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* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' kept being bounced between different studios around the world, ranging anywhere from India to China. As a result, the animation can look different from episode to episode. Most notably, the Hot and Sour episodes have relatively poor lighting and shading, yet even they managed to put a lot of detail and expression in the character models. For example, the stitching pattern on Mindy's hat. The design and music of the show give it a nice retro '50s-60s feel, plus the many vintage pop culture references [[ParentalBonus for parents]]. How many Gen Z kids would recognize a reference to Music/DavidBowie, for instance?
* ''WesternAnimation/XavierRiddleAndTheSecretMuseum'' reportedly has a budget of a measly $3,000, but to say the artists and animators went the extra mile is an understatement. Thanks to Chris Eliopoulos' brilliant character designs and the stunning, detailed backgrounds, it manages to be a very artsy series. Special mention goes to the Creator/FredRogers episode, in which the ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'' TV set is accurate ''down to the most minor detail''.
* ''WesternAnimation/XavierRiddleAndTheSecretMuseum'' reportedly has a budget of a measly $3,000, but to say the artists and animators went the extra mile is an understatement. Thanks to Chris Eliopoulos' brilliant character designs and the stunning, detailed backgrounds, it manages to be a very artsy series. Special mention goes to the Creator/FredRogers episode, in which the ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'' TV set is accurate ''down to the most minor detail''.
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* ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}} -A piece of blue glass moon-'' was scripted almost entirely by one developer who did the massive undertaking of putting together all the [=CGs=], visuals, sprites, and backgrounds for the final product and mastered the timing of coding every graphical image to line up with the script, doing all of this little by little over the course of several years. The visuals themselves drew production out even longer just for the sheer graphical intensity of the art team putting their all into it. It all paid off as the VN is considered to be one of the most gorgeously engaging visual novels currently out there.
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Adding this after discussion with the other mods regarding separation of Sugar Wiki and the rest of the wiki
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'''Do not link to this on the wiki, please. Not even under the YMMV tab.'''
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** ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' is one of the only Disney films since the company's heyday that can truly be called "experimental": complete creative control was given to a small team, who designed the entire production and characters to resemble of one employee's personal drawing style. It was also the first since ''WesternAnimation/{{Dumbo}}'' to use watercolored backgrounds (that's right, the first one in over 60 years). The result is something intimate and completely distinct.
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** ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch2002'' is one of the only Disney films since the company's heyday that can truly be called "experimental": complete creative control was given to a small team, who designed the entire production and characters to resemble of one employee's personal drawing style. It was also the first since ''WesternAnimation/{{Dumbo}}'' to use watercolored backgrounds (that's right, the first one in over 60 years). The result is something intimate and completely distinct.
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** ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' is one of the only Disney films since the company's heyday that can truly be called "experimental": complete creative control was given to a small team, who designed the entire production and characters to resemble of one employee's personal drawing style. It was also the first since ''WesternAnimation/{{Dumbo}}'' to use watercolored backgrounds (that's right, the first one in over 60 years). The result is something intimate and completely distinct.
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* Creator/{{M2}} is one of the most well-known names in retro game porting, and many of their games are {{Polished Port}}s:
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* Creator/{{M2}} is one of the most well-known names in retro game porting, and many of their games are {{Polished Port}}s:Port}}s. Many fans are amazed to discover the lengths that they go to in order to accurately emulate the games, or the nice little touches they add:
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** For "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E21BlackWidower Black Widower]]", the staff wanted an episode involving a "mystery", so executive producer Sam Simon approached Thomas Chastain, head of the organization Mystery Writers of America, to help construct the mystery.
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* For ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'', Yu Suzuki had the development team ''learn martial arts'' so that they could realistically portray the various fighting styles.
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** For ''SEGA AGES: VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'', not only did they get the game to work at 60 FPS while still being an accurate emulation of the orignal, they even repurposed the "live camera" feature from the arcade version for this port's replay feature.
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** For ''SEGA AGES: VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'', not only did they get the game to work at 60 FPS while still being an accurate emulation of the orignal, they even repurposed the "live camera" feature from the arcade version for this port's replay feature.feature, and an arrangement of the replay theme from ''Virtua Racing Deluxe'' for the Sega 32X was whipped up to match the arcade version's sound font.
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* The ''Creator/{{M2}} [=ShotTriggers=]'' series of ports. Each port in this lineup is clearly the result of the porting team taking their work seriously, featuring not only [[ArcadePerfectPort arcade-perfect recreations]] but also each port showing about a half dozen to dozen widgets showing real-time information and various quality-of-life options (such as reducing input lag, turning on visible hitboxes for games that don't have them, and turning off slowdown for the ''VideoGame/{{Aleste}} Collection'' games). These are the ports that M2 seem to put the most effort into alongside the ''Creator/{{SEGA}} AGES'' series, even though ''[=M2STG=]'' ports aren't exactly going to be huge moneymakers; their other, non-SEGA and non-shmup ports (such as the Creator/{{Konami}} 50th anniversary port compilations and ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Collection of Mana]]'') usually have just enough apparent effort to emulate the games correctly and have remappable controls. All of this, by [[ShootEmUp shmup]] fans and developers, for shmup fans.
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* The ''Creator/{{M2}} Creator/{{M2}} is one of the most well-known names in retro game porting, and many of their games are {{Polished Port}}s:
** For ''SEGA AGES: VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'', not only did they get the game to work at 60 FPS while still being an accurate emulation of the orignal, they even repurposed the "live camera" feature from the arcade version for this port's replay feature.
** Their flagship products are the ''M2 [=ShotTriggers=]''series of ports.series. Each port in this lineup is clearly the result of the porting team taking their work seriously, featuring not only [[ArcadePerfectPort arcade-perfect recreations]] but also each port showing about a half dozen to dozen widgets showing real-time information and various quality-of-life options (such as reducing input lag, turning on visible hitboxes for games that don't have them, and turning off slowdown for the ''VideoGame/{{Aleste}} Collection'' games). These are the ports that M2 seem to put the most effort into alongside the ''Creator/{{SEGA}} AGES'' series, even though ''[=M2STG=]'' ports aren't exactly going to be huge moneymakers; their other, non-SEGA and non-shmup ports (such as the Creator/{{Konami}} 50th anniversary port compilations and ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Collection of Mana]]'') usually have just enough apparent effort to emulate the games correctly and have remappable controls. All of this, by [[ShootEmUp shmup]] fans and developers, for shmup fans.fans.
** Because their ports are emulation ports rather than remasters coded natively for their target platforms, every time they introduce modifications such as [[EasierThanEasy Super Easy]] modes or {{Arrange Mode}}s, they're effectively doing official {{ROM Hack}}s. The same goes for their much-vaunted M2 Gadgets, which pull real-time info from the ROM.
** For ''SEGA AGES: VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'', not only did they get the game to work at 60 FPS while still being an accurate emulation of the orignal, they even repurposed the "live camera" feature from the arcade version for this port's replay feature.
** Their flagship products are the ''M2 [=ShotTriggers=]''
** Because their ports are emulation ports rather than remasters coded natively for their target platforms, every time they introduce modifications such as [[EasierThanEasy Super Easy]] modes or {{Arrange Mode}}s, they're effectively doing official {{ROM Hack}}s. The same goes for their much-vaunted M2 Gadgets, which pull real-time info from the ROM.
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* ''VideoGame/EZ2DJ'' is basically South Korea's ''VideoGame/{{beatmania}}'', featuring its own unique twists on the game such as a foot pedal, modes where the player has to also press the upper "effector" buttons, hold notes years before ''beatmania'' had them, and courses with their own unique charts. So it's no surprise that in 2007, Creator/{{Konami}} sued Amuse World and as part of the settlement, Amuse World could no longer produce new ''[=EZ2DJ=]'' cabinets. But nowhere in the settlement did it say that Amuse World couldn't make new software for the existing cabs anymore, so they continued to produce new updates and installments of the game, with arcades simply refurbishing their existing cabinets. ''[=EZ2DJ=]'' would eventually get a ContinuityReboot in the form of ''[=EZ2AC=]'', featuring new PC hardware while keeping the existing cabinets, and in fact new versions of the game would continue to be released all the way up to 2020, ''13 years'' after the cessation of cabinet production.
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* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland'':
** A large amount of work went into making the game look the way it did, defying market expectations by straying away from the pre-rendered graphics that had risen to prominence in the wake of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry''[='s=] success. All of the game's sprites and tiles were drawn by hand with markers on paper, digitally scanned, and then traced over pixel-by-pixel to replicate the look within the confines of the SNES's graphical limitations. While this is far more work than what would be necessary even for conventional 2D spritework, the end result was a distinctly vivid art style unlike anything seen before or since.
** The game was in development for the vast majority of the SNES's lifespan as Nintendo's incumbent home console, starting development in 1991 and releasing in 1995[[note]]for reference, the SNES released in Japan in 1990 and the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 released in 1996[[/note]]. In addition to the art style, much of this time was spent cramming in as many technical tricks as possible-- to the point of reprogramming the game to support the Super FX 2 chip once that became available-- while still making a cohesive product. The result was a critical and commercial success, widely praised for its graphics and technical achievements in addition to its gameplay and design.
** A large amount of work went into making the game look the way it did, defying market expectations by straying away from the pre-rendered graphics that had risen to prominence in the wake of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry''[='s=] success. All of the game's sprites and tiles were drawn by hand with markers on paper, digitally scanned, and then traced over pixel-by-pixel to replicate the look within the confines of the SNES's graphical limitations. While this is far more work than what would be necessary even for conventional 2D spritework, the end result was a distinctly vivid art style unlike anything seen before or since.
** The game was in development for the vast majority of the SNES's lifespan as Nintendo's incumbent home console, starting development in 1991 and releasing in 1995[[note]]for reference, the SNES released in Japan in 1990 and the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 released in 1996[[/note]]. In addition to the art style, much of this time was spent cramming in as many technical tricks as possible-- to the point of reprogramming the game to support the Super FX 2 chip once that became available-- while still making a cohesive product. The result was a critical and commercial success, widely praised for its graphics and technical achievements in addition to its gameplay and design.
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** Director David Silverman personally animated the hallucination sequences for [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E9ElViajeMisteriosoDeNuestroJomer "El Viaje Misterioso De Nuestro Jomer"]] as he was worried the overseas animators would not provide the specific, highly surreal look that he wanted. It paid off as the results are considered the episode's SignatureScene.
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** Director David Silverman Creator/DavidSilverman personally animated the hallucination sequences for [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E9ElViajeMisteriosoDeNuestroJomer "El Viaje Misterioso De Nuestro Jomer"]] as he was worried the overseas animators would not provide the specific, highly surreal look that he wanted. It paid off as the results are considered the episode's SignatureScene.
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* While ''WesternAnimation/NextGen'' is a decent film in its own right, it serves as a testament to the power of Creator/BlenderFoundation's flagship open source animation software. Almost the entire film was created using software that anyone can get a hold of completely for free!
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* While ''WesternAnimation/NextGen'' ''Animation/NextGen'' is a decent film in its own right, it serves as a testament to the power of Creator/BlenderFoundation's flagship open source animation software. Almost the entire film was created using software that anyone can get a hold of completely for free!
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* Creator/{{Disney}}:
** ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'' was such an ambitious and groundbreaking project that it required its own sound system.
** For ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'', Creator/WaltDisney wanted the animals to be more realistic and expressive than those in ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'', so he had Rico [=LeBrun=], a painter of animals, come and lecture to the animators on the structure and movement of animals. The animators visited the Los Angeles Zoo and Disney set up a small zoo at the studio so that the artists could see first-hand the movement of these animals.
** For the scene in ''WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland'' in which Alice grows gigantic while inside the White Rabbit's house, animators built a prop house for Kathryn Beaumont to sit in - and they sketched it for reference. As they also needed to see how Alice moved while inside the house, they then rebuilt it with transparent walls.
** The animators on ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' went to Africa and studied real animals to ensure that they were portrayed as realistically as possible.
** ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'' was such an ambitious and groundbreaking project that it required its own sound system.
** For ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'', Creator/WaltDisney wanted the animals to be more realistic and expressive than those in ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'', so he had Rico [=LeBrun=], a painter of animals, come and lecture to the animators on the structure and movement of animals. The animators visited the Los Angeles Zoo and Disney set up a small zoo at the studio so that the artists could see first-hand the movement of these animals.
** For the scene in ''WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland'' in which Alice grows gigantic while inside the White Rabbit's house, animators built a prop house for Kathryn Beaumont to sit in - and they sketched it for reference. As they also needed to see how Alice moved while inside the house, they then rebuilt it with transparent walls.
** The animators on ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' went to Africa and studied real animals to ensure that they were portrayed as realistically as possible.
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*** And when you hear that there were pick ups, entire CG sequences and full orchestra re-composing and re-recording for the ''DVD releases'' of ''extended editions'' (they were still shooting ''after'' the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing third film]] won the Best Picture Oscar), you realize how much effort went in to making this one of the best film trilogies of all time.*
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*** And when you hear that there were pick ups, entire CG sequences and full orchestra re-composing and re-recording for the ''DVD releases'' of ''extended editions'' (they were still shooting ''after'' the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing third film]] won the Best Picture Oscar), you realize how much effort went in to making this one of the best film trilogies of all time.*
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Director David Silverman personally animated the hallucination sequences for [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E9ElViajeMisteriosoDeNuestroJomer "El Viaje Misterioso De Nuestro Jomer"]] as he was worried the overseas animators would not provide the specific, highly surreal look that he wanted. It paid off as the results are considered the episode's SignatureScene.
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** The end credits of "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E8MotherSimpson Mother Simpson]]" consist of Homer wistfully looking at the night sky after saying goodbye to his mother again. The crew successfully fought the network to not have any commercials play over it.
** Director David Silverman personally animated the hallucination sequences for [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E9ElViajeMisteriosoDeNuestroJomer "El Viaje Misterioso De Nuestro Jomer"]] as he was worried the overseas animators would not provide the specific, highly surreal look that he wanted. It paid off as the results are considered the episode's SignatureScene.
** The end credits of "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E8MotherSimpson Mother Simpson]]" consist of Homer wistfully looking at the night sky after saying goodbye to his mother again. The crew successfully fought the network to not have any commercials play over it.
** Director David Silverman personally animated the hallucination sequences for [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E9ElViajeMisteriosoDeNuestroJomer "El Viaje Misterioso De Nuestro Jomer"]] as he was worried the overseas animators would not provide the specific, highly surreal look that he wanted. It paid off as the results are considered the episode's SignatureScene.
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* Creator/NoahAntwiler reviewd ''VideoGame/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' for ''WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment'' ''right after'' having his wisdom teeth taken out (2 operations) and while stoned out of his mind on Vicodin just because the fans begged him to. That's dedication to your art. And after his "Health update" v-log...to think he kept up with everything as well as he did -- getting through ''WebVideo/{{Kickassia}}'', going to conventions, putting on heavy costumes, practically melting under hot lights -- with a heart condition that ''makes him feel like he's dying'' if he overtaxes himself.
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* Creator/NoahAntwiler reviewd reviewed ''VideoGame/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' for ''WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment'' ''right after'' having his wisdom teeth taken out (2 operations) and while stoned out of his mind on Vicodin just because the fans begged him to. That's dedication to your art. And after his "Health update" v-log...to think he kept up with everything as well as he did -- getting through ''WebVideo/{{Kickassia}}'', going to conventions, putting on heavy costumes, practically melting under hot lights -- with a heart condition that ''makes him feel like he's dying'' if he overtaxes himself.
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* Music/{{OK Go}} is rather well known for this, with their humble Website/YouTube roots and quirky but awesome music videos. In their "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w This Too Shall Pass]]" music video, they had what is arguably one of the longest running and most complex [[RubeGoldbergDevice Rube Goldberg machine]] [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome EVER]].
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* Music/{{OK Go}} Music/TheBeatles:
** The fact that Music/PaulMcCartney came up with the tune to "Yesterday" in a dream and played it to others to make sure he didn't plagiarise it.
** "I'm Only Sleeping" from ''Music/RevolverBeatlesAlbum'' has a backwards guitar riff on it. ''And it was a complete accident''.
* Music/OKGo is rather well known for this, with their humble Website/YouTube roots and quirky but awesome music videos. In their "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w This Too Shall Pass]]" music video, they had what is arguably one of the longest running and most complex [[RubeGoldbergDevice Rube Goldberg machine]] [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome EVER]].
** The fact that Music/PaulMcCartney came up with the tune to "Yesterday" in a dream and played it to others to make sure he didn't plagiarise it.
** "I'm Only Sleeping" from ''Music/RevolverBeatlesAlbum'' has a backwards guitar riff on it. ''And it was a complete accident''.
* Music/OKGo is rather well known for this, with their humble Website/YouTube roots and quirky but awesome music videos. In their "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w This Too Shall Pass]]" music video, they had what is arguably one of the longest running and most complex [[RubeGoldbergDevice Rube Goldberg machine]] [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome EVER]].
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** That shot in ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' of the helicopter flying under an underpass was done for real with no special effects.
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* The 2012 war film ''Film/ActOfValor'' takes this to a whole new level, the main characters are all played by REAL U.S. Navy SEALS(who were between deployments at the time of filming) all the tactics used in the film are REAL, [[RunningGag REAL]] live bullets were used for most scenes, and in one scene a REAL truck gets blown up with a [[OverlyLongGag REAL]] RPG.
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* The 2012 war film ''Film/ActOfValor'' takes this to a whole new level, the level. The main characters are all played by REAL U.S. Navy SEALS(who SEALS (who were between deployments at the time of filming) all the tactics used in the film are REAL, [[RunningGag REAL]] live bullets were used for most scenes, and in one scene a REAL truck gets blown up with a [[OverlyLongGag REAL]] RPG.
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* Creator/NoahAntwiler did a game review back in 2007 on [[VideoGame/ETTheExtraTerrestrial a horrible E.T. Atari game]] ''right after'' having his wisdom teeth taken out (2 operations) and while stoned out of his mind on Vicodin just because the fans begged him to. That's dedication to your art. And after his "Health update" v-log...to think he's been keeping up with everything as well as he has been -- getting through ''WebVideo/{{Kickassia}}'', going to conventions, putting on heavy costumes, practically melting under hot lights -- with a heart condition that ''makes him feel like he's dying'' if he overtaxes himself.
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* Creator/NoahAntwiler did a game review back in 2007 on [[VideoGame/ETTheExtraTerrestrial a horrible E.T. Atari game]] reviewd ''VideoGame/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' for ''WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment'' ''right after'' having his wisdom teeth taken out (2 operations) and while stoned out of his mind on Vicodin just because the fans begged him to. That's dedication to your art. And after his "Health update" v-log...to think he's been keeping he kept up with everything as well as he has been did -- getting through ''WebVideo/{{Kickassia}}'', going to conventions, putting on heavy costumes, practically melting under hot lights -- with a heart condition that ''makes him feel like he's dying'' if he overtaxes himself.
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** Going even further, they had assets to use from Creator/{{Lucasfilm}}'s archives. For instance, during the production of Season 3 episode "Wookiee Hunt", the crew had a meeting with Peter Mayhew to make sure they got Chewbacca's appearance (while working within the art style), characterization and body language accurately.
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** Going even further, they had assets to use from Creator/{{Lucasfilm}}'s archives. For instance, during the production of Season 3 episode "Wookiee Hunt", the crew had a meeting with Peter Mayhew Creator/PeterMayhew to make sure they got Chewbacca's appearance (while working within the art style), characterization and body language accurately.
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* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', one of the writers actually made use of their math degree to [[http://www.geekosystem.com/futurama-prisoner-of-benda-theory/ create and prove a brand new mathematical theorem]] just for sake of the episode's body-swapping plot.
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* In an the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "[[Recap/FuturamaS6E10ThePrisonerOfBenda The Prisoner of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', Benda]]", one of the writers actually made use of their math degree to [[http://www.geekosystem.com/futurama-prisoner-of-benda-theory/ create and prove a brand new mathematical theorem]] just for sake of the episode's body-swapping plot.
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* During TheEighties, most cartoons were 30-minute toy ads, and it was virtually unthinkable to go about it otherwise. Robert Mandell deliberately misfiled the memo and blew out as many stops as he could afford. Broadway actors as his voice talent, a truckload of Del Ray sci-fi authors as writers, Toyko Movie Shinsa doing the animation, arena rock bands for the soundtrack, some of the ''earliest'' attempts to weld CGI and cel animation...and throwing the lot into a SpaceWestern that looks like the bastard offspring of a time-traveling Series/{{Firefly}} and the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse. The end result is a one-season wonder called ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers Galaxy Rangers]]''.
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* During TheEighties, most cartoons were 30-minute toy ads, and it was virtually unthinkable to go about it otherwise. Robert Mandell deliberately misfiled the memo and blew out as many stops as he could afford. Broadway actors as his voice talent, a truckload of Del Ray sci-fi authors as writers, Toyko Movie Shinsa doing the animation, arena rock bands for the soundtrack, some of the ''earliest'' attempts to weld CGI and cel animation...and throwing the lot into a SpaceWestern that looks like the bastard offspring of a time-traveling Series/{{Firefly}} ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' and the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse. The end result is a one-season wonder called ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers Galaxy Rangers]]''.''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers''.
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* The Pantheon, a temple, and later church, in Rome. The dome, aside from being a ''perfect'' hemisphere with a diameter of 43.3m (142 feet), implies an imaginary, second hemisphere, the pole of which touches the floor ''exactly''. Given the size of this space, a considerable margin of error would have been considered acceptable, but the architect, Apollodorus of Damascus, wanted it to be ''perfect''. And this in 126 AD.
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* The Pantheon, a temple, and later church, in Rome.UsefulNotes/{{Rome}}. The dome, aside from being a ''perfect'' hemisphere with a diameter of 43.3m (142 feet), implies an imaginary, second hemisphere, the pole of which touches the floor ''exactly''. Given the size of this space, a considerable margin of error would have been considered acceptable, but the architect, Apollodorus of Damascus, wanted it to be ''perfect''. And this in 126 AD.
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** Going even further, they had assets to use from Lucasfilm's archives. For instance, during the production of Season 3 episode "Wookiee Hunt", the crew had a meeting with Peter Mayhew to make sure they got Chewbacca's appearance (while working within the art style), characterization and body language accurately.
to:
** Going even further, they had assets to use from Lucasfilm's Creator/{{Lucasfilm}}'s archives. For instance, during the production of Season 3 episode "Wookiee Hunt", the crew had a meeting with Peter Mayhew to make sure they got Chewbacca's appearance (while working within the art style), characterization and body language accurately.
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* Creator/HannaBarbera was still able to make beautifully drawn cartoons, thanks to Ed Benedict's brilliant character designs and colorful backgrounds despite a low budget.
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* Creator/HannaBarbera was still able to make beautifully drawn cartoons, cartoons despite a low budget, thanks to Ed Benedict's brilliant character designs and colorful backgrounds despite a low budget.backgrounds.
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* The music of ''Anime/CowboyBebop'', rather than going for the [[JapanesePopMusic J-Pop]] music that's the norm for such {{anime}}, elected to go for classic jazz performed by composer Music/YokoKanno and her band Music/TheSeatbelts. If you really want to be impressed, consider the fact that Jazz is not a popular art form in Japan (though Tokyo does currently have a fast-growing jazz scene, well worth checking out).
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* The music of ''Anime/CowboyBebop'', rather than going for the [[JapanesePopMusic J-Pop]] music that's the norm for such {{anime}}, elected to go for classic jazz {{Jazz}} performed by composer Music/YokoKanno and her band Music/TheSeatbelts. If you really want to be impressed, consider the fact that Jazz is not a popular art form in Japan UsefulNotes/{{Japan}} (though Tokyo UsefulNotes/{{Tokyo}} does currently have a fast-growing jazz scene, well worth checking out).
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* ''Manga/GunsmithCats'' actually sent its entire animation studio to Chicago to make sure they got the setting right, and instead of using [[BangBangBANG stock gun noises]] they used recordings of each gun being used that they made themselves.
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* ''Manga/GunsmithCats'' actually sent its entire animation studio to Chicago UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} to make sure they got the setting right, and instead of using [[BangBangBANG stock gun noises]] they used recordings of each gun being used that they made themselves.
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* ''Manga/{{ARIA}}''. The detail that goes into the buildings, geography, and events is truly staggering. Also, the anime production team traveled to Venice every time they started a new season--even for the ''one episode {{OVA}}!'' And if that weren't enough, there's also a large amount of high-quality music by names like Eri Kawai, Senoo and Music/ChoroClub.
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* ''Manga/{{ARIA}}''. The detail that goes into the buildings, geography, and events is truly staggering. Also, the anime production team traveled to Venice UsefulNotes/{{Venice}} every time they started a new season--even for the ''one episode {{OVA}}!'' And if that weren't enough, there's also a large amount of high-quality music by names like Eri Kawai, Senoo and Music/ChoroClub.
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* The ''VideoGame/WorldOfAssassinationTrilogy'' not only has some gorgeous SceneryPorn in each location, but the [=NPC's=] within them have fairly unique routines and behaviour, believable human dialogue (especially when held at gunpoint) that could go on for literally a hundred hours if you put them all together, and some of the more notable ones contribute to the story in some aspect, even if its minor. The levels are interconnected with [=Foreshadowing=] to later targets and levels, there are a bunch of hidden kills per level the developers thought ahead to add.
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* Pick a Creator/{{Pixar}} movie, any Pixar movie. They had to tone down the water for ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' because it was ''too'' real-looking. Pixar mentioned that they learned during the filming of ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' that the story ''has'' to come first. They had a 60% or 70% finished movie when they sat and watched it... and were revolted. With a deadline looming scarily close, they tore it completely apart and made the amazing movie we know today.
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* Pick a Creator/{{Pixar}} movie, any Pixar movie. They had to tone down the water for ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' because it was ''too'' real-looking. Pixar mentioned that they learned during the filming of ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' that the story ''has'' to come first. They had a 60% or 70% finished movie when they sat and watched it... and were revolted. With a deadline looming scarily close, they tore it completely apart and made the amazing movie we know today.
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*** For [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory3 the third TS film]], they could have had any actor play the now-grown Andy. Instead, they tracked down the '''''original actor''''', who had basically retired from acting at that point, to reprise the role. In fact, there's nary an [[TheOtherDarrin other Darrin]] in sight in the third film - ''every returning character'' is voiced by the actors who voiced them in the first two, except for Slinky, and even then it was only because his original actor died. Special mention goes to Creator/DonRickles, who was 84 when he voiced Mr. Potato Head for ''Toy Story 3''... and even after his ''death'' just before ''Toy Story 4'' went into active production, allowed his estate to search through ''decades'' of unused recorded dialogue to reprise his character.
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*** For [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory3 the third TS film]], they could have had any actor play the now-grown Andy. Instead, they tracked down the '''''original actor''''', who had basically retired from acting at that point, to reprise the role. In fact, there's nary an [[TheOtherDarrin other Darrin]] in sight in the third film - ''every returning character'' is voiced by the actors who voiced them in the first two, except for Slinky, and even then it was only because his original actor Creator/JimVarney died. Special mention goes to Creator/DonRickles, who was 84 when he voiced Mr. Potato Head for ''Toy Story 3''... and even after his ''death'' just before ''Toy Story 4'' went into active production, allowed his estate to search through ''decades'' of unused recorded dialogue to reprise his character.
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** ''WesternAnimation/HortonHearsAWho'' came along after Creator/DrSeuss's widow declared that all future film adaptations of his work would exclusively be animated, as a result of the widely-panned ''[[Film/TheCatInTheHat Cat in the Hat]]'' live-action movie. As such, they worked to adapt Seuss's visuals to animation in a way that also stuck when [[Creator/IlluminationEntertainment Illumination]] took on ''WesternAnimation/TheLorax'' a few years later.
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** ''WesternAnimation/HortonHearsAWho'' came along after Creator/DrSeuss's Creator/DrSeuss' widow declared that all future film adaptations of his work would exclusively be animated, as a result of the widely-panned ''[[Film/TheCatInTheHat Cat in the Hat]]'' live-action movie. As such, they worked to adapt Seuss's visuals to animation in a way that also stuck when [[Creator/IlluminationEntertainment Illumination]] took on ''WesternAnimation/TheLorax'' a few years later.
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* While ''Animation/NextGen'' is a decent film in its own right, it serves as a testament to the power of Creator/BlenderFoundation's flagship open source animation software. Almost the entire film was created using software that anyone can get a hold of completely for free!
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* While ''Animation/NextGen'' ''WesternAnimation/NextGen'' is a decent film in its own right, it serves as a testament to the power of Creator/BlenderFoundation's flagship open source animation software. Almost the entire film was created using software that anyone can get a hold of completely for free!
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** Creator/GeorgePerez does this ''all the time.'' For ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', Marv Wolfman told him to draw a cover with Lex Luthor, Joker, Brainiac, and maybe a few others if he felt like it. When Wolfman got Perez's cover, he discovered Perez drew ''every goddamn villain he could think of.'' Perez REALLY likes what he does apparently.
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** Creator/GeorgePerez does this ''all the time.'' For ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', Marv Wolfman Creator/MarvWolfman told him to draw a cover with Lex Luthor, Joker, Brainiac, and maybe a few others if he felt like it. When Wolfman got Perez's cover, he discovered Perez drew ''every goddamn villain he could think of.'' Perez REALLY likes what he does apparently.
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* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel: The main thing of the Ultimate Marvel, from day one to its very end, was to take creative risks and try things that would never be attempted in the prime universe. Some of those attempts were lauded successes, such as ComicBook/TheUltimates (The Avengers as a state-sponsored group), others were largely failures such as ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}} (a KillEmAll event, even killing for good all the X-Men's sacred cows), but the risks have always been taken.
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* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel: The main thing of the Ultimate Marvel, from day one to its very end, was to take creative risks and try things that would never be attempted in the prime universe. Some of those attempts were lauded successes, such as ComicBook/TheUltimates ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'' (The Avengers as a state-sponsored group), others were largely failures such as ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}} ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}'' (a KillEmAll event, even killing for good all the X-Men's sacred cows), but the risks have always been taken.
