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9* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''. We often hear characters singing jaunty, cheerful songs at inappropriate times- such as very suspenseful scenes. In "Beautopia,' when the team is on their way to rescue the last possible humans alive from terrible monsters, we have Jake's jaunty Dixieland diddy, "I'm On A Boat." And it comes right out of nowhere. "Ooooh, I'm on a boat with a couple of wackos, Shaking mah hips and dippin' mah fat toe in the wadaaah... Dippin' in the waddah, this party's gettin' hottah, It's so hot it's stupid!"
10** In "Lemonhope Part 2", Princess Bubblegum is singing a cheerful tune talking about how Lemonhope will be the savior of his lemon people, only for the song to be done [[spoiler: over Lemonhope walking through the desolate ruins of Ooo a thousand years in the future, the Candy Kingdom as a bombed-out ruin of a formerly thriving metropolis, the Ice Kingdom nowhere to be seen, Lemon Castle looking like it was abandoned shortly after Lemonhope left, and him ultimately climbing into a bed after turning off his biosuit, presumably to die from old age]].
11** Finn's [[MadnessMantra up beat tune]] in [[Recap/AdventureTimeS6E4TheTower The Tower]]: ''Baby's building a tower into space/ Space is were he's gonna find dad/ [[SanitySlippage 'Cause Daddy's got an arm/ And baby's gonna harm his arm/ By tearing it off of his dad]]''
12* A very good example is the end of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irbFBgI0jhM the short film]] ''WesternAnimation/{{Alma}}''. [[spoiler: The character has her soul transferred into a doll and another doll is made for the next victim.]] All of this is scored to very cheery music.
13* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'':
14** "The Nuisance": The Wattersons [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext transform into real people after becoming model citizens]]. [[TransformationHorror Bones crack, faces break, body parts twist themselves into all manner of unnatural shapes]] and the family spends the entire sequence screaming in vain for the dreadful pain to stop. But it's the peaceful music playing throughout the scene that cements the horror.
15** "The Roots": The Wattersons believe Darwin wants to leave their family and return to the water. They drive him to the lake with tears flooding down their heartbroken faces while listening to the "Happy Day" song on the radio.
16** "The Vegging": Gumball and Darwin remain adamant that they're going to spend their day vegging out despite all the shocking developments the universe throws their way. When they at least decide to use wheeled desk chairs to move closer to where their family is in peril, Gumball hatches an idea [[InsaneTrollLogic to let the rotation of the Earth move their chairs for them]]. Overly dramatic music plays as they sit on their chairs and ''nothing happens''.
17** "The Nest": Upbeat music (not unlike "The Gremlin Rag" from ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'') plays as the Evil Turtle's babies wreak havoc all across Elmore.
18* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'':
19** The episode "The Kidney Stays in the Picture": "Before you can react, a man in a ski mask'll tie you to a chair with an Indian braided belt he got on vacation in Santa Fe. He'll turn on some Huey Lewis...and then cut the damn thing out with a rusty keyhole saw!"
20** We'd be terribly remiss if we neglected to mention [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rlzgmr_9sPA this gem]] from "Roy Rogers [=McFreely=]". A dangerous car chase between Roger, and Stan-Terry-and-Greg... [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext set to a relaxed ballad about dogs and cats, sung in Spanish.]]
21* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'': Happens in episode three. [[spoiler:After blowing up the warehouse with her improvised hextech explosive monkey, Powder and the rest of characters in the scene are thrown back by the resulting explosion. The soundtrack that accompanies the entire sequence is a hauntingly beautiful set of strings and a choir singing as the scene unfolds in slow-motion, underscoring Powder's subtle wonder and admiration for the sheer destructive power of what she's unleashed, and {{Foreshadowing}} Jinx's own love of explosions and mayhem.]]
22* In the episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' where Buster comes back from being absent for half a season and finds himself locked out from everyone, the guest narrator, a singing moose played by Art Garfunkel, sings at one point (in a happy upbeat tone) "He's a sad, sad bunny/ A sad, sad bunny..." to which Buster yells "Hey, that isn't sad music!". The narrator quickly changes his tone and tempo to a depressing one.
23* The big GrandFinale of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' reaches the climax of its [[CainAndAbel Zuko and Azula]] subplot when the two challenge each other to one final Agni Kai. We expect some epic, fast-paced music to start, but instead, the melody that greets us is a very sad-sounding, slow, beautiful piece called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ksy1kWdu9Rs&list=PL6DE1786CC810D0A9&index=38 The Last Agni Kai]]".
