History YMMV / LifeOfPi

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: For the film, RhythmAndHues[[note]]with MovingPictureCompany and a few other studios[[/note]] developed some truly phenomenal animation and visual effects, which won them the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

** Except the story is about our voyage with God, [[spoiler: Richard Parker is Pi's animal side, but he's also God. When Pi grapples with the fact that even after all this time of caring and treating for Richard Parker, the tiger still doesn't turn to look at him - acknowledge him, it's about man's relationship with God. He's big and frightening, powerful and ancient - strong and his attachment is elusive. BUT, God was there. There with him the whole time, even if he leaves without looking back.]]

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: {{UsefulNotes/Agnosticism}} is not about being unable to choose which "side" to be on; it's a lot more complicated than that.
** The "moral" doesn't work if you take the situation in the book as a "The Lady Or The Tiger" situation, where the "right" answer depends entirely on what you decide to go with and there is no real "right" or "wrong" answer. Or your answer could be that despite the story "forcing the reader to realize how awful doubt is" and wanting them to pick a side, there really is no way to know which answer is the right one - which is like agnosticism. It's not about doubt or indecisiveness for some, it's [[TakeAThirdOption deciding that there is no way for you to know]] which choice is true, and accepting that.

* BrokenAesop: Agnostics are asked at the end if they can still hold on to that belief or lack thereof after hearing the story. Except, it's a novel. It's entirely possible to accept that God exists in this fictional world, and not have that affect your actual belief regarding the real world at all.

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: For the film, RhythmAndHues developed some truly phenomenal animation and visual effects, which won them the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

* AwardSnub: Actually an award ''speech'' snub: the visual effects team were planning to include a statement about the hard times many special effects companies are going through, even as their work is being used more than ever, but were cut off by the ''{{Jaws}}'' theme. This led to a hundreds-strong protest.

* YouFailReligiousStudiesForever: {{UsefulNotes/Agnosticism}} is not about being unable to choose which "side" to be on. It's a lot more complicated than that.
** The "moral" doesn't work if you take the situation in the book as a "The Lady Or The Tiger" situation, where the "right" answer depends entirely on what you decide to go with and there is no real "right" or "wrong" answer. Or your answer could be that despite the story "forcing the reader to realize how awful doubt is" and wanting them to pick a side, there really is no way to know which answer is the right one - which is like agnosticism. It's not about doubt or indecisiveness for some, it's [[TakeAThirdOption deciding that there is no way for you to know]] which choice is true, and accepting that.

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The film adaptation features some truly incredible special effects sequences.

** The two French characters are brutal, [[spoiler:cannibalistic]] savages. [[spoiler:That is, if they were separate characters. In the alternate story they're hinted to be the same guy.]]

--> We're dying, Richard Parker...

** The two french characters are brutal, cannibalistic savages.

* FridgeBrilliance: At first glance, the meerkats on the island sleeping on trees seem to be a clear example of SomewhereAMammalogistIsCrying, because those animals actually live in burrows. But from an evolutionary standpoint, it makes perfect sense: Imagine a bunch of meerkats by some means arriving on the island. Those who show their normal behavior of creating burrows quickly get [[spoiler: devoured by the island]], and only a few showing the abnormal behavior of climbing on trees survive. Those are the ancestors of the current meerkat population Pi encounters. That's how natural selection works! ([[spoiler: Of course, the point is moot if Pi just made everything up.]])

* FridgeBrilliance: At first glance, the meerkats on the island sleeping on trees seem to be a clear example of SomewhereAMammalogistIsCrying, because those animals actually live in burrows. But from an evolutionary standpoint, it makes perfect sense: Imagine a bunch of meerkats by some means arriving at the island. Those who show their normal behavior of creating burrows quickly get [[spoiler: devoured by the island]], and only a few showing the abnormal behavior of climbing on trees survive. Those are the ancestors of the current meerkat population Pi encounters. That's how natural selection works! ([[spoiler: Of course, the point is moot if Pi just made everything up.]])

* FridgeBrilliance: At first glance, the meerkats on the island sleeping on trees seem to be a clear example of SomewhereAMammalogistIsCrying, because those animals actually live in burrows. But from an evolutionary standpoint, it makes perfect sense: Imaging a bunch of meerkats by some means arriving at the island. Those who show their normal behavior of creating burrows quickly get [[spoiler: devoured by the island]], and only a few showing the abnormal behavior of climbing on trees survive. Those are the ancestors of the current meerkat population Pi encounters. That's how natural selection works!

* FridgeBrilliance: At first glance, the meerkats on the island sleeping on trees seems to be a clear example of SomewhereAMammalogistIsCrying, because those animals actually live in burrows. But from an evolutionary standpoint, it makes perfect sense: Imaging a bunch of meerkats by some means arriving at the island. Those who show their normal behavior of creating burrows quickly get [[spoiler: devoured by the island]], and only a few showing the abnormal behavior of climbing on trees survive. Those are the ancestors of the current meerkat population Pi encounters. That's how natural selection works!

* At first glance, the meerkats on the island sleeping on trees seems to be a clear example of SomewhereAMammalogistIsCrying, because those animals actually live in burrows. But from an evolutionary standpoint, it makes perfect sense: Imaging a bunch of meerkats by some means arriving at the island. Those who show their normal behavior of creating burrows quickly get [[spoiler: devoured by the island]], and only a few showing the abnormal behavior of climbing on trees survive. Those are the ancestors of the current meerkat population Pi encounters. That's how natural selection works!

* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler:The chef in the alternate version of the story. Even by the circumstances of the situation, he comes off as especially barbaric in comparison to his fellow survivors]].

** In the book, Pi described the hyena as this, as an abomination. In the movie, the hyena behaves like any animal, and is quite cute.

* TearJerker: 'Can you feel the rain?'