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* ''Film/{{Apollo 13}}''. The research they put into it was downright impressive. There's a "Making Of" feature in the collector's edition which has the director recounting when someone told him that man wouldn't go so far from Earth again for a hundred, hundred fifty years. By that time everyone involved would be dead; they would just have the old stuff, the stock footage, and documentaries. And this film. It had to be ''right''. The director said he laughed it off, but it really does look like he took it seriously.
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* ''Film/{{Apollo 13}}''. The research they put into it was downright impressive. There's a "Making Of" feature in the collector's edition which has the director Creator/RonHoward recounting when someone told him that man wouldn't go so far from Earth again for a hundred, hundred fifty years. By that time everyone involved would be dead; they would just have the old stuff, the stock footage, and documentaries. And this film. It had to be ''right''. The director said he laughed it off, but it really does look like he took it seriously.
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* When Andrew Robinson was cast as Garak in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', he actually wrote a detailed back-story for his character, and presented his "character bible" to the series' producers. Apart from some elements that went counter to the previously-written Cardassian history, the producers approved Robinson's efforts, which became part of Garak's character. Many of his notes which didn't make the series proper, went into the Expanded Universe novel "A Stitch in Time".
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* When Andrew Robinson Creator/AndrewRobinson was cast as Garak in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', he actually wrote a detailed back-story for his character, and presented his "character bible" to the series' producers. Apart from some elements that went counter to the previously-written Cardassian history, the producers approved Robinson's efforts, which became part of Garak's character. Many of his notes which didn't make the series proper, went into the Expanded Universe novel "A Stitch in Time".
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With season 3, Creator/JMichaelStraczynski became the first person in the history of American TV to write a full-length season single-handed. And then did it again with season 4.
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** With season 3, Creator/JMichaelStraczynski became the first person in the history of American TV to write a full-length season single-handed. And then did it again with season 4.
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** Making a CG show look hand-drawn is sort of standard for anime, but bringing characters into fully 3D space takes arguably a lot more effort. ''Stand by me Doraemon'', the only ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' film to use a 3D style, goes above and beyond to look almost Creator/{{Pixar}}-like in quality and attention to detail, in addition to having a plot that tugs at any ''Doraemon'' fan's heartstrings. It all paid off, becoming the highest-grossing film of the franchise to date (and for a franchise as popular as ''Doraemon'' in its home country, that says a lot).
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** Making a CG show look hand-drawn is sort of standard for anime, but bringing characters into fully 3D space takes arguably a lot more effort. ''Stand by me Doraemon'', ''Anime/StandByMeDoraemon'', the only first ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' film to use a 3D style, goes above and beyond to look almost Creator/{{Pixar}}-like in quality and attention to detail, in addition to having a plot that tugs at any ''Doraemon'' fan's heartstrings. It all paid off, becoming the highest-grossing film of the franchise to date (and for a franchise as popular as ''Doraemon'' in its home country, that says a lot). It’s no wonder that the director would later move on to do ''Anime/LupinIIITheFirst''.
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As the expression goes, "No one sets out to make a bad movie". That means even art which seems unimpressive still has tons of effort put into it. Whether it's a team of hundreds managing multi-week long shoots or a single person typing away on their computer, creating art takes a genuine effort, no matter the scale.
It comes as no surprise then how many behind-the-scenes stories come from working on these productions. They range from the benign to the terrifying, whether the creative process is a TroubledProduction or relatively smooth sailing. Because of this, fandoms are extremely familiar with many making-of stories.
However, there are some production feats that, when fans learn about them, they are absolutely blown away they were possible. It's almost like the fans gushing about it died and went to Development Heaven.
Whether it's a set built at a mind-boggling scale, levels of research that would make an archeologist blush, animation detail that is more lifelike than life itself, stunt work that defies human abilities, or just inserting a detail almost any casual viewer would never notice, these achievements will make fans go crazy praising their efforts.
Sometimes the people involved are DoingItForTheArt, but not necessarily. Some people just find it rewarding and have pride in putting a ton of effort into something, even if their ultimate motivation is the paycheck they receive.
Can overlap with DyeingForYourArt and SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome. Contrast DevelopmentHell [[{{Pun}} (though not literally)]].
----
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Advertising]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ve4M4UsJQo This]] Honda commercial, CG, right? It could've been, but why not [[http://www.snopes.com/photos/advertisements/hondacog.asp go the extra mile instead]]?
* Creator/{{HBO}}'s iconic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1NKoMNy5bY 80s movie opener]]; so much so, there was even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agS6ZXBrcng a short documentary]] produced about it. All of the effects in the logo probably could've been achieved with [=CGI=], but instead, Liberty Studios--the company behind the logo--went all out with making it using practical effects. The entire city landscape was an actual model that was 10 feet wide and 30 feet long, with so much stunning attention to detail that it took over three months to fully construct, and during the making, smoke was pumped through in order to give it the appearance of a three-dimensional environment. The music that scores the opener was produced with a 65-piece orchestra. The [=HBO=] logo was made with brass, and the laser effects were achieved with light and camera tricks. Other than some superimposition effects for the family at the beginning as well as the ending title cards, practically no computer effects were used to create the opening. No wonder it's such a favorite of many!
* That [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbYWhdLO43Q Squatty Potty]] commercial with the baby unicorn pooping ice cream could have very easily gotten by with CGI, but the creators decided to go all-out with a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l7MXfYWahU full puppet]] instead.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* The music of ''Anime/CowboyBebop'', rather than going for the [[JapanesePopMusic J-Pop]] music that's the norm for such {{anime}}, elected to go for classic jazz performed by composer Music/YokoKanno and her band Music/TheSeatbelts. If you really want to be impressed, consider the fact that Jazz is not a popular art form in Japan (though Tokyo does currently have a fast-growing jazz scene, well worth checking out).
** The anime film ''Anime/{{Metropolis}}'', based off an Creator/OsamuTezuka manga (which was itself based loosely off [[Film/{{Metropolis}} a film]] by Creator/FritzLang), uses the same music with a very similar impact.
** Music/YokoKanno already had some OST fame for a very different sound that was and continued to be in demand for sci-fi works, or TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture settings like Cowboy Bebop. Music/TheSeatbelts was a passion project of hers, and Anime/CowboyBebop distinguished itself by choosing that style.
* ''Anime/BirdyTheMighty''. Especially the Decode series, which produced two series of stylish, fluid animation and engaging, sympathetic characters despite poor sales.
* ''Manga/GunsmithCats'' actually sent its entire animation studio to Chicago to make sure they got the setting right, and instead of using [[BangBangBANG stock gun noises]] they used recordings of each gun being used that they made themselves.
* The half-hour film ''Anime/VoicesOfADistantStar'' was created almost entirely by Creator/MakotoShinkai. The only thing he didn't do by himself was the voice acting on the commercial release.
* ''Manga/{{ARIA}}''. The detail that goes into the buildings, geography, and events is truly staggering. Also, the anime production team traveled to Venice every time they started a new season--even for the ''one episode {{OVA}}!'' And if that weren't enough, there's also a large amount of high-quality music by names like Eri Kawai, Senoo and Music/ChoroClub.
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': The {{Omake}} from the compiled volumes show just how much work Creator/KenAkamatsu put into the [[SceneryPorn backgrounds]] alone, even enormous hand-drawn crowd scenes. This includes creating a fully-rendered CG tower for the Kyoto arc, even though it only appears a few times in the extreme background. And the surprisingly good Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit for the spells, complete with accurate mythological references. The bonus material includes many a WallOfText explaining the languages and mythological beings that are mentioned. There's also a metric buttload of {{Shout Out}}s, including cameos by various anime and VideoGame characters in the aforementioned background scenes. He's very thorough, way more so than was necessary.
* The manga version of ''Manga/{{Genshiken}}'' features very intricate and detailed backgrounds, and references to real media to go with the {{otaku}} theme of the series. Example: "The Champ of Fighters" = ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'':
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7a7C4a2nfk&feature=related This]] video demonstrates the amount of detail the animators of ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' went through in order to ensure that every detail of their fictional Ikebukuro would mimic almost every aspect of its RealLife counterpart.
* For the ''Film/{{Pokemon}}'' movies, the director Kunihiko Yuyama travels the world in order to capture the feel of the {{Fantasy Counterpart Culture}}s Ash and co. will visit. For ''Anime/PokemonHeroes''' Altomare, the director visited Venice. In ''Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew'', he toured castles in Germany. For ''Anime/PokemonTheRiseOfDarkrai'', he visited Barcelona, Spain. For ''Anime/PokemonGiratinaAndTheSkyWarrior'', he visited the fjords of Norway. For ''Anime/PokemonArceusAndTheJewelOfLife'', he visited temples in Greece. For ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions'', he visited [[AndZoidberg the Netherlands]].
* In the infamous [[GroundhogDayLoop Endless Eight]] episodes of the second season of ''[[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'', each episode is animated from scratch, despite the plot and dialogue of each being nearly identical. The voice actors even claim that they did eight recordings.
** The first season was packed with pain-staking effort, including valid C++ code, SQL commands used in a way that no one can understand anyway, [[SceneryPorn photo accurate recreations of the setting]], and tiny details hinting toward coming ([[AnachronicOrder that is to say previous]]) episodes.
** Also, the novels. There's no other reason (well, except AuthorAppeal) to put [[ViewersAreGeniuses explanations and diagrams of college-level math]].
** The start-up of the old Windows 95 computer in alternate-world Nagato's classroom during the ''Disappearance'' movie as well. They could have simply made it a generic affair, but it was done accurately from start to finish, correct opening sound, GUI and all included.
* When Creator/MamoruOshii set out to do ''Anime/TheSkyCrawlers'', he and his crew traveled to Ireland and Poland where the movie is set to photograph not only the scenery or buildings but also radiators, electric sockets and window frames to get everything to look authentic.
* Creator/KatsuhiroOtomo. ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' is obsessively, painstakingly detailed like you wouldn't believe, and is known as ''the'' epic manga for a reason. The film is this way too.
* Composer and songwriter Music/YukiKajiura spent ten days in Peru as she prepared to write the music for ''Anime/ElCazadorDeLaBruja''.
* ''Anime/SoundOfTheSky'' takes place in the fictional town of Seize, which is [[http://infinitemirai.wordpress.com/2012/02/25/cuenca-spain-home-of-sora-no-woto/ shot by shot]] the [[RealPlaceBackground real Spanish town of Cuenca.]] Also, to voice a German-speaking character in the show, they [[SurprisinglyGoodForeignLanguage used a voice actress who was raised in Austria and spoke fluent German.]]
* It may be a huge victim of SeinfeldIsUnfunny, but the effort that went into making ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'' has to be seen to be [[http://www.battleoftheplanets.net/whatwas.html to be believed.]]
* ''Anime/RedLine'': It took seven years of hand-drawn animation to make this movie.
* For the anime adaptation of ''Manga/KeepYourHandsOffEizouken'', Creator/ScienceSARU didn't have legal permission to use footage from ''Anime/FutureBoyConan'' in the first episode. They got around this by painstakingly recreating scenes from ''Conan'' from scratch; not only did they trace the scenes frame by frame and recolor them, but they even recreated the music and sound effects.
* The dubs of ''Anime/AceAttorney'' and ''Anime/SakuraWarsTheAnimation'' had their ADR directors and scriptwriters do optional research playing the games.
* ''Manga/BladeOfTheImmortal'' mangaka Creator/HiroakiSamura personally redrew many pages so that the English-language release could be presented in the left-to-right English reading order without "flipping" the pages (i.e. mirroring them horizontally, a then-common practice which tends to cause BadExportForYou, especially with text). The series ultimately ran for ''30 volumes'' this way.
* ''Manga/VinlandSaga''. Not only did the author make it because it was always his dream to create a kickass Shonen series, but he also had a deep fascination with the Vikings and wanted to make something that portrayed them as they were, more than just [[AlwaysChaoticEvil killers and thugs]]. He even went on a trip to Iceland to research Viking Culture in greater detail, to give his artwork that authentic tinge, and it shows.
* The love and effort Creator/EiichiroOda pours into each ''Manga/OnePiece'' chapter is astounding. With all the little details in both the art and storytelling, it's easy to see that he loves writing manga.
* Animation-wise, the ''entire'' {{anime}} genre is keeping traditional animation alive. In a world where it is a dying breed and CGI animation is becoming more and more common, Japanese animators are notorious for sticking to their guns and still using traditional animation. There's a few Japanese CGI films and series, but most of the time they're experimental works and never intended for being used for replacing traditional animation as a whole.
** In Japan, CGI animation is normally restricted for animating non-living stuff, like vehicles, ships, robots, etc. And sometimes, some animation studios like Creator/{{Sunrise}} are notorious for ''never using'' CGI in some series, like ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'', when the [=titular=] machines are always being traditionally animated and never being rendered in CGI, with some few exceptions.
** On the other hand, Creator/StudioNue (the owners of the ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' franchise) are notorious for using CGI for many of their later series, like ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'', ''Anime/GenesisOfAquarion'' and ''Anime/AquarionEvol'', but only for the robots.
** Yet other studios TakeAThirdOption, by going full CGI but ''making'' it look hand-drawn. It's easy and cheap to entirely use CGI that clearly looks computer-rendered, and often not of good quality, but when Japanese studios do it, there is a strong tendency to mimic the hand-drawn look that makes anime so unique (which is ''not'' easy). An example would be the AnimatedAdaptation of ''Manga/ArpeggioOfBlueSteel'', which is entirely done with CGI, but apart from the unusual fluidity of movements looks as hand-drawn as other works, just a little cleaner.
** That's not to say studios don't embrace what [=3DCG=] has to offer. Take for example Sanzigen Animation; right down to the studio name,[[note]]Sanzigen = San Jigen (Third Dimension)[[/note]] they're committed to making series in fully rendered 3D, with video game cutscene quality.
** Making a CG show look hand-drawn is sort of standard for anime, but bringing characters into fully 3D space takes arguably a lot more effort. ''Stand by me Doraemon'', the only ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' film to use a 3D style, goes above and beyond to look almost Creator/{{Pixar}}-like in quality and attention to detail, in addition to having a plot that tugs at any ''Doraemon'' fan's heartstrings. It all paid off, becoming the highest-grossing film of the franchise to date (and for a franchise as popular as ''Doraemon'' in its home country, that says a lot).
** The season 2 opener for ''Anime/OsomatsuSan'' has the brothers try out different animation genres and techniques to figure out the best way to become a "proper" series. Jyushimatsu is the only one to come back rendered in CG-- but rather than make a cheap model and barely animate it, the team uses film quality, high framerate, expertly rendered, smooth CG to make his gag work. And they didn't even cel shade him to match style! Did they have to put that much in for a 1-minute gag? No, but if he had to exhibit the technique as "proper", they needed to make it live up to the title.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film - Animated]]
* Pick a Creator/{{Pixar}} movie, any Pixar movie. They had to tone down the water for ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' because it was ''too'' real-looking. Pixar mentioned that they learned during the filming of ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' that the story ''has'' to come first. They had a 60% or 70% finished movie when they sat and watched it... and were revolted. With a deadline looming scarily close, they tore it completely apart and made the amazing movie we know today.
** Speaking of ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'', ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' was originally intended to be direct-to-video. But Pixar actually set out to make a movie that was just as good as the first, and Creator/{{Disney}} milked it with a theater release as a result. Pixar is very well-known for this.
*** For [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory3 the third TS film]], they could have had any actor play the now-grown Andy. Instead, they tracked down the '''''original actor''''', who had basically retired from acting at that point, to reprise the role. In fact, there's nary an [[TheOtherDarrin other Darrin]] in sight in the third film - ''every returning character'' is voiced by the actors who voiced them in the first two, except for Slinky, and even then it was only because his original actor died. Special mention goes to Creator/DonRickles, who was 84 when he voiced Mr. Potato Head for ''Toy Story 3''... and even after his ''death'' just before ''Toy Story 4'' went into active production, allowed his estate to search through ''decades'' of unused recorded dialogue to reprise his character.
** Originally in ''WesternAnimation/WallE'', the story had it that [[spoiler:[[GenkiGirl EVE]] got electrocuted by [[BigBad AUTO]] instead of [[TheWoobie WALL•E]], and WALL•E fixes her while in the Garbage Chamber]]. A preview screening caused Andrew Stanton to realize it didn't fit the emotional flow he wanted to convey. Despite the fact that the scene was ''95%'' complete and the film was only a few months away from release, the animators started from scratch and completely redid the scene, so that [[spoiler:WALL•E was electrocuted, and EVE's motivation was about helping WALL•E, rather than just achieving her directive]], which makes the story better.
** When a director completes a film at Pixar and has finished promoting it, they usually take a year off to relax and perhaps find inspiration for their next film. After ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' was finished, Andrew Stanton took a small team of writers and artists and spent that ''entire year'' planning the general story and working on the design of the characters of ''WesternAnimation/WallE'', simply so he could work without deadlines or pressure.
** For ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'', the producers actually flew the animation team to Venezuela, to the mountain range that serves as the inspiration for Paradise Falls in the film. The crew went on an exhausting (and potentially life-threatening) all-day hike up the mountain, but it was worth it for the magnificent views they got at the top, which inspired most of the film's imagery. Then a sudden storm rolled in, and they were trapped on top of the mountain for hours, while strong rains and wind slammed them. Eventually, a helicopter was able to rescue them.
* In TheNewTens Disney renaissance for the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon, the animators at Disney have been pushing the limits of animation and CGI fare beyond what's necessary to just tell the story. Their most recent films are showcases of animating things either considered insanely difficult to do or done with a complexity not previously seen before: hair (''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}''), snow/ice (''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013''), cityscapes (built from a complete city design) (''WesternAnimation/BigHero6''), fur (''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}''), and water/ocean (''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'').
* The ''[[WesternAnimation/SinbadLegendOfTheSevenSeas Sinbad]]'' animated film team went to an incredible amount of effort to make sure that the CG models for the ships and cities were accurate to a tee, once again for a film intended for children.
* ''[[http://vimeo.com/12339283 In the Fall of Gravity]]'' is an extremely well-animated short that is made by this trope. The whole film was done by [[OneManArmy one guy]], who did everything from the sets to the figures he's animating. What's more impressive is that he built facial mechanisms never before seen in stop-motion ''specifically for the film'', controlled by cables instead of wires or replacement mouths. it really must be seen to be believed.
%%* Creator/NickPark's ''WesternAnimation/ChickenRun'' and his ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'' shorts.
%%** Also, ''WesternAnimation/ShaunTheSheep''. This is most obvious when you look at [[RecurringCharacter the bull's]] texture.
%%** Any of Creator/AardmanAnimations' stop-motion projects.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'' was a huge artistic undertaking for [[Creator/DreamWorksAnimation DreamWorks]]. For example, there were 1,192 scenes in the movie. ''1,180'' of those scenes featured special effects. And not just things like fire tornadoes or the Red Sea parting (that 7-minute sequence ''alone'' took '''''318,000 hours''''' of rendering), but wind, sand, rainwater, and lighting. The animators also spent two weeks traveling around Egypt to get a sense of the architecture and art style for the film.
** The writers consulted with over a hundred religious officials from varying sects to make sure they got as close to the heart of the story as possible.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}''. As if the sheer amount of FridgeBrilliance and {{Foreshadowing}} in the writing isn't enough, apparently the animation is good enough that many uninformed people thought that it was made with CGI.
** For Coraline, they made more than 20 puppets, each one taking months to make. And since it uses puppets instead of clay, they had to make thousands of mouths that they painted individually and replaced between frames.
** The average production speed will typically produce only ''a few seconds'' a day, assuming no mistakes are made. The film is 100 minutes long.
** [[SceneryPorn The garden scene? The mice circus? The theatre with hundreds of Scotties?]] They did all that in stop-motion. The mice circus alone took 2 months to animate.
** Most of the flowers in the garden scene really lit up. It's not digitally enhanced.
** The lady who made the costumes actually ''knits'' them, using the same techniques that would be used to make full-sized clothing but with needles the size of human hairs.
** The hair for the characters had to be "injected" one by one.
** The scene where the Other World "disappears"? They did that in stop-motion too.
** They wanted to shoot the movie in 3D, but the sets were too small to fit 2 cameras side-by-side. So what did they do? They shot each frame twice from different angles with a single camera. The result was a movie with some of the most highly-regarded 3D effects ever.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfKells'', especially since it's all about medieval art in the first place. [[ShownTheirWork And it shows.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'', the directors proposed the famous rope bridge fight and were delighted at seeing the animators blanch at the idea. That wasn't because of how hard they knew the sequence's production would be; rather, it was because they knew such a scene had ''never been done before.'' It's ''that'' kind of attitude that helped create the film and made Creator/DreamworksAnimation [[GrowingTheBeard grow its beard]].
* The original plot for ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'' was scrapped and reworked from the ground up just 9 months before the intended release date (Nick was the original protagonist). That didn't stop the studio and the dedicated creative team from producing a film with incredible animation or storytelling, though.
* Creator/BlueSkyStudios's original films may not have had much going for them, but the studio almost always put their best foot forward when it came to an adaptation.
** ''WesternAnimation/HortonHearsAWho'' came along after Creator/DrSeuss's widow declared that all future film adaptations of his work would exclusively be animated, as a result of the widely-panned ''[[Film/TheCatInTheHat Cat in the Hat]]'' live-action movie. As such, they worked to adapt Seuss's visuals to animation in a way that also stuck when [[Creator/IlluminationEntertainment Illumination]] took on ''WesternAnimation/TheLorax'' a few years later.
** ''WesternAnimation/ThePeanutsMovie'' had several of [[Creator/CharlesMSchulz Charles Schulz's]] relatives on board, with his son and grandson being among the writing team. In addition, the animators made the effort to make their CGI look as close to the original television specials as possible, by not utilizing motion blur and giving the movie an overall 2.5-D aesthetic.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' required an entire production studio to be built up from scratch in four months and took over three years to film, utilizing up over a dozen sound stages, a phenomenal amount of space. It was also a technical innovation: a special motion-control camera was created to allow for more sweeping cinematography.
* While ''Animation/NextGen'' is a decent film in its own right, it serves as a testament to the power of Creator/BlenderFoundation's flagship open source animation software. Almost the entire film was created using software that anyone can get a hold of completely for free!
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Creator/MarkWaid's ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' is oozing with DC comic book lore, symbolism and biblical references among other things.
* Creator/AlanMoore's ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' is just dripping with cultural references. Actually, most of what Alan Moore does belongs here--''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' was originally just supposed to be an integration of newly acquired trademarks into the DC Universe, but Moore just didn't know when to quit[[note]]there ''may'' have also been a certain amount of "we just spent money to acquire these guys and you want to ''kill half of them off'' in a one-shot series?" on the part of DC Editorial[[/note]].
* Creator/NeilGaiman's ''ComicBook/TheSandman''. It introduces multiple new characters with their own backstories and speech patterns practically every arc as well as tying them into later stories. It's dripping with symbolism, historical and mythological references (a lot of which most readers wouldn't notice). That's just the writing. The art is equally full of things that they didn't NEED to do but did anyway.
* The cover for the third issue of ''ComicBook/JLAAvengers''. They could have simply put a generic cover with a dozen characters doing something vaguely heroic, but instead decided to draw every character who had, to that date, been a member of either team, no matter for how short, including staff, reservist and honorary members. [[http://cdn.ifanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/JLAAvengersCover3.jpg EVERY! ONE! OF! THEM!]] Creator/KurtBusiek meticulously researched the history of both teams to compile [[http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=22335 a list of 208 characters]] for George Perez to draw, making a beautiful piece of art and every geek in comicdom happy.
** Creator/GeorgePerez does this ''all the time.'' For ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', Marv Wolfman told him to draw a cover with Lex Luthor, Joker, Brainiac, and maybe a few others if he felt like it. When Wolfman got Perez's cover, he discovered Perez drew ''every goddamn villain he could think of.'' Perez REALLY likes what he does apparently.
* The 2013 run of ComicBook/YoungAvengers written by Creator/KieronGillen has become famous for innovative layout design by artist Creator/JamieMcKelvie, especially [[http://all-the-young-avengers-feels.tumblr.com/post/52744200708/young-avengers-layout-appreciation-post-heres the double-page spread for each issue]]. Gillen himself has joked that the main reason for their collaborations is mainly to show off Jamie's art.
* When Fabian Nicieza was writing ''Nomad'' (a ComicBook/CaptainAmerica spinoff that ran from 1992 to 1994), he wanted it to be more mature than your average Marvel comic book. Not only that, but he said straight out that he wished to sell Nomad to the same audience that read ''ComicBook/TheSandman''.
* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel: The main thing of the Ultimate Marvel, from day one to its very end, was to take creative risks and try things that would never be attempted in the prime universe. Some of those attempts were lauded successes, such as ComicBook/TheUltimates (The Avengers as a state-sponsored group), others were largely failures such as ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}} (a KillEmAll event, even killing for good all the X-Men's sacred cows), but the risks have always been taken.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' became known ([[ArtEvolution later on, at least]]) for the high degree of realism and accuracy in its occasional depiction of dinosaurs. Creator/BillWatterson also insisted on doing the inking himself, and many of the {{Sunday strip}}s were done ''in watercolors''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film - Live Action]]
* One of the great early examples is Creator/LillianGish -- in the climax of ''Film/WayDownEast'', Creator/DWGriffith required her to lie still on a very real ice floe for hours on end while her hair and right hand were submerged in below-freezing water. Thanks to the stunt, Gish's hand would be partially impaired for the rest of her life, but she contributed to what is considered one of the most exciting climaxes in cinema history.
* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'', the live-action movie version. For those of you who don't already know about the insane efforts went to to make this adaptation, just remember this: part of the budget was dedicated to a couple of guys making chain mail. That's right. A couple. By themselves. By hand. They actually rubbed off their fingerprints in the process because normal costumes just weren't going to cut it. As you can see below, they were taking the motto of [[Creator/{{JRRTolkien}} Tolkien]] straight to heart.
** And most of the OminousLatinChanting you hear in the soundtrack? It's not Latin. It's ''[[ConLang Elvish]]''.
*** Or Dwarvish. Or the BlackSpeech. And ''every word'' is context appropriate. Howard Shore should get a CMOA for this one.
** And the various [[http://www.elvish.org/gwaith/movie_news.htm inscriptions and other writings]] seen in the movies (the inscriptions on swords and other weapons are authentic Elvish; longer texts, such as books, are just English transcribed into an appropriate alphabet, but still a lot of work). There are even decorations inside some armour, which would ''never'' be seen by the audience.
** When the hobbit scale doubles are used instead of the actors, you figure they're just wearing the same outfit as the actor but in a smaller size, right? Not quite. They're wearing the same fabric--but ''woven at a tighter weave''. So if you measured how many strands of the material were in, for example, a collar, it would be the exact same number as in the full size costume. The weave on a square inch of fabric from the double's costume would be smaller in the same proportions as the double was to their actor. The mind boggles. Especially when you consider that this, like most of the scale trickery in the movie, was never supposed to be noticed by the audience (that is to say, you'd only notice it if it was wrong).
** The very fact that all three films were made simultaneously over the course of 18 months before the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing first film]] was released, with additional reshoots for the films after each film was released year-by-year, is a great surprise in this age of next week sequels.
*** Apparently Creator/PeterJackson approached Creator/{{New Line|Cinema}} with trepidation, trying to convince them that he'd need two films instead of one (the previous production company having asked for one film only) to cover the whole "trilogy". New Line responded that if there were three books, there should be three movies.
*** And when you hear that there were pick ups, entire CG sequences and full orchestra re-composing and re-recording for the ''DVD releases'' of ''extended editions'' (they were still shooting ''after'' the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing third film]] won the Best Picture Oscar), you realize how much effort went in to making this one of the best film trilogies of all time.*
* Creator/JamesCameron:
** When making ''Film/TheTerminator'', he actually called weapons manufacturers to ask about how to make a "Phased Plasma Rifle, in the 40 watt range". Understandably, they were confused.
** During the production of ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', Cameron wanted to show a military unit that worked cohesively and acted like a group of friends. To that end, he brought the main cast up to England for a multi-week military training course, which allowed the actors and actresses time to get to know each other--which forged believable friendships.
** For ''Film/Titanic1997'', Cameron even got the same companies (that still existed) to provide authentic recreations of the interior pieces, right down to the china that got smashed when the ship was tipping over. After its release, he was scathingly sarcastic about being called out on the night sky being wrong in one scene, he ''still'' had it corrected for the subsequent DVD release.
*** The person who actually called him out on it was Dr. UsefulNotes/NeilDeGrasseTyson, astrophysicist, teacher, Director of the Hayden Planetarium, and research associate at the American Museum of Natural History. He is as perfectionist as Cameron is about ''his'' profession. To his credit, he tells the story of badgering Cameron about "the wrong sky" in ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}'' and Cameron's scathing reply with humor and relish, especially the part where one of Cameron's special effects people called Dr. Tyson to get the ''right'' sky for the Director's Cut of the film.
** For ''Film/{{Avatar}}'', his team also spent ''three weeks'' rendering the opening shot of Pandora, down to the ''leaves on the trees''.
* In order to film ''Film/TheWrestler'', Creator/MickeyRourke actually worked several wrestling matches, including blading and allowing the infamous Necro Butcher to put him through the ringer in a hardcore match.
* ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' used extensive puppetry for its special effects as opposed to CG animation, which is far more the norm in modern circumstances. Suffice to say, puppets are a lot harder to do than CG.
** Used to a lesser (but still greater than normal) degree for the ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}'' films, which made extensive use of puppetry, optical illusions (Krauss' head) and contortionist/actor Creator/DougJones (Abe, Angel of Death, Chancellor...etc.).
** ''Film/TeamAmericaWorldPolice'' also used puppets, although these two movies are about as far apart from each other thematically as can be possibly imagined.
** The ''Film/SilentHill'' movie only used a few CG effects (noticeably the bugs and the fog). All the monsters were done with live actors, which arguably makes the effect that much creepier.
* The underwater scene on Naboo in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''? Trisha Biggar used vintage fabric for Obi-Wan's robe, and it shrank in water. They had to make and destroy a robe for ''every single cut''.
* ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' had Creator/StanleyKubrick and Creator/ArthurCClarke spending enormous efforts into making everything as realistic as possible. The earth moving equipment seen on the Moon would ''actually'' work on the real Moon. Quite a few experts from NASA and IBM were asked to help design the sets.
** That's just the kind of guy Kubrick was. The interior of the B-52 Stratofortress (top-secret at the time, believe it or not) in ''Film/DrStrangelove'' was so realistic that the military launched a brief inquiry into how the movie makers had gotten the inside information. [[note]]What they did was look over diagrams of the insides of the B-29 Superfortress, which was not classified, and then extrapolated on those designs based on the size and shape of the B-52.[[/note]]
*** Kubrick also insisted that the table in the war room be covered in green baize like that on pool or poker tables to symbolize that the leaders were playing a giant game of poker for the fate of the world. The only thing is, the movie is in black-and-white.
** Clarke published a few lines from his diary from pre-production in the introduction of a re-issue of the novel. They include "rang Creator/IsaacAsimov to ask him about the biochemistry of turning herbivores into carnivores." (Asimov, besides writing science fiction, was a professor of biochemistry.) And they never even [[ShownTheirWork did anything]] with that...
** Kubrick required the compositing work to be done by a team of British animators painting traveling mattes by hand, frame-by-frame, to mask out each element, rather than using bluescreen. When production ended, most of them signed onto ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'' in order to work on something colorful after spending two years painting little black blobs.
** Instead of storyboarding the docking sequence, multiple model sequences were shot so Kubrick could edit them.
** In the original script, Bowman and the other astronauts go to Saturn (this is also where they go in the book). Kubrick ended up changing it to Jupiter because the crew wasn't able to make a model of Saturn he was satisfied with.
** Also, when Kubrick did ''Film/TheShining'', the scene wherein we see Jack's manuscript, and all we see is "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." typed over and over again?" Each page was individually typed. And he also shot the pages for four other languages, too.
** Kubrick's reputation is the source of a common joke about MoonLandingHoax conspiracy theories, particularly those that claim Kubrick directed the staged Apollo landings. The joke is that NASA originally signed Kubrick on to film it on a soundstage or in the southwestern desert, but that Kubrick, unsatisfied, decided that it would work better if he filmed it on the actual moon.
* [[DyeingForYourArt Actors gaining or losing weight for film roles]] certainly qualifies (when prosthetics could just as easily be used, especially nowadays), with Creator/RobertDeNiro's work on ''Film/RagingBull'' the most famous example... but Creator/PeterSellers arguably went the extra mile by gaining weight for ''Film/BeingThere'' because he felt it looked right for the character--despite ''chronic and worsening heart problems'' and a subsequent hatred of how he looked on screen. It's hard not to think that his admitted difficult time losing the weight as fast as he could afterwards may have hastened his death.
** Creator/ChristianBale deserves mentioning. He had lost weight for his part in ''Film/TheMachinist'' (Website/{{IMDb}} says 120 pounds on his 6 foot+ frame). Then Creator/ChristopherNolan told him he'd have to become bigger to be Batman. Bale did so and went up to about 220 pounds.
*** Whereupon he was told they didn't mean ''that'' much bigger and he had to shave some off again. And then he lost it all ''again'' to play a crack addict in ''Film/TheFighter'' (and jumped out of windows for real).
*** Which had to be somewhat reversed [[UpToEleven once more]] to prepare for ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''. And then he had to gain more weight in fat for ''Film/AmericanHustle''.
* Christian Bale certainly went to extremes for ''Film/TheFighter'', but so did Creator/MarkWahlberg: the film was stuck in DevelopmentHell for a long time, so he ended up training for the film for ''five years'', working with trainers during his off time on his last six films. He also refused a stunt double and did every fight scene for real.
** Similarly, on ''Film/ThreeKings'', he said he wanted to get into his role properly, so when his character is [[ElectricTorture tortured with electric shocks]], they hooked him up and did it for real.
* There must be something in Wahlberg DNA that makes them take the Method approach: Mark's brother Donnie Wahlberg dropped ''43 pounds'' for his incredibly brief (but pivotal) role of a ravaged, haunted psych patient in ''Film/TheSixthSense.'' Most people are shocked to [[RetroactiveRecognition realize it was him]].
* While watching the "Lady in the Red" scene in ''Film/TheMatrix'' some may notice the same people passing besides Neo and Morpheus more than once. Production goof? Nope, all extras in the scene are ''actual twins''. They searched all over Sydney for twins and brought them in to demonstrate how Mouse, writing the Agent training program, got lazy and just copy-pasted same models over instead of making unique ones. [[DistractedByTheSexy And hardly anyone would ever notice...]]
* ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'' was very, very, ''very'' good for a character most people treated as a joke and expected to get something lighthearted and campy. Instead, they got something [[DarkerAndEdgier dark, edgy]], philosophical and yet still a good adventure movie. It had plenty of changes from the original stories, but it still stands up as an individual story and has actors that are either excellent, [[LargeHam hammy]] or [[Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger both]]. Sadly, Creator/JohnMilius was not brought back to work on the sequel.
** He researched ancient civilizations and designed art histories for all the obscure [[Creator/RobertEHoward R.E. Howard]] civilizations that Conan passes through, shrugs at, and burns down...he designed a workable house on wheels for the family of drifters Conan gets directions from...he built a life size WheelOfPain...he had Arnold bite the head off a real vulture carcass!
* ''Film/{{Primer}}'' features the most complex (read: impenetrable) time travel plot in film. It was written by two engineers and literally requires a large chart to understand completely.
* In ''Film/TheWickerMan1973'', Screenwriter Anthony Schaffer and director Robin Hardy put in a lot of research into Celtic myth and legend while devising the plot--they knew next to nothing about it at the start.
* ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' has the moment in the car chase where the Joker's semi truck is turned upside-down on [=LaSalle Street=] by the Batpod's cable, flipping trailer-over-cab to land upside down with a loud noise. Do you think they used CG to do that scene? Noooo! It was a ''real'' truck that was ''really'' flipped over on the streets of downtown Chicago. They could do that stunt only once, ignoring if the final shot would be cool or not. And it was '''awesome'''.
** The Bat-pod?... fully functional.
** Creator/HeathLedger locked himself in a room for a month with copies of such comics as ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'', writing the Joker's journal, in order to fully understand the character.
** The scene of Joker walking away from the exploding/collapsing hospital was 99% real; the only CG used was the windows shattering. Needless to say, there was only one opportunity to get the shot. The building in question was actually an old Brach's Candy Factory on the west side of Chicago.
*** And they only CGI'd the windows because some hoodlums stole half the glass out of the building. They didn't have the time or the money to re-outfit a building with new windows.
* ''Film/{{Apollo 13}}''. The research they put into it was downright impressive. There's a "Making Of" feature in the collector's edition which has the director recounting when someone told him that man wouldn't go so far from Earth again for a hundred, hundred fifty years. By that time everyone involved would be dead; they would just have the old stuff, the stock footage, and documentaries. And this film. It had to be ''right''. The director said he laughed it off, but it really does look like he took it seriously.
** Upon watching the launch in the movie, second man on the moon, Buzz Aldrin (then working for NASA Public Relations), apparently turned and asked the movie crew where they get some of the footage as he was unaware that there had been a camera in that particular location. There wasn't--it was just so authentic that he'd been fooled.
** Most movies use CGI trickery or wire work for zero gravity. This movie actually used the real thing, filming onboard NASA's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduced-gravity_aircraft Vomit Comet]].
* ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist'' had a complete lack of spoken English, the spoken lines done in Latin and Aramaic (both languages now considered "dead").
* For a scene in ''Film/YesMan'' in which he plays ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'', Creator/JimCarrey was actually taught how to play it. Instead of the scene consisting of him [[PacManFever randomly stepping on panels during the attract demo with random generic dance music]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxX0KG2DcYc he plays for real... on an actual in-game song... on Heavy difficulty... with a x3 speed modifier... and is shown with at least a 100 combo]]. He also learned how to do ''everything else'' he did in the film, including playing the guitar, flying a plane, and speaking fluent Korean! The only exception was the elbow skating.
* ''Film/{{Fitzcarraldo}}'' is about a man trying to haul a ship over a mountain. To make it, Creator/WernerHerzog ''actually'' hauled a ship over a mountain (with help, but still). And that's not the half of it. In the real event that ''Fitzcarraldo'' is based on, that ship was originally disassembled before it was hoisted up the mountain. Herzog had his ship hauled up ''in one piece''. Herzog is a ''crazy'' man.
** He also deliberately filmed in the middle of the jungle instead of just a mile or two from civilization, because the movie wouldn't "feel right" otherwise.
* For ''Film/GangsOfNewYork'' they actually built what was essentially a full scale complete replica of the Five Points in 1800's New York in Italy just to film the movie. All of the costumes and props were painstakingly created to be historically accurate too. According to one of the extras on the DVD, Creator/GeorgeLucas visited the set and complained to [[Creator/MartinScorsese Scorsese]] that it could all be easily done on computers for much cheaper. But Scorcese wanted to put that effort in, and Lucas was ignored.
** And Creator/DanielDayLewis is sort of the king of this trope--for one thing, he practiced tapping his eye with the knife until he could do it without flinching (because his character has a glass eye). He also [[EnforcedMethodActing stayed in character]] on set all the time, as usual.
*** That glass eye bit? Not in the script. [[ThrowItIn Lewis just thought it fit the character.]]
* Creator/MichaelFassbender lost over thirty pounds to play the role of a hunger striker in ''Film/{{Hunger}}''; one interviewer pointed out that the weight he stopped (58 kg, about 128 pounds) was the same weight that his character, Bobby Sands, reached in his last diary entry before he died. (Incidentally, Fassbender has been compared to Daniel Day Lewis by some critics.)
* Creator/MerylStreep learned German and Polish for her role in ''Film/SophiesChoice''. Maybe not completely fluently, but certainly to an astonishingly adept level. And she begged the director for the role on her hands and knees. It has been cited as the greatest acting performance ever put to film.
** Meryl likes doing this. For ''Film/MusicOfTheHeart'', she learned the violin. Not to professional standard, perhaps, but far beyond what anyone would have expected of her.
* For ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'', Christopher Nolan was so dedicated to [[MultipurposeMonoculturedCrop the exclusive prominence of cornfields]] to illustrate [[GaiasLament the crappy state of Earth's future]] that the production crew planted and grew 500 whole acres of corn on location rather than do it all with CG. With their location being Calgary, Canada, this was actually a pretty massive risk (the high altitude and northern latitude do not lend themselves to ideal temperature and wind conditions for corn), but by the time of filming, it paid off. Not only did they get humongous cornfields to shoot practically on, they ended up selling the corn as a side gig and actually turned a profit.
* Creator/CharlizeTheron in ''Film/{{Monster}}''. She gained 30 pounds, wore prosthetic teeth, and generally made herself a lot more plain/uglier for the sake of the movie.
* In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest'', you know that scene where the Kraken chops a ship in freaking half? Yeah? They really did that. They got a huge slab of concrete, and painted it green, and then CHOPPED THE FREAKING SHIP IN HALF.
* Creator/PenelopeCruz ''learned Italian'' for her role in ''Non ti muovere''. Even more shockingly, she actually managed to make herself unattractive with a false nose and teeth.
* Before they filmed ''Film/BattleLosAngeles'', the cast were put through several weeks of real military boot camp to get them to operate like Marines. Not only that, but each actor was given the same kind of training that a Marine of the rank they were portraying in the film would have received. Creator/AaronEckhart even said that he and the cast tried very hard to use correct military jargon and terminology, such as calling a helicopter a "helo" instead of a "chopper", and would redo a take if they made such a mistake.
* When Creator/TaylorLautner heard that he was being replaced for ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} New Moon]]'' on account of not having a good enough physique, he immediately started doing a rigorous exercise routine on a daily basis in order to bulk up for the role, the execs were so impressed that they decided to keep Lautner after all.
** Lautner also did all of his own stunts in ''Film/{{Abduction}}'' he learned how to fight, ride motorcycles and everything.
* Creator/MeganFox insisted on doing her own stunts in ''Film/JonahHex'', only using a stunt double for one scene which would've been too dangerous for her to do by herself.
%%* Whether or not you like ''Film/MoulinRouge'', it's clear that every person involved in that movie is giving it their ''all''.
* The 2012 war film ''Film/ActOfValor'' takes this to a whole new level, the main characters are all played by REAL U.S. Navy SEALS(who were between deployments at the time of filming) all the tactics used in the film are REAL, [[RunningGag REAL]] live bullets were used for most scenes, and in one scene a REAL truck gets blown up with a [[OverlyLongGag REAL]] RPG.
* In ''Film/SafeHouse'' the scene where Creator/DenzelWashington is being tortured by waterboarding? That wasn't faked -- Denzel insisted on doing it for real so it would be more convincing.
* The opening scene of ''Film/TheSocialNetwork'' took ninety nine takes to get it the exact way [[Creator/DavidFincher the director]] wanted it. ...Yeah. To say nothing of all the extra work that went into using CGI [[ActingForTwo to make it possible for Armie Hammer to play both of the Winklevoss twins]]. Did a dialogue-driven {{biopic}} about the founding of Website/{{Facebook}} really need hours of CGI work to make the twins more believable? Would anyone in the audience have noticed (or cared) [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality if the brothers had been made non-identical twins, or if Fincher had just cast a pair of real twins that didn't look exactly like the Winklevosses]]? Nobody knows. But the extra work added an unexpected extra layer of realism to a film that probably still would have been a critical darling without it.
* In ''Film/{{Amelie}}'', to keep that 'fantastic' Paris, every single place used in the movie was painted and cleaned before any shot.
* For ''Film/IronMan2'' Creator/MickeyRourke improvised a lot of Vanko's characteristics, such as [[OralFixation his toothpick habit]], his fondness for cockatoos, and his tattoos. He paid for the cockatoo with his own money, learned to speak Russian, and visited the infamous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyrka_prison Butyrka prison]] to interview the prisoners there, who he described as very polite.
* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' ''embodies'' this trope. In an age when computer animation and fully green-screened film making technology were about a decade away, this film blended cel animation with live-action choreography, prop work, and humans, especially lead actor Creator/BobHoskins, so seamlessly that it was completely believable that humans and cartoons coexisted and interacted with each other.
** The lengths the producers went through to get the [[{{Creator/Disney}} rights]] [[Creator/WarnerBros holders]] of the numerous [[Creator/FleischerStudios cartoons]] characters to allow their characters to appear in the movie, and then weave those characters' involvement in a believable yet hilarious way, goes to show just how far these creators were willing go to create the ultimate love letter to these cartoon legends.
** On the special effects side, one small item paradoxically stands out yet is nearly invisible. In the scene where Eddie and Roger are handcuffed together, and Eddie is trying to find a saw to cut his way through the cuffs, the RunningGag of that scene is that Eddie keeps banging his head against an overhead lamp as he and Roger struggle against each other. The swing lamp causes the light to keep shifting and casting light all over the room throughout the entire scene, meaning the animators had to match up the light and shadows on and around Roger when they added him in later. Most people in the audience wouldn't notice, and no other collection of artists would have likely cared to put in such a minor, inconsequential, agony-inducing detail, but this team did it anyway. Such dedication and attention and care to detail has an unofficial name: Bumping the Lamp.
*** In one shot during the scene where Roger and Eddie sneak back into R.K.'s office looking for the will, Bob Hoskins inadvertently focused his gaze at human eye-level, not a 3-foot tall cartoon rabbit's (which in itself was notable, in that Bob could track an invisible character's movements without needing a stand-in to look at). This mistake was noticed during the animation stage. The animators' solution? Rationalizing that as they were on a clandestine mission, Roger would be the type of character who'd imagine himself to be a spy and draw him standing on his tip-toes whilst flattening himself against the wall behind him, bringing his eye-line level with Bob's.
* The PsychologicalThriller ''{{Film/CAM}}'' has a heavy focus on internet live streams with chatrooms. To fill the scenes with realistic "background chatter," Isa Mazzei wrote about one hundred pages worth of chat logs, including several "characters" with distinct personalities and inside jokes.
* Creator/LaurelAndHardy were ''very'' dedicated to the art of comedy, but one example stands out during the filming of their most famous and beloved short, ''Film/TheMusicBox.'' Although the piano that was smashed in the finale was fake, the (empty) packing case was ''real'', and it actually was quite heavy. But Stan and Ollie decided to carry it up the legendary flight of stairs anyway, suffering falls, the summer heat and exhausted arms all the while, for the sake of laughs and joy everywhere.
* For ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'', Creator/MelBrooks went through the effort to reuse the elaborate electrical machinery from the original Universal ''Film/{{Frankenstein|1931}}'' films.
* Similar to ''Act of Valor'' there's ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers2011'', in which all the swords and other weapons were real, and none of the actors had stunt doubles.
* According to Brian Henson the initial impetus for ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'' was that they realised filming a Muppet movie on a realistic ship would be almost impossible, and therefore wanted to try it.
* Creator/MichaelChiklis insisted on uncomfortable makeup rather than CG for the Thing in [[Film/FantasticFour2005 Fantastic Four]]. CG and voice over would have let him do the role in days. The makeup meant he spent hours a day in it, and could not even sit. He did this because he was JustForFun/OneOfUs and knew a CGI Thing wouldn't have the same effect on the audience. His efforts were arguably successful; although the films themselves failed to make much impression, Chiklis' version of The Thing is generally considered the best and most comics-accurate part of the venture.
* In ''{{Film/Stalker}}'' by Creator/AndreiTarkovsky, some [[SceneryPorn beautiful scenery shots]] were created by dyeing the real landscape in desired color scheme. Yes, the film crewmembers actually had painted the grass and trees.
* Creator/TimBurton was so dead set on avoiding using CGI for ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' that he paid a team of animal trainers to train 40 real squirrels for the sequence where Veruca Salt meets her demise. It took 19 weeks of painstaking work, training each squirrel individually, but they pulled it off. And all for a scene that takes up less than 10 minutes of screen time.
* For ''Film/TheWitch'', since colonial Puritan-style homes naturally didn't exist in their filming location in Ontario, they had to build them themselves, hiring historians and experts in colonial construction, furniture, and clothing in order to construct an authentic homestead using period-accurate materials. The portrayal of the titular witch was also rooted in actual folklore and mythology about witchcraft from that time period, with Eggers describing it as "a Puritan's nightmare". Outside of nighttime outdoor scenes, all lighting was done with candles and natural light. Even the score was recorded using instruments dating back to the 17th century.
* Creator/JackieChan: After all the broken bones, the organ injuries, and life-threatening misses...and even (by his own honest admission) the occasional MoneyDearBoy offer, almost all of the work he does, he does for the love of bringing his brand of physical entertainment to the world. Continuing a shoot with a broken leg using a rubber shoe-sock over his cast? Done. Rolling over a ''circular saw''? Check. Jumping from building to building with ''little to no safety mechanisms''? All the time. For ''The Young Master'', a movie he directed, co-wrote, and starred in, Jackie [[https://youtu.be/nKQgyXmCDME?t=272 doubled for a stuntman]] that couldn't do a particular stunt. His character wasn't even in the scene involving that stunt. He could have just stood behind the camera and ask another stuntman that could do it, but he decided to stand-in himself.
* ''Film/{{Doomsday}}''. On a budget of $30 million, Neil Marshall made a completely insane, RuleOfCool-driven action movie that uses as many practical effects as it can. Yeah, the Bentley driving straight through a fucking bus at ninety miles an hour? They ''really did that''. And since Bentley doesn't do ProductPlacement, that meant that they actually had to buy three high-end luxury cars, at $150,000 each, to smash up in order to film that scene. Then there's the props. The crew ''designed'' and made about a hundred ''different'' hand-to-hand weapons, a couple of guns, several punkish "mutant" cars, and a special suit of armor so it would look like it was makeshift. Finally, the two [=APCs=] in the film were designed and then built completely from ''scratch''.
* ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow'' was the culmination of a life's work, and was filmed ''twice''--the first time, so that the actors could see how it would look like with the CG in place before they filmed the "real" version.
** Creator/JudeLaw had said that it was his dream as an actor to work alongside Sir Creator/LaurenceOlivier. A pity he had been dead for 15 years. Instead, the director dug up ''decades-old'' test footage of Olivier, and spent God only knows how long piecing together sound clips in order to give Olivier a posthumous "cameo" as BigBad Dr. Totenkopf.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and all related books that were written by Creator/JRRTolkien. It's no exaggeration to say that the saga represents his total life's work [[note]] Well, slightly, considering that Tolkien also was the youngest ever professor at the University of Leeds, was a Professor at Oxford (twice), spoke twelve languages, and wrote the best Modern English translation of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and an academic critique of ''Beowulf'' which completely transformed perception of Old English literature[[/note]]. It's just that detailed. And to think that the entire world, complete with intricate mythology, fleshed-out characters, and delightful poetry served one purpose: to serve as a backdrop for the out-of-whole-cloth-created languages that the English professor had constructed. Boggles the mind, it does.
* L.E. Modesitt's ''Literature/SagaOfRecluce '' fantasy series also uses highly detailed and accurate descriptions of mundane activities such as woodworking and blacksmithing. Such details are used as metaphors for and illustrations of both character development and the mechanics of magic in his world.
* Creator/GustaveFlaubert wrote only three completed novels during his life due to being the perfectionist's perfectionist. Besides his famously agonizing search for ''le mot juste'' -- 'the correct word', or the exact word(s) needed to produce the effect he wanted in any given scene -- he went and scrupulously checked every fact (down to attending medical examinations to ensure his medical histories were correct).
* Similar to the examples above, ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' contains a sprawling universe adorned with myriad details and complicated histories, economics, and ecology. Creator/FrankHerbert loved to [[ShownTheirWork show his work]].
* Many ScienceFiction writers do this. There are stories of [[Creator/RobertAHeinLein Heinlein]] sitting at his kitchen table with a slide rule, pencil and graph paper trying to work out how fast his spaceships would be moving and how much fuel they would need.
* Luigi Serafini's enigmatic ''Literature/CodexSeraphinianus''. Twenty-some years agone and still nobody can figure out the language. Great art though.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Like the ''Film/{{Transformers}}'' live-action film, a lot of the CGI in ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' was done to fit in the shots instead of making the shots to fit the CGI. Beyond that, the amount of detail that goes into everything -- from [[SceneryPorn backgrounds]], to [[FutureSlang slang]], to [[ChekhovsGun minor plot points that don't become important until six episodes later]] is simply amazing. This was Creator/JossWhedon and Creator/TimMinear's baby. [[ScrewedByTheNetwork And it was killed after fourteen episodes]].
* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003''. They employ people whose job it is to cut the corners off of paper to make them into the series' distinctive octagonal shape.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'':
With season 3, Creator/JMichaelStraczynski became the first person in the history of American TV to write a full-length season single-handed. And then did it again with season 4.
** And because he wanted to flesh out everything beforehand, he took what had to be an unprecedented step of CrazyPrepared by giving every character a "trap-door" in case anyone had to be written out due to RealLifeWritesThePlot, so that every exit made sense within the story instead of [[AssPull having to make it up as the show went along.]]
*** Which turned out to not only have been CrazyPrepared but ProperlyParanoid, since the actress playing Talia Winters got written off the show when she felt her character wasn't getting enough airtime.
** JMS put so much thought into how [[SpaceFighter Starfuries]] would work (placement of thrusters for maximum maneuverability, the pilot stands to lower his center of gravity, et cetera) that JPL, who were big fans of the show, asked if they could use his basic design to build vehicles for construction in space. JMS said they could, on the condition that they're called Starfuries.
** He had the storyline so thoroughly plotted out ahead of time that he refused to let actors ad-lib their lines, for fear it might cause discontinuity, or wreck a bit of {{Foreshadowing}}, etc.
* When Andrew Robinson was cast as Garak in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', he actually wrote a detailed back-story for his character, and presented his "character bible" to the series' producers. Apart from some elements that went counter to the previously-written Cardassian history, the producers approved Robinson's efforts, which became part of Garak's character. Many of his notes which didn't make the series proper, went into the Expanded Universe novel "A Stitch in Time".
* The ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' episode "[[{{Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS03E08Twilight}} Twilight]]" features a 'blink-and-you'll-miss-it' opening scene of the Earth being blown up. Originally it was simply going to be the Earth blowing up like planets in ''Franchise/StarWars'', one minute it's there, next minute, fireball. The effects supervisors just weren't happy with that and so they came in on their days off and re-did it to the final product. Now, you actually see the oceans boil and fault lines actually crack, as if the Earth spontaneously combusts into dust. When asked who authorized the extra work and why, they said they did it for free. Just because.
* ''Frank Herbert's Children of Literature/{{Dune}}'' has the song "Inama Nushif", which is sung entirely in the Fremen language.
-->''"Unreal. Brian [Tyler] actually '''searched through Herbert's books and deciphered enough of the fictional Fremen language''' to write this powerful song. A song that drives my favorite moment of the film."''--[[http://www.briantyler.com/Site/Children_of_Dune.html Director Greg Yaitanes]].
* The lead actors of ''Series/{{Emergency}}'', Randy Mantooth and Kevin Tighe, went through the paramedic training of the Los Angeles County Fire Department at the time in order to accurately portray their roles. Had they not skipped the final exam, they would've been fully-certified paramedics.
* ''Series/YesMinister'': Creator/NigelHawthorne, who played Sir Humphrey, was required to perform some of the most convoluted SesquipedalianLoquaciousness ever brought to screen, big or small. However, in spite of being forced to perform lines like: "The relationship, which I might tentatively venture to aver has been not without some degree of reciprocal utility, and perhaps even occasional gratification, is emerging a point of irreversible bifurcation and, to be brief, is in the propinquity of its ultimate regrettable termination.", he never once resorted to using a cue card, but insisted on actually learning his lines. The writers were shocked and awed.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Music]]
* Music/{{OK Go}} is rather well known for this, with their humble Website/YouTube roots and quirky but awesome music videos. In their "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w This Too Shall Pass]]" music video, they had what is arguably one of the longest running and most complex [[RubeGoldbergDevice Rube Goldberg machine]] [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome EVER]].
* Remember Music/TheWhiteStripes' video for "Fell in Love with a Girl"? Michel Gondry actually filmed the band members, then converted the footage to pixels all before using stop-motion LEGO to create the thing.
* Art-pop duo Music/PepeDeluxe delayed the completion of their album ''Music/QueenOfTheWave'', because one song, "In the Cave", was composed specifically to be performed on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Stalacpipe_Organ the Great Stalacpipe Organ]], which was undergoing extensive repairs at the time. They waited six years for the organ to become playable again; the song they played on it was two minutes long.
* Music/TaylorSwift's * ''[[Music/Folklore2020 folklore]]'' was announced ''16 hours'' before its official release without any promotional beside her announcement on social media. Also notable is that the album came out less than a year after her last album ''Lover''. Not even Swift's ''label'' knew about the album until hours before its release. The album was written when her 2020 tour was postponed because of the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Pinball]]
* One of the notable aspects of ''Pinball/BigGuns'' is how its backbox is noticeably taller than those of most other pinball games. Why? Because artist Creator/PythonAnghelo insisted he needed the extra height to accommodate his castle artwork.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* Take a look at a card from the ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' CCG. Then another. And another. Chances are, you'll see familiar monsters popping up in the artwork of each other's cards, or spell or trap cards that might not even apply to them. Look at enough of them, and you'll notice a pattern...a pattern that tells a story...a story that is much deeper and involved than you'd ever expect from a mere card game. [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page The card game's wiki]] does its darndest to chronicle these stories, which includes knights falling into corruption (or salvation), CyberneticsEatYourSoul, survival in an AlternateUniverse, and a battle for control of Hell itself.
* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Forget the elaborate WorldBuilding. Forget the year of playtesting put into ''each'' of the quarterly sets. Forget that nearly every set has a unique identity without resorting to cheap gimmicks. The true sign that Magic is unbelieveably intricate is the official [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/ web site]]. The "Daily MTG" section ''alone'' is around half a million words a year of behind the scenes insight, pointing out Easter eggs, AllThereInTheManual, strategic advice, tournament coverage, and previews of upcoming releases, with little if any Phoning It In.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Theme Parks]]
* The Disney Imagineers put excruciating amounts of detail into the designs of rides, gift shops, and just the ambient scenery at [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks the theme parks]] (at least much as they can achieve with the budgets they are given). Many of the "authentic-looking" props in period-specific areas like Frontierland and Main Street, USA are actually authentic antiques, not replicas. "No one will ever see it" is not considered a good enough excuse to skimp. The policy is to create something that Walt Disney would approve of, and he was such a stickler that he would rather indefinitely postpone the opening of an attraction than let it open before it was perfect.
** A really great example of this is ''Franchise/TheHauntedMansion''. The hearse drawn by invisible horses? Real (though, despite popular urban legend, it's ''not'' Brigham Young's hearse). The stretching pictures? Actual paintings, they spend ''weeks'' on one animatronic in the attic before scrapping it for something else completely when they didn't like how it looked.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Toys]]
* The designer interviews for the Franchise/{{Transformers}} toylines are always fascinating because everyone involved [[RunningTheAsylum seems to love the source material and working on it]]. The engineers even love just coming up with designs, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen even ones that might never be seen]], such as a [[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 Soundwave whose minions leap out of his chest in sequence and transform in mid-air]] or [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars Rhinox]] as a [[BigBudgetBeefUp voyager, just because he could use the extra mass and design budget]], or a line of [[ShownTheirWork real-life military vehicles at 1:24th scale]], which would result in toys the size of computer towers that would cost over 60 dollars apiece. And, in defiance of rising petroleum costs and geometrically increasing complexity, [[InflationNegation a Transformer purchased in 2011 costs about the same as it did in 1996.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''[=BlazBlue=]'' has {{idle animation}}s for characters. ''Idle animations in a fighting game'', something that remains a rarity in the genre. (Creator/{{SNK}}, responsible for the below ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'', is another prominent example, best seen in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''.) In normal, serious gameplay, you would just never see them.
