Machine when they blow it up to destroy Pericles' robots. Fortunately, Fred was actually piloting it with remote control so they're all okay. Though the fact that the gang's iconic van is gone still manages to be a pretty big gut punch in itself]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E11OneFishTwoFishBlowfishBlueFish One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish]]" Homer eats fugu which is poisonous if cut incorrectly. When Dr. Hibbert is unable to determine for sure whether Homer indeed ate toxic portions of the fish – he merely accepts the word of the sushi chef – he tells Homer that he has 22 hours to live (24, minus the two hours it took to perform tests and contact the chef). Homer is left to make a list of things to do before he dies. That night, Homer falls asleep in an armchair while listening to the Bible-on-tape ... although with his head suddenly drooping and arms falling limp, plus a dark music cue to underscore the moment, the viewer is led to believe that he possibly did succumb to the poison. The next morning, Marge finds Homer and fears the worst when she sees him lying still in the armchair; she begins to cry and caress him ... only to touch his drool, which is still warm, making her realize her husband is still very much alive. Homer realizes this too when he is awakened by his wife holding him.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'': At least two examples:
** "Stop and Smurf the Roses": Chlohydrous, annoyed at the Smurf's beautiful woodelf (and mute) friend, Laconia, sets out to kill Laconia by destroying her very life source: flowers. Indeed, Laconia does "die" after Chlohydrous casts a spell, growing sick as the flowers die off in groups. The other Smurfs do come to rescue Laconia (along with Papa and Natural), but even after they defeat Chlohydrous, it may be too late for Laconia. The other Smurfs prepare for Laconia's funeral, laying her on a lilypad ... but then, she is revived after Papa Smurf reverses Chlohydrous' spell.
** "Smurfquest": As the Smurfs rapidly age in their quest to restore the Long Life Stone, Grandpa Smurf (introduced in this episode) dies just as the elements are being placed in the Stone's box. While the other (now elderly) Smurfs mourn Grandpa's death, the stone goes through its restoration cycle, and it isn't long before the other Smurfs' youths are restored ... and Grandpa is brought back to life.
* In the episode of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' with the hippie music festival, the mayor shoots herself in the head when she finally realizes the gravity of her folly. She later reappears when they're using the giant drill with a bandage on her head, ready to take command at mission control. For some reason headshots are often non-fatal in ''South Park'': see also Bill Gates (shot in ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut'', reappears with a Band-Aid on his head in "The Entity"), Music/BritneySpears, the scientist in "Night of the Living Homeless", and Kenny. [[FridgeBrilliance Could it be because the characters have no]] [[spoiler:''brains'']]?
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'':
** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS3E16AltarOfMortis "Altar of Mortis"]], Ahsoka, who was possessed by the Son of Mortis, was [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness killed after she gives him the Dagger of Mortis, but she doesn't remain dead, as she is brought back to life when the Daughter (who was stabbed by the Son when taking the stab intended for the Father) transfers her remaining life force into Ahsoka, using Anakin as medium]].
** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS5E13PointOfNoReturn "Point of No Return"]], R2-D2 stays aboard a Republic cruiser that the Separatists have hijacked and converted into what is essentially [[FantasticNuke a fleet-destroying missile]]. To stop the ship from destroying its intended target, Artoo detonates the explosives prematurely. Artoo is torn apart and rendered inoperable in the explosion, but Anakin has him salvaged and rebuilt not long after. However, given that it's already been established that Artoo survives the Clone Wars, this is also a case of SavedByCanon.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsResistance'': In [[Recap/StarWarsResistanceS1E18Descent "Descent"]], astromech droid Bucket is shot by a stormtrooper and falls into the ocean while Yeager, Kaz, Neeku and CB-23 are escaping the repair shop, to Yeager's horror. When they eventually make it to safety in engineering, they discover that the Chelidae maintenance workers snagged Bucket in their fishing nets and repaired him.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': In [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E3OffColors "Off Colors"]], [[spoiler:Lars makes a HeroicSacrifice to protect the Off Color Gems from one of Homeworld's Robonoid probes. Steven cries over the dying Lars, and [[SwissArmyTears his tears]] (when Steven had only been able to use his spit to channel his mother's healing powers) miraculously bring Lars back to life... [[TouchedByVorlons though not without a few changes]]. Though I guess we'll give that one a pass because Lars technically DID die and was revived as an immortal zombie]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/SuperRobotMonkeyTeamHyperforceGo'' Season 2 finale, [[spoiler:Antauri dies, much to Chiro's sorrow. By the time we start Season 3, he comes back as the silver monkey]].
