Line #16 Main/FollowTheWhiteRabbit


1	[[quoteright:308:[[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aang_cave_8.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:308:No Aang, [[WhamShot don't go in there]].]]
3
4	The characters are chasing an animal, for example a pet that recently started to behave unusually, or trying to hunt down a wild animal, and as they get preoccupied with the chase, suddenly they notice that they were led to a strange place that they would have little chance to find on their own.
5
6	The implication seems to be that animals are inherently magical creatures, serving as the channels of ThePowersThatBe, and subtly guiding humans.
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8	It can be a form of MaybeMagicMaybeMundane, if anyone brings up the fact that it was an amazing coincidence, sceptical characters can still reasonably argue that it was indeed just a coincidence. Huntsmen often chase TheMarvelousDeer. Compare ChasingAButterfly, where an innocent character follows a creature out of curiosity, leading them to danger. Despite this trope name, the animal is never exclusively a WhiteBunny.
9
10	"Going down the rabbit hole" is also a metaphor for getting so obsessed with following a [[ConspiracyTheorist Conspiracy Theory]] that it leads you further and further away from everyday objective reality. An entire warren of such rabbit holes is a ConspiracyKitchenSink. Compare TrickAndFollowPloy.
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12	----
13	!!Examples:
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15	[[foldercontrol]]
16
17	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
18	* In ''Manga/{{Aria}}'', [[SidekickCreatureNuisance President Aria, the cat]] sometimes wandered away, leading Akari to strange places, using some sort of time travel.
19	* In ''Anime/MyNeighborTotoro'', Mei chases Chibi Totoro - who looks like a little rabbit - into the woods, causing her to stumble on the hiding hole of the largest Totoro by accident.
20	* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
21	** The ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'' episode "Dig Those Diglett," Pikachu and the other Pokémon have been acting strange throughout the whole story. Pikachu runs off while Ash and his friends are in a hot spring, and they follow Pikachu, who leads them to where the Diglett and Dugtrio are planting trees.
22	** A global-scale version in ''Anime/Pokemon2000''. Pokémon from all over the world are travelling to the Orange Islands because they can sense that the disruption of weather started from there and they seek to prevent the OlympusMons from causing ApocalypseHow. Also, Ash has to chase after Pikachu early on, before [[TheChooserOfTheOne Slowking]] explains him his mission.
23	* In the anime version of ''Anime/FushigiYuugi'', Miaka follows a vision of [[TheFourGods Suzaku]] that leads her to the book. (In the manga, she finds it by chance when chasing not a phoenix but an errant pencil.)
24	* In ''Manga/MiyukiChanInWonderland'' this parodies the original (and this trope) by having Miyuki chase a PlayboyBunny on a skateboard.
25	[[/folder]]
26
27	[[folder:Ballads]]
28	* In some variants of ''Literature/TheFamousFlowerOfServingMen'', the king is hunting and led off by a milk-white hind.
29	-->''Oh the hind she broke, the hind she flew\
30	The hind she trampled the brambles through\
31	First she'd mount and then she'd sound\
32	Sometimes before, sometimes behind''
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:ComicBooks]]
36	* In the ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' story "Pastoral," this is done with a kitten. Chasing it leads CityMouse Camilla to a discovery that solidifies her summer plans in [[EverytownAmerica Caplinville]].
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
40	* In ''Literature/TheKingWhoWouldBeStrongerThanFate'', he finds the hermit who tells him his daughter's fate while hunting.
41	-->'' In the course of the beat his dogs disturbed a beautiful snow-white stag, and directly he saw it the king determined that he would have it at any cost. So he put the spurs to his horse, and followed it as hard as he could gallop. ''
42	* In Creator/TheBrothersGrimm's ''[[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/grimms/60twobrothers.html The Two Brothers,]]'' one brother, having rescued a princess from the dragon and married her, goes hunting and is lured into danger by a deer.
43	[[/folder]]
44
45	[[folder:Fan Works]]
46	* In ''Fanfic/ThereAndBackAgain'', Sansa Stark is {{Peggy Sue}}'d back into the past by one of {{the Old Gods}} of the forest, who first appears to her as a ghostly specter of her beloved late pet direwolf Lady leading her to the Winterfell weirwood tree.
47	[[/folder]]
48
49	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
50	* In the animated ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'', Anastasia chases her dog Pooka to the Pont Alexandre III near the end of the film, where she is trapped and attacked by Rasputin.