* ''VideoGame/MetalSlug''. How many run and gun shooters were there back then--or even today--that do as much random stuff as ''Metal Slug''? Enemy conversations, animated chin movements, fifty different ways of watching the exact same tank explode? Nobody asked for all this: [[Creator/{{SNK}} somebody]] just really wanted to make a detailed shooter.
** If you have the chance, try going to the first stage of the first game. Early on, you get the Flame Shot and you can pass through a destroyed part of an airplane fuselage. Firing it will actually lighten up the area around you. This, in a fully 2D game with no added lighting effects of any kind, is just another mark of how incredibly detailed a game ''Metal Slug'' is.
** Oh, and the first stage of ''Metal Slug 2/X''? [[http://turntoch3.com/megashock/reviews/extra_mslug2/ The Arabic writing in the background is not only accurate,]] but silly as per series standard.
* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' started out as a fun, but relatively simple brawler featuring Creator/{{Nintendo}} all-stars--a concept so inherently fun that messing around with it wasn't really necessary. The reason it's on this list is for its sequels, namely the trophies: starting with ''Melee'', the series features trophies of countless characters from Nintendo's past, all with descriptions of several sentences. It's a subset feature of the game which many people don't even look at. For those who do, it's hard to shake the feeling that somebody out there really, really admires Nintendo's history.
** There's a video series on Website/YouTube about the "History Behind ''Smash Bros.''" ([[https://www.youtube.com/user/CrappyCaptureDevice/search?query=history+behind+super+smash+bros link,]] if anyone's curious), which reveals that nearly everything in the game, from random parts of the stages to every item to the characters' fighting moves is a reference to the games on which they are based. The music is filled with random bits from various games, the stages have multiple references to older stages from the original games, and the moves, even quickest and most random, are from older games. The sheer amount of it is staggering.
** The [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Shadow Moses Island]] stage in ''Brawl'' is a huge reference to '''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots a future game on a competing system]]'''. Now that's dedication.
** The best example of this might be [[UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch Mr. Game & Watch]]'s moveset. Every single attack he has is a reference to one of his games, including the moves that would usually be a generic punch or kick on a different character.
** The additions of [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu and Ken]] and [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry Bogard]] take this a step farther: Not only are their moves as accurate as possible (as per normal for this series by now), but care is taken to import as much of their ''mechanics'' from their own series' as possible into the Smash Bros framework. You can perform a Hadouken/Power Wave for example, by simply pressing the Special button if you like, ''or'' you can do the traditional Half-Circle-Forward motion, and the game will even reward the extra effort with a stronger attack. This goes for ''all'' their special attacks. Burn Knuckle, Shoryuken, Power Dunk, etc.... This gives veterans of more traditional fighting games a frame of reference for entering the game, and those who've only played ''Smash'' an easy way to experience the style of the more traditional Fighting Games (which has often been accused of being complicated for beginners).
** [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} Steve/Alex]] bring their ability to place blocks from their home game to ''Smash'' in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''. To accommodate for this, the development team actually went back and altered the programming of ''every stage in the game'' so that the characters could place blocks on them.
* ''VideoGame/FreedomForce''. Most people just see wacky technicolor superheroes doing wacky technicolor superhero things. Those geeky enough to know about UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks and UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks just feel an overwhelming sense of awe.
* In spite of being an indie game with less than a dozen staff not counting the voice actors, ''VideoGame/FreedomPlanet'' has a lot of pretty sprite art and detail. While the developer Strife could have simply made a good Sonic fangame, he decided to take his love of ''Creator/{{Treasure}}'' games he loved growing up and go all the way with his inspiration with complex and challenging boss fights, crazy designs, and fun game mechanics, revamping it into an original title.
** Elements like the BlooperReel {{Easter Egg}}s are definitely this. Not only did the devs see fit to include some voice acting bloopers, but they also animated them and even made a few custom sprites. All for something that can only be seen with a special button combination.
** The Fortune Night stage is also made of this. Lots of extremely detailed scenery depicting period Chinese New Year celebrations with streamers, dragon floats, the distinctive Chinese fireworks, and paper crafts. The second half has a sprawling market where you can see signs in accurate Chinese and Japanese scripts that are perfectly readable, advertising things you'd find in any mall such as bike shops, clothing stores, food, and bathrooms. If you go into the male restroom you'll instantly be kicked out. Hell, if you go and press down on a bench, the character will do so, and if you wait a few seconds at the disco ball, the character even has unique dancing sprites! All three of them! All these details, in a stage most players usually blaze through without a second thought.
* ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' required loads and loads of manpower in order to pull off the technical feats it could--especially when you consider that it was a first-generation [=PS2=] title. But man, did we really need that many cutscenes?
* On the other hand, ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}},'' ''Xenosaga'''s predecessor, suffered from budgeting and timing problems, leading to the infamous second disc featuring the protagonists relating much of the story in walls of text. However, it says a great deal about the creator that the story continued to shine and grow even more detailed and complex.
** The English translator forced himself on his own to translate the game by the deadline, even sleeping under his desk to give himself more time to work even after the rest of the team left him. It shows, as the script, with themes based on Gnosticism, reincarnation and the concept of God is faithfully localized, with very little changed and is still an amazing translation today.
* The ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' games feature an enormous amount of detail, especially impressive when we consider that the early games only had something like sixteen colors.
* In ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', WelcomeToCorneria is completely averted. ''Completely''. ''Every single NPC in the game'' has at least one dialogue change, and often more. Never mind that most of these [=NPC=]s are in towns you'll never visit again once you're done with your business there. ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' does the same thing.
* ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'', meanwhile, ventured in a completely different direction for the sole reason that its creators felt ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' was [[ToughActToFollow so good that trying to replicate it would merely be redundant]]. Both written and directed by Masato Kato, the head writer for ''Trigger'', ''Cross'' features a more personal and ponderous narrative and explores the themes of its predecessor from very different perspectives; the game incorporates a number of incredibly ambitious ideas (such as an [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters absolutely huge roster of playable characters]], complex and branching storylines, and high-minded philosophical themes) that few, if any games have attempted since. By far the most done-for-the-art aspect of the game, however, is the soundtrack: even though he had just quit [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]], Creator/YasunoriMitsuda was hired to score the game simply because Kato considered him an indispensible part of the ''Chrono'' formula. The decision to compose two different songs for each area--one for each dimension--was made at the last minutes, simply because Kato and Mitsuda thought it would be a good idea. The singer and lyricist for the ending theme, a relatively obscure artist by the name of Noriko Mitose, was chosen despite Square Soft PR's wishes for a more popular and marketable singer, simply because her style was deemed right for the game.
* In most video games, incidental [=NPC=]s--even [[NominalImportance named ones]]--generally have no voice acting, two-dimensional personalities, and don't ever get up to much of anything. Not so in ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}''. Every single character in the game--and there's [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters gobs of 'em]], around 30 or so--is fully voiced, with their own quirky personality, and their own mini-story they follow through the course of the game--such as the LoveTriangle between [[KidAnova Nils]], J.T., and Elka, Quentin and Phoebe's garage band, and Mikail's search for the camp's bear population, which somehow leads to him and Maloof becoming the camp's [[TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily local mobsters]]. It must be seen to be believed.
** This level of character detail is more or less a staple in Creator/TimSchafer's games. In fact, rumor has it that he managed to flesh out each character in the game so well was by creating fake accounts for each character on a social networking site and playing out their lives through them.
* Just one of the many examples from ''VideoGame/NetHack'': There exists an enemy named the Quantum Mechanic. Upon death, it will [[RandomlyDrops sometimes drop]] a box. Inside the box is [[UsefulNotes/SchrodingersCat either a live cat or a cat corpse]]. If you check the source code, you'll find that the contents of a quantum mechanic's box, unlike all of the other boxes in the game, are not determined until you open it, just for the little extra joke that most people will never find. And the game is free, people!
** To elaborate: Nethack has been developed by computer nerds with too much time on their hands since the 80's, has been ported to pretty much every operating system known to man (yes, even the iOS). And even though Nethack had ceased active development for 12 years, people were STILL MAKING PATCHES AND VARIANTS of the game. Then, in December 2015, the team behind [=NetHack=] released update 3.6.0 out of the blue, setting the stage for future updates to this long-running labor of love.
* ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'' is an incredibly detailed game for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 that is made to have story book-fairy tale aesthetics. From background to foreground, it has tons of detail (''every limb'' has its own animations) that only adds to the fantastical nature of it's setting. The entire design team consists of eleven people.
** Creator/{{Vanillaware}}, the aforementioned design team, essentially has this trope as its motto. The lead designer and founder, George Kamitani, has a deep love of both breathtaking visuals and video games, so much that his team's early titles managed to nearly strain the limits of the systems they debuted on. Vanillaware's later works, such as ''VideoGame/MuramasaTheDemonBlade'' and ''VideoGame/DragonsCrown'', continually show off Kamitani's love of art and gaming, and are considered some of the best-looking 2D games ever produced, as well as being fun to play to boot.
* The whole backstory of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'': imagining a whole functional world with dozens of ethnicities, political subplots, more than a thousand {{NPC}}s, secondary characters who are more detailed than main characters from other games, detailed work on the different countries' architecture and clothing fashions.
** A lot of work went into the bestiary, especially how much information they provided about all the monsters, and the small articles about different areas of the game. A lot of time and effort obviously went into what a lot of games usually throw in as a basic monster list.
* The DS ''VideoGame/DinosaurKing'' game looks like your average Pokémon clone, and is a [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames licensed game]]. However, it has some of the best 3-D effects on the system (80+ dinosaurs ''in full 3D''), puts effort into reconstructing the dinosaurs as accurately as possible (feathers on the ones which had them), uses many dinosaurs which otherwise would not be in a game, and has a Pokédex-clone which goes into depth in terms of dinosaur classification.
* ''VideoGame/{{Primal}}'': A tribute to old-school '''hard''' graphics problems.
* ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' featured an incredibly complex and detailed non-linear plot exploring existential themes. The dialogue is a few books worth and features superb voice acting. Many critics have compared Torment favorably to literary works, a stunning achievement for the ghettoized genre of video game fiction.
* The ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' series likewise featured a rich and complicated story fleshed out with hours of surprisingly eloquent dialogue that would not appear foreign in a work of Shakespeare's.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' series, to varying degrees. ''Myst'' was a complete gamble: nobody had done anything like it before, Cyan didn't know whether the available tools were up to it, and they had no idea whether it would sell. They didn't even have work premises when they started on it. ''VideoGame/{{Riven}}'' not only pushed the boundaries of rendering technology, but also featured a complete invented language with novel glyphs (which was entirely non-essential to the plot and gameplay). While being considerably less of a financial gamble, the following sequels have all followed the same philosophy of lavish and intricate design and production.
* The ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series in general goes to great lengths to make things atmospheric when they could have just given you a map and said "shoot this".
** ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' has aged incredibly well due to such attention to detail and is still seen as one of the best games in the genre. Samus has an IdleAnimation consisting simply of her ''breathing''. While wearing full body PoweredArmour. Series co-creator Creator/GunpeiYokoi is on record as actually being ''furious'' about his team putting so much effort into the title, only to later admit that all that effort created a fantastic game that the development team themselves wouldn't even attempt to follow up for [[VideoGame/MetroidFusion another eight years]] due to fear they wouldn't be able to surpass it.
** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'': Rain droplets appearing for the briefest of seconds on Samus' visor, her involuntary jerking her hand to protect herself when she takes heavy fire, being able to see the bones of her arm when wearing the X-Ray visor, and that's without taking into account all of the fluff info you can find out by scanning, like what sort of ''rations'' the Space Pirates eat. These little details helped make ''Prime'' into one of the most atmospheric games ever.
** ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' is an admirable case of a developer just plain ''not giving up'' on a project they're passionate about. ''Dread'' was initially going to be a Nintendo DS game, but due to hardware limitations at the time, the lead producer of the series, Creator/YoshioSakamoto, had to cancel development. Development was rebooted again, but was then cancelled again due to hardware limitations, again. Then, when Sakamoto saw the potential that the developers of ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' had, he was finally convinced he could bring his vision that he had kept with him for almost ''twenty years'' to life.
* ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}''. Each and every character has their own personal schedule and voice acting, along with a lot of information about them you can't even find without the player's guide. There are tons of buildings you can enter that have no point in the game world other than to be entered and looked at (compare to ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'', where if a building can be entered it has to have a point). There's a mode which has completely authentic weather for the year. No wonder it was the most expensive video game of its time.
* The English localization of ''VideoGame/SakuraWarsSoLongMyLove'' is said have been [[Creator/NipponIchi NIS America's]] biggest undertaking to date. To start, more than 70,000 lines of written dialogue and 10,000 voice samples had to be translated, which was far greater than any other localization in their history. A Wii port was commissioned to Idea Factory just for the North American release. To somewhat minimize the inevitable SubbingVersusDubbing debate, the game's first run shipped with two discs for the [=PS2=] version, one containing the English dub and the other with the original Japanese audio (both otherwise containing the same game). Subsequent shipments, if any, would only contain the English audio disk; but given how large the voice data is that two dubs apparently couldn't be included on one disc, they could have easily left out one or the other entirely to begin with. In addition, [[{{Woolseyism}} some names were changed in the dub]], but the original names are preserved in text in the Japanese version, rather than simply sharing the same script. It speaks to NIS America's faith in the American ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' fanbase that all of this effort was for a then-five-year-old game that consists mostly of DatingSim segments, a genre that had very little following in the Western market. Shame that Creator/{{Sega}} [[NoExportForYou couldn't be bothered to bring it over themselves]].
* The UsefulNotes/Xbox360 version of ''[[VideoGame/DonPachi DoDonPachi: DaiOuJou BLACK Label]]'' ended up being a PortingDisaster. Why? After an investigation at Arika at [[Creator/{{CAVE}} Cave]]'s request, the source code was being held by a management company and 5pb., the company in charge of the 360 port, stole the source code from the [=PS2=] version. Normally, a company would sue 5pb. into next week. What did Arika do instead? After an apology from 5pb.'s [=CEO=], Arika's [=CEO=], Ryo Mizutani, forgave them and Arika Vice President Ichiro Mihara is now ''helping 5pb. make a better port of [=DDP: DOJ=].''
* ''VideoGame/ThunderForce VI'' utilizes two different languages for in-universe text and speech, neither of which are Japanese or English. One of these languages is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangut_language Tangut]], an ancient language somewhat related to Chinese, and the other is Mongolian, an uncommon language to employ as a GratuitousForeignLanguage. And the even better part? The {{omake}} material has translations into Japanese and transliterations into katakana and roman characters for the in-game speech.
** ''Thunder Force Gold Pack 2''[='=]s version of ''Thunder Force IV'' has the Styx from ''Thunder Force III'' available to use through a secret code. When you play as the Styx, look at the font for the HUD: ''it's the same style of Thunder Force III's HUD text.''
* ''VideoGame/GranTurismo 5'' appears to be invoking this trope. It has been in development since some time in 2005, and has apparently had ''every'' developer in the employ of Polyphony Digital working on it at the same time, during some of the development cycle anyway. The reason for that? It has ''one thousand individual cars''. Extreme attention to detail is apparently the prime directive of Polyphony.
** Most of the cars (labeled "standard cars" in-game) were copied from ''Gran Turismo 4'' and the PSP ''Gran Turismo'' game, however, including such iconic cars as the Bugatti Veyron.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** While most of the developers are doing these games for the money, the enormous and detailed world and back story show that at least someone put a lot more effort in to the games than they had to. Several ex-developers and writers for the series continue to write LooseCanon "obscure texts" to expand the series' lore.
** There are in-game readable books, and they're not just one or two pages long but usually in the 10s. In fact, every book you pick up in that game almost always has a unique story/information in it. All the [[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/zephs-tes-treasury in-game-books and notes]] of ''Morrowind'' alone put together amount to 1241 pages!
* One thing that really stands out about ''VideoGame/{{Mabinogi}}'' is that ''every NPC with a name and a face'' has his or her own music. Every single one. And it's pretty good music, too. Someone must've really been feeling creative.
* ''Franchise/MetalGear''. Creator/HideoKojima in general not only [[ShownTheirWork shows off his work]] quite a bit (even though some things turn up wrong) but put most of that info into the game. The amount of things found in the CODEC conversations is vast... to say the least. He also loves to play with the the engine even if the feature is absolutely useless. For example, you can find realistic melting ice in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty''.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** There is a reason the series is critically acclaimed for its music. Masato Nakamura has stated that when he composed the music for the first two games, he didn't treat it as game music but as a film score, aiming to create an emotional, cinematic experience.
--->''"I wanted 'Sonic' to come across as cinematic... I wanted melodies that the player would hum along with as they were playing, dramatic music for when the scenes were intense, climactic music for when bosses would show up, and then tie it all together with an uplifting theme for the end credits. That was what I knew I wanted it all to be like."''
--->''"When I composed the music for 'Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2', I tried to write a soundtrack for a movie. I imagined the game like a movie."''
** When ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic 3]]'''s development time was cut short by [[ExecutiveMeddling a deadline imposed by a deal between Sega of America and McDonald's]], the devs were forced to [[ChristmasRushed scrap half the game]]. Instead of moving on, they reworked the game's second half into ''Sonic & Knuckles''. This wasn't good enough for Sonic Team, so they went the extra mile to implement a new technology called Lock On that allowed the player to connect the two cartridges, combining them into a large, ambitious game as originally intended.
** When ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' was in development, Sega sent Creator/SonicTeam on a paid trip to Central America to get inspiration for its storyline and setting, which ended up contributing to much of the game's SceneryPorn and {{Mayincatec}} influence. Also, the nameless low-poly [=NPC=]s found everywhere in the [[HubLevel hub areas]]? They're all unique and have a different piece of dialogue for each point in the story, and for each of the six playable character's stories. Even though most players are unlikely to talk to all [=NPC=]s again after each cutscene, if you do so you'll find out that they have their own character arcs that intertwine with each other and advance as the player progresses the story.
* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', especially in ''Z'', where the artists gave the older shows some truly awesome {{Retraux}} effects simply to show that, yes, they still love the oldies ''that'' much.
* ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' deserves its place here. [[Creator/RemedyEntertainment Remedy]], the developers, went out halfway across the world to sit down and take thousands of pictures of a small pacific town surrounded by forests and mountains just so they could capture the appropriate feel of it. As a result, they created one of the most atmospheric games out there.
* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'': Creator/KojiKondo had to force Music/MahitoYokota to scrap ''all 28'' musical pieces the latter had composed for the first game because Kondo didn't think they fit. Once they got the soundtrack's direction sorted out, though, Yokota soldiered on once again, and his extra efforts yielded what is generally considered one of the greatest video game soundtracks of all time.
* ''VideoGame/RadiataStories'' has over one hundred and fifty recruitable [=NPC=]s, each of which have their own unique back story. The game keeps a twenty-four hour clock mechanic, and every character has a schedule they keep to. Characters will spar, go shopping, visit the doctor's, go to the bathroom, get plastered at pubs, you name it. Every character has a unique schedule suited to their personality. One fun thing to notice is what time characters go to bed and rise: one dedicated monk checks in at 8 p.m. and wakes at 5 a.m.; another drinks his nights away until 2:30 and doesn't get up until noon.
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' really deserves a mention here. Not only because of little touches like the continuity references sprinkled throughout the game for the fans to enjoy but because of the dedicated team members who are as integral to each game's development as much as many of the characters are. Ed Boon, John Vogel and Steve Beran are just a few of the developers at [[Creator/MidwayGames Midway]]--now Creator/NetherrealmStudios--who give so much for their game series. It has to be said that, in spite of whatever mixed reactions people may have had to the MK games over the years, it takes a lot to do things like add ''six-hundred and seventy-six'' unlockable extras in ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly Alliance]]'', including a lot that are only there to make the player smile.
* The background lore of ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'' is rich enough to put {{Role Playing Game}}s to shame. Just check out [[http://www.kerberos-productions.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=9 the official forums]], where writer Arinn "Erinys" Dembo addresses lots and lots of fan queries. Most developers would be content with short backstories, never mind actually building on the existing lore in response to fans.
* Localization example: in 2010, Creator/XSEEDGames formed a partnership with Creator/{{Falcom}} to localize some of the latter's games on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable. Three of them are from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky'' trilogy, which is known for having thousands of lines of text per game. (Although no specific publishers were confirmed, that alone was apparently enough to have other publishers refuse to translate it.) Although the trilogy is popular in Japan, XSEED has to deal with a market in which gamers are either aren't familiar with the series or associate ''The Legend of Heroes'' name with Bandai's (later Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment) BlindIdiotTranslation[=s=] of the previous three installments. Needless to say, it takes balls for a game localizer, and a fairly new one at that, to localize that many games under such circumstances.
* Everything done by Creator/CyberConnect2. The ''Franchise/DotHack'' franchise is known for creating a fascinating world in its fictional MMO known as, well, The World. The ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' games they make do their very best to capture the essence of the franchise in its action, art direction, overall style, and makes them legitimately good licensed games.
** Then there's ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' by the same people, of which the creative process was a painstakingly long one and a half years of world building and story creation, and that was before the game itself was developed to tech demo level. Plus there's the enriched, [[ShownTheirWork well-researched]] Asian mythology aspects of the game, mixed with ScienceFiction and SpaceOpera, to craft a unique and interesting world, with similarly beautifully-designed characters and monsters. And the sheer scope of the game. All of this, combined with the above examples from [=CyberConnect2=]'s other games, created just because the CEO of [=CyberConnect2=] genuinely loves what he does: making games.
** ''VideoGame/{{Solatorobo}}'' spent ten years in DevelopmentHell and was only [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell saved]] due to [=CyberConnect2=] repeatedly approaching Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment with their idea for a SpiritualSequel to ''VideoGame/TailConcerto'', a little game that didn't sell so well.
* The ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'' remake has a nice touch that has probably not been seen in the ten years since: Wesker's boots are detailed to the point where it's shown that the top holes are not laced through. Each character also wears a unique watch, and at the time of the game being made you could actually buy the watches.
** It's astounding how much modeling work went into ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''. One cutscene has Luis hand a bottle of pills to Leon and each one of the pills rolls around realistically; One cutscene has Salazar walk down a flight of stairs perfectly modeled; the game has highly detailed textures and environments for the Gamecube among other things, all because Creator/ShinjiMikami wanted to prove that the Gamecube could handle it all. Leon specifically, but other characters in every game tend to have incredibly correct firearms discipline, specifically their shooting stances and never having their fingers on the trigger except when shooting, even in concept and promotional art. Most developers can't even be bothered to make sure a gun is modeled so it can function. One thing in particular is that the world is geographically and architecturaly consistent. In one cutscene, Salazar appears on a balcony to taunt Leon before locking the door forward. When you finally open it, you can find a tiny hallway that leads up to that very same balcony, even though there's nothing up there. It's just there to justify Salazar getting around.
** ''Resident Evil 5'' takes this up a step further with the Desert Eagle. Most devs model pistols as firing in double-action only (i.e., pulling the trigger cocks and then drives the hammer into the firing pin, causing the weapon to cycle and the process must be repeated every time the weapon fires) if it's a factor at all. However, on some pistols, such as the 1911 and Desert Eagle, the weapon will only fire with a cocked hammer. Rather than depict the gun incorrectly, Capcom took the time to animate the hammer cocked and striking the firing pin ''for every pistol in the game.'' Considering this is a third-person shooter and your gun won't always be in sight, this is impressive. The same mechanics are at work in ''Resident Evil 6'' and ''Revelations 2'' and even though all pistols in the first ''Revelations'' are in DAO (likely a graphic limitation from the 3DS system it was originally built for), they all still cycle and eject shell casings, and slow-framing the animation will actually show a new cartridge feed into the chamber. Now ''that's'' attention to detail.
** ''[=ResidentEvil=].net'' is a completely optional site maintained by Capcom for every ''Resident Evil'' game since ''Resident Evil 6.'' On it players can come together and compete in contests to earn prizes in-game based solely on their participation; in ''Resident Evil 6'' this is the only way to unlock the EX customs (something any other developer wouldn't have bothered with or sold as DLC); for the ''Resident Evil Zero'' HD edition, users could design and then vote on t-shirt designs for Rebecca to wear as alternate costumes, which were then made free (and exclusive) DLC for anyone who participated, again, without money ever changing hands.
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' and its sequel both dwell at length upon the major themes of ''Franchise/StarWars'' to a level that fans did not expect, with seemingly insignificant lines having major impact not only on the storyline, but upon the extended universe as a whole. This, despite TheProblemWithLicensedGames being already legendary -- the creators could have phoned it in and still made a profit, but instead created legendary games.
* At a time when computer RolePlayingGames meant DungeonCrawling, the already-established ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' series changed focus to dwell upon the nature of heroism being more about helping people than beating up goblins. The creators also insisted upon revamping the engine completely between each major installment, and making the world as interactive as possible.
* ''VideoGame/{{Opoona}}'' was conceived of by its creators of being a relaxing, fun RPG that anyone could enjoy. To that end, not only did they devise a unique one-handed control scheme with attacks performed purely through control stick combos--so the player could play while doing other things--they also decided to ''completely eschew'' the high fantasy style favored by most [=RPG=]s, to the point of designing abstract monsters based on ''parts and machinery'' rather than animals or mythical creatures. The level of detail that went into the game's world and history is also astounding: There are museums filled with ''real artworks'' designed by the game's staff, the dances and choreography performed in-game were mo-capped from real professional dancers, and the music was all performed live. The game itself is set within a fictional society where one's station in life is based off how much "work" one does, and explores both the pros and cons of the situation. The game is often compared to ''Videogame/EarthBound'' for the sheer detail that went into every aspect of it.
* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' has a staggering amount of attention to detail in it with an insane amount of different animations for Conker that are subtle enough that you could easily miss them (e.g. his expression and walk cycle slightly changing when he gets wet, context sensitive idle animations that only happen at very specific times such as when the tickling bees are following you, his arms reaching out when you're near money, etc). In the director's commentary for the game, the developers mentioned that many would consider these additions pointless and a waste of time, but they made them anyway as they knew that the people who would notice them would appreciate them.
* ''VideoGame/ForzaHorizon'' ''3'' features a staggeringly accurate recreation of UsefulNotes/{{Australia}}. Just ''how'' accurate, you ask? The devs created a custom 12K camera rig and captured 24 hours of photos to create a time-lapse of the Aussie sky as seen in the game!
* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' qualifies: SceneryPorn abounds all the way back to the very first game in the series, and the environments of each successive game just become more and more detailed. This even extends to the [=NPCs=], who don't ''need'' to often be placed where they are in the game, but it just makes the historical environments seem more alive. Several good examples of [=NPC=] placement come up in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate'', where the player can wander the streets and rooftops of Victorian London and, among other things, find people posing for photographs, men playing crank-operated music boxes in parks, and chimney sweeps on the roofs doing their jobs. There's also the exquisitely recreated ([[AnachronismStew if sometimes anachronistic]]) landmarks in each of the games, ranging from the Dome of the Rock in the first game to Buckingham Palace in Syndicate. On top of that, starting with the second game, there's an encyclopedia in each one which goes into great detail on landmarks and other events, even if those events and places don't play a major role in the story.
* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'' counts as well; it was made by two brothers, who went through hand-drawing ''every single frame'' in the game to [[{{Retraux}} make it look like a 1930s cartoon]] and worked for over two years just to make everything perfect. It paid off in the end when the game won Best Art Direction at [[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-game-awards-2017-winners-headlined-by-zelda-br/1100-6455467/ The Game Awards 2017]], as well as Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game.
* The ''Creator/{{M2}} [=ShotTriggers=]'' series of ports. Each port in this lineup is clearly the result of the porting team taking their work seriously, featuring not only [[ArcadePerfectPort arcade-perfect recreations]] but also each port showing about a half dozen to dozen widgets showing real-time information and various quality-of-life options (such as reducing input lag, turning on visible hitboxes for games that don't have them, and turning off slowdown for the ''VideoGame/{{Aleste}} Collection'' games). These are the ports that M2 seem to put the most effort into alongside the ''Creator/{{SEGA}} AGES'' series, even though ''[=M2STG=]'' ports aren't exactly going to be huge moneymakers; their other, non-SEGA and non-shmup ports (such as the Creator/{{Konami}} 50th anniversary port compilations and ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Collection of Mana]]'') usually have just enough apparent effort to emulate the games correctly and have remappable controls. All of this, by [[ShootEmUp shmup]] fans and developers, for shmup fans.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/CorpseParty'' is this. Team [=GrisGris=] was pretty much four people making a horror game with the RPG Maker 98. The game had loads of characters, notes and multiple endings, leading to it gaining so much popularity that it not only got a remake by the now much larger team, full with voice actors and all, it also spawned an anime, a manga series and multiple pre- and sequels.
* ''VisualNovel/HotelDuskRoom215'':
** It was in development for almost 2 years, just so developer Cing could make the comic book style character animations, which were done frame by frame.
** ''VisualNovel/LastWindow'' was being developed while Cing was facing bankruptcy. While the game was being translated for an EU release, Cing ''did'' file for bankruptcy. The game is [[EvenBetterSequel arguably even better]] than the first.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Animation]]
* Creator/RoosterTeeth--before they even begin to write a series, they study and pull apart the game they use, sometimes for months beforehand, as they did with ''Machinima/RedVsBlue: Reconstruction'' and ''Videogame/{{Halo 3}}''.
* ''Halo'' fan Phillip Kang worked on his machinima film, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyUdWe90svs&feature=player_embedded Halo: Eye of the Storm]]'' for ''two years'' before finally releasing it, with each shot taking approximately 5 hours to capture, due to having to replay the same campaign stage over and over to try and make each shot as perfect as it could be, due to not being able to control the AI.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Tom Siddell sprinkles ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' with surprisingly accurate references to subjects like mythology and Medieval western martial arts, though it's unclear how many are simply [[AuthorAppeal subjects he was already interested in]]. However, it is known that Tom researched lock picking specifically for the comic. He even bought a set of lockpicks, because he wanted to depict it accurately, even though the subject has only come up on [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=49 two]] [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=411 pages]].
