History UnexpectedCharacter / AnimatedFilms

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'': Rex from ''Franchise/ToyStory'' appears during the outtakes.

** While several fans presumed that [[spoiler:Miguel O'Hara]] would at least have a cameo in the movie, even if he wasn't part of the central cast, ''nobody'' was counting on him [[spoiler:running into the 1967 animated version of Peter Parker.]]

** Donkey Kong surprised some people, since he usually isn't known to be a ''main'' main ''Mario'' character, but has appeared in ''Mario'' spin-offs. Cranky Kong surprised the ''Mario'' community even more, since he only appears in the ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' games and has never once crossed over with ''Mario Bros.'' in a main game, setting aside the [[FlipFlopOfGod possibly canon]] factoid of him being the original Donkey Kong and an appearance in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' as a collectable Spirit.

* In-universe example in ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'': During the party held for Fix-It Felix Jr. near the beginning of the movie, Ralph looks in and is astonished they invited VideoGame/PacMan to it. That said, some of the game character cameos are this for being from lesser known or older franchises, such as Neff (''VideoGame/AlteredBeast'''s final boss) or a random zombie mook from ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoBatmanMovie''

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie'' features a variety of characters from LEGO properties and licenses, such as Franchise/{{Batman}} and [[Literature/HarryPotter Dumbledore]]. [[Franchise/StarWars Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, and C3PO]]'s appearance was not advertised, and was assumed improbable thanks to legal issues. The film was produced by Warner Bros., while the Star Wars franchise and its associated characters are owned by Disney, making this a rare "crossover" between the two rival companies. In the background of some crowd shots, you can also spot [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Milhouse Vanhouten]], of all people.

* Creator/StanLee was well known for having a cameo appearance in most Marvel media. However, a lot of people were shocked that he made an appearance in, of all things, ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGoToTheMovies'' since he’s considered the face of DC Comics’ known rival.

* The world of ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' is populated by fairy tales and myths come to life, but no one expects [[spoiler:The Grim Reaper himself]] to appear in ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish''. His presence alone cranks up the DarkerAndEdgier scale, where the hero is bled, relentlessly stalked, and is in real danger of dying for real.

** Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner appearing via cameo and being confirmed to become Green Lanterns and members of the Justice League in the near future, as there had otherwise been no solid indication that either of them existed as heroes in the ''DCAU''. Hal was a OneSceneWonder who seemed to [[ForWantOfANail only be a hero if John hadn't]], and Guy was pseudo-canon by the ''Unlimited'' tie-in comics.

* While Cheetah, Black Mask, Solomon Grundy, Cheshire, and [[spoiler:Talia]] are fairly well-known, ''WesternAnimation/CatwomanHunted'' also sees the presence of Nosferata, Dr. Tzin, Boss Moxie and La Dama, pretty C-list characters who have no ties to the Leviathan organization (in fact, even including the other five, [[spoiler:TeamMemberInTheAdaptation is in play for all of them ''but'' Talia, as she's the only one who is involved with Leviathan in the comics]]), each other, or Catwoman or Batwoman. The most obscure is Oyabun Noguri, the yakuza who kickstarted Tatsu Yamashiro's path to becoming Katana.

** In a later scene in the film, specifically a certain wedding, [[spoiler:King Bob-omb and King Boo appear. While Bob-ombs had cameoed beforehand, King Bob-omb didn't have any appearances in advertising material. King Boo is even more of an unexpected character, since no other Boos had cameoed in the film beforehand]].

** The penguins from ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' have a monarch in this film, being the inhabitants of an IcePalace that Bowser destroys at the beginning of the movie. The penguins are [=NPCs=] in their home game, so few expected to see them put up a fight (or [[UnderequippedCharge attempt to, anyway]]) with Bowser.

** A flashback at an earlier point in the film shows [[spoiler:Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, as they appear in ''Yoshi's Island''. These two series rarely ever get tied together apart from Yoshi being in the main ''Mario'' games, so their appearance was unexpected to viewers]]. Another one shows [[spoiler:Baby Peach, who only appeared in two spin-offs]].

** In a later scene in the film, specifically a certain wedding, [[spoiler:King Bob-omb and King Boo appear. While Bob-ombs had cameoed beforehand, King Bob-omb didn't have any appearances in advertising material beforehand. King Boo is even more of an unexpected character, since no other Boos had cameoed in the film beforehand]].

* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolfDunkForFuture'' at one point features WesternAnimation/{{Bernard}} as a cameo. Bernard is not a character you'd associate with ''Pleasant Goat'', especially since his series hasn't been relevant since 2012 (China-exclusive 2017 and 2021 movies notwithstanding), so it might surprise some who can recognize the bear. Creator/{{Alpha Group|CoLtd}}, who owns the [[Creator/CreativePowerEntertaining company]] that produces ''Pleasant Goat'', also owns the rights to ''Bernard'' in China, but there's not much to tie them together apart from this context.

* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf: Dunk for Future'' at one point features WesternAnimation/{{Bernard}} as a cameo. Bernard is not a character you'd associate with ''Pleasant Goat'', so it might surprise some who can recognize the bear. Creator/{{Alpha Group|CoLtd}}, who owns the [[Creator/CreativePowerEntertaining company]] that produces ''Pleasant Goat'', also owns the rights to ''Bernard'' in China, but there's not much to tie them together apart from this context.

* The main villain of ''WesternAnimation/HappyHalloweenScoobyDoo'' is the Batman villain Scarecrow, Batman himself was only mentioned in the movie.

* The final trailer for ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'' features a scene with Gingey, a character from the main line ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' films, indicating that this installment would not be a prequel like [[WesternAnimation/PussInBoots2011 its predecessor]]. The final film even featured cameos from Shrek, Donkey, and even Pinocchio in flashback.

* ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'': Sheriff Woody from ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' appears during the outtakes.

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'': Rex from ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' appears during the outtakes.

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'':

* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf: Dunk for Future'' at one point features WesternAnimation/{{Bernard}} as a cameo. Bernard is not a character you'd associate with ''Pleasant Goat'', so it might surprise some who can recognize the bear. Creator{{Alpha Group|CoLtd}}, who owns the [[Creator/CreativePowerEntertaining company]] that produces ''Pleasant Goat'', also owns the rights to ''Bernard'' in China, but there's not much to tie them together apart from this context.

* While Cheetah, Black Mask, Solomon Grundy, Cheshire, and [[spoiler:Talia]] are fairly well-known, ''WesternAnimstion/CatwomanHunted'' also sees the presence of Nosferata, Dr. Tzin, Boss Moxie and La Dama, pretty C-list characters who have no ties to the Leviathan organization (in fact, even including the other five, [[spoiler:TeamMemberInTheAdaptation is in play for all of them ''but'' Talia, as she's the only one who is involved with Leviathan in the comics]]), each other, or Catwoman or Batwoman. The mosy obscure is Oyabun Noguri, who's biggest role in the origins was being the yakuza who kickstarted Tatsu Yamashiro's path to becoming Katana.