51	* In the film version of ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'', The Other Mother first draws Coraline to the Other World by sending a rat-disguised-as-a-mouse into Coraline's real world bedroom to get her attention.
52	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'', Jack discovers Christmas Town by following Zero, the little ghost dog with a pumpkin nose.
53	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'': Moses is led by a stray sheep to the Burning Bush.
54	[[/folder]]
55
56	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
57	* In ''Film/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'':
58	** A robin leads the children to the Beavers' dam, indirectly.
59	** It's inverted later when they are hunting for the White Stag, and it leads them back to the gate to the normal world.
60	* ''Film/TheMatrix'' referenced the trope by name when Neo is given a message to follow a white rabbit. He follows his friend Dujour, who has a white rabbit tattoo on her shoulder, which leads him to Trinity. This receives a CallBack in ''Film/TheMatrixResurrections'' when Neo decides to trust and follow Bugs when she reveals a white rabbit tattoo on her shoulder.
61	* Happens several times in ''Film/PansLabyrinth''. On the way to her new home she follows a big bug to find a pagan-esque statue in the woods, later she follows the same bug to find the large stone structure in the labyrinth by her house, and the Faun.
62	* In ''Franchise/StarWars'' ''Film/ANewHope'' it is Luke going off on a tear to find a runaway droid, who happens to be white and little, that brings him face-to-face with Obi-Wan Kenobi and it saves his life, as he is then not at home for the arrival of the Imperial Stormtroopers that kill his Aunt and Uncle, his adoptive parents--the death of which means he has nothing to stay around for, so can commit and go on the adventure, leaving his home planet. Later, the Millennium Falcon follows a lone TIE fighter to the Death Star, and the Death Star follows the Millennium Falcon to the Rebel Base at Yavin. In ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' the Imperials follow the Millennium Falcon into the asteroid field, then Boba Fetts' ship, and the Imperials after him, follow the Millennium Falcon to Cloud City.
63	* ''Film/{{The Secret Garden\|1993}}'' had this with the children following a bird.
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Literature]]
67	* ''Literature/Alice2014'': Christopher spends the first half of the novel trying to find Mickey and essentially following his tracks, or at least going to places he thinks Mickey might be. It's later revealed that Mickey is actually wearing a sweater that has a white rabbit on it.
68	* ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland'', the TropeNamer. The RandomEventsPlot begins when Alice spots the White Rabbit who's running late for an occasion. Being curious, Alice follows him and goes down a rabbit hole that leads her to [[TheWonderland Wonderland]].
69	* In Creator/CharlesDeLint's ''The Cats of Tanglewood Forest'', Lillian followed a deer into the forest. Leading to [[spoiler:the snake bite.]]
70	* In "Fable of the Goat", a short story by Galician-Israeli author Shmuel Yosef Agnon, an Eastern European Jewish boy, curious as to how his often-wandering goat always returns with such sweet milk, follows it into a cave which magically leads to what is now Israel.
71	* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
72	** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', Harry finds a PlotCoupon when following a glowing doe in the forest, though he knew that it's just someone's Patronus, not a real doe.
73	** Also, "follow the spiders" from ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets''.
74	** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'' has Ron blindly chase after Scabbers when he bites Ron and runs away from him... unfortunately for the Trio, they follow Scabbers right to the base of the Whomping Willow and into the jaws of a giant black dog.
75	* Twice in ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'':
76	** The first happened when a robin leads the children to Mr. Beaver.
77	** The second happened, albeit without them seeing it, when the now adult Pevensies are hunting for the Mythical White Stag, and they happen across the gate to the normal world, which they have long forgotten.
78	* In Creator/DevonMonk's ''Literature/MagicInTheBlood'', Allie alludes to it, calling her guide a white rabbit.
79	* In ''Literature/MuddleEarthStewart'', the protagonist is transported to the magical world while chasing after his dog.
80	* W.H. Auden - ''The Quest'' - XV Lucky
81	--> ''"Suppose he'd listened to the erudite committee,
82	--> He would have only found where not to look;
83	--> Suppose his terrier when he whistled had obeyed,
84	--> It would not have unearthed the buried city;
85	--> Suppose he had dismissed the careless maid,
86	--> The cryptogram would not have fluttered from the book."''