* When ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' began, it followed the standard four-panel black-and-white format of newspaper comics, complete with the triple-sized, full-color strip on Sundays. As the years went by, Pete Abrams began using color a lot more frequently, as well as often doing several strips each week that were double, triple, or even quadruple the normal size. All while sticking to a daily update schedule. Compare a week's worth of strips from [[http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/weekly/970927 early in the series]] to a week of strips from the [[http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/weekly/041204 "That Which Redeems" arc]].
* ''Webcomic/{{Lackadaisy}}'' creator Tracy Butler did not ''have'' to maintain the accuracy of the architecture, clothes, and phrase choices of the 20s, but chose to, and is sticking to it.
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' as well. Just take one look at the comic, from the amount of detail in the backgrounds to the thought put into even the most minor characters, and it becomes pretty clear that the Foglios have been working up to this their entire lives.
* Howard Taylor, in over twenty years[[note]]Starting June 2000, to [[GrandFinale its conclusion in July 2020]][[/note]], never missed a single day of ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', for any reason. Whenever technical issues threatened to break this record ([[http://howardtayler.livejournal.com/219448.html including an explosion at the data center that houses the comic]]), he used stopgap measures such as putting it in the blog, just so us loyal readers could get our daily dose of Schlock from SOMEWHERE on time.
* ''Webcomic/FreakAngels'', a webcomic produced by acclaimed comic writer Creator/WarrenEllis and drawn and inked by Paul Duffield. They turn out six full-color, elaborately detailed pages (which can consist of anywhere between three and six panels each), all at once, ''every week''. The only time they take a break from their schedule besides holidays is to let Duffield have a brief rest from the strain of producing that much quality artwork on a regular basis (and such breaks are only for a week).
* Dan Shive of ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' puts extra effort into certain aspects of making strips. He makes sure the [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-03-09 composition]] of the scenes he puts his characters in are realistic even if its only for [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-03-09 one panel]]. He researches things for the comic like [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2008-02-27 obscure facts]] about UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. He even ensures that when a character exposits seemingly meaningless MagiBabble as part of [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-08-01 a montage]], everything he says actually has a basis in something real InUniverse.
* For ''Webcomic/KatushaGirlSoldierOfTheGreatPatrioticWar,'' writer and artist Wayne Vansant made multiple trips to Ukraine and interviewed dozens of people who were there in World War II. The equipment and settings are accurately drawn, and the battles and atrocities shown are (or are based upon) real events.
* ''Webcomic/{{Xkcd}}'':
** [[https://xkcd.com/1110/ 1110: Click and Drag]] is, simply put, a single webcomic frame with the dimensions of 165888 x 65536 pixels and the populated size (disregarding fillers) of around one gigapixel. You explore it by, duh, clicking and dragging.
** [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1190:_Time 1190: Time]], a graphic story updated once per hour over the course of four months. (The author's site only contained the latest image, but numerous fan-made browsers were created.)
** [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1446:_Landing 1446: Landing]], a shorter variant of the former, updated every five minutes over 12 hours during the Rosetta landing, in real time.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Videos]]
* Creator/NoahAntwiler did a game review back in 2007 on [[VideoGame/ETTheExtraTerrestrial a horrible E.T. Atari game]] ''right after'' having his wisdom teeth taken out (2 operations) and while stoned out of his mind on Vicodin just because the fans begged him to. That's dedication to your art. And after his "Health update" v-log...to think he's been keeping up with everything as well as he has been -- getting through ''WebVideo/{{Kickassia}}'', going to conventions, putting on heavy costumes, practically melting under hot lights -- with a heart condition that ''makes him feel like he's dying'' if he overtaxes himself.
* The film used to shoot the faux ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}'' trailer ''WebVideo/TheVelociPastor'' was scratched manually in a black room. Then it was [[http://roberthood.net/blog/index.php/2011/03/06/velocipastor-is-this-a-movie-you-want-to-see/ baked in an oven]].
* ''WebVideo/BrainScratchCommentaries'' are a group of people that do commentaries over numerous video games. Each member always records their game footage off a video card or capture device to get the best quality out of their videos and to have their footage look legit when playing off the actual video game console rather than using emulators or shaky cameras. The only time the crew uses emulators is when they can't get a physical copy of the game or their recording glitches out.
* ''WebVideo/ManAtArms'' is a show where a Hollywood blacksmith makes replicas of various fictional swords. In an early episode, he imported over a thousand dollars worth of material from Argentina so he could make [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Sokka's Space Sword]] out of [[ThunderboltIron actual meteorites]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Creator/HannaBarbera was still able to make beautifully drawn cartoons, thanks to Ed Benedict's brilliant character designs and colorful backgrounds despite a low budget.
* Every shot of ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' has detail unheard of even for anime. Thus, only 4 seasons have been produced in 9 years.
* The same can be said for ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', though the detail isn't nearly the same. What also deserves mentioning is that while most shows have a significant staff of writers, ''every episode but one'' was written by creator Jackson Publick and/or Doc Hammer.
** Another example from ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers''; Publick and Hammer, during the long hiatus between seasons one and two had worked out exactly how to open the show, seeing as [[spoiler:Both Hank and Dean were dead]]. A montage, set to the song "Everybody's Free" by Aquagen and Rozalla. The problem was, to license it would cost a seventh of the budget--not for that episode, the ''entire second season.'' To which the creators said "WorthIt."
* The Franchise/{{DCAU}} team has always had high expectations of themselves, but they really outdid themselves in ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]''. They animated nearly every single hero and villain in the DC Universe, most of whom are not well known and very few of whom even have lines. But the lengths they did to are even better illustrated in the episode "The Savage Time", where for no reason whatsoever, they have very accurately drawn Tiger Tanks. How many people watching the show are even going to notice the tanks? How many can even tell that they actually did the research? ''They'' can, and apparently, that's all that mattered.
** It wasn't just the Tigers in "The Savage Time"; though the detail's not great, the soldiers Jon Stewart is with are carrying appropriate weapons (M1 Garand, Thompson SMG, M1918 [=BAR=]), and Savage's car in the movie is similarly under-detailed, but unmistakably a closed-top Mercedes-Benz 700k. The German soldiers carry [=MP40s=] at one point. The fire rate for weapons are off, certainly, and no one reloads, but RuleOfCool factors into that. Plus, they put some effort into it; I mean, how many people pay attention to a ''freaking staff car?''
** To emphasize how [[DarkerAndEdgier edgy and dark]] ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' is, the animators painted on black paper instead of white paper. The result? A truly atmospheric show that threatened to put the AnimationAgeGhetto in the naughty corner.
* While outside of the DCAU, ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' demonstrates the same attention to detail as the DCAU producers, writers, and animators. Every single episode is jam-packed with references big and small to the DCU's history either in the form of characters who vanished after [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks the Silver Age]] (or in at least one case, only appeared in a single issue!) or storylines or even panels. An episode featuring the first full appearance of Franchise/{{Superman}} is chock full of these, referencing everything from {{Superdickery}} to the Creator/ChristopherReeve films to ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' to ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns''. It's this clear love of the character and the DCU that has made a show that could have been a disaster into a show that is widely adored by comic fans.
* For ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', the creators flew all over the world to find inspiration and art references for architecture and landscaping, studied martial arts in order to create realistic combat sequences, and hired someone with a [=PhD=] so that all the Classical Chinese ideographs seen in the series would be accurate. They also hired consultants for these things.
** The background posters that Sokka walked past one episode were seen for less than ten seconds, yet they still included a realistic poster for a theatre company (foreshadowing for another episode) and a poster for a town meeting about air quality (referencing the industrialized Fire Nation) and all the gambling being done on the streets. All in archaic Chinese.
** Constellations that are seen in the sky of [[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheWaterbendingMaster "The Waterbending Master"]] are the same as those seen a season later on a star map in [[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheDesert "The Desert"]]. You'd need to be UsefulNotes/NeilDeGrasseTyson (or a very [[http://atla-annotated.tumblr.com/post/20827907799/the-night-sky-in-the-episode-the-waterbending detail-oriented fan]]) to notice.
* The team of ''{{WesternAnimation/Gargoyles}}'' went to insane lengths to make the show as realistic as possible. Greg Weisman keeps up an ongoing blog to close up every possible plot hole (and every question, if it does not ask for spoilers, will be answered), and has done so for ''15 years now''. The foreign language is accurate, the historical people are accurate, the magic is consistent, the gargoyles have ([[HollywoodScience by the standards of Hollywood]]) a believable biology rather than just being magic, and every single character is complex to unbelievable levels.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars''. The amount of work put into this series really shows how much the crew cared about it, even just observing from the surface. But when you start noticing and then paying attention to such trivial things like posters on the walls of clone barracks or clubs, the elaborate details on spaceships, bugs crawling around on branches, ''garbage'' thrown away on the lower streets of Coruscant, and dozens of other tiny-little background details the creators have sneaked in - despite the fact that most viewers probably wouldn't register any of it on the first time viewing - it becomes mind-blowing! Then consider that all of this is made in CGI, with a relatively low-budget when the series was only starting. And when their budget and technological assets increased as the series progressed, they did even more with it.
** Going even further, they had assets to use from Lucasfilm's archives. For instance, during the production of Season 3 episode "Wookiee Hunt", the crew had a meeting with Peter Mayhew to make sure they got Chewbacca's appearance (while working within the art style), characterization and body language accurately.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Director David Silverman personally animated the hallucination sequences for [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E9ElViajeMisteriosoDeNuestroJomer "El Viaje Misterioso De Nuestro Jomer"]] as he was worried the overseas animators would not provide the specific, highly surreal look that he wanted. It paid off as the results are considered the episode's SignatureScene.
* Musical numbers in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' contain elaborate instrumentation and rhymes, as well as a handful of {{Genius Bonus}}es that only make sense to one well-versed in musical terminology. For instance, how many eight-year-olds are going to recognize the {{Foreshadowing}} at the end of "BBBFF"?
* The creators of ''[[WesternAnimation/ReBoot ReBoot]]'' had a lot of risk involved with their project. They predated the ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' Creator/{{Pixar}} CGI revolution by a full year. It was an untested medium and the equipment to do it was not cheap. On top of that all the voice-acting, writing, directing and music was done in the same studio, instead of being farmed out to different companies like most shows. The results were a really tight story with great voice acting and animation that was groundbreaking.
* The artists who worked on ''WesternAnimation/MightyOrbots'', produced in the 1980s, actually studied classical and Japanese animation in order to be the best they could be. Notable mainly because of the AnimationAgeGhetto. When you could get away with stuff like ''WesternAnimation/PacMan'', ''[[WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGoBots GoBots]]'', or ''[[WesternAnimation/CareBears1980s The Care Bears]]'', studying classic film for inspiration is, well, a little ''weird''.
* Although it is easy (and not unusual) to simply dismiss any ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' product as MerchandiseDriven, some works, such as ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' or ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', are well-liked for their appreciation of the mythos and written with the PeripheryDemographic in mind.
** ''Transformers'' has so many incentives to suck--it's MerchandiseDriven, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids for small children]], and about robots that transform into cars. But sometimes, just sometimes, it's funny and engaging and a bit meaningful, and there's no other reason than that the creators, against all odds, care about what they do. Sometimes.
* While ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' may not have astounding animation or horribly intricate detail, if you compare it to, say, the average Disney Channel sitcom, you'll see a ''massive'' difference in effort. ''Phineas and Ferb'' is built on OnceAnEpisode, yet almost every piece of that has been averted or subverted. ''Phineas and Ferb'' makes obscure socio-cultural references in full knowledge that their primary demographic won't grasp them.
** And, going further than the intricate net of [[CatchPhrase Catch Phrases]], [[ContinuityNod Continuity Nods]], [[RunningGag Running Gags]] and such, we get the music. If you look at the lyrics, you see a beautiful mesh of rhyme schemes, alliteration, internal rhymes, tasteful repetition, and probably half the list of literary devices your high-school English teacher taught you. There are artists/bands whose lyrics aren't this well thought out.
* In addition to doing his ''ComicBook/GoldDigger'' animation singlehandedly, series author Fred Perry also does a number of sketches and shorts using licensed music such as "Stacy's Mom", "[[Series/LazyTown You Are a Pirate]]", and the intro to ''VideoGame/GuardianHeroes''. He actually got the rights to use it officially.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', one of the writers actually made use of their math degree to [[http://www.geekosystem.com/futurama-prisoner-of-benda-theory/ create and prove a brand new mathematical theorem]] just for sake of the episode's body-swapping plot.
* ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest''. One of the animators working on "Shadow of the Condor" was a UsefulNotes/WorldWarI airplane buff, and the Fokker Dr.1 and Spad are gorgeously drawn.
* During TheEighties, most cartoons were 30-minute toy ads, and it was virtually unthinkable to go about it otherwise. Robert Mandell deliberately misfiled the memo and blew out as many stops as he could afford. Broadway actors as his voice talent, a truckload of Del Ray sci-fi authors as writers, Toyko Movie Shinsa doing the animation, arena rock bands for the soundtrack, some of the ''earliest'' attempts to weld CGI and cel animation...and throwing the lot into a SpaceWestern that looks like the bastard offspring of a time-traveling Series/{{Firefly}} and the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse. The end result is a one-season wonder called ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers Galaxy Rangers]]''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Other]]
* The Parthenon sculptures. Most temple sculptures were only carved in full detail on the front because the back would never be seen; however, the Parthenon sculptures were carved in full detail, front and back. Chances are no-one saw that for thousands of years.
* The Pantheon, a temple, and later church, in Rome. The dome, aside from being a ''perfect'' hemisphere with a diameter of 43.3m (142 feet), implies an imaginary, second hemisphere, the pole of which touches the floor ''exactly''. Given the size of this space, a considerable margin of error would have been considered acceptable, but the architect, Apollodorus of Damascus, wanted it to be ''perfect''. And this in 126 AD.
** The art critic and historian Robert Hughes notes in his book ''Rome'' that the Pantheon would never be built today: no one would insure it, no one would even propose it, because no one would think that you could make something like that safely out of poured concrete. And they'd be dead wrong: Thanks to a unique and brilliant design, the Pantheon has stood for nearly nineteen hundred years, and shows no signs of collapse.
* Antoni Gaudi designed his [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Familia Sagrada Familia]] in ridiculous detail, carefully outlining each decoration, even the ones ''no human would ever see after the construction is complete'' (like little dove figures in small niches at 100 m altitude). When asked about that, Gaudi replied: "Well, of course, these are for the angels to see." Gaudi started working on the church in 1883. It is currently about 50% complete. It has been largely funded by voluntary donations. It will, hopefully, be finished in 2026--in time for the centennial of Gaudi's death.
* Many early great masters of Western art, who did most of their work, now hanging in major museums, for commission. Though even then, they hardly phoned it in. Michelangelo was initially not enthused about the Sistine Chapel commission and if he had done a simple ceiling fresco, he could have gone to his more fulfilling work in sculpture; instead, he decided to go overboard.
* Website/{{Google}} [[http://www.google.com/logos/ Doodles]]; sure, the site's text can just be the same every single day, but numerous artists take upon them to draw something to relate to various countries' events, celebrity birthdays and such.
* Creator/DiscotekMedia has licensed many older anime [[NoExportForYou that may have otherwise never seen the light of day.]] Among many other things, they also managed to find the TMS dub of ''Anime/MagicKnightRayearth'', which was thought to have been [[MissingEpisode lost]], and include it on the Blu-Ray release of the series.
* Charles Lauzirika is a sci-fi fanboy who was put in charge of [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox 20th Century Fox]]'s DVD production team and has created some of the most well-known DVD sets and film documentaries of all time. Notably, during the production of the ''Franchise/{{Alien}} Anthology'', he not only fought to get the uncut version of his ''Film/{{Alien 3}}'' documentary "Wreckage And Rage" released (which required an epic amount of wrangling with Fox executives for close to a decade), but he also went back to the "workprint" edition of the film that was constructed for the ''Alien Quadrilogy'' release in 2003, assembled every member of the supporting cast whose voices couldn't be picked up on the temp track, and had them re-record all of their lines. He also served as the producer of ''Film/BladeRunner: The Final Cut'', in which he brought Creator/HarrisonFord's son in to replicate his father's dialogue for voiceovers that were hard to hear, and had Joanna Cassidy reshoot her famous run through the glass windows so continuity errors from the original film could be corrected.
* The reason why video releases for Creator/TheCriterionCollection command premium prices is because each film's restoration and/or transfer is supervised by some of the best film engineers in the industry, and it allows for the company to produce carefully-curated sets for prestige films. Compared to "barebones" video release, each Criterion edition often includes a full-color booklet that features essays or remarks from the director discussing the historical or cultural significance of their work, long-form video documentaries that are often praised by fans for their thoroughness, and (for older films) featurettes focusing on the restoration techniques used to bring said films up to the highest digital quality.
[[/folder]]
----
It comes as no surprise then how many behind-the-scenes stories come from working on these productions. They range from the benign to the terrifying, whether the creative process is a TroubledProduction or relatively smooth sailing. Because of this, fandoms are extremely familiar with many making-of stories.
However, there are some production feats that, when fans learn about them, they are absolutely blown away they were possible. It's almost like the fans gushing about it died and went to Development Heaven.
Whether it's a set built at a mind-boggling scale, levels of research that would make an archeologist blush, animation detail that is more lifelike than life itself, stunt work that defies human abilities, or just inserting a detail almost any casual viewer would never notice, these achievements will make fans go crazy praising their efforts.
Sometimes the people involved are DoingItForTheArt, but not necessarily. Some people just find it rewarding and have pride in putting a ton of effort into something, even if their ultimate motivation is the paycheck they receive.
Can overlap with DyeingForYourArt and SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome. Contrast DevelopmentHell [[{{Pun}} (though not literally)]].
----
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Advertising]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ve4M4UsJQo This]] Honda commercial, CG, right? It could've been, but why not [[http://www.snopes.com/photos/advertisements/hondacog.asp go the extra mile instead]]?
* Creator/{{HBO}}'s iconic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1NKoMNy5bY 80s movie opener]]; so much so, there was even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agS6ZXBrcng a short documentary]] produced about it. All of the effects in the logo probably could've been achieved with [=CGI=], but instead, Liberty Studios--the company behind the logo--went all out with making it using practical effects. The entire city landscape was an actual model that was 10 feet wide and 30 feet long, with so much stunning attention to detail that it took over three months to fully construct, and during the making, smoke was pumped through in order to give it the appearance of a three-dimensional environment. The music that scores the opener was produced with a 65-piece orchestra. The [=HBO=] logo was made with brass, and the laser effects were achieved with light and camera tricks. Other than some superimposition effects for the family at the beginning as well as the ending title cards, practically no computer effects were used to create the opening. No wonder it's such a favorite of many!
* That [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbYWhdLO43Q Squatty Potty]] commercial with the baby unicorn pooping ice cream could have very easily gotten by with CGI, but the creators decided to go all-out with a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l7MXfYWahU full puppet]] instead.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* The music of ''Anime/CowboyBebop'', rather than going for the [[JapanesePopMusic J-Pop]] music that's the norm for such {{anime}}, elected to go for classic jazz performed by composer Music/YokoKanno and her band Music/TheSeatbelts. If you really want to be impressed, consider the fact that Jazz is not a popular art form in Japan (though Tokyo does currently have a fast-growing jazz scene, well worth checking out).
** The anime film ''Anime/{{Metropolis}}'', based off an Creator/OsamuTezuka manga (which was itself based loosely off [[Film/{{Metropolis}} a film]] by Creator/FritzLang), uses the same music with a very similar impact.
** Music/YokoKanno already had some OST fame for a very different sound that was and continued to be in demand for sci-fi works, or TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture settings like Cowboy Bebop. Music/TheSeatbelts was a passion project of hers, and Anime/CowboyBebop distinguished itself by choosing that style.
* ''Anime/BirdyTheMighty''. Especially the Decode series, which produced two series of stylish, fluid animation and engaging, sympathetic characters despite poor sales.
* ''Manga/GunsmithCats'' actually sent its entire animation studio to Chicago to make sure they got the setting right, and instead of using [[BangBangBANG stock gun noises]] they used recordings of each gun being used that they made themselves.
* The half-hour film ''Anime/VoicesOfADistantStar'' was created almost entirely by Creator/MakotoShinkai. The only thing he didn't do by himself was the voice acting on the commercial release.
* ''Manga/{{ARIA}}''. The detail that goes into the buildings, geography, and events is truly staggering. Also, the anime production team traveled to Venice every time they started a new season--even for the ''one episode {{OVA}}!'' And if that weren't enough, there's also a large amount of high-quality music by names like Eri Kawai, Senoo and Music/ChoroClub.
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': The {{Omake}} from the compiled volumes show just how much work Creator/KenAkamatsu put into the [[SceneryPorn backgrounds]] alone, even enormous hand-drawn crowd scenes. This includes creating a fully-rendered CG tower for the Kyoto arc, even though it only appears a few times in the extreme background. And the surprisingly good Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit for the spells, complete with accurate mythological references. The bonus material includes many a WallOfText explaining the languages and mythological beings that are mentioned. There's also a metric buttload of {{Shout Out}}s, including cameos by various anime and VideoGame characters in the aforementioned background scenes. He's very thorough, way more so than was necessary.
* The manga version of ''Manga/{{Genshiken}}'' features very intricate and detailed backgrounds, and references to real media to go with the {{otaku}} theme of the series. Example: "The Champ of Fighters" = ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'':
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7a7C4a2nfk&feature=related This]] video demonstrates the amount of detail the animators of ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' went through in order to ensure that every detail of their fictional Ikebukuro would mimic almost every aspect of its RealLife counterpart.
* For the ''Film/{{Pokemon}}'' movies, the director Kunihiko Yuyama travels the world in order to capture the feel of the {{Fantasy Counterpart Culture}}s Ash and co. will visit. For ''Anime/PokemonHeroes''' Altomare, the director visited Venice. In ''Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew'', he toured castles in Germany. For ''Anime/PokemonTheRiseOfDarkrai'', he visited Barcelona, Spain. For ''Anime/PokemonGiratinaAndTheSkyWarrior'', he visited the fjords of Norway. For ''Anime/PokemonArceusAndTheJewelOfLife'', he visited temples in Greece. For ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions'', he visited [[AndZoidberg the Netherlands]].
* In the infamous [[GroundhogDayLoop Endless Eight]] episodes of the second season of ''[[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'', each episode is animated from scratch, despite the plot and dialogue of each being nearly identical. The voice actors even claim that they did eight recordings.
** The first season was packed with pain-staking effort, including valid C++ code, SQL commands used in a way that no one can understand anyway, [[SceneryPorn photo accurate recreations of the setting]], and tiny details hinting toward coming ([[AnachronicOrder that is to say previous]]) episodes.
** Also, the novels. There's no other reason (well, except AuthorAppeal) to put [[ViewersAreGeniuses explanations and diagrams of college-level math]].
** The start-up of the old Windows 95 computer in alternate-world Nagato's classroom during the ''Disappearance'' movie as well. They could have simply made it a generic affair, but it was done accurately from start to finish, correct opening sound, GUI and all included.
* When Creator/MamoruOshii set out to do ''Anime/TheSkyCrawlers'', he and his crew traveled to Ireland and Poland where the movie is set to photograph not only the scenery or buildings but also radiators, electric sockets and window frames to get everything to look authentic.
* Creator/KatsuhiroOtomo. ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' is obsessively, painstakingly detailed like you wouldn't believe, and is known as ''the'' epic manga for a reason. The film is this way too.
* Composer and songwriter Music/YukiKajiura spent ten days in Peru as she prepared to write the music for ''Anime/ElCazadorDeLaBruja''.
* ''Anime/SoundOfTheSky'' takes place in the fictional town of Seize, which is [[http://infinitemirai.wordpress.com/2012/02/25/cuenca-spain-home-of-sora-no-woto/ shot by shot]] the [[RealPlaceBackground real Spanish town of Cuenca.]] Also, to voice a German-speaking character in the show, they [[SurprisinglyGoodForeignLanguage used a voice actress who was raised in Austria and spoke fluent German.]]
* It may be a huge victim of SeinfeldIsUnfunny, but the effort that went into making ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'' has to be seen to be [[http://www.battleoftheplanets.net/whatwas.html to be believed.]]
* ''Anime/RedLine'': It took seven years of hand-drawn animation to make this movie.
* For the anime adaptation of ''Manga/KeepYourHandsOffEizouken'', Creator/ScienceSARU didn't have legal permission to use footage from ''Anime/FutureBoyConan'' in the first episode. They got around this by painstakingly recreating scenes from ''Conan'' from scratch; not only did they trace the scenes frame by frame and recolor them, but they even recreated the music and sound effects.
* The dubs of ''Anime/AceAttorney'' and ''Anime/SakuraWarsTheAnimation'' had their ADR directors and scriptwriters do optional research playing the games.
* ''Manga/BladeOfTheImmortal'' mangaka Creator/HiroakiSamura personally redrew many pages so that the English-language release could be presented in the left-to-right English reading order without "flipping" the pages (i.e. mirroring them horizontally, a then-common practice which tends to cause BadExportForYou, especially with text). The series ultimately ran for ''30 volumes'' this way.
* ''Manga/VinlandSaga''. Not only did the author make it because it was always his dream to create a kickass Shonen series, but he also had a deep fascination with the Vikings and wanted to make something that portrayed them as they were, more than just [[AlwaysChaoticEvil killers and thugs]]. He even went on a trip to Iceland to research Viking Culture in greater detail, to give his artwork that authentic tinge, and it shows.
* The love and effort Creator/EiichiroOda pours into each ''Manga/OnePiece'' chapter is astounding. With all the little details in both the art and storytelling, it's easy to see that he loves writing manga.
* Animation-wise, the ''entire'' {{anime}} genre is keeping traditional animation alive. In a world where it is a dying breed and CGI animation is becoming more and more common, Japanese animators are notorious for sticking to their guns and still using traditional animation. There's a few Japanese CGI films and series, but most of the time they're experimental works and never intended for being used for replacing traditional animation as a whole.
** In Japan, CGI animation is normally restricted for animating non-living stuff, like vehicles, ships, robots, etc. And sometimes, some animation studios like Creator/{{Sunrise}} are notorious for ''never using'' CGI in some series, like ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'', when the [=titular=] machines are always being traditionally animated and never being rendered in CGI, with some few exceptions.
** On the other hand, Creator/StudioNue (the owners of the ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' franchise) are notorious for using CGI for many of their later series, like ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'', ''Anime/GenesisOfAquarion'' and ''Anime/AquarionEvol'', but only for the robots.
** Yet other studios TakeAThirdOption, by going full CGI but ''making'' it look hand-drawn. It's easy and cheap to entirely use CGI that clearly looks computer-rendered, and often not of good quality, but when Japanese studios do it, there is a strong tendency to mimic the hand-drawn look that makes anime so unique (which is ''not'' easy). An example would be the AnimatedAdaptation of ''Manga/ArpeggioOfBlueSteel'', which is entirely done with CGI, but apart from the unusual fluidity of movements looks as hand-drawn as other works, just a little cleaner.
** That's not to say studios don't embrace what [=3DCG=] has to offer. Take for example Sanzigen Animation; right down to the studio name,[[note]]Sanzigen = San Jigen (Third Dimension)[[/note]] they're committed to making series in fully rendered 3D, with video game cutscene quality.
** Making a CG show look hand-drawn is sort of standard for anime, but bringing characters into fully 3D space takes arguably a lot more effort. ''Stand by me Doraemon'', the only ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' film to use a 3D style, goes above and beyond to look almost Creator/{{Pixar}}-like in quality and attention to detail, in addition to having a plot that tugs at any ''Doraemon'' fan's heartstrings. It all paid off, becoming the highest-grossing film of the franchise to date (and for a franchise as popular as ''Doraemon'' in its home country, that says a lot).
** The season 2 opener for ''Anime/OsomatsuSan'' has the brothers try out different animation genres and techniques to figure out the best way to become a "proper" series. Jyushimatsu is the only one to come back rendered in CG-- but rather than make a cheap model and barely animate it, the team uses film quality, high framerate, expertly rendered, smooth CG to make his gag work. And they didn't even cel shade him to match style! Did they have to put that much in for a 1-minute gag? No, but if he had to exhibit the technique as "proper", they needed to make it live up to the title.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film - Animated]]
* Pick a Creator/{{Pixar}} movie, any Pixar movie. They had to tone down the water for ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' because it was ''too'' real-looking. Pixar mentioned that they learned during the filming of ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' that the story ''has'' to come first. They had a 60% or 70% finished movie when they sat and watched it... and were revolted. With a deadline looming scarily close, they tore it completely apart and made the amazing movie we know today.
** Speaking of ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'', ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' was originally intended to be direct-to-video. But Pixar actually set out to make a movie that was just as good as the first, and Creator/{{Disney}} milked it with a theater release as a result. Pixar is very well-known for this.
*** For [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory3 the third TS film]], they could have had any actor play the now-grown Andy. Instead, they tracked down the '''''original actor''''', who had basically retired from acting at that point, to reprise the role. In fact, there's nary an [[TheOtherDarrin other Darrin]] in sight in the third film - ''every returning character'' is voiced by the actors who voiced them in the first two, except for Slinky, and even then it was only because his original actor died. Special mention goes to Creator/DonRickles, who was 84 when he voiced Mr. Potato Head for ''Toy Story 3''... and even after his ''death'' just before ''Toy Story 4'' went into active production, allowed his estate to search through ''decades'' of unused recorded dialogue to reprise his character.
** Originally in ''WesternAnimation/WallE'', the story had it that [[spoiler:[[GenkiGirl EVE]] got electrocuted by [[BigBad AUTO]] instead of [[TheWoobie WALL•E]], and WALL•E fixes her while in the Garbage Chamber]]. A preview screening caused Andrew Stanton to realize it didn't fit the emotional flow he wanted to convey. Despite the fact that the scene was ''95%'' complete and the film was only a few months away from release, the animators started from scratch and completely redid the scene, so that [[spoiler:WALL•E was electrocuted, and EVE's motivation was about helping WALL•E, rather than just achieving her directive]], which makes the story better.