* Happens to [[spoiler:Ilana]] in "The Demon Within" episode of ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan''. Technically also happens to [[spoiler:Octus]] later on, only it takes two episodes for the character to be revived.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'' LOVES this. Done with Michelangelo in season 3, Leonardo at the end of season 3 (The TonightSomeoneDies commercial didn't hurt matters either), done with April, Casey, and Mikey's cat in season 4 (this one a case of AllJustADream), done with Leo's entire family during a two-parter in season 4 (both the audience and Leo learns of their surprisingly logical survivals in pt 2 through flashbacks), and Casey and April again in season 7 (complete with ominous commercial promising "a VerySpecialEpisode"). A number of supporting characters stay dead for multiple episodes.
* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzagged]] with ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' Jaga. The CourtMage of Thundera, initially performs a YouShallNotPass, seemingly dying in the attempt, allowing Thundera's young king Lion-O and his allies to flee as the city is invaded by the forces of BigBad Mumm-Ra. Jaga is soon revealed to instead be Mumm-Ra's prisoner, tortured for information on a mystical GreatBigBookOfEverything's location. Mumm-Ra eventually forces the issue by performing a YourSoulIsMine, imprisoning TheDisembodied Jaga in a SoulJar that will lead them to the book. In a last-ditch effort to prevent Mumm-Ra from getting it, Jaga performs a magical HeroicSacrifice that shatters his soul jar, dissipates him, and sends Mumm-Ra fleeing, leaving Jaga's allies to grieve his loss ''again''. Soon after, when Lion-O closely examines the book, it is revealed as {{Magitek}} that draws Lion-O's soul inside, where he meets Jaga, now serving as a SpiritAdvisor[=/=]VirtualGhost. When Lion-O asks if he's alive, Jaga gives an [[CrypticConversation opaque non-answer]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TimeWarpTrio'':
** In "Wushu Were Here", Joe and Anna thought Fred got killed by a monk, but it turned out that Fred wasn't dead, and in fact a monk never kills.
** In "Dude, Where's My Karma?", the kids thought Fred ate something poisonous, but turns out he was only sleeping.
** In "The Good, The Bad and The Goofy", Joe thought Sam and Fred drowned in a rapid river turns out they were alive.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' episode ''Heavenly Daze'' Tom gets hit by a piano and dies, ending up in heaven, but he won't be able to pass through the gates without Jerry's forgiveness. Tom is given a set amount of time to receive Jerry's signature on a certificate of forgiveness, but gets it seconds too late, and falls down to Hell. Turns out to be AllJustADream and Tom suddenly hugs a bewildered Jerry.
* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'': Ultra Magnus is dismembered by the Sweeps, but reassembled by the Junkions shortly after.
** ''Anime/TransformersArmada'': Optimus is blasted into dust by the Hydra Cannon, but is resurrected 3 episodes later. Earlier, Smokescreen sacrifices himself, but is rebuilt as Hoist.
** Happens to Optimus at least once in most films and series.
* Happened a couple times to ''WesternAnimation/{{Underdog}}'', such as being electrocuted, chained up, and thrown in a lake in ''A New Villain''. Then again...
* Twice in ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' ([[NeverSayDie not in the 4Kids dub]]).
** Season two: During the witches' break-in at Red Fountain to get the Codex, Icy kills Sky. The giveaway? His heart stops. But [[DeusExMachina Bloom suddenly discovers her healing magic]] and ''brings him back from the dead''.
** Season three: To earn their Enchantix powers, fairies have to sacrifice themselves for someone from their realms. While trying to retrieve the time-turning tears of the Black Willow, Flora dives into tainted water to save her little sister. She gets caught in the vines at the bottom and presumably drowns. Then the Willow "cries" into the river; Flora is returned to the moment before she died and obtains her Enchantix.
** There was another one in season 3, when Tecna was believed to have died after closing up the Omega portal. She managed to survive thanks to her new Enchantix powers.
** The aversion: In season four, [[spoiler:Nabu sacrifices himself to close a dark abyss the Wizards have created to suck up the fairies of Earth, and Aisha is about to use the Black Gift to revive him, but Ogron steals it and uses it on a wilting flower instead]]. Aside from a couple animation goofs, [[spoiler:Nabu]] doesn't return at the end of the season, so it looks like [[spoiler:he is]] dead for real. This hasn't sat well with the fans. And it also created some FridgeLogic, since Bloom seems to have [[ForgotAboutHisPowers forgotten her healing powers]].
* WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker pulls this on purpose on the classic short ''The Loan Stranger''. Specifically, he tricks the Loan Shark into thinking he smashed Woody's skull with a single punch, killing him right there, in order to get the Loan Shark to tear up the loan he had been trying to get Woody to pay back the whole time.
''WesternAnimation/{{Mixels}}'': Near the end of "Nixel, Nixel, Go Away", it seems that Booger is killed off when trapped in King Nixel's missile. Luckily, he survives the explosion, parachuting down.
[[/folder]]