24** Before Amon [[WeInterruptThisProgram interrupts a radio broadcast to make an announcement]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' episode "The Voice in the Night", there's a short scene where Korra is calmly practicing her airbending forms, all while ragtime music is playing on the radio. However, during Amon's announcement, the ominous music that plays in the background [[AvertedTrope fits all too well]].
25* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBackyardigans'', each episode has a different genre for its songs and background music, which is rarely the one you'd expect from the episode's setting. "Riding the Range" set to hip-hop, or "Match on Mt. Olympus" set to samba, are such examples of that.
26* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' has a truly wonderful soundtrack.
27** One of the happiest, cheeriest themes heard frequently throughout the series is a upbeat flute-played tune that would be right at home in a circus... which also happens to be [[MonsterClown the Joker]]'s theme music. He sometimes [[DiegeticSoundtrackUsage whistles it]].
28** The Penguin's theme sounds nasty and threatening...which is a bit strange, since this version of the character is quite soft-spoken and at times AffablyEvil -- not the quacking maniac we remember from Creator/BurgessMeredith and Creator/DannyDeVito portrayals.
29** Poison Ivy's theme is soft, dreamlike and chimey. This is a woman who regularly murders people in the most sadistic ways she can think of.
30** And on another note, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4RvzmuDfYE the Italian intro]].
31** There's also the episode "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE8TheForgotten The Forgotten]]". Gotham City is a steel-clad, faux-1940s metropolis, so you'd expect to hear overly dramatic classical music (which we do) or else jazz and/or showtunes (which we sometimes do). But in this episode the action shifts to some sort of arid, rocky landscape out west (could be South Dakota, or maybe Wyoming) so that Batman can capture some corrupt hicks who have kidnapped and enslaved homeless people in order to mine gold. The hicks' theme is as "frontier" as all-get-out, with rapidly-played harmonicas and a booming basso guitar straight out of a Western movie.
32** The early Joker episode "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE4TheLastLaugh The Last Laugh]]" has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEEYhJ4iVTs a rather minimalist soundtrack]]: a drum machine straight out of a really dark hip-hop video, with the Joker's regular theme interrupting throughout. [[HellIsThatNoise It's actually very unsettling]].
33** "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE11BabyDoll Baby-Doll]]" has a bright and happy TV sitcom theme playing at certain points. But then we learn that the star of the show has become a psychopath.
34* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'': In "Drones", Beavis's confession to Butt-Head about being drugged, raped, thrown under a bridge and intimidated into silence by a school grief counselor is set to Music/Deadmau5's peppy dance music "Ghosts 'n' Stuff".
35* In ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', the original music for the beast's death scene was [[CutSong rejected]] because it sounded too cheery.
36* In the ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' episode "It's Not Easy Being Gwen", Gwen's friend Emily plays Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu while [[spoiler:Ben, Gwen, and Kevin defeat Dr. Animo]]. That's five minutes of laser beams and explosions set to classical piano music.
37* ''WesternAnimation/BigCityGreens'':
38** The series itself has the upbeat and cheerful ending theme "Do It All Again", which is about Cricket getting in various disasters throughout his day.
39** The first episode "Welcome Home" has a montage of the Greens struggling to get around Big City, which is set to the cheerful and upbeat "Today is A-OK", which is about spending a great day with friends.
40* ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' is very fond of this trope. One memorable example involves peaceful nature music (specifically Morning Mood from ''Theatre/PeerGynt'') being played while savage vegetable-piranha hybrids began to rip each other apart as their gooey remains splattered across the room which would surely affect the mood no matter the time of day. Another episode played the same music as the title character is tossed off a cliff.
41** During the "Night of the Weremole" dr. Vindaloo examines Muriel who has been infected and promptly turns into a Weremole. She then gobbles up the Doctor and starts thrashing him around. While not inherently funny it can become so in a dark way, thanks to a combination of the doctor's obliviousness, the abruptness of her maw opening and Courage's terror, but what makes it just hilarious is the serenade No 13 from Mozart's short night music (or more accurately serenade music) in the background, while the night is sure to be anything but short.
42** One of the best examples of this trope ''[[Administrivia/TropesAreTools ever]]'' comes in "Human Habitrail", where Doc Gerbil and Courage have a goofy ChaseScene on boats through a bleak landscape. Instead of wacky cartoon music, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOKYwnpe57A the scene]] is scored to a [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic hauntingly beautiful]] OneWomanWail that can barely be put into words in the same way that the ridiculousness of the situation is juxtaposed to the drama that the characters face. The end result is...[[SurrealHorror unsettling.]]
43* ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'' uses this trope quite frequently, especially in montages. Examples include the happy lighthearted tune that plays while the human race is being wiped out by aliens in "Dirty Pranking No. 2", and the song "Winner Takes It All", which understandably plays during Captain Hero's big AIDS-Walk competition... while he is brutally murdering all of the participants.
44* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'''s "Time Keeps on Slipping" has a pretty sad ending, but it also ends with the song "Sweet Georgia Brown", which is not exactly the saddest song in the world. Mind you, Bender was whistling it rather wistfully and slowly, and it had a cool echo effect that made it sound all alone in the universe.
45** ''Futurama'' additionally parodied the one in ''Dr. Strangelove'' in the episode "A Big Piece of Garbage" by also playing "We'll Meet Again" when a giant ball of garbage that destroyed another one is implied to eventually come back to destroy the Earth in the same way the first one did.
46** Then there was the episode which continued this trend, ending on a song with the line "[[Film/TheUmbrellasOfCherbourg I will wait for you [=/=] for a thousand summers]]", which twisted the theme of ironic end themes in that this one is played straight -- the ending of the episode revealed that [[spoiler:after Fry was frozen, his dog was [[UsefulNotes/{{Hachiko}} so loyal that he literally waited for him, in the same spot, every day until he died]]]].
47*** [[spoiler:[[TheMovie Oh,]] [[CosmicRetcon really?]]]]
48* El MaƱana by {{Music/Gorillaz}} is a slow, peaceful song, and the video for it has [[{{Moe}} Noodle]] sitting on a windmill in the clouds, surrounded by greenery and looking pretty chilled out. [[spoiler: Then helicopters arrive and start shooting at her, sinking the island and [[WhamEpisode apparently killing her]].]] Cloud of Unknowing, whilst being very sombre in tone, also has a very violent video.
49* In ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw'', as Harvey is being prepared for his execution in "Deadomutt" the song "It Is Such A Good Night" is played.
50* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'': In the second episode, "[[Recap/InvaderZimS1E2BestestFriend Bestest Friend]]", the titular invader attempts to befriend a human in order to appear more normal. Cue a dastardly montage of Zim abusing said friend set to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlt2SEsz8cU&list=PLBA0415B54F3DF2F8 ridiculously upbeat music]].
51* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': "Maid of Honor", Part 2. Franchise/{{Batman}} and Franchise/WonderWoman fight the [[{{Ruritania}} Kasnian]] military to wedding music.
52* ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'''s Merrie Melodies musical segments are usually upbeat and fun (in most cases), but the intro theme to these segments is a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28L4OtH26ck very strange, off-key and dissonant version of "Merrily We Roll Along,"]] something you usually wouldn't expect to hear in front of silly or cheerful musical segments...
53* The song played in the cartoon ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy-a_cZxq3I Monkey Love]]'' is called "[[http://www.huapala.org/Tahiti/Vahine_Anamite.html Vahine Anamite]]", a song written by Eddie Lund about Indo-Chinese women working so very hard in Tahiti... and it's played in a story about InterspeciesRomance with a sailor and the monkey princess! Really?
54* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'':
55** The Meaps' song in "Meapless in Seattle" definitely counts:
56--->We we we we (whee!)\
57Are going to war (We're going to war!)\
58We're going to war (We're going to war!)\
59We we we we (whee!)\
60Are going to war (We're going to war!)\
61We're going to war (We're going to war!)\
62De- de- de- de- de- de- de-\
63Destroy our enemies!\
64La- la- la- la- la- la- la-\
65Let's bring them to their knees!
66** In the episode "Interview with a Platypus" while Candace is being chased by a herd of angry animals, accompanied by an upbeat song called "Perfect Day".
67** "Rollercoaster: The Musical!" gives us the wild and upbeat "Rollercoaster" song as Phineas, Ferb, and the neighborhood kids ride the Coolest Coaster Ever, all while most of the passengers except P&F themselves (Isabella included), look obviously nervous and frightened.
68* In the ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' episode "Karaoke Video", Pops is onstage at a karaoke bar singing the title song from ''{{Film/Footloose}}'' when a bar brawl suddenly breaks out - he keeps singing obliviously as his performance becomes the soundtrack to the fight.
69* A humorous example occurs in the ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' episode "Pranksters": When Heffer's rocket makes its way to China, Scottish bagpipe music plays in lieu of Chinese music.
70* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'': An InUniverse example occurs in the episode "Let Them Eat Cake," where the organist absent-mindedly plays "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during a wedding. When she sees the confusion of the congregation, she realizes her mistake and plays [[LohengrinAndMendelssohn the correct tune]].
71* Most likely the biggest offender was ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooWhereAreYou'', during season two, songs were added to chase sequences. The only problem was that the songs had absolutely nothing to do with what was going on screen. This was parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' episode "Interview with a Platypus" as mentioned above.
72* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
73** The show's upbeat, bouncy theme tune can sometimes come off as this when it plays over the credits of an episode that ends on a DownerEnding or BlackComedy moment.
74** In "War of The Simpsons", the morning after Homer makes a fool of himself after getting drunk at a party, Marge drags him into the car and puts on a tape of Mexican Hat Dance and turns up the volume:
75--->'''Marge:''' I wanna make sure the kids don't hear. When I was young, I always hated knowing my parents were fighting.\
76''(cut back to Bart, Lisa, and Maggie who are staring out the front window with concerned expressions on their faces)''\
77'''Bart:''' ''(forebodingly)'' They're fighting in the car again...\
78'''Lisa:''' That music always sends a chill up my spine.
79** Done again in Homer's hallucination in the episode "The Fat and the Furriest". Where the Intensive Care Bear puts on Mexican Hat Dance just before all the bears prepare to tear him apart.
80** This also shows up in "Trash of the Titans". After Homer crashes a Music/{{U2}} concert and rushes the stage, the band's security guards drag him backstage and give him a Jumbotron-projected beating as the band plays "(Pride) In the Name of Love".
81** In "Mother Simpson" Mr. Burns starts playing "Music/RideOfTheValkyries" on his cassette player for a raid on the Simpsons home only for it cut to "Waterloo" by Music/{{ABBA}}--which Smithers taped over the original recording--and they commence without turning the music off.
82** An in-universe example comes when Otto proposes to his girlfriend while playing [[Music/{{Poison}} "Every Rose Has Its Thorn"]]--which is a BreakupSong. Either [[TheStoner Otto doesn't realize this]] or he cared more about playing a song he liked than one that made sense. It's little wonder that their wedding was cancelled with him literally choosing music over her.
83** In "Marge on the Lam" Ruth Powers prepares for a thrill-seeking night of pushing Marge's boundaries and slams a cassette into her car stereo, only for it to start playing Lesley Gore's "Sunshine, Lollypops and Rainbows". She quickly corrects it to the intended song - Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle". Later on Chief Wiggum also sets up some music for a gritty car chase, and again comes up with "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows". In this case this is apparently the exact song that he intended.
84** [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in "Blame It on Lisa". When the rest of the family ride a cable car to meet Homer's kidnappers to pay his ransom, Marge says that the tension is killing her so Bart tries to add to the ambience by BreakingTheFourthWall and putting on some Samba music. Marge disapproves of his choice as it's making light of the situation, so Bart then changes it to a more fitting score to which Marge and Lisa agree.
85** In "Dog Of Death", [[TheLudovicoTechnique Mr. Burns turns Santa's Little Helper into an attack dog]] by showing him footage of dogs getting abused accompanied by "Ode To Joy".
86* In ''WesternAnimation/SnoopyComeHome'', Schroeder plays "It's a Long Way to Tipperary", typically a rather happy song, while accompanying the [[EverybodyCries Peanuts gang crying]] over Snoopy leaving them forever.
87* ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'': The opening depicts Robotnik's conquest and roboticization of Mobotropolis while a BraggingThemeTune keeps going on about how cool and fast Sonic is.
88* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':
89** The episode "You Got F'd in the A" had a particularly hilarious usage of the trope: all through the episode, {{Butt|Monkey}}ers has nightmares about the last time he tap-danced (he accidentally killed eleven people). At the end, he pulls through and joins the dance group for South Park: he tap dances fine, until he accidentally kills their opponents. This means the South Park boys win and he is hailed as a hero, all while crying "[[BigNo No... no... NOOOOOO!]]" The same song plays both in his flashback and the end credits: a cheery, if somewhat DoubleEntendre-laced jazz song, "There's Something In My Front Pocket".
90** Professor Chaos' [[PokeThePoodle pitiful attempts at committing evil]] are only made all the funnier by the genuinely sinister and dramatic orchestral {{Leitmotif}} accompanying his schemes.
