History Main / SlowerThanASnail

Contrast SuperSpeed, where something is faster in comparison to pretty much everything else. Contrast also SpeedySnail. See also LowSpeedChase.

* German propaganda in 1944 played on Churchill's confident assertion that an invasion of Italy offered a swift attack route via the "soft underbelly of Europe". The Germans pointed out that between the invasion in September 1943 and getting bogged down at Cassino in early 1944, an ordinary garden snail could have covered twice as much distance as the Allies in five months. Propaganda leaflets intended to demoralise British and American soldiers made this point graphically. See [[https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:19343553 here]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', Lightning complains that his driver, Mack, is driving him to California way too slowly, and a minivan (which should, for all intents and purposes, be slower than a mack truck) drives past Mack.
-->'''[=McQueen=]''': What? A minivan!? Oh, come on, Mack, you're in the slow lane, this is Lightning [=McQueen=] you're hauling here!

* In ''LightNovel/BofuriIDontWantToGetHurtSoIllMaxOutMyDefense'', when Maple first acquires her pet tortoise, Syrup, Syrup is shown to be faster than her.

* German propaganda in 1944 played on Churchill's confident assertion that an invasion of Italy offered a swift attack route via the "soft underbelly of Europe". The Germans pointed out that between the invasion in September 1943 and getting bogged down at Cassino in early 1944, an ordinary garden snail could have covered twice as much distance as the Allies in five months. Propaganda leaflets intended to demoralise British and American soldiers made this point graphically. see [[https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:19343553 here]].

* ''Series/MyWifeAndKids:'' In the episode "Marathon", when Jay plans to run a marathon and prepares strenuously with Franklin, Michael joins the run as he is, simply to prove to her that his natural physicality is enough and that HardWorkHardlyWorks. Within five minutes of starting, having booked it out of the gate, the woefully underprepared Michael is overtaken by other marathoners, his wife, some children, a casual runner and his young son, a man in a wheelchair, [[SerialEscalation another hopping on one leg]], and another [[UpToEleven walking on his hands]].

* ''Series/MyWifeAndKids:'' In the episode "Marathon", when Jay plans to run a marathon and prepares strenuously with Franklin, Michael joins the run as he is simply to prove to her that men have a natural physical advantage over women and that HardWorkHardlyWorks. Within five minutes of starting, having booked it out of the gate, the woefully underprepared Michael is overtaken by other marathoners, his wife, some children, a casual runner and his young son, a man in a wheelchair, [[SerialEscalation another hopping on one leg]], and another [[UpToEleven walking on his hands]].

As the trope name implies, snails are common for the comparison, but it is not limited to just snails or slow animals. A wide range of subjects can be used ranging from the elderly, a person in very restrictive clothing, or a toy. If the slow subject being compared to is a vehicle and the creators don't want to make the comparison overkill, the traditionally-slow competitor might be a different, but still slow vehicle as opposed to a person or animal.

* ''ComicBook/RatMan'': One flashback issue shows a young Rat-Man (still called Rat-Boy at the time) in a race, bragging that training made his body "the picture of speed itself". Cut to the finish line, crossed, in order, by every runner ''except'' Rat-Boy, then a turtle, then a snail, then (after several [[BeatPanel beat panels]]) by [[RuleOfThree a sloth]].

* In ''The Disorderly Orderly'', Jerome gets stuck in a straight-jacket originally for a patient and ends up having to awkwardly scoot facedown. His slow speed is emphasized by having a snail outpace him.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' episode, "Cautious Connor", Connor, one of the fastest express engines on the Mainland, decides to go slow after one of his piston rods breaks, deciding he needs to be more careful. At one point, Connor moves so slowly, that Captain Joe manages to row Skiff the Railboat right past him. To get Connor back to his normal fast self, Thomas challenges Connor to a race against Stephen, one of the slowest engines on Sodor.

* In ''The Phantom Tollbooth'' Canby demonstrates what he is, including many conflicting qualities:

-->'''[=McQueen=]''': What? A minivan!? Oh, come on, Mack, you're in the slow lane, this is Lightning McQueen you're hauling here!

* In ''WesternAnimation/CentralPark'', Season 1 "[[Recap/CentralParkS1E9LiveItUpTonight Live It Up Tonight]]", When trying to bike to Brooklyn using a rental bike, with Paige pedaling and Owen behind her as a passenger, the bike gets a flat tire that slows them down to the point that an old lady is able to outpace them, so they get off the bike and just walk.

Contrast SuperSpeed, where something is faster in comparison to pretty much everything else. See also LowSpeedChase.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Films-Animation]]

[[folder:Films-Live Action]]

-->''"I'm as fast as can be," he announced, running around the island twice in no time at all, "and I'm as slow as can be," he complained, waving good-by to a snail.''

-->Rimmer, the Eastbourne over-seventies ladies' zimmer frame relay team could overtake us!

[[folder:Stand-up Comedy]]
* Creator/RonWhite's segment in ''The Series/BlueCollarComedy Tour'' opens with him complaining about the charter jet flight his manager arranged to get him to Phoenix, AZ from Flagstaff (two hours by car). It's a nine-minute flight, and he complains the plane is going half the speed of ''smell'' and got passed by a kite, and a goose. [[FromBadToWorse And then they developed engine trouble and had to return to the airport halfway.]]
[[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Talkartoons}}'': In ''Sky Scraping'', a sleepy Bimbo marches to work at such a pace that a snail slithers past him. At the end, however, Bimbo bolts it back home at quitting time and is shown running faster than a rabbit.
** This gag was repeated in the [[WesternAnimation/ColorClassics Color Classic]] short ''An Elephant Never Forgets'', this time with a hippo going to and from school.

* ''ComicBook/GastonLagaffe'': One strip has Gaston's AllegedCar being outpaced by, among others, two rabbits and a group of hikers, and later still Prunelle has Gaston pull over (without stopping) so he can pick a few flowers.