** When a director completes a film at Pixar and has finished promoting it, they usually take a year off to relax and perhaps find inspiration for their next film. After ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' was finished, Andrew Stanton took a small team of writers and artists and spent that ''entire year'' planning the general story and working on the design of the characters of ''WesternAnimation/WallE'', simply so he could work without deadlines or pressure.
** For ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'', the producers actually flew the animation team to Venezuela, to the mountain range that serves as the inspiration for Paradise Falls in the film. The crew went on an exhausting (and potentially life-threatening) all-day hike up the mountain, but it was worth it for the magnificent views they got at the top, which inspired most of the film's imagery. Then a sudden storm rolled in, and they were trapped on top of the mountain for hours, while strong rains and wind slammed them. Eventually, a helicopter was able to rescue them.
* In TheNewTens Disney renaissance for the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon, the animators at Disney have been pushing the limits of animation and CGI fare beyond what's necessary to just tell the story. Their most recent films are showcases of animating things either considered insanely difficult to do or done with a complexity not previously seen before: hair (''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}''), snow/ice (''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013''), cityscapes (built from a complete city design) (''WesternAnimation/BigHero6''), fur (''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}''), and water/ocean (''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'').
* The ''[[WesternAnimation/SinbadLegendOfTheSevenSeas Sinbad]]'' animated film team went to an incredible amount of effort to make sure that the CG models for the ships and cities were accurate to a tee, once again for a film intended for children.
* ''[[http://vimeo.com/12339283 In the Fall of Gravity]]'' is an extremely well-animated short that is made by this trope. The whole film was done by [[OneManArmy one guy]], who did everything from the sets to the figures he's animating. What's more impressive is that he built facial mechanisms never before seen in stop-motion ''specifically for the film'', controlled by cables instead of wires or replacement mouths. it really must be seen to be believed.
%%* Creator/NickPark's ''WesternAnimation/ChickenRun'' and his ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'' shorts.
%%** Also, ''WesternAnimation/ShaunTheSheep''. This is most obvious when you look at [[RecurringCharacter the bull's]] texture.
%%** Any of Creator/AardmanAnimations' stop-motion projects.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'' was a huge artistic undertaking for [[Creator/DreamWorksAnimation DreamWorks]]. For example, there were 1,192 scenes in the movie. ''1,180'' of those scenes featured special effects. And not just things like fire tornadoes or the Red Sea parting (that 7-minute sequence ''alone'' took '''''318,000 hours''''' of rendering), but wind, sand, rainwater, and lighting. The animators also spent two weeks traveling around Egypt to get a sense of the architecture and art style for the film.
** The writers consulted with over a hundred religious officials from varying sects to make sure they got as close to the heart of the story as possible.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}''. As if the sheer amount of FridgeBrilliance and {{Foreshadowing}} in the writing isn't enough, apparently the animation is good enough that many uninformed people thought that it was made with CGI.
** For Coraline, they made more than 20 puppets, each one taking months to make. And since it uses puppets instead of clay, they had to make thousands of mouths that they painted individually and replaced between frames.
** The average production speed will typically produce only ''a few seconds'' a day, assuming no mistakes are made. The film is 100 minutes long.
** [[SceneryPorn The garden scene? The mice circus? The theatre with hundreds of Scotties?]] They did all that in stop-motion. The mice circus alone took 2 months to animate.
** Most of the flowers in the garden scene really lit up. It's not digitally enhanced.
** The lady who made the costumes actually ''knits'' them, using the same techniques that would be used to make full-sized clothing but with needles the size of human hairs.
** The hair for the characters had to be "injected" one by one.
** The scene where the Other World "disappears"? They did that in stop-motion too.
** They wanted to shoot the movie in 3D, but the sets were too small to fit 2 cameras side-by-side. So what did they do? They shot each frame twice from different angles with a single camera. The result was a movie with some of the most highly-regarded 3D effects ever.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfKells'', especially since it's all about medieval art in the first place. [[ShownTheirWork And it shows.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'', the directors proposed the famous rope bridge fight and were delighted at seeing the animators blanch at the idea. That wasn't because of how hard they knew the sequence's production would be; rather, it was because they knew such a scene had ''never been done before.'' It's ''that'' kind of attitude that helped create the film and made Creator/DreamworksAnimation [[GrowingTheBeard grow its beard]].
* The original plot for ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'' was scrapped and reworked from the ground up just 9 months before the intended release date (Nick was the original protagonist). That didn't stop the studio and the dedicated creative team from producing a film with incredible animation or storytelling, though.
* Creator/BlueSkyStudios's original films may not have had much going for them, but the studio almost always put their best foot forward when it came to an adaptation.
** ''WesternAnimation/HortonHearsAWho'' came along after Creator/DrSeuss's widow declared that all future film adaptations of his work would exclusively be animated, as a result of the widely-panned ''[[Film/TheCatInTheHat Cat in the Hat]]'' live-action movie. As such, they worked to adapt Seuss's visuals to animation in a way that also stuck when [[Creator/IlluminationEntertainment Illumination]] took on ''WesternAnimation/TheLorax'' a few years later.
** ''WesternAnimation/ThePeanutsMovie'' had several of [[Creator/CharlesMSchulz Charles Schulz's]] relatives on board, with his son and grandson being among the writing team. In addition, the animators made the effort to make their CGI look as close to the original television specials as possible, by not utilizing motion blur and giving the movie an overall 2.5-D aesthetic.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' required an entire production studio to be built up from scratch in four months and took over three years to film, utilizing up over a dozen sound stages, a phenomenal amount of space. It was also a technical innovation: a special motion-control camera was created to allow for more sweeping cinematography.
* While ''Animation/NextGen'' is a decent film in its own right, it serves as a testament to the power of Creator/BlenderFoundation's flagship open source animation software. Almost the entire film was created using software that anyone can get a hold of completely for free!
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Creator/MarkWaid's ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' is oozing with DC comic book lore, symbolism and biblical references among other things.
* Creator/AlanMoore's ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' is just dripping with cultural references. Actually, most of what Alan Moore does belongs here--''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' was originally just supposed to be an integration of newly acquired trademarks into the DC Universe, but Moore just didn't know when to quit[[note]]there ''may'' have also been a certain amount of "we just spent money to acquire these guys and you want to ''kill half of them off'' in a one-shot series?" on the part of DC Editorial[[/note]].
* Creator/NeilGaiman's ''ComicBook/TheSandman''. It introduces multiple new characters with their own backstories and speech patterns practically every arc as well as tying them into later stories. It's dripping with symbolism, historical and mythological references (a lot of which most readers wouldn't notice). That's just the writing. The art is equally full of things that they didn't NEED to do but did anyway.
* The cover for the third issue of ''ComicBook/JLAAvengers''. They could have simply put a generic cover with a dozen characters doing something vaguely heroic, but instead decided to draw every character who had, to that date, been a member of either team, no matter for how short, including staff, reservist and honorary members. [[http://cdn.ifanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/JLAAvengersCover3.jpg EVERY! ONE! OF! THEM!]] Creator/KurtBusiek meticulously researched the history of both teams to compile [[http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=22335 a list of 208 characters]] for George Perez to draw, making a beautiful piece of art and every geek in comicdom happy.
** Creator/GeorgePerez does this ''all the time.'' For ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', Marv Wolfman told him to draw a cover with Lex Luthor, Joker, Brainiac, and maybe a few others if he felt like it. When Wolfman got Perez's cover, he discovered Perez drew ''every goddamn villain he could think of.'' Perez REALLY likes what he does apparently.
* The 2013 run of ComicBook/YoungAvengers written by Creator/KieronGillen has become famous for innovative layout design by artist Creator/JamieMcKelvie, especially [[http://all-the-young-avengers-feels.tumblr.com/post/52744200708/young-avengers-layout-appreciation-post-heres the double-page spread for each issue]]. Gillen himself has joked that the main reason for their collaborations is mainly to show off Jamie's art.
* When Fabian Nicieza was writing ''Nomad'' (a ComicBook/CaptainAmerica spinoff that ran from 1992 to 1994), he wanted it to be more mature than your average Marvel comic book. Not only that, but he said straight out that he wished to sell Nomad to the same audience that read ''ComicBook/TheSandman''.
* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel: The main thing of the Ultimate Marvel, from day one to its very end, was to take creative risks and try things that would never be attempted in the prime universe. Some of those attempts were lauded successes, such as ComicBook/TheUltimates (The Avengers as a state-sponsored group), others were largely failures such as ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}} (a KillEmAll event, even killing for good all the X-Men's sacred cows), but the risks have always been taken.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' became known ([[ArtEvolution later on, at least]]) for the high degree of realism and accuracy in its occasional depiction of dinosaurs. Creator/BillWatterson also insisted on doing the inking himself, and many of the {{Sunday strip}}s were done ''in watercolors''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film - Live Action]]
* One of the great early examples is Creator/LillianGish -- in the climax of ''Film/WayDownEast'', Creator/DWGriffith required her to lie still on a very real ice floe for hours on end while her hair and right hand were submerged in below-freezing water. Thanks to the stunt, Gish's hand would be partially impaired for the rest of her life, but she contributed to what is considered one of the most exciting climaxes in cinema history.
* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'', the live-action movie version. For those of you who don't already know about the insane efforts went to to make this adaptation, just remember this: part of the budget was dedicated to a couple of guys making chain mail. That's right. A couple. By themselves. By hand. They actually rubbed off their fingerprints in the process because normal costumes just weren't going to cut it. As you can see below, they were taking the motto of [[Creator/{{JRRTolkien}} Tolkien]] straight to heart.
** And most of the OminousLatinChanting you hear in the soundtrack? It's not Latin. It's ''[[ConLang Elvish]]''.
*** Or Dwarvish. Or the BlackSpeech. And ''every word'' is context appropriate. Howard Shore should get a CMOA for this one.
** And the various [[http://www.elvish.org/gwaith/movie_news.htm inscriptions and other writings]] seen in the movies (the inscriptions on swords and other weapons are authentic Elvish; longer texts, such as books, are just English transcribed into an appropriate alphabet, but still a lot of work). There are even decorations inside some armour, which would ''never'' be seen by the audience.
** When the hobbit scale doubles are used instead of the actors, you figure they're just wearing the same outfit as the actor but in a smaller size, right? Not quite. They're wearing the same fabric--but ''woven at a tighter weave''. So if you measured how many strands of the material were in, for example, a collar, it would be the exact same number as in the full size costume. The weave on a square inch of fabric from the double's costume would be smaller in the same proportions as the double was to their actor. The mind boggles. Especially when you consider that this, like most of the scale trickery in the movie, was never supposed to be noticed by the audience (that is to say, you'd only notice it if it was wrong).
** The very fact that all three films were made simultaneously over the course of 18 months before the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing first film]] was released, with additional reshoots for the films after each film was released year-by-year, is a great surprise in this age of next week sequels.
*** Apparently Creator/PeterJackson approached Creator/{{New Line|Cinema}} with trepidation, trying to convince them that he'd need two films instead of one (the previous production company having asked for one film only) to cover the whole "trilogy". New Line responded that if there were three books, there should be three movies.
*** And when you hear that there were pick ups, entire CG sequences and full orchestra re-composing and re-recording for the ''DVD releases'' of ''extended editions'' (they were still shooting ''after'' the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing third film]] won the Best Picture Oscar), you realize how much effort went in to making this one of the best film trilogies of all time.*
* Creator/JamesCameron:
** When making ''Film/TheTerminator'', he actually called weapons manufacturers to ask about how to make a "Phased Plasma Rifle, in the 40 watt range". Understandably, they were confused.
** During the production of ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', Cameron wanted to show a military unit that worked cohesively and acted like a group of friends. To that end, he brought the main cast up to England for a multi-week military training course, which allowed the actors and actresses time to get to know each other--which forged believable friendships.
** For ''Film/Titanic1997'', Cameron even got the same companies (that still existed) to provide authentic recreations of the interior pieces, right down to the china that got smashed when the ship was tipping over. After its release, he was scathingly sarcastic about being called out on the night sky being wrong in one scene, he ''still'' had it corrected for the subsequent DVD release.
*** The person who actually called him out on it was Dr. UsefulNotes/NeilDeGrasseTyson, astrophysicist, teacher, Director of the Hayden Planetarium, and research associate at the American Museum of Natural History. He is as perfectionist as Cameron is about ''his'' profession. To his credit, he tells the story of badgering Cameron about "the wrong sky" in ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}'' and Cameron's scathing reply with humor and relish, especially the part where one of Cameron's special effects people called Dr. Tyson to get the ''right'' sky for the Director's Cut of the film.
** For ''Film/{{Avatar}}'', his team also spent ''three weeks'' rendering the opening shot of Pandora, down to the ''leaves on the trees''.
* In order to film ''Film/TheWrestler'', Creator/MickeyRourke actually worked several wrestling matches, including blading and allowing the infamous Necro Butcher to put him through the ringer in a hardcore match.
* ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' used extensive puppetry for its special effects as opposed to CG animation, which is far more the norm in modern circumstances. Suffice to say, puppets are a lot harder to do than CG.
** Used to a lesser (but still greater than normal) degree for the ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}'' films, which made extensive use of puppetry, optical illusions (Krauss' head) and contortionist/actor Creator/DougJones (Abe, Angel of Death, Chancellor...etc.).
** ''Film/TeamAmericaWorldPolice'' also used puppets, although these two movies are about as far apart from each other thematically as can be possibly imagined.
** The ''Film/SilentHill'' movie only used a few CG effects (noticeably the bugs and the fog). All the monsters were done with live actors, which arguably makes the effect that much creepier.
* The underwater scene on Naboo in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''? Trisha Biggar used vintage fabric for Obi-Wan's robe, and it shrank in water. They had to make and destroy a robe for ''every single cut''.
* ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' had Creator/StanleyKubrick and Creator/ArthurCClarke spending enormous efforts into making everything as realistic as possible. The earth moving equipment seen on the Moon would ''actually'' work on the real Moon. Quite a few experts from NASA and IBM were asked to help design the sets.
** That's just the kind of guy Kubrick was. The interior of the B-52 Stratofortress (top-secret at the time, believe it or not) in ''Film/DrStrangelove'' was so realistic that the military launched a brief inquiry into how the movie makers had gotten the inside information. [[note]]What they did was look over diagrams of the insides of the B-29 Superfortress, which was not classified, and then extrapolated on those designs based on the size and shape of the B-52.[[/note]]
*** Kubrick also insisted that the table in the war room be covered in green baize like that on pool or poker tables to symbolize that the leaders were playing a giant game of poker for the fate of the world. The only thing is, the movie is in black-and-white.
** Clarke published a few lines from his diary from pre-production in the introduction of a re-issue of the novel. They include "rang Creator/IsaacAsimov to ask him about the biochemistry of turning herbivores into carnivores." (Asimov, besides writing science fiction, was a professor of biochemistry.) And they never even [[ShownTheirWork did anything]] with that...
** Kubrick required the compositing work to be done by a team of British animators painting traveling mattes by hand, frame-by-frame, to mask out each element, rather than using bluescreen. When production ended, most of them signed onto ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'' in order to work on something colorful after spending two years painting little black blobs.
** Instead of storyboarding the docking sequence, multiple model sequences were shot so Kubrick could edit them.
** In the original script, Bowman and the other astronauts go to Saturn (this is also where they go in the book). Kubrick ended up changing it to Jupiter because the crew wasn't able to make a model of Saturn he was satisfied with.
** Also, when Kubrick did ''Film/TheShining'', the scene wherein we see Jack's manuscript, and all we see is "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." typed over and over again?" Each page was individually typed. And he also shot the pages for four other languages, too.
** Kubrick's reputation is the source of a common joke about MoonLandingHoax conspiracy theories, particularly those that claim Kubrick directed the staged Apollo landings. The joke is that NASA originally signed Kubrick on to film it on a soundstage or in the southwestern desert, but that Kubrick, unsatisfied, decided that it would work better if he filmed it on the actual moon.
* [[DyeingForYourArt Actors gaining or losing weight for film roles]] certainly qualifies (when prosthetics could just as easily be used, especially nowadays), with Creator/RobertDeNiro's work on ''Film/RagingBull'' the most famous example... but Creator/PeterSellers arguably went the extra mile by gaining weight for ''Film/BeingThere'' because he felt it looked right for the character--despite ''chronic and worsening heart problems'' and a subsequent hatred of how he looked on screen. It's hard not to think that his admitted difficult time losing the weight as fast as he could afterwards may have hastened his death.
** Creator/ChristianBale deserves mentioning. He had lost weight for his part in ''Film/TheMachinist'' (Website/{{IMDb}} says 120 pounds on his 6 foot+ frame). Then Creator/ChristopherNolan told him he'd have to become bigger to be Batman. Bale did so and went up to about 220 pounds.
*** Whereupon he was told they didn't mean ''that'' much bigger and he had to shave some off again. And then he lost it all ''again'' to play a crack addict in ''Film/TheFighter'' (and jumped out of windows for real).
*** Which had to be somewhat reversed [[UpToEleven once more]] to prepare for ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''. And then he had to gain more weight in fat for ''Film/AmericanHustle''.
* Christian Bale certainly went to extremes for ''Film/TheFighter'', but so did Creator/MarkWahlberg: the film was stuck in DevelopmentHell for a long time, so he ended up training for the film for ''five years'', working with trainers during his off time on his last six films. He also refused a stunt double and did every fight scene for real.
** Similarly, on ''Film/ThreeKings'', he said he wanted to get into his role properly, so when his character is [[ElectricTorture tortured with electric shocks]], they hooked him up and did it for real.
* There must be something in Wahlberg DNA that makes them take the Method approach: Mark's brother Donnie Wahlberg dropped ''43 pounds'' for his incredibly brief (but pivotal) role of a ravaged, haunted psych patient in ''Film/TheSixthSense.'' Most people are shocked to [[RetroactiveRecognition realize it was him]].
* While watching the "Lady in the Red" scene in ''Film/TheMatrix'' some may notice the same people passing besides Neo and Morpheus more than once. Production goof? Nope, all extras in the scene are ''actual twins''. They searched all over Sydney for twins and brought them in to demonstrate how Mouse, writing the Agent training program, got lazy and just copy-pasted same models over instead of making unique ones. [[DistractedByTheSexy And hardly anyone would ever notice...]]
* ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'' was very, very, ''very'' good for a character most people treated as a joke and expected to get something lighthearted and campy. Instead, they got something [[DarkerAndEdgier dark, edgy]], philosophical and yet still a good adventure movie. It had plenty of changes from the original stories, but it still stands up as an individual story and has actors that are either excellent, [[LargeHam hammy]] or [[Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger both]]. Sadly, Creator/JohnMilius was not brought back to work on the sequel.
** He researched ancient civilizations and designed art histories for all the obscure [[Creator/RobertEHoward R.E. Howard]] civilizations that Conan passes through, shrugs at, and burns down...he designed a workable house on wheels for the family of drifters Conan gets directions from...he built a life size WheelOfPain...he had Arnold bite the head off a real vulture carcass!
* ''Film/{{Primer}}'' features the most complex (read: impenetrable) time travel plot in film. It was written by two engineers and literally requires a large chart to understand completely.
* In ''Film/TheWickerMan1973'', Screenwriter Anthony Schaffer and director Robin Hardy put in a lot of research into Celtic myth and legend while devising the plot--they knew next to nothing about it at the start.
* ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' has the moment in the car chase where the Joker's semi truck is turned upside-down on [=LaSalle Street=] by the Batpod's cable, flipping trailer-over-cab to land upside down with a loud noise. Do you think they used CG to do that scene? Noooo! It was a ''real'' truck that was ''really'' flipped over on the streets of downtown Chicago. They could do that stunt only once, ignoring if the final shot would be cool or not. And it was '''awesome'''.
** The Bat-pod?... fully functional.
** Creator/HeathLedger locked himself in a room for a month with copies of such comics as ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'', writing the Joker's journal, in order to fully understand the character.
** The scene of Joker walking away from the exploding/collapsing hospital was 99% real; the only CG used was the windows shattering. Needless to say, there was only one opportunity to get the shot. The building in question was actually an old Brach's Candy Factory on the west side of Chicago.
*** And they only CGI'd the windows because some hoodlums stole half the glass out of the building. They didn't have the time or the money to re-outfit a building with new windows.
* ''Film/{{Apollo 13}}''. The research they put into it was downright impressive. There's a "Making Of" feature in the collector's edition which has the director recounting when someone told him that man wouldn't go so far from Earth again for a hundred, hundred fifty years. By that time everyone involved would be dead; they would just have the old stuff, the stock footage, and documentaries. And this film. It had to be ''right''. The director said he laughed it off, but it really does look like he took it seriously.
** Upon watching the launch in the movie, second man on the moon, Buzz Aldrin (then working for NASA Public Relations), apparently turned and asked the movie crew where they get some of the footage as he was unaware that there had been a camera in that particular location. There wasn't--it was just so authentic that he'd been fooled.
** Most movies use CGI trickery or wire work for zero gravity. This movie actually used the real thing, filming onboard NASA's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduced-gravity_aircraft Vomit Comet]].
* ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist'' had a complete lack of spoken English, the spoken lines done in Latin and Aramaic (both languages now considered "dead").
* For a scene in ''Film/YesMan'' in which he plays ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'', Creator/JimCarrey was actually taught how to play it. Instead of the scene consisting of him [[PacManFever randomly stepping on panels during the attract demo with random generic dance music]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxX0KG2DcYc he plays for real... on an actual in-game song... on Heavy difficulty... with a x3 speed modifier... and is shown with at least a 100 combo]]. He also learned how to do ''everything else'' he did in the film, including playing the guitar, flying a plane, and speaking fluent Korean! The only exception was the elbow skating.
* ''Film/{{Fitzcarraldo}}'' is about a man trying to haul a ship over a mountain. To make it, Creator/WernerHerzog ''actually'' hauled a ship over a mountain (with help, but still). And that's not the half of it. In the real event that ''Fitzcarraldo'' is based on, that ship was originally disassembled before it was hoisted up the mountain. Herzog had his ship hauled up ''in one piece''. Herzog is a ''crazy'' man.
** He also deliberately filmed in the middle of the jungle instead of just a mile or two from civilization, because the movie wouldn't "feel right" otherwise.
* For ''Film/GangsOfNewYork'' they actually built what was essentially a full scale complete replica of the Five Points in 1800's New York in Italy just to film the movie. All of the costumes and props were painstakingly created to be historically accurate too. According to one of the extras on the DVD, Creator/GeorgeLucas visited the set and complained to [[Creator/MartinScorsese Scorsese]] that it could all be easily done on computers for much cheaper. But Scorcese wanted to put that effort in, and Lucas was ignored.
** And Creator/DanielDayLewis is sort of the king of this trope--for one thing, he practiced tapping his eye with the knife until he could do it without flinching (because his character has a glass eye). He also [[EnforcedMethodActing stayed in character]] on set all the time, as usual.
*** That glass eye bit? Not in the script. [[ThrowItIn Lewis just thought it fit the character.]]
* Creator/MichaelFassbender lost over thirty pounds to play the role of a hunger striker in ''Film/{{Hunger}}''; one interviewer pointed out that the weight he stopped (58 kg, about 128 pounds) was the same weight that his character, Bobby Sands, reached in his last diary entry before he died. (Incidentally, Fassbender has been compared to Daniel Day Lewis by some critics.)
* Creator/MerylStreep learned German and Polish for her role in ''Film/SophiesChoice''. Maybe not completely fluently, but certainly to an astonishingly adept level. And she begged the director for the role on her hands and knees. It has been cited as the greatest acting performance ever put to film.
** Meryl likes doing this. For ''Film/MusicOfTheHeart'', she learned the violin. Not to professional standard, perhaps, but far beyond what anyone would have expected of her.
* For ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'', Christopher Nolan was so dedicated to [[MultipurposeMonoculturedCrop the exclusive prominence of cornfields]] to illustrate [[GaiasLament the crappy state of Earth's future]] that the production crew planted and grew 500 whole acres of corn on location rather than do it all with CG. With their location being Calgary, Canada, this was actually a pretty massive risk (the high altitude and northern latitude do not lend themselves to ideal temperature and wind conditions for corn), but by the time of filming, it paid off. Not only did they get humongous cornfields to shoot practically on, they ended up selling the corn as a side gig and actually turned a profit.
* Creator/CharlizeTheron in ''Film/{{Monster}}''. She gained 30 pounds, wore prosthetic teeth, and generally made herself a lot more plain/uglier for the sake of the movie.
* In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest'', you know that scene where the Kraken chops a ship in freaking half? Yeah? They really did that. They got a huge slab of concrete, and painted it green, and then CHOPPED THE FREAKING SHIP IN HALF.
* Creator/PenelopeCruz ''learned Italian'' for her role in ''Non ti muovere''. Even more shockingly, she actually managed to make herself unattractive with a false nose and teeth.
* Before they filmed ''Film/BattleLosAngeles'', the cast were put through several weeks of real military boot camp to get them to operate like Marines. Not only that, but each actor was given the same kind of training that a Marine of the rank they were portraying in the film would have received. Creator/AaronEckhart even said that he and the cast tried very hard to use correct military jargon and terminology, such as calling a helicopter a "helo" instead of a "chopper", and would redo a take if they made such a mistake.
* When Creator/TaylorLautner heard that he was being replaced for ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} New Moon]]'' on account of not having a good enough physique, he immediately started doing a rigorous exercise routine on a daily basis in order to bulk up for the role, the execs were so impressed that they decided to keep Lautner after all.
** Lautner also did all of his own stunts in ''Film/{{Abduction}}'' he learned how to fight, ride motorcycles and everything.
* Creator/MeganFox insisted on doing her own stunts in ''Film/JonahHex'', only using a stunt double for one scene which would've been too dangerous for her to do by herself.
%%* Whether or not you like ''Film/MoulinRouge'', it's clear that every person involved in that movie is giving it their ''all''.
* The 2012 war film ''Film/ActOfValor'' takes this to a whole new level, the main characters are all played by REAL U.S. Navy SEALS(who were between deployments at the time of filming) all the tactics used in the film are REAL, [[RunningGag REAL]] live bullets were used for most scenes, and in one scene a REAL truck gets blown up with a [[OverlyLongGag REAL]] RPG.
* In ''Film/SafeHouse'' the scene where Creator/DenzelWashington is being tortured by waterboarding? That wasn't faked -- Denzel insisted on doing it for real so it would be more convincing.
* The opening scene of ''Film/TheSocialNetwork'' took ninety nine takes to get it the exact way [[Creator/DavidFincher the director]] wanted it. ...Yeah. To say nothing of all the extra work that went into using CGI [[ActingForTwo to make it possible for Armie Hammer to play both of the Winklevoss twins]]. Did a dialogue-driven {{biopic}} about the founding of Website/{{Facebook}} really need hours of CGI work to make the twins more believable? Would anyone in the audience have noticed (or cared) [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality if the brothers had been made non-identical twins, or if Fincher had just cast a pair of real twins that didn't look exactly like the Winklevosses]]? Nobody knows. But the extra work added an unexpected extra layer of realism to a film that probably still would have been a critical darling without it.
* In ''Film/{{Amelie}}'', to keep that 'fantastic' Paris, every single place used in the movie was painted and cleaned before any shot.
* For ''Film/IronMan2'' Creator/MickeyRourke improvised a lot of Vanko's characteristics, such as [[OralFixation his toothpick habit]], his fondness for cockatoos, and his tattoos. He paid for the cockatoo with his own money, learned to speak Russian, and visited the infamous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyrka_prison Butyrka prison]] to interview the prisoners there, who he described as very polite.
* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' ''embodies'' this trope. In an age when computer animation and fully green-screened film making technology were about a decade away, this film blended cel animation with live-action choreography, prop work, and humans, especially lead actor Creator/BobHoskins, so seamlessly that it was completely believable that humans and cartoons coexisted and interacted with each other.
** The lengths the producers went through to get the [[{{Creator/Disney}} rights]] [[Creator/WarnerBros holders]] of the numerous [[Creator/FleischerStudios cartoons]] characters to allow their characters to appear in the movie, and then weave those characters' involvement in a believable yet hilarious way, goes to show just how far these creators were willing go to create the ultimate love letter to these cartoon legends.
** On the special effects side, one small item paradoxically stands out yet is nearly invisible. In the scene where Eddie and Roger are handcuffed together, and Eddie is trying to find a saw to cut his way through the cuffs, the RunningGag of that scene is that Eddie keeps banging his head against an overhead lamp as he and Roger struggle against each other. The swing lamp causes the light to keep shifting and casting light all over the room throughout the entire scene, meaning the animators had to match up the light and shadows on and around Roger when they added him in later. Most people in the audience wouldn't notice, and no other collection of artists would have likely cared to put in such a minor, inconsequential, agony-inducing detail, but this team did it anyway. Such dedication and attention and care to detail has an unofficial name: Bumping the Lamp.
*** In one shot during the scene where Roger and Eddie sneak back into R.K.'s office looking for the will, Bob Hoskins inadvertently focused his gaze at human eye-level, not a 3-foot tall cartoon rabbit's (which in itself was notable, in that Bob could track an invisible character's movements without needing a stand-in to look at). This mistake was noticed during the animation stage. The animators' solution? Rationalizing that as they were on a clandestine mission, Roger would be the type of character who'd imagine himself to be a spy and draw him standing on his tip-toes whilst flattening himself against the wall behind him, bringing his eye-line level with Bob's.
* The PsychologicalThriller ''{{Film/CAM}}'' has a heavy focus on internet live streams with chatrooms. To fill the scenes with realistic "background chatter," Isa Mazzei wrote about one hundred pages worth of chat logs, including several "characters" with distinct personalities and inside jokes.
* Creator/LaurelAndHardy were ''very'' dedicated to the art of comedy, but one example stands out during the filming of their most famous and beloved short, ''Film/TheMusicBox.'' Although the piano that was smashed in the finale was fake, the (empty) packing case was ''real'', and it actually was quite heavy. But Stan and Ollie decided to carry it up the legendary flight of stairs anyway, suffering falls, the summer heat and exhausted arms all the while, for the sake of laughs and joy everywhere.
* For ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'', Creator/MelBrooks went through the effort to reuse the elaborate electrical machinery from the original Universal ''Film/{{Frankenstein|1931}}'' films.