87	* In ''Literature/{{Renegades}}'', when Adrian sees a monarch butterfly, he takes only a moment to realize it's part of his teammate [[OneToMillionToOne Donna]], whom he was unable to contact for the past few hours, so he follows it into [[spoiler:Ace Anarchy's lair.]]
88	* ''Literature/TheSecretGarden'': By following a robin, Mary finds the key to the secret garden.
89	* In ''Literature/SoulMusic'' the White Rabbit is a skeletal rat. Susan {{lampshades}} the trope, reflecting that following it is the sort of silly thing done by sad, wet girls who find themselves in ridiculous magical lands and say "My goodness me!" She then follows it anyway, in the hope that if she ''does'' find herself in a ridiculous magical land, she can get it properly organised and sensible.
90	* In Creator/PeterSBeagle's ''Literature/{{Tamsin}}'', Jenny's cat leads her to the ghosts and kicks off the plot.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Live Action TV]]
94	* ''Series/{{Lost}}'' uses not an animal but the image of Jack's father to lead Him to the caves in the episode "White Rabbit"
95	* ''Series/SixFeetUnder'' has an episode in Season 4 where Nate follows a dog because he believes it to be [[spoiler:his recently-deceased wife, Lisa]]. As with the rest of the show, the whole thing is laced with MagicRealism and left to MaybeMagicMaybeMundane.
96	** WordOfGod's intention was to show how people make out meaning and messages from mundane things when they are at a point of crisis or conflict.
97	* In Kate Seredey's ''The White Stag'' the entire Hun nation is led over several generations from the Wild Mountains of Altain Ula to what is now Hungary by a White Stag.
98	* ''Series/TheMentalist'': A hallucinating Jane chases a rabbit that leads him to his daughter in the episode "Devil's Cherry".
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Music]]
102	* "White Rabbit" by Music/JeffersonAirplane from their album ''Music/SurrealisticPillow'', an AliceAllusion about drug use.
103	--> ''And if you go chasing rabbits''
104	--> ''And you know you're going to fall''
105	--> ''Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar''
106	--> ''Has given you the call''
107	--> ''Call Alice, when she was just small''
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Video Games]]
111	* ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' - A (mindscape-generated) rabbit acts as something of a guide for Razputin in the brain-tumbler experiment, leads him to an important clue, and also eventually becomes a central element in an Escort Mission.
112	* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', the party finds their way through the Torent Forest by following a small animal that leads them along the correct path so they don't get lost.
113	* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' has a quest like that, with a white guar.
114	* ''VideoGame/{{Manhunt}}'' features a mission ("Kill the Rabbit") in which you are required to follow a guy in a white rabbit costume who attempts to lure you to your death.
115	* The opening act of ''VideoGame/EpicMickey'' is this with Mickey pursuing his brother Oswald
116	* In ''VideoGame/ChameleonTwist'', the adventure of Davy and his friends begins like this.
117	* Happens literally in the Sir Peter arc of ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose'', where you must find and return the titular pet to the Aristocrat Club. [[spoiler:Poor creature won't survive the chapter, but his death parallels closely to another one that takes place much later in the storyline, with some unfunny irony.]]
118	* ''Franchise/SuperMario64'':
119	** Some levels in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' involve chasing rabbits in order to obtain Power Stars.
120	** ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'': There are ''two'' instances where you must chase and catch a rabbit in order to obtain two of the power stars. The rabbit in question even mentions that ''[[Literature/AliceInWonderland he's late]]''. In the DS remake, there are multiple rabbits running about the castle [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience colored like the character who must catch them]] who give out keys to the game room; and one of the stars is found by capturing all seven randomly-appearing white rabbits.
121	* The first part of the ''VideoGame/TrappedSeries'' has this exact quote as its subtitle, and a rabbit statue is essential to solving a puzzle.
122	* In ''VideoGame/GoldenSun1'', spooking a green-furred ape with Force and then seeing which way it runs is the key to navigating Mogall Forest. Though, you could also do it by using a guide, or if you're very, ''very'' patient, by trial and error. The explanation given is that creatures who live in the forest naturally know their way around.
123	* ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'': The characters follow a mysterious white-haired beast-girl (from the nation of Morgal, no less), who seems to be guiding you through Teppe Ruins. Then she introduces herself and reveals that she ''was'' leading you, and needs you to do her a favor before she'll continue doing so. One of Matthew's possible reactions suggests [[ShipTease he enjoyed chasing her around]]. For bonus points, her local nickname is "[[TheMarvelousDeer The White Deer]]".