91** "Medicinal Fried Chicken" has an InUniverse example when Randy Marsh deliberately gives himself a grotesquely severe case of testicular cancer so he can get his hands on medical marijuana. As soon as the doctor gives him a prescription, the episode cuts to Randy walking to the dispensary with his pumpkin-sized balls in a wheelbarrow, belting out Music/BobMarley's upbeat song "Buffalo Soldier" all the while.
92* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "Plankton", where Plankton carries around a record player which he uses to play dramatic music to accompany his EvilLaugh. At one point, he stars the music and starts laughing before realising he has turned on a children's alphabet song, which is quickly remedied by playing the other side of the record.
93* Almost every episode of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' ends with the triumphant theme tune booming out as the credits play - even if the episode [[DownerEnding left things on a total downer]], as they were [[CerebusSyndrome wont to do in the later seasons]]. The last three {{season finale}}s, however, [[AvertedTrope avert this trope]] by playing softer scores intended to match the tone.
94* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
95** In the episode "Future Vision", Steven's panicky {{imagine spot}}s about the various ways he could get killed are accompanied by a jaunty jazz piano tune called "Death Rag".
96** In "Gem Drill", Steven and Peridot are drilling down to destroy [[EarthShatteringKaboom the Cluster]]. When Steven announces he wishes he'd brought music with him, Peridot puts on incredibly cheery elevator music. That's right before the drill is attacked by Gem mutants.
97** In "Everything's Fine," the majority of the episode has Steven in a manic state that is PlayedForLaughs, accompanied by a cheery chiptune melody. When the episode returns to being serious when the gems confront him on his mental health, Steven is still in a manic state, and it is still accompanied by the chiptune melody.
98* The ''WesternAnimation/StreetFighter'' animated series episode "The Medium is the Message" features a slow build to an upbeat, heroic fanfare. Said fanfare plays while [[BigBad M. Bison]] is [[BigYes exclaiming his joy]] at what he thinks is the heroes' imminent doom.
99* ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'':
100** In the episode "Lessons in Love", the protagonists are fighting a gigantic alien when an upbeat 80s rock song named "Space Age Love Song" by A Flock of Seagulls plays.
101** The episode "Elephant Logic" features a happy-go-lucky children's song that plays when the main protagonists are under attack by military soldiers.
102* The song in ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'' that is sung over scenes where Tarzan's parents and Kala and Kerchak's biological son are both killed by a leopard. It's an upbeat song by Music/PhilCollins. To its credit, it does slow down at the appropriate moment.
103* The ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' cartoon "Out of Odor" ends with happy upbeat music. While [[CreatorsPet/WesternAnimation Elmyra]] might have liked the ending, [[EnsembleDarkhorse/WesternAnimation Fifi]] didn't and noted it stinks.[[note]]Bear in mind, though, that it's the same upbeat music that's played at the beginning of some episodes, including the one that some fans claim "Out of Odor" takes place before: "Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow".[[/note]]
104* In "WesternAnimation/BlueCatBlues", an old ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' cartoon, the music is the gentle, endearing sounds of a past age you'd expect from Creator/HannaBarbera 'toons of the day. Even the maudlin pieces sound more cute than tragic. The piece opens with Tom waiting for a train as he sits on the tracks, heartbroken over a woman. Jerry narrates, and refuses to help Tom, his best friend in this 'toon. He even says, "For the first time since he met her, I suppose he'll be happy.... I suppose people will say I should have helped him, I know, but it's better this way." Cue flashbacks to Tom's failed romance, which drives him to drink milk. Jerry later finds out his girl married another, and joins Tom on the tracks. Tom ''makes room for Jerry to commit suicide right next to him.'' Cue train whistle, fade to black, and cheery outro music. That's right, a blatant reference to alcohol abuse and a double suicide in a ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon.
105* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' episode "The Golden Lagoon", as Beachcomber sits glumly staring at the beautiful lagoon a recent battle destroyed and laments [[PyrrhicVictory "We won..."]] while the other Autobots celebrate more typically, the standard cheery and upbeat-sounding "Autobot Victory!" music plays.
106* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' is known for using this trope quite often in several moments in the show.
107** Phantom Limb murdering a customer of his by electrocution, set to classical piano music.
108** In "I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills", Dr Orpheus and Myra are fighting each other while Dr. Venture is in the car with acoustic guitar music playing on the radio.
109** Dr. Orpheus's has overly dramatic background music that will often play when he makes an entrance.
110* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': The ColdOpen of "Pretty, Pretty Dresses" has Bill suddenly weeping drinking with his friends in the alley, which is accompanied by an instrumental version of "Sleigh Ride", [[CrappyHolidays hinting at what to expect in this Christmas episode]].

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