* Similar to ''Act of Valor'' there's ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers2011'', in which all the swords and other weapons were real, and none of the actors had stunt doubles.
* According to Brian Henson the initial impetus for ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'' was that they realised filming a Muppet movie on a realistic ship would be almost impossible, and therefore wanted to try it.
* Creator/MichaelChiklis insisted on uncomfortable makeup rather than CG for the Thing in [[Film/FantasticFour2005 Fantastic Four]]. CG and voice over would have let him do the role in days. The makeup meant he spent hours a day in it, and could not even sit. He did this because he was JustForFun/OneOfUs and knew a CGI Thing wouldn't have the same effect on the audience. His efforts were arguably successful; although the films themselves failed to make much impression, Chiklis' version of The Thing is generally considered the best and most comics-accurate part of the venture.
* In ''{{Film/Stalker}}'' by Creator/AndreiTarkovsky, some [[SceneryPorn beautiful scenery shots]] were created by dyeing the real landscape in desired color scheme. Yes, the film crewmembers actually had painted the grass and trees.
* Creator/TimBurton was so dead set on avoiding using CGI for ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' that he paid a team of animal trainers to train 40 real squirrels for the sequence where Veruca Salt meets her demise. It took 19 weeks of painstaking work, training each squirrel individually, but they pulled it off. And all for a scene that takes up less than 10 minutes of screen time.
* For ''Film/TheWitch'', since colonial Puritan-style homes naturally didn't exist in their filming location in Ontario, they had to build them themselves, hiring historians and experts in colonial construction, furniture, and clothing in order to construct an authentic homestead using period-accurate materials. The portrayal of the titular witch was also rooted in actual folklore and mythology about witchcraft from that time period, with Eggers describing it as "a Puritan's nightmare". Outside of nighttime outdoor scenes, all lighting was done with candles and natural light. Even the score was recorded using instruments dating back to the 17th century.
* Creator/JackieChan: After all the broken bones, the organ injuries, and life-threatening misses...and even (by his own honest admission) the occasional MoneyDearBoy offer, almost all of the work he does, he does for the love of bringing his brand of physical entertainment to the world. Continuing a shoot with a broken leg using a rubber shoe-sock over his cast? Done. Rolling over a ''circular saw''? Check. Jumping from building to building with ''little to no safety mechanisms''? All the time. For ''The Young Master'', a movie he directed, co-wrote, and starred in, Jackie [[https://youtu.be/nKQgyXmCDME?t=272 doubled for a stuntman]] that couldn't do a particular stunt. His character wasn't even in the scene involving that stunt. He could have just stood behind the camera and ask another stuntman that could do it, but he decided to stand-in himself.
* ''Film/{{Doomsday}}''. On a budget of $30 million, Neil Marshall made a completely insane, RuleOfCool-driven action movie that uses as many practical effects as it can. Yeah, the Bentley driving straight through a fucking bus at ninety miles an hour? They ''really did that''. And since Bentley doesn't do ProductPlacement, that meant that they actually had to buy three high-end luxury cars, at $150,000 each, to smash up in order to film that scene. Then there's the props. The crew ''designed'' and made about a hundred ''different'' hand-to-hand weapons, a couple of guns, several punkish "mutant" cars, and a special suit of armor so it would look like it was makeshift. Finally, the two [=APCs=] in the film were designed and then built completely from ''scratch''.
* ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow'' was the culmination of a life's work, and was filmed ''twice''--the first time, so that the actors could see how it would look like with the CG in place before they filmed the "real" version.
** Creator/JudeLaw had said that it was his dream as an actor to work alongside Sir Creator/LaurenceOlivier. A pity he had been dead for 15 years. Instead, the director dug up ''decades-old'' test footage of Olivier, and spent God only knows how long piecing together sound clips in order to give Olivier a posthumous "cameo" as BigBad Dr. Totenkopf.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and all related books that were written by Creator/JRRTolkien. It's no exaggeration to say that the saga represents his total life's work [[note]] Well, slightly, considering that Tolkien also was the youngest ever professor at the University of Leeds, was a Professor at Oxford (twice), spoke twelve languages, and wrote the best Modern English translation of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and an academic critique of ''Beowulf'' which completely transformed perception of Old English literature[[/note]]. It's just that detailed. And to think that the entire world, complete with intricate mythology, fleshed-out characters, and delightful poetry served one purpose: to serve as a backdrop for the out-of-whole-cloth-created languages that the English professor had constructed. Boggles the mind, it does.
* L.E. Modesitt's ''Literature/SagaOfRecluce '' fantasy series also uses highly detailed and accurate descriptions of mundane activities such as woodworking and blacksmithing. Such details are used as metaphors for and illustrations of both character development and the mechanics of magic in his world.
* Creator/GustaveFlaubert wrote only three completed novels during his life due to being the perfectionist's perfectionist. Besides his famously agonizing search for ''le mot juste'' -- 'the correct word', or the exact word(s) needed to produce the effect he wanted in any given scene -- he went and scrupulously checked every fact (down to attending medical examinations to ensure his medical histories were correct).
* Similar to the examples above, ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' contains a sprawling universe adorned with myriad details and complicated histories, economics, and ecology. Creator/FrankHerbert loved to [[ShownTheirWork show his work]].
* Many ScienceFiction writers do this. There are stories of [[Creator/RobertAHeinLein Heinlein]] sitting at his kitchen table with a slide rule, pencil and graph paper trying to work out how fast his spaceships would be moving and how much fuel they would need.
* Luigi Serafini's enigmatic ''Literature/CodexSeraphinianus''. Twenty-some years agone and still nobody can figure out the language. Great art though.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Like the ''Film/{{Transformers}}'' live-action film, a lot of the CGI in ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' was done to fit in the shots instead of making the shots to fit the CGI. Beyond that, the amount of detail that goes into everything -- from [[SceneryPorn backgrounds]], to [[FutureSlang slang]], to [[ChekhovsGun minor plot points that don't become important until six episodes later]] is simply amazing. This was Creator/JossWhedon and Creator/TimMinear's baby. [[ScrewedByTheNetwork And it was killed after fourteen episodes]].
* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003''. They employ people whose job it is to cut the corners off of paper to make them into the series' distinctive octagonal shape.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'':
With season 3, Creator/JMichaelStraczynski became the first person in the history of American TV to write a full-length season single-handed. And then did it again with season 4.
** And because he wanted to flesh out everything beforehand, he took what had to be an unprecedented step of CrazyPrepared by giving every character a "trap-door" in case anyone had to be written out due to RealLifeWritesThePlot, so that every exit made sense within the story instead of [[AssPull having to make it up as the show went along.]]
*** Which turned out to not only have been CrazyPrepared but ProperlyParanoid, since the actress playing Talia Winters got written off the show when she felt her character wasn't getting enough airtime.
** JMS put so much thought into how [[SpaceFighter Starfuries]] would work (placement of thrusters for maximum maneuverability, the pilot stands to lower his center of gravity, et cetera) that JPL, who were big fans of the show, asked if they could use his basic design to build vehicles for construction in space. JMS said they could, on the condition that they're called Starfuries.
** He had the storyline so thoroughly plotted out ahead of time that he refused to let actors ad-lib their lines, for fear it might cause discontinuity, or wreck a bit of {{Foreshadowing}}, etc.
* When Andrew Robinson was cast as Garak in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', he actually wrote a detailed back-story for his character, and presented his "character bible" to the series' producers. Apart from some elements that went counter to the previously-written Cardassian history, the producers approved Robinson's efforts, which became part of Garak's character. Many of his notes which didn't make the series proper, went into the Expanded Universe novel "A Stitch in Time".
* The ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' episode "[[{{Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS03E08Twilight}} Twilight]]" features a 'blink-and-you'll-miss-it' opening scene of the Earth being blown up. Originally it was simply going to be the Earth blowing up like planets in ''Franchise/StarWars'', one minute it's there, next minute, fireball. The effects supervisors just weren't happy with that and so they came in on their days off and re-did it to the final product. Now, you actually see the oceans boil and fault lines actually crack, as if the Earth spontaneously combusts into dust. When asked who authorized the extra work and why, they said they did it for free. Just because.
* ''Frank Herbert's Children of Literature/{{Dune}}'' has the song "Inama Nushif", which is sung entirely in the Fremen language.
-->''"Unreal. Brian [Tyler] actually '''searched through Herbert's books and deciphered enough of the fictional Fremen language''' to write this powerful song. A song that drives my favorite moment of the film."''--[[http://www.briantyler.com/Site/Children_of_Dune.html Director Greg Yaitanes]].
* The lead actors of ''Series/{{Emergency}}'', Randy Mantooth and Kevin Tighe, went through the paramedic training of the Los Angeles County Fire Department at the time in order to accurately portray their roles. Had they not skipped the final exam, they would've been fully-certified paramedics.
* ''Series/YesMinister'': Creator/NigelHawthorne, who played Sir Humphrey, was required to perform some of the most convoluted SesquipedalianLoquaciousness ever brought to screen, big or small. However, in spite of being forced to perform lines like: "The relationship, which I might tentatively venture to aver has been not without some degree of reciprocal utility, and perhaps even occasional gratification, is emerging a point of irreversible bifurcation and, to be brief, is in the propinquity of its ultimate regrettable termination.", he never once resorted to using a cue card, but insisted on actually learning his lines. The writers were shocked and awed.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Music]]
* Music/{{OK Go}} is rather well known for this, with their humble Website/YouTube roots and quirky but awesome music videos. In their "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w This Too Shall Pass]]" music video, they had what is arguably one of the longest running and most complex [[RubeGoldbergDevice Rube Goldberg machine]] [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome EVER]].
* Remember Music/TheWhiteStripes' video for "Fell in Love with a Girl"? Michel Gondry actually filmed the band members, then converted the footage to pixels all before using stop-motion LEGO to create the thing.
* Art-pop duo Music/PepeDeluxe delayed the completion of their album ''Music/QueenOfTheWave'', because one song, "In the Cave", was composed specifically to be performed on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Stalacpipe_Organ the Great Stalacpipe Organ]], which was undergoing extensive repairs at the time. They waited six years for the organ to become playable again; the song they played on it was two minutes long.
* Music/TaylorSwift's * ''[[Music/Folklore2020 folklore]]'' was announced ''16 hours'' before its official release without any promotional beside her announcement on social media. Also notable is that the album came out less than a year after her last album ''Lover''. Not even Swift's ''label'' knew about the album until hours before its release. The album was written when her 2020 tour was postponed because of the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Pinball]]
* One of the notable aspects of ''Pinball/BigGuns'' is how its backbox is noticeably taller than those of most other pinball games. Why? Because artist Creator/PythonAnghelo insisted he needed the extra height to accommodate his castle artwork.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* Take a look at a card from the ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' CCG. Then another. And another. Chances are, you'll see familiar monsters popping up in the artwork of each other's cards, or spell or trap cards that might not even apply to them. Look at enough of them, and you'll notice a pattern...a pattern that tells a story...a story that is much deeper and involved than you'd ever expect from a mere card game. [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page The card game's wiki]] does its darndest to chronicle these stories, which includes knights falling into corruption (or salvation), CyberneticsEatYourSoul, survival in an AlternateUniverse, and a battle for control of Hell itself.
* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Forget the elaborate WorldBuilding. Forget the year of playtesting put into ''each'' of the quarterly sets. Forget that nearly every set has a unique identity without resorting to cheap gimmicks. The true sign that Magic is unbelieveably intricate is the official [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/ web site]]. The "Daily MTG" section ''alone'' is around half a million words a year of behind the scenes insight, pointing out Easter eggs, AllThereInTheManual, strategic advice, tournament coverage, and previews of upcoming releases, with little if any Phoning It In.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Theme Parks]]
* The Disney Imagineers put excruciating amounts of detail into the designs of rides, gift shops, and just the ambient scenery at [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks the theme parks]] (at least much as they can achieve with the budgets they are given). Many of the "authentic-looking" props in period-specific areas like Frontierland and Main Street, USA are actually authentic antiques, not replicas. "No one will ever see it" is not considered a good enough excuse to skimp. The policy is to create something that Walt Disney would approve of, and he was such a stickler that he would rather indefinitely postpone the opening of an attraction than let it open before it was perfect.
** A really great example of this is ''Franchise/TheHauntedMansion''. The hearse drawn by invisible horses? Real (though, despite popular urban legend, it's ''not'' Brigham Young's hearse). The stretching pictures? Actual paintings, they spend ''weeks'' on one animatronic in the attic before scrapping it for something else completely when they didn't like how it looked.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Toys]]
* The designer interviews for the Franchise/{{Transformers}} toylines are always fascinating because everyone involved [[RunningTheAsylum seems to love the source material and working on it]]. The engineers even love just coming up with designs, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen even ones that might never be seen]], such as a [[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 Soundwave whose minions leap out of his chest in sequence and transform in mid-air]] or [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars Rhinox]] as a [[BigBudgetBeefUp voyager, just because he could use the extra mass and design budget]], or a line of [[ShownTheirWork real-life military vehicles at 1:24th scale]], which would result in toys the size of computer towers that would cost over 60 dollars apiece. And, in defiance of rising petroleum costs and geometrically increasing complexity, [[InflationNegation a Transformer purchased in 2011 costs about the same as it did in 1996.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''[=BlazBlue=]'' has {{idle animation}}s for characters. ''Idle animations in a fighting game'', something that remains a rarity in the genre. (Creator/{{SNK}}, responsible for the below ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'', is another prominent example, best seen in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''.) In normal, serious gameplay, you would just never see them.
* ''VideoGame/MetalSlug''. How many run and gun shooters were there back then--or even today--that do as much random stuff as ''Metal Slug''? Enemy conversations, animated chin movements, fifty different ways of watching the exact same tank explode? Nobody asked for all this: [[Creator/{{SNK}} somebody]] just really wanted to make a detailed shooter.
** If you have the chance, try going to the first stage of the first game. Early on, you get the Flame Shot and you can pass through a destroyed part of an airplane fuselage. Firing it will actually lighten up the area around you. This, in a fully 2D game with no added lighting effects of any kind, is just another mark of how incredibly detailed a game ''Metal Slug'' is.
** Oh, and the first stage of ''Metal Slug 2/X''? [[http://turntoch3.com/megashock/reviews/extra_mslug2/ The Arabic writing in the background is not only accurate,]] but silly as per series standard.
* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' started out as a fun, but relatively simple brawler featuring Creator/{{Nintendo}} all-stars--a concept so inherently fun that messing around with it wasn't really necessary. The reason it's on this list is for its sequels, namely the trophies: starting with ''Melee'', the series features trophies of countless characters from Nintendo's past, all with descriptions of several sentences. It's a subset feature of the game which many people don't even look at. For those who do, it's hard to shake the feeling that somebody out there really, really admires Nintendo's history.
** There's a video series on Website/YouTube about the "History Behind ''Smash Bros.''" ([[https://www.youtube.com/user/CrappyCaptureDevice/search?query=history+behind+super+smash+bros link,]] if anyone's curious), which reveals that nearly everything in the game, from random parts of the stages to every item to the characters' fighting moves is a reference to the games on which they are based. The music is filled with random bits from various games, the stages have multiple references to older stages from the original games, and the moves, even quickest and most random, are from older games. The sheer amount of it is staggering.
** The [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Shadow Moses Island]] stage in ''Brawl'' is a huge reference to '''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots a future game on a competing system]]'''. Now that's dedication.
** The best example of this might be [[UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch Mr. Game & Watch]]'s moveset. Every single attack he has is a reference to one of his games, including the moves that would usually be a generic punch or kick on a different character.
** The additions of [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu and Ken]] and [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry Bogard]] take this a step farther: Not only are their moves as accurate as possible (as per normal for this series by now), but care is taken to import as much of their ''mechanics'' from their own series' as possible into the Smash Bros framework. You can perform a Hadouken/Power Wave for example, by simply pressing the Special button if you like, ''or'' you can do the traditional Half-Circle-Forward motion, and the game will even reward the extra effort with a stronger attack. This goes for ''all'' their special attacks. Burn Knuckle, Shoryuken, Power Dunk, etc.... This gives veterans of more traditional fighting games a frame of reference for entering the game, and those who've only played ''Smash'' an easy way to experience the style of the more traditional Fighting Games (which has often been accused of being complicated for beginners).
** [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} Steve/Alex]] bring their ability to place blocks from their home game to ''Smash'' in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''. To accommodate for this, the development team actually went back and altered the programming of ''every stage in the game'' so that the characters could place blocks on them.
* ''VideoGame/FreedomForce''. Most people just see wacky technicolor superheroes doing wacky technicolor superhero things. Those geeky enough to know about UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks and UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks just feel an overwhelming sense of awe.
* In spite of being an indie game with less than a dozen staff not counting the voice actors, ''VideoGame/FreedomPlanet'' has a lot of pretty sprite art and detail. While the developer Strife could have simply made a good Sonic fangame, he decided to take his love of ''Creator/{{Treasure}}'' games he loved growing up and go all the way with his inspiration with complex and challenging boss fights, crazy designs, and fun game mechanics, revamping it into an original title.
** Elements like the BlooperReel {{Easter Egg}}s are definitely this. Not only did the devs see fit to include some voice acting bloopers, but they also animated them and even made a few custom sprites. All for something that can only be seen with a special button combination.
** The Fortune Night stage is also made of this. Lots of extremely detailed scenery depicting period Chinese New Year celebrations with streamers, dragon floats, the distinctive Chinese fireworks, and paper crafts. The second half has a sprawling market where you can see signs in accurate Chinese and Japanese scripts that are perfectly readable, advertising things you'd find in any mall such as bike shops, clothing stores, food, and bathrooms. If you go into the male restroom you'll instantly be kicked out. Hell, if you go and press down on a bench, the character will do so, and if you wait a few seconds at the disco ball, the character even has unique dancing sprites! All three of them! All these details, in a stage most players usually blaze through without a second thought.
* ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' required loads and loads of manpower in order to pull off the technical feats it could--especially when you consider that it was a first-generation [=PS2=] title. But man, did we really need that many cutscenes?
* On the other hand, ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}},'' ''Xenosaga'''s predecessor, suffered from budgeting and timing problems, leading to the infamous second disc featuring the protagonists relating much of the story in walls of text. However, it says a great deal about the creator that the story continued to shine and grow even more detailed and complex.
** The English translator forced himself on his own to translate the game by the deadline, even sleeping under his desk to give himself more time to work even after the rest of the team left him. It shows, as the script, with themes based on Gnosticism, reincarnation and the concept of God is faithfully localized, with very little changed and is still an amazing translation today.
* The ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' games feature an enormous amount of detail, especially impressive when we consider that the early games only had something like sixteen colors.
* In ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', WelcomeToCorneria is completely averted. ''Completely''. ''Every single NPC in the game'' has at least one dialogue change, and often more. Never mind that most of these [=NPC=]s are in towns you'll never visit again once you're done with your business there. ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' does the same thing.
* ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'', meanwhile, ventured in a completely different direction for the sole reason that its creators felt ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' was [[ToughActToFollow so good that trying to replicate it would merely be redundant]]. Both written and directed by Masato Kato, the head writer for ''Trigger'', ''Cross'' features a more personal and ponderous narrative and explores the themes of its predecessor from very different perspectives; the game incorporates a number of incredibly ambitious ideas (such as an [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters absolutely huge roster of playable characters]], complex and branching storylines, and high-minded philosophical themes) that few, if any games have attempted since. By far the most done-for-the-art aspect of the game, however, is the soundtrack: even though he had just quit [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]], Creator/YasunoriMitsuda was hired to score the game simply because Kato considered him an indispensible part of the ''Chrono'' formula. The decision to compose two different songs for each area--one for each dimension--was made at the last minutes, simply because Kato and Mitsuda thought it would be a good idea. The singer and lyricist for the ending theme, a relatively obscure artist by the name of Noriko Mitose, was chosen despite Square Soft PR's wishes for a more popular and marketable singer, simply because her style was deemed right for the game.
* In most video games, incidental [=NPC=]s--even [[NominalImportance named ones]]--generally have no voice acting, two-dimensional personalities, and don't ever get up to much of anything. Not so in ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}''. Every single character in the game--and there's [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters gobs of 'em]], around 30 or so--is fully voiced, with their own quirky personality, and their own mini-story they follow through the course of the game--such as the LoveTriangle between [[KidAnova Nils]], J.T., and Elka, Quentin and Phoebe's garage band, and Mikail's search for the camp's bear population, which somehow leads to him and Maloof becoming the camp's [[TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily local mobsters]]. It must be seen to be believed.
** This level of character detail is more or less a staple in Creator/TimSchafer's games. In fact, rumor has it that he managed to flesh out each character in the game so well was by creating fake accounts for each character on a social networking site and playing out their lives through them.
* Just one of the many examples from ''VideoGame/NetHack'': There exists an enemy named the Quantum Mechanic. Upon death, it will [[RandomlyDrops sometimes drop]] a box. Inside the box is [[UsefulNotes/SchrodingersCat either a live cat or a cat corpse]]. If you check the source code, you'll find that the contents of a quantum mechanic's box, unlike all of the other boxes in the game, are not determined until you open it, just for the little extra joke that most people will never find. And the game is free, people!
** To elaborate: Nethack has been developed by computer nerds with too much time on their hands since the 80's, has been ported to pretty much every operating system known to man (yes, even the iOS). And even though Nethack had ceased active development for 12 years, people were STILL MAKING PATCHES AND VARIANTS of the game. Then, in December 2015, the team behind [=NetHack=] released update 3.6.0 out of the blue, setting the stage for future updates to this long-running labor of love.
* ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'' is an incredibly detailed game for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 that is made to have story book-fairy tale aesthetics. From background to foreground, it has tons of detail (''every limb'' has its own animations) that only adds to the fantastical nature of it's setting. The entire design team consists of eleven people.
** Creator/{{Vanillaware}}, the aforementioned design team, essentially has this trope as its motto. The lead designer and founder, George Kamitani, has a deep love of both breathtaking visuals and video games, so much that his team's early titles managed to nearly strain the limits of the systems they debuted on. Vanillaware's later works, such as ''VideoGame/MuramasaTheDemonBlade'' and ''VideoGame/DragonsCrown'', continually show off Kamitani's love of art and gaming, and are considered some of the best-looking 2D games ever produced, as well as being fun to play to boot.
* The whole backstory of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'': imagining a whole functional world with dozens of ethnicities, political subplots, more than a thousand {{NPC}}s, secondary characters who are more detailed than main characters from other games, detailed work on the different countries' architecture and clothing fashions.
** A lot of work went into the bestiary, especially how much information they provided about all the monsters, and the small articles about different areas of the game. A lot of time and effort obviously went into what a lot of games usually throw in as a basic monster list.
* The DS ''VideoGame/DinosaurKing'' game looks like your average Pokémon clone, and is a [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames licensed game]]. However, it has some of the best 3-D effects on the system (80+ dinosaurs ''in full 3D''), puts effort into reconstructing the dinosaurs as accurately as possible (feathers on the ones which had them), uses many dinosaurs which otherwise would not be in a game, and has a Pokédex-clone which goes into depth in terms of dinosaur classification.
* ''VideoGame/{{Primal}}'': A tribute to old-school '''hard''' graphics problems.
* ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' featured an incredibly complex and detailed non-linear plot exploring existential themes. The dialogue is a few books worth and features superb voice acting. Many critics have compared Torment favorably to literary works, a stunning achievement for the ghettoized genre of video game fiction.
* The ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' series likewise featured a rich and complicated story fleshed out with hours of surprisingly eloquent dialogue that would not appear foreign in a work of Shakespeare's.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' series, to varying degrees. ''Myst'' was a complete gamble: nobody had done anything like it before, Cyan didn't know whether the available tools were up to it, and they had no idea whether it would sell. They didn't even have work premises when they started on it. ''VideoGame/{{Riven}}'' not only pushed the boundaries of rendering technology, but also featured a complete invented language with novel glyphs (which was entirely non-essential to the plot and gameplay). While being considerably less of a financial gamble, the following sequels have all followed the same philosophy of lavish and intricate design and production.
* The ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series in general goes to great lengths to make things atmospheric when they could have just given you a map and said "shoot this".
** ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' has aged incredibly well due to such attention to detail and is still seen as one of the best games in the genre. Samus has an IdleAnimation consisting simply of her ''breathing''. While wearing full body PoweredArmour. Series co-creator Creator/GunpeiYokoi is on record as actually being ''furious'' about his team putting so much effort into the title, only to later admit that all that effort created a fantastic game that the development team themselves wouldn't even attempt to follow up for [[VideoGame/MetroidFusion another eight years]] due to fear they wouldn't be able to surpass it.
** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'': Rain droplets appearing for the briefest of seconds on Samus' visor, her involuntary jerking her hand to protect herself when she takes heavy fire, being able to see the bones of her arm when wearing the X-Ray visor, and that's without taking into account all of the fluff info you can find out by scanning, like what sort of ''rations'' the Space Pirates eat. These little details helped make ''Prime'' into one of the most atmospheric games ever.
** ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' is an admirable case of a developer just plain ''not giving up'' on a project they're passionate about. ''Dread'' was initially going to be a Nintendo DS game, but due to hardware limitations at the time, the lead producer of the series, Creator/YoshioSakamoto, had to cancel development. Development was rebooted again, but was then cancelled again due to hardware limitations, again. Then, when Sakamoto saw the potential that the developers of ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' had, he was finally convinced he could bring his vision that he had kept with him for almost ''twenty years'' to life.
* ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}''. Each and every character has their own personal schedule and voice acting, along with a lot of information about them you can't even find without the player's guide. There are tons of buildings you can enter that have no point in the game world other than to be entered and looked at (compare to ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'', where if a building can be entered it has to have a point). There's a mode which has completely authentic weather for the year. No wonder it was the most expensive video game of its time.
* The English localization of ''VideoGame/SakuraWarsSoLongMyLove'' is said have been [[Creator/NipponIchi NIS America's]] biggest undertaking to date. To start, more than 70,000 lines of written dialogue and 10,000 voice samples had to be translated, which was far greater than any other localization in their history. A Wii port was commissioned to Idea Factory just for the North American release. To somewhat minimize the inevitable SubbingVersusDubbing debate, the game's first run shipped with two discs for the [=PS2=] version, one containing the English dub and the other with the original Japanese audio (both otherwise containing the same game). Subsequent shipments, if any, would only contain the English audio disk; but given how large the voice data is that two dubs apparently couldn't be included on one disc, they could have easily left out one or the other entirely to begin with. In addition, [[{{Woolseyism}} some names were changed in the dub]], but the original names are preserved in text in the Japanese version, rather than simply sharing the same script. It speaks to NIS America's faith in the American ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' fanbase that all of this effort was for a then-five-year-old game that consists mostly of DatingSim segments, a genre that had very little following in the Western market. Shame that Creator/{{Sega}} [[NoExportForYou couldn't be bothered to bring it over themselves]].
* The UsefulNotes/Xbox360 version of ''[[VideoGame/DonPachi DoDonPachi: DaiOuJou BLACK Label]]'' ended up being a PortingDisaster. Why? After an investigation at Arika at [[Creator/{{CAVE}} Cave]]'s request, the source code was being held by a management company and 5pb., the company in charge of the 360 port, stole the source code from the [=PS2=] version. Normally, a company would sue 5pb. into next week. What did Arika do instead? After an apology from 5pb.'s [=CEO=], Arika's [=CEO=], Ryo Mizutani, forgave them and Arika Vice President Ichiro Mihara is now ''helping 5pb. make a better port of [=DDP: DOJ=].''
* ''VideoGame/ThunderForce VI'' utilizes two different languages for in-universe text and speech, neither of which are Japanese or English. One of these languages is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangut_language Tangut]], an ancient language somewhat related to Chinese, and the other is Mongolian, an uncommon language to employ as a GratuitousForeignLanguage. And the even better part? The {{omake}} material has translations into Japanese and transliterations into katakana and roman characters for the in-game speech.
** ''Thunder Force Gold Pack 2''[='=]s version of ''Thunder Force IV'' has the Styx from ''Thunder Force III'' available to use through a secret code. When you play as the Styx, look at the font for the HUD: ''it's the same style of Thunder Force III's HUD text.''
* ''VideoGame/GranTurismo 5'' appears to be invoking this trope. It has been in development since some time in 2005, and has apparently had ''every'' developer in the employ of Polyphony Digital working on it at the same time, during some of the development cycle anyway. The reason for that? It has ''one thousand individual cars''. Extreme attention to detail is apparently the prime directive of Polyphony.
** Most of the cars (labeled "standard cars" in-game) were copied from ''Gran Turismo 4'' and the PSP ''Gran Turismo'' game, however, including such iconic cars as the Bugatti Veyron.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** While most of the developers are doing these games for the money, the enormous and detailed world and back story show that at least someone put a lot more effort in to the games than they had to. Several ex-developers and writers for the series continue to write LooseCanon "obscure texts" to expand the series' lore.
** There are in-game readable books, and they're not just one or two pages long but usually in the 10s. In fact, every book you pick up in that game almost always has a unique story/information in it. All the [[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/zephs-tes-treasury in-game-books and notes]] of ''Morrowind'' alone put together amount to 1241 pages!
* One thing that really stands out about ''VideoGame/{{Mabinogi}}'' is that ''every NPC with a name and a face'' has his or her own music. Every single one. And it's pretty good music, too. Someone must've really been feeling creative.
* ''Franchise/MetalGear''. Creator/HideoKojima in general not only [[ShownTheirWork shows off his work]] quite a bit (even though some things turn up wrong) but put most of that info into the game. The amount of things found in the CODEC conversations is vast... to say the least. He also loves to play with the the engine even if the feature is absolutely useless. For example, you can find realistic melting ice in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty''.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** There is a reason the series is critically acclaimed for its music. Masato Nakamura has stated that when he composed the music for the first two games, he didn't treat it as game music but as a film score, aiming to create an emotional, cinematic experience.
--->''"I wanted 'Sonic' to come across as cinematic... I wanted melodies that the player would hum along with as they were playing, dramatic music for when the scenes were intense, climactic music for when bosses would show up, and then tie it all together with an uplifting theme for the end credits. That was what I knew I wanted it all to be like."''