* Happens in ''WesternAnimation/Antz'' when protagonist Z appears to have drowned before being resuscitated by Bala.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePebbleAndThePenguin'', [[ spoiler: Rocko appears to have been swept away by a wave, only to appear in the middle of the climax very much alive]].
* ''WesternAnimationRockADoodle'' gives [[ spoiler: Edmund one. He appears to have been strangled to death in the climax, but gets better and turns back into a boy]].

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'' fic ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/10195775?view_full_work=true Guardian Blue - Season 1]]'', [[spoiler:Nick falls into the water recycling system while saving a wolf pup from the villain Darmaw who also falls in. Darmaw's body is later recovered, but Nick's is never found. After several days of searching he is pronounced dead. Judy learns of a hidden location his body could have possibly washed into and ventures in to retrieve his body and get closure. Ultimately she discovers that Nick is still alive but badly hurt and is able to pull him back out to safety]].

* The surprisingly plausible fan sequel to ''Literature/EarthsChildren'', "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7666095/10/Broud-s-Destiny Broud's Destiny]]", has Ayla's chief antagonist defending the Clan against gangs of Others who paint themselves white and kill "flatheads" for kicks. At the climax, the leader of the "chalk-faces" viciously stabs Broud in the abdomen at the same moment Broud breaks his neck. Broud drops to the ground and everything looks like a beautiful death scene. End of chapter. The next chapter opens with a Clan funeral ceremony... turns out it's for Broud's mom Ebra. Broud will take time to recover but is fine.

''Literature/LittleWomen'': While Jo and Meg are watching over the sleeping, scarlet fever-racked Beth through the night while also waiting for their mother to come home, a change suddenly comes over Beth – her fever flush fades away and her face turns peaceful. For a few moments, Jo thinks her sister has died. But then their housekeeper Hannah check her vital signs and reveals that just the opposite is true – her fever has finaly broken and she's on the road to recovery. [[spoiler: Sadly, she never ''fully'' recovers and [[KilledOffForReal really does die]] several years later.]]

''Literature/LittleWomen'': While Jo and Meg are watching over the sleeping, scarlet fever-racked Beth through the night while also waiting for thei mother to come home, a change suddenly comes over Beth – her fever flush fades away and her face turns peaceful. For a few moments, Jo thinks her sister has died. But then their housekeeper Hannah check her vital signs and reveals that just the opposite is true – her fever has finaly broken and she's on the road to recovery. [[spoilers: Sadly, she never ''fully'' recovers and [[KilledOffForReal really does die]] several years later.]]