124	* The latter three parts of The Forbidden Land, Eureka in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' feature Happy Bunnies which must be rescued from attacking monsters; if you save them, they'll lead you to buried treasure coffers. The game even gives the prompt "Follow the White Rabbit" when this happens.
125	* Both the original ''VideoGame/BlasterMaster'' and ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZero'' kick off their plots with Jason chasing after Fred, who leads him to the SOPHIA III. [[spoiler:The latter game reveals that this is an integral part of Fred's programming; he leads a MA pilot to the associated Metal Attacker so they can fight back against the mutant menace, and can open wormholes to that end.]]
126	* ''VideoGame/FatalFrameII'' begins with Mayu following a crimson butterfly, Mio chasing after her and both of the twins finding themselves in the Lost Village.
127	* ''[[VideoGame/PrzygodyReksia Reksio i Csarodzieje]]'' begins with Reksio stuck in a magic trap that he can't escape without going in circles. Suddenly, a white rabbit appears, and he shows Reksio the correct path until they reach a door with a mirror on the other side.
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Webcomics]]
131	* ''Webcomic/BirdBoy'': [[http://bird-boy.com/volume-1-page-11 Trying to spear the bird leads him into the woods.]]
132	* ''Webcomic/FiveNightsAtFreddysLostSouls'': Bridget and Cody are lead to the theme park by a mysterious rabbit Bridget adopts later on. Cody even lampshades this via the TropeNamer when Bridget runs off to follow it.
133	-->'''Cody:''' Last I checked, your name wasn't [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Alice]]!
134	* In ''Webcomic/{{Hinges}}'', [[http://hingescomic.blogspot.com/2014/05/paper-tigers-072.html the creature seems to want it.]]
135	* In ''Webcomic/TwoKinds'', [[http://twokinds.keenspot.com/comic/1040/ Madelyn chases Karen]] through the Legacy Estate over a [[BerserkButton size insult]], and they end up accidentally running [[http://twokinds.keenspot.com/comic/1047/ into a forbidden area]] ([[http://twokinds.keenspot.com/comic/1039/ implied to be hidden]] using illusion spells)
136	[[/folder]]
137
138	[[folder:Western Animation]]
139	* ''Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
140	** In the ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' episode "The Southern Air Temple", Aang discovers Gyatso's body while chasing after TeamPet Momo who disappeared into a cave opening.
141	** In the fourth season of ''WesternAnimation/LegendOfKorra'', Korra is particularly dispirited after being chased by hallucinations of her SuperpoweredEvilSide. She sees a small furry white creature and chases it into the swamp where she meets [[spoiler:Toph Beifong]].
142	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'', an owl steals Luz's favorite fantasy novel, and Luz chases after it. She follows it through a portal into AnotherDimension, and this is how she arrives in the magical Boiling Isles.
143	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
144	** In "Lisa's Wedding", Lisa is chasing an esquilax (a horse with the head of a rabbit, and the body of a rabbit) when she finds the fortune teller's tent.
145	** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E9MayoredToTheMob Mayored to the Mob]]", Homer follow a white rat that stole his tidbit and is shocked to find himself in a room where they milk rats.
146	* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' has a white loth-cat serving this purpose. Ezra sees it in his [[DreamingOfThingsToCome dreams of his parents]] and chases it before waking up. Once he arrives back on his homeworld, he finds the same cat in the flesh and follows it to the man who knows his parents' fate. It has a recurring role in season 4 [[spoiler:and turns out to be a manifestation of the Force, guiding Ezra when he needs it.]]
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder:Real Life]]
150	* The first few Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the winter of 1946-1947 when Muhammed edh-Dhib, a Bedouin boy, found a cave when searching for a lost animal.
151	* The Lascaux Cave paintings were first discovered by four teenagers following their dog into the caverns.
152	* There's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Moon_Lake a Taiwanese legend]] talking about hunters chasing a white deer through mountains and eventually finding the Sun Moon Lake. Because of the lake's beauty and bountiful fish, [[https://islandfolklore.com/2018/01/18/the-white-stag/ the hunters praise the white deer for leading them there.]]
153	[[/folder]]
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Context Main / FollowTheWhiteRabbit