--->''"When I composed the music for 'Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2', I tried to write a soundtrack for a movie. I imagined the game like a movie."''
** When ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic 3]]'''s development time was cut short by [[ExecutiveMeddling a deadline imposed by a deal between Sega of America and McDonald's]], the devs were forced to [[ChristmasRushed scrap half the game]]. Instead of moving on, they reworked the game's second half into ''Sonic & Knuckles''. This wasn't good enough for Sonic Team, so they went the extra mile to implement a new technology called Lock On that allowed the player to connect the two cartridges, combining them into a large, ambitious game as originally intended.
** When ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' was in development, Sega sent Creator/SonicTeam on a paid trip to Central America to get inspiration for its storyline and setting, which ended up contributing to much of the game's SceneryPorn and {{Mayincatec}} influence. Also, the nameless low-poly [=NPC=]s found everywhere in the [[HubLevel hub areas]]? They're all unique and have a different piece of dialogue for each point in the story, and for each of the six playable character's stories. Even though most players are unlikely to talk to all [=NPC=]s again after each cutscene, if you do so you'll find out that they have their own character arcs that intertwine with each other and advance as the player progresses the story.
* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', especially in ''Z'', where the artists gave the older shows some truly awesome {{Retraux}} effects simply to show that, yes, they still love the oldies ''that'' much.
* ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' deserves its place here. [[Creator/RemedyEntertainment Remedy]], the developers, went out halfway across the world to sit down and take thousands of pictures of a small pacific town surrounded by forests and mountains just so they could capture the appropriate feel of it. As a result, they created one of the most atmospheric games out there.
* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'': Creator/KojiKondo had to force Music/MahitoYokota to scrap ''all 28'' musical pieces the latter had composed for the first game because Kondo didn't think they fit. Once they got the soundtrack's direction sorted out, though, Yokota soldiered on once again, and his extra efforts yielded what is generally considered one of the greatest video game soundtracks of all time.
* ''VideoGame/RadiataStories'' has over one hundred and fifty recruitable [=NPC=]s, each of which have their own unique back story. The game keeps a twenty-four hour clock mechanic, and every character has a schedule they keep to. Characters will spar, go shopping, visit the doctor's, go to the bathroom, get plastered at pubs, you name it. Every character has a unique schedule suited to their personality. One fun thing to notice is what time characters go to bed and rise: one dedicated monk checks in at 8 p.m. and wakes at 5 a.m.; another drinks his nights away until 2:30 and doesn't get up until noon.
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' really deserves a mention here. Not only because of little touches like the continuity references sprinkled throughout the game for the fans to enjoy but because of the dedicated team members who are as integral to each game's development as much as many of the characters are. Ed Boon, John Vogel and Steve Beran are just a few of the developers at [[Creator/MidwayGames Midway]]--now Creator/NetherrealmStudios--who give so much for their game series. It has to be said that, in spite of whatever mixed reactions people may have had to the MK games over the years, it takes a lot to do things like add ''six-hundred and seventy-six'' unlockable extras in ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly Alliance]]'', including a lot that are only there to make the player smile.
* The background lore of ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'' is rich enough to put {{Role Playing Game}}s to shame. Just check out [[http://www.kerberos-productions.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=9 the official forums]], where writer Arinn "Erinys" Dembo addresses lots and lots of fan queries. Most developers would be content with short backstories, never mind actually building on the existing lore in response to fans.
* Localization example: in 2010, Creator/XSEEDGames formed a partnership with Creator/{{Falcom}} to localize some of the latter's games on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable. Three of them are from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky'' trilogy, which is known for having thousands of lines of text per game. (Although no specific publishers were confirmed, that alone was apparently enough to have other publishers refuse to translate it.) Although the trilogy is popular in Japan, XSEED has to deal with a market in which gamers are either aren't familiar with the series or associate ''The Legend of Heroes'' name with Bandai's (later Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment) BlindIdiotTranslation[=s=] of the previous three installments. Needless to say, it takes balls for a game localizer, and a fairly new one at that, to localize that many games under such circumstances.
* Everything done by Creator/CyberConnect2. The ''Franchise/DotHack'' franchise is known for creating a fascinating world in its fictional MMO known as, well, The World. The ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' games they make do their very best to capture the essence of the franchise in its action, art direction, overall style, and makes them legitimately good licensed games.
** Then there's ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' by the same people, of which the creative process was a painstakingly long one and a half years of world building and story creation, and that was before the game itself was developed to tech demo level. Plus there's the enriched, [[ShownTheirWork well-researched]] Asian mythology aspects of the game, mixed with ScienceFiction and SpaceOpera, to craft a unique and interesting world, with similarly beautifully-designed characters and monsters. And the sheer scope of the game. All of this, combined with the above examples from [=CyberConnect2=]'s other games, created just because the CEO of [=CyberConnect2=] genuinely loves what he does: making games.
** ''VideoGame/{{Solatorobo}}'' spent ten years in DevelopmentHell and was only [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell saved]] due to [=CyberConnect2=] repeatedly approaching Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment with their idea for a SpiritualSequel to ''VideoGame/TailConcerto'', a little game that didn't sell so well.
* The ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'' remake has a nice touch that has probably not been seen in the ten years since: Wesker's boots are detailed to the point where it's shown that the top holes are not laced through. Each character also wears a unique watch, and at the time of the game being made you could actually buy the watches.
** It's astounding how much modeling work went into ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''. One cutscene has Luis hand a bottle of pills to Leon and each one of the pills rolls around realistically; One cutscene has Salazar walk down a flight of stairs perfectly modeled; the game has highly detailed textures and environments for the Gamecube among other things, all because Creator/ShinjiMikami wanted to prove that the Gamecube could handle it all. Leon specifically, but other characters in every game tend to have incredibly correct firearms discipline, specifically their shooting stances and never having their fingers on the trigger except when shooting, even in concept and promotional art. Most developers can't even be bothered to make sure a gun is modeled so it can function. One thing in particular is that the world is geographically and architecturaly consistent. In one cutscene, Salazar appears on a balcony to taunt Leon before locking the door forward. When you finally open it, you can find a tiny hallway that leads up to that very same balcony, even though there's nothing up there. It's just there to justify Salazar getting around.
** ''Resident Evil 5'' takes this up a step further with the Desert Eagle. Most devs model pistols as firing in double-action only (i.e., pulling the trigger cocks and then drives the hammer into the firing pin, causing the weapon to cycle and the process must be repeated every time the weapon fires) if it's a factor at all. However, on some pistols, such as the 1911 and Desert Eagle, the weapon will only fire with a cocked hammer. Rather than depict the gun incorrectly, Capcom took the time to animate the hammer cocked and striking the firing pin ''for every pistol in the game.'' Considering this is a third-person shooter and your gun won't always be in sight, this is impressive. The same mechanics are at work in ''Resident Evil 6'' and ''Revelations 2'' and even though all pistols in the first ''Revelations'' are in DAO (likely a graphic limitation from the 3DS system it was originally built for), they all still cycle and eject shell casings, and slow-framing the animation will actually show a new cartridge feed into the chamber. Now ''that's'' attention to detail.
** ''[=ResidentEvil=].net'' is a completely optional site maintained by Capcom for every ''Resident Evil'' game since ''Resident Evil 6.'' On it players can come together and compete in contests to earn prizes in-game based solely on their participation; in ''Resident Evil 6'' this is the only way to unlock the EX customs (something any other developer wouldn't have bothered with or sold as DLC); for the ''Resident Evil Zero'' HD edition, users could design and then vote on t-shirt designs for Rebecca to wear as alternate costumes, which were then made free (and exclusive) DLC for anyone who participated, again, without money ever changing hands.
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' and its sequel both dwell at length upon the major themes of ''Franchise/StarWars'' to a level that fans did not expect, with seemingly insignificant lines having major impact not only on the storyline, but upon the extended universe as a whole. This, despite TheProblemWithLicensedGames being already legendary -- the creators could have phoned it in and still made a profit, but instead created legendary games.
* At a time when computer RolePlayingGames meant DungeonCrawling, the already-established ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' series changed focus to dwell upon the nature of heroism being more about helping people than beating up goblins. The creators also insisted upon revamping the engine completely between each major installment, and making the world as interactive as possible.
* ''VideoGame/{{Opoona}}'' was conceived of by its creators of being a relaxing, fun RPG that anyone could enjoy. To that end, not only did they devise a unique one-handed control scheme with attacks performed purely through control stick combos--so the player could play while doing other things--they also decided to ''completely eschew'' the high fantasy style favored by most [=RPG=]s, to the point of designing abstract monsters based on ''parts and machinery'' rather than animals or mythical creatures. The level of detail that went into the game's world and history is also astounding: There are museums filled with ''real artworks'' designed by the game's staff, the dances and choreography performed in-game were mo-capped from real professional dancers, and the music was all performed live. The game itself is set within a fictional society where one's station in life is based off how much "work" one does, and explores both the pros and cons of the situation. The game is often compared to ''Videogame/EarthBound'' for the sheer detail that went into every aspect of it.
* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' has a staggering amount of attention to detail in it with an insane amount of different animations for Conker that are subtle enough that you could easily miss them (e.g. his expression and walk cycle slightly changing when he gets wet, context sensitive idle animations that only happen at very specific times such as when the tickling bees are following you, his arms reaching out when you're near money, etc). In the director's commentary for the game, the developers mentioned that many would consider these additions pointless and a waste of time, but they made them anyway as they knew that the people who would notice them would appreciate them.
* ''VideoGame/ForzaHorizon'' ''3'' features a staggeringly accurate recreation of UsefulNotes/{{Australia}}. Just ''how'' accurate, you ask? The devs created a custom 12K camera rig and captured 24 hours of photos to create a time-lapse of the Aussie sky as seen in the game!
* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' qualifies: SceneryPorn abounds all the way back to the very first game in the series, and the environments of each successive game just become more and more detailed. This even extends to the [=NPCs=], who don't ''need'' to often be placed where they are in the game, but it just makes the historical environments seem more alive. Several good examples of [=NPC=] placement come up in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate'', where the player can wander the streets and rooftops of Victorian London and, among other things, find people posing for photographs, men playing crank-operated music boxes in parks, and chimney sweeps on the roofs doing their jobs. There's also the exquisitely recreated ([[AnachronismStew if sometimes anachronistic]]) landmarks in each of the games, ranging from the Dome of the Rock in the first game to Buckingham Palace in Syndicate. On top of that, starting with the second game, there's an encyclopedia in each one which goes into great detail on landmarks and other events, even if those events and places don't play a major role in the story.
* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'' counts as well; it was made by two brothers, who went through hand-drawing ''every single frame'' in the game to [[{{Retraux}} make it look like a 1930s cartoon]] and worked for over two years just to make everything perfect. It paid off in the end when the game won Best Art Direction at [[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-game-awards-2017-winners-headlined-by-zelda-br/1100-6455467/ The Game Awards 2017]], as well as Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game.
* The ''Creator/{{M2}} [=ShotTriggers=]'' series of ports. Each port in this lineup is clearly the result of the porting team taking their work seriously, featuring not only [[ArcadePerfectPort arcade-perfect recreations]] but also each port showing about a half dozen to dozen widgets showing real-time information and various quality-of-life options (such as reducing input lag, turning on visible hitboxes for games that don't have them, and turning off slowdown for the ''VideoGame/{{Aleste}} Collection'' games). These are the ports that M2 seem to put the most effort into alongside the ''Creator/{{SEGA}} AGES'' series, even though ''[=M2STG=]'' ports aren't exactly going to be huge moneymakers; their other, non-SEGA and non-shmup ports (such as the Creator/{{Konami}} 50th anniversary port compilations and ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Collection of Mana]]'') usually have just enough apparent effort to emulate the games correctly and have remappable controls. All of this, by [[ShootEmUp shmup]] fans and developers, for shmup fans.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/CorpseParty'' is this. Team [=GrisGris=] was pretty much four people making a horror game with the RPG Maker 98. The game had loads of characters, notes and multiple endings, leading to it gaining so much popularity that it not only got a remake by the now much larger team, full with voice actors and all, it also spawned an anime, a manga series and multiple pre- and sequels.
* ''VisualNovel/HotelDuskRoom215'':
** It was in development for almost 2 years, just so developer Cing could make the comic book style character animations, which were done frame by frame.
** ''VisualNovel/LastWindow'' was being developed while Cing was facing bankruptcy. While the game was being translated for an EU release, Cing ''did'' file for bankruptcy. The game is [[EvenBetterSequel arguably even better]] than the first.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Animation]]
* Creator/RoosterTeeth--before they even begin to write a series, they study and pull apart the game they use, sometimes for months beforehand, as they did with ''Machinima/RedVsBlue: Reconstruction'' and ''Videogame/{{Halo 3}}''.
* ''Halo'' fan Phillip Kang worked on his machinima film, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyUdWe90svs&feature=player_embedded Halo: Eye of the Storm]]'' for ''two years'' before finally releasing it, with each shot taking approximately 5 hours to capture, due to having to replay the same campaign stage over and over to try and make each shot as perfect as it could be, due to not being able to control the AI.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Tom Siddell sprinkles ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' with surprisingly accurate references to subjects like mythology and Medieval western martial arts, though it's unclear how many are simply [[AuthorAppeal subjects he was already interested in]]. However, it is known that Tom researched lock picking specifically for the comic. He even bought a set of lockpicks, because he wanted to depict it accurately, even though the subject has only come up on [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=49 two]] [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=411 pages]].
* When ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' began, it followed the standard four-panel black-and-white format of newspaper comics, complete with the triple-sized, full-color strip on Sundays. As the years went by, Pete Abrams began using color a lot more frequently, as well as often doing several strips each week that were double, triple, or even quadruple the normal size. All while sticking to a daily update schedule. Compare a week's worth of strips from [[http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/weekly/970927 early in the series]] to a week of strips from the [[http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/weekly/041204 "That Which Redeems" arc]].
* ''Webcomic/{{Lackadaisy}}'' creator Tracy Butler did not ''have'' to maintain the accuracy of the architecture, clothes, and phrase choices of the 20s, but chose to, and is sticking to it.
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' as well. Just take one look at the comic, from the amount of detail in the backgrounds to the thought put into even the most minor characters, and it becomes pretty clear that the Foglios have been working up to this their entire lives.
* Howard Taylor, in over twenty years[[note]]Starting June 2000, to [[GrandFinale its conclusion in July 2020]][[/note]], never missed a single day of ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', for any reason. Whenever technical issues threatened to break this record ([[http://howardtayler.livejournal.com/219448.html including an explosion at the data center that houses the comic]]), he used stopgap measures such as putting it in the blog, just so us loyal readers could get our daily dose of Schlock from SOMEWHERE on time.
* ''Webcomic/FreakAngels'', a webcomic produced by acclaimed comic writer Creator/WarrenEllis and drawn and inked by Paul Duffield. They turn out six full-color, elaborately detailed pages (which can consist of anywhere between three and six panels each), all at once, ''every week''. The only time they take a break from their schedule besides holidays is to let Duffield have a brief rest from the strain of producing that much quality artwork on a regular basis (and such breaks are only for a week).
* Dan Shive of ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' puts extra effort into certain aspects of making strips. He makes sure the [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-03-09 composition]] of the scenes he puts his characters in are realistic even if its only for [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-03-09 one panel]]. He researches things for the comic like [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2008-02-27 obscure facts]] about UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. He even ensures that when a character exposits seemingly meaningless MagiBabble as part of [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-08-01 a montage]], everything he says actually has a basis in something real InUniverse.
* For ''Webcomic/KatushaGirlSoldierOfTheGreatPatrioticWar,'' writer and artist Wayne Vansant made multiple trips to Ukraine and interviewed dozens of people who were there in World War II. The equipment and settings are accurately drawn, and the battles and atrocities shown are (or are based upon) real events.
* ''Webcomic/{{Xkcd}}'':
** [[https://xkcd.com/1110/ 1110: Click and Drag]] is, simply put, a single webcomic frame with the dimensions of 165888 x 65536 pixels and the populated size (disregarding fillers) of around one gigapixel. You explore it by, duh, clicking and dragging.
** [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1190:_Time 1190: Time]], a graphic story updated once per hour over the course of four months. (The author's site only contained the latest image, but numerous fan-made browsers were created.)
** [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1446:_Landing 1446: Landing]], a shorter variant of the former, updated every five minutes over 12 hours during the Rosetta landing, in real time.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Videos]]
* Creator/NoahAntwiler did a game review back in 2007 on [[VideoGame/ETTheExtraTerrestrial a horrible E.T. Atari game]] ''right after'' having his wisdom teeth taken out (2 operations) and while stoned out of his mind on Vicodin just because the fans begged him to. That's dedication to your art. And after his "Health update" v-log...to think he's been keeping up with everything as well as he has been -- getting through ''WebVideo/{{Kickassia}}'', going to conventions, putting on heavy costumes, practically melting under hot lights -- with a heart condition that ''makes him feel like he's dying'' if he overtaxes himself.
* The film used to shoot the faux ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}'' trailer ''WebVideo/TheVelociPastor'' was scratched manually in a black room. Then it was [[http://roberthood.net/blog/index.php/2011/03/06/velocipastor-is-this-a-movie-you-want-to-see/ baked in an oven]].
* ''WebVideo/BrainScratchCommentaries'' are a group of people that do commentaries over numerous video games. Each member always records their game footage off a video card or capture device to get the best quality out of their videos and to have their footage look legit when playing off the actual video game console rather than using emulators or shaky cameras. The only time the crew uses emulators is when they can't get a physical copy of the game or their recording glitches out.
* ''WebVideo/ManAtArms'' is a show where a Hollywood blacksmith makes replicas of various fictional swords. In an early episode, he imported over a thousand dollars worth of material from Argentina so he could make [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Sokka's Space Sword]] out of [[ThunderboltIron actual meteorites]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Creator/HannaBarbera was still able to make beautifully drawn cartoons, thanks to Ed Benedict's brilliant character designs and colorful backgrounds despite a low budget.
* Every shot of ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' has detail unheard of even for anime. Thus, only 4 seasons have been produced in 9 years.
* The same can be said for ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', though the detail isn't nearly the same. What also deserves mentioning is that while most shows have a significant staff of writers, ''every episode but one'' was written by creator Jackson Publick and/or Doc Hammer.
** Another example from ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers''; Publick and Hammer, during the long hiatus between seasons one and two had worked out exactly how to open the show, seeing as [[spoiler:Both Hank and Dean were dead]]. A montage, set to the song "Everybody's Free" by Aquagen and Rozalla. The problem was, to license it would cost a seventh of the budget--not for that episode, the ''entire second season.'' To which the creators said "WorthIt."
* The Franchise/{{DCAU}} team has always had high expectations of themselves, but they really outdid themselves in ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]''. They animated nearly every single hero and villain in the DC Universe, most of whom are not well known and very few of whom even have lines. But the lengths they did to are even better illustrated in the episode "The Savage Time", where for no reason whatsoever, they have very accurately drawn Tiger Tanks. How many people watching the show are even going to notice the tanks? How many can even tell that they actually did the research? ''They'' can, and apparently, that's all that mattered.
** It wasn't just the Tigers in "The Savage Time"; though the detail's not great, the soldiers Jon Stewart is with are carrying appropriate weapons (M1 Garand, Thompson SMG, M1918 [=BAR=]), and Savage's car in the movie is similarly under-detailed, but unmistakably a closed-top Mercedes-Benz 700k. The German soldiers carry [=MP40s=] at one point. The fire rate for weapons are off, certainly, and no one reloads, but RuleOfCool factors into that. Plus, they put some effort into it; I mean, how many people pay attention to a ''freaking staff car?''
** To emphasize how [[DarkerAndEdgier edgy and dark]] ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' is, the animators painted on black paper instead of white paper. The result? A truly atmospheric show that threatened to put the AnimationAgeGhetto in the naughty corner.
* While outside of the DCAU, ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' demonstrates the same attention to detail as the DCAU producers, writers, and animators. Every single episode is jam-packed with references big and small to the DCU's history either in the form of characters who vanished after [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks the Silver Age]] (or in at least one case, only appeared in a single issue!) or storylines or even panels. An episode featuring the first full appearance of Franchise/{{Superman}} is chock full of these, referencing everything from {{Superdickery}} to the Creator/ChristopherReeve films to ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' to ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns''. It's this clear love of the character and the DCU that has made a show that could have been a disaster into a show that is widely adored by comic fans.
* For ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', the creators flew all over the world to find inspiration and art references for architecture and landscaping, studied martial arts in order to create realistic combat sequences, and hired someone with a [=PhD=] so that all the Classical Chinese ideographs seen in the series would be accurate. They also hired consultants for these things.
** The background posters that Sokka walked past one episode were seen for less than ten seconds, yet they still included a realistic poster for a theatre company (foreshadowing for another episode) and a poster for a town meeting about air quality (referencing the industrialized Fire Nation) and all the gambling being done on the streets. All in archaic Chinese.
** Constellations that are seen in the sky of [[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheWaterbendingMaster "The Waterbending Master"]] are the same as those seen a season later on a star map in [[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheDesert "The Desert"]]. You'd need to be UsefulNotes/NeilDeGrasseTyson (or a very [[http://atla-annotated.tumblr.com/post/20827907799/the-night-sky-in-the-episode-the-waterbending detail-oriented fan]]) to notice.
* The team of ''{{WesternAnimation/Gargoyles}}'' went to insane lengths to make the show as realistic as possible. Greg Weisman keeps up an ongoing blog to close up every possible plot hole (and every question, if it does not ask for spoilers, will be answered), and has done so for ''15 years now''. The foreign language is accurate, the historical people are accurate, the magic is consistent, the gargoyles have ([[HollywoodScience by the standards of Hollywood]]) a believable biology rather than just being magic, and every single character is complex to unbelievable levels.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars''. The amount of work put into this series really shows how much the crew cared about it, even just observing from the surface. But when you start noticing and then paying attention to such trivial things like posters on the walls of clone barracks or clubs, the elaborate details on spaceships, bugs crawling around on branches, ''garbage'' thrown away on the lower streets of Coruscant, and dozens of other tiny-little background details the creators have sneaked in - despite the fact that most viewers probably wouldn't register any of it on the first time viewing - it becomes mind-blowing! Then consider that all of this is made in CGI, with a relatively low-budget when the series was only starting. And when their budget and technological assets increased as the series progressed, they did even more with it.
** Going even further, they had assets to use from Lucasfilm's archives. For instance, during the production of Season 3 episode "Wookiee Hunt", the crew had a meeting with Peter Mayhew to make sure they got Chewbacca's appearance (while working within the art style), characterization and body language accurately.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Director David Silverman personally animated the hallucination sequences for [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E9ElViajeMisteriosoDeNuestroJomer "El Viaje Misterioso De Nuestro Jomer"]] as he was worried the overseas animators would not provide the specific, highly surreal look that he wanted. It paid off as the results are considered the episode's SignatureScene.
* Musical numbers in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' contain elaborate instrumentation and rhymes, as well as a handful of {{Genius Bonus}}es that only make sense to one well-versed in musical terminology. For instance, how many eight-year-olds are going to recognize the {{Foreshadowing}} at the end of "BBBFF"?
* The creators of ''[[WesternAnimation/ReBoot ReBoot]]'' had a lot of risk involved with their project. They predated the ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' Creator/{{Pixar}} CGI revolution by a full year. It was an untested medium and the equipment to do it was not cheap. On top of that all the voice-acting, writing, directing and music was done in the same studio, instead of being farmed out to different companies like most shows. The results were a really tight story with great voice acting and animation that was groundbreaking.
* The artists who worked on ''WesternAnimation/MightyOrbots'', produced in the 1980s, actually studied classical and Japanese animation in order to be the best they could be. Notable mainly because of the AnimationAgeGhetto. When you could get away with stuff like ''WesternAnimation/PacMan'', ''[[WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGoBots GoBots]]'', or ''[[WesternAnimation/CareBears1980s The Care Bears]]'', studying classic film for inspiration is, well, a little ''weird''.
* Although it is easy (and not unusual) to simply dismiss any ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' product as MerchandiseDriven, some works, such as ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' or ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', are well-liked for their appreciation of the mythos and written with the PeripheryDemographic in mind.
** ''Transformers'' has so many incentives to suck--it's MerchandiseDriven, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids for small children]], and about robots that transform into cars. But sometimes, just sometimes, it's funny and engaging and a bit meaningful, and there's no other reason than that the creators, against all odds, care about what they do. Sometimes.
* While ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' may not have astounding animation or horribly intricate detail, if you compare it to, say, the average Disney Channel sitcom, you'll see a ''massive'' difference in effort. ''Phineas and Ferb'' is built on OnceAnEpisode, yet almost every piece of that has been averted or subverted. ''Phineas and Ferb'' makes obscure socio-cultural references in full knowledge that their primary demographic won't grasp them.
** And, going further than the intricate net of [[CatchPhrase Catch Phrases]], [[ContinuityNod Continuity Nods]], [[RunningGag Running Gags]] and such, we get the music. If you look at the lyrics, you see a beautiful mesh of rhyme schemes, alliteration, internal rhymes, tasteful repetition, and probably half the list of literary devices your high-school English teacher taught you. There are artists/bands whose lyrics aren't this well thought out.
* In addition to doing his ''ComicBook/GoldDigger'' animation singlehandedly, series author Fred Perry also does a number of sketches and shorts using licensed music such as "Stacy's Mom", "[[Series/LazyTown You Are a Pirate]]", and the intro to ''VideoGame/GuardianHeroes''. He actually got the rights to use it officially.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', one of the writers actually made use of their math degree to [[http://www.geekosystem.com/futurama-prisoner-of-benda-theory/ create and prove a brand new mathematical theorem]] just for sake of the episode's body-swapping plot.
* ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest''. One of the animators working on "Shadow of the Condor" was a UsefulNotes/WorldWarI airplane buff, and the Fokker Dr.1 and Spad are gorgeously drawn.
* During TheEighties, most cartoons were 30-minute toy ads, and it was virtually unthinkable to go about it otherwise. Robert Mandell deliberately misfiled the memo and blew out as many stops as he could afford. Broadway actors as his voice talent, a truckload of Del Ray sci-fi authors as writers, Toyko Movie Shinsa doing the animation, arena rock bands for the soundtrack, some of the ''earliest'' attempts to weld CGI and cel animation...and throwing the lot into a SpaceWestern that looks like the bastard offspring of a time-traveling Series/{{Firefly}} and the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse. The end result is a one-season wonder called ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers Galaxy Rangers]]''.
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[[folder:Other]]
* The Parthenon sculptures. Most temple sculptures were only carved in full detail on the front because the back would never be seen; however, the Parthenon sculptures were carved in full detail, front and back. Chances are no-one saw that for thousands of years.
* The Pantheon, a temple, and later church, in Rome. The dome, aside from being a ''perfect'' hemisphere with a diameter of 43.3m (142 feet), implies an imaginary, second hemisphere, the pole of which touches the floor ''exactly''. Given the size of this space, a considerable margin of error would have been considered acceptable, but the architect, Apollodorus of Damascus, wanted it to be ''perfect''. And this in 126 AD.
** The art critic and historian Robert Hughes notes in his book ''Rome'' that the Pantheon would never be built today: no one would insure it, no one would even propose it, because no one would think that you could make something like that safely out of poured concrete. And they'd be dead wrong: Thanks to a unique and brilliant design, the Pantheon has stood for nearly nineteen hundred years, and shows no signs of collapse.
* Antoni Gaudi designed his [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Familia Sagrada Familia]] in ridiculous detail, carefully outlining each decoration, even the ones ''no human would ever see after the construction is complete'' (like little dove figures in small niches at 100 m altitude). When asked about that, Gaudi replied: "Well, of course, these are for the angels to see." Gaudi started working on the church in 1883. It is currently about 50% complete. It has been largely funded by voluntary donations. It will, hopefully, be finished in 2026--in time for the centennial of Gaudi's death.
* Many early great masters of Western art, who did most of their work, now hanging in major museums, for commission. Though even then, they hardly phoned it in. Michelangelo was initially not enthused about the Sistine Chapel commission and if he had done a simple ceiling fresco, he could have gone to his more fulfilling work in sculpture; instead, he decided to go overboard.
* Website/{{Google}} [[http://www.google.com/logos/ Doodles]]; sure, the site's text can just be the same every single day, but numerous artists take upon them to draw something to relate to various countries' events, celebrity birthdays and such.
* Creator/DiscotekMedia has licensed many older anime [[NoExportForYou that may have otherwise never seen the light of day.]] Among many other things, they also managed to find the TMS dub of ''Anime/MagicKnightRayearth'', which was thought to have been [[MissingEpisode lost]], and include it on the Blu-Ray release of the series.
* Charles Lauzirika is a sci-fi fanboy who was put in charge of [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox 20th Century Fox]]'s DVD production team and has created some of the most well-known DVD sets and film documentaries of all time. Notably, during the production of the ''Franchise/{{Alien}} Anthology'', he not only fought to get the uncut version of his ''Film/{{Alien 3}}'' documentary "Wreckage And Rage" released (which required an epic amount of wrangling with Fox executives for close to a decade), but he also went back to the "workprint" edition of the film that was constructed for the ''Alien Quadrilogy'' release in 2003, assembled every member of the supporting cast whose voices couldn't be picked up on the temp track, and had them re-record all of their lines. He also served as the producer of ''Film/BladeRunner: The Final Cut'', in which he brought Creator/HarrisonFord's son in to replicate his father's dialogue for voiceovers that were hard to hear, and had Joanna Cassidy reshoot her famous run through the glass windows so continuity errors from the original film could be corrected.
* The reason why video releases for Creator/TheCriterionCollection command premium prices is because each film's restoration and/or transfer is supervised by some of the best film engineers in the industry, and it allows for the company to produce carefully-curated sets for prestige films. Compared to "barebones" video release, each Criterion edition often includes a full-color booklet that features essays or remarks from the director discussing the historical or cultural significance of their work, long-form video documentaries that are often praised by fans for their thoroughness, and (for older films) featurettes focusing on the restoration techniques used to bring said films up to the highest digital quality.
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