''Literature/LittleWomen'': While Jo and Meg are watching over the sleeping, scarlet fever-racked Beth through the night while also waiting for thei mother to come home, a change suddenly comes over Beth – her fever flush fades away and her face turns peaceful. For a few moments, Jo thinks her sister has died. But then their housekeeper Hannah check her vital signs and reveals that just the opposite is true – her fever has finaly broken and she's on the road to recovery. [[spoilers: Sadly, she never ''fully'' recovers and [[KilledOffForReal really does die] several years later.]]

** [[spoiler:Doctor Doom appears to die in the GrandFinale "Doomsday", but ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibleHulk'', which takes place in the same continuity as the 1994 ''Fantastic Four'' cartoon, reveals that he's still alive in the episode "Doomed".]]

* Ted appears to get run through by a sword in medieval England in ''Film/BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure'', causing Bill to mourn him ("Ted, don't be dead, dude!"). But it turns out Ted fell out of the armor just when he hit the ground; the armor got stabbed, not him. (Never mind the fact that he was completely strapped into this complex outfit.) It's also a ForegoneConclusion, due to the fact that Ted's future self had been seen alive and well earlier.

* In the last episode of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' book 2, Aang is struck by Azula's lightning. Luckily, [[spoiler:Katara has some spirit water that she uses to heal him]], but it doesn't work right away and we don't learn [[spoiler:that he survived until the first episode of the next season]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}: Secret of the Omnitrix'' had two. [[spoiler:Hoverboard's pilot Gludo was blown to pieces by Vilgax, and Gwen was eaten by an evil plant.]] Both were rare examples of actually ''convincing'' Disney Deaths, thanks in no small part to the fact that they [[NeverSayDie actually used the word "dead"]] in reference to both characters.

* ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}'':
** [[spoiler:Spider-Man]] dies in the story, but it was later revealed that he was NotQuiteDead.
** [[spoiler:Valkyrie]] and [[spoiler:Captain America]] die during the flood, but [[spoiler:they were saved because Thor traded their lives with Hela for his own]].

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Buffy comes to find her mother unresponsive on the couch, not breathing. She calls 911, she performs CPR, her mother gasps. Cut to the ambulance taking them to the scene in the hospital where Buffy's mom is so glad that Buffy came home when she did, or else--wait, why are we cutting back to the CPR? Oh. Well, the paramedics have arrived, and so we get to see them bring her back to the... They call the coroner. Harshest subversion of Disney Death ever.

** It's actually played straight in the Season 1 finale, when Buffy drowns... only to be brought back to life by Xander's {{CPR|CleanPrettyReliable}}.
%%** In the SeriesFinale, this happens to Robin Wood.
%%** Also played straight with Cordelia in the season 3 episode "Lover's Walk".

** Happens twice to [[spoiler:Nova. First as a ShoutOut to ''Disney/TheLionKing'' then when she appears to have flatlined in the hospital, it turns out she's being possessed]].

[[caption-width-right:350:[[DisneyVillainDeath Silly witch! Death is for villains!]]]]

Beloved [[CharacterDeath major character is seemingly killed]] at the climax of the movie/episode, [[HeroicBSOD hearts are wrenched, four-year-olds are traumatized, grown men are reduced to tears,]] and then — oh look, the character is NotQuiteDead after all. "I thought you were dead!", [[StockPhrases they recite]] before walking off into the sunset.

Beloved [[CharacterDeath major character is seemingly killed]] at the climax of the movie/episode, [[TearJerker hearts are wrenched, four-year-olds are traumatized, grown men are reduced to tears,]] and then — oh look, the character is NotQuiteDead after all. "I thought you were dead!", [[StockPhrases they recite]] before walking off into the sunset.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Advertising/TrixRabbit Silly witch! Death is for villains!]]]]