History Main / MorphicResonance

Named after a not-so-popular hypothesis by biologist Rupert Sheldrake, in which the forms of organisms are imprinted upon "morphic fields", which in turn influence the forms of subsequent organisms (at least, before the term was hijacked by science-fiction authors to name this trope's concept), and for that see LamarckWasRight. May be brought upon by being subject to a ForcedTransformation. If the retained traits are indicative of an evil nature, see also RedRightHand. See also ShapeshifterDefaultForm, and ShapeshiftingExcludesClothing. Contrast FisherKingdom. If the eyes are a major or sole link between a character's forms, it can overlap with EyeDentityGiveaway.

* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfPinocchio'': Near the end, Pinocchio (now a real boy) tricks Volpe and Felinet (two humans) into drinking a water charm to win many gold coins, [[spoiler:and as a result Volpe and Felinet become [[MythologyGag a Fox and a Cat]]]].

* [[MorphicResonance/AnimatedFilms Films — Animation]]

* ''[[Film/SiebenZwerge 7 Zwerge -- Der Wald ist nicht genug]]'': Rumplestilkin retains his prominent facial mole while shapeshifting. Strangely, no-one is able to recognize him while shapeshifted, despite it being the DistinguishingMark of his normal form.

* ''Series/GoodOmens2019'': When the demon Crowley transforms from a snake into human form, he still has [[AnimalEyes slitted pupils]] and his red hair and black clothes mirror his snake form's red and black coloring.

* ''Film/Cinderella2015'': The animals that the Fairy Godmother transforms into humans all retain some animal-like attributes (green skin and pointy teeth on the lizards, for example), with their clothing also reflecting said animal's colors.

* ''Film/SkyHigh2005'': Magenta has black hair and wears purple clothing in human form. Her guinea pig form is black with purple streaks, and a high, squeaky voice.

* ''Film/TheWitches1990'': When Bruno and Luke are turned into mice, their colours vaguely resemble their hair in human form. Bruno is dark-haired, and becomes a dark mouse; Luke's mouse form is pale ginger, like his human hair.

* In ''Fanfic/BreathOfTheWild'', a fanmade novelization of the [[Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild namesake videogame]], Link has recurring dreams of the Hero's Shade, who is accompanied by different wolves in a SpiritWorld. [[spoiler: They're all different Heroes of Hyrule, and each one has unique features that reference different Links in different games]]. Here are the four described, two of which Link gives a nickname.

* ''Film/JumanjiWelcomeToTheJungle'': The Jumanji board game shapeshifts into a video game console in order to get people to keep playing it, because board games were becoming passe. Just as the original board game had an old-fashioned appearance in contrast to more modern games of its type, being a wooden box that opened up to reveal the game inside, the console it takes the form of resembles a [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames second-generation]] machine, ''a la'' the Platform/Atari2600 or the Platform/{{Intellivision}}, with wood paneling and cartridges in contrast to the [[ProductPlacement contemporary PlayStation machines]] of both [[v/PlayStation 1996]] and [[Platform/PlayStation4 2017]].

* ''Film/JumanjiWelcomeToTheJungle'': The Jumanji board game shapeshifts into a video game console in order to get people to keep playing it, because board games were becoming passe. Just as the original board game had an old-fashioned appearance in contrast to more modern games of its type, being a wooden box that opened up to reveal the game inside, the console it takes the form of resembles a [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames second-generation]] machine, ''a la'' the UsefulNotes/Atari2600 or the UsefulNotes/{{Intellivision}}, with wood paneling and cartridges in contrast to the [[ProductPlacement contemporary PlayStation machines]] of both [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation 1996]] and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 2017]].

* In [[https://www.deviantart.com/misakiyu misakiyu]]'s illustrations of [[https://www.deviantart.com/slifofinadragon SlifofinaDragon]]'s ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' fanfics, Date Masamune and Katakura Kojuro change into a horse and a panther respectively from potions brewed by [[HotWitch Kyogoku Maria]], they retain some of their human features (such as their eyebrows) with Masamune's hairstyle as a mane and Kojuro keeping his scar.

** ''ComicBook/PlasticMan'': Plastic Man can become almost anything, but keeps his colors. Whether or not he has to keep his goggles and other facial features depends on the writer and/or medium. His power is actually being semi-fluid and he is therefore able to stretch/contort into the shape of anything. He does not actually turn into the thing. There is a JLA comic where Plastic Man turned into an aeroplane that could actually fly. And, with tremendous effort, he once turned the tip of his nose blue. Of course, this particular trait has gotten him caught out a few times, such as when he [[http://comiccoverage.typepad.com/comic_coverage/images/2007/05/21/jla_33_2.jpg disguised himself as a dress to be worn by Big Barda.]] Averted during Creator/GrantMorrison's run on JLA when Plastic Man managed to successfully disguise himself as the Joker, turning his skin white, his hair green and his costume purple.
** ''ComicBook/SupermansPalJimmyOlsen2019'': Due to a mix-up with a DNA injection, Jimmy gets turned into a human-sized [[MythologyGag turtle]]. Despite losing all other human characteristics, he keeps his red hair.

** The [[https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Impossible_Man_(Earth-616) Impossible Man]] character and all the other Popuppians. He can [[ShapeShifting shapechange]] into different forms but always keeps his green and purple coloration. This is, in fact, how he lost a ShapeshifterShowdown once. After trying to impress each other with a wide variety of assumed shapes for the entire issue, his opponent [[ComicBook/NewMutants Warlock]] (with a little help from his teammates, who felt the whole thing was getting out of hand) hit upon the idea of ''changing color'', which he could do and Impy couldn't.
%%** ''ComicBook/Marvel1602'': Virginia Dare is loosely based on the legend that she could turn into a white deer.

* ''ComicBook/{{Hound|2014}}'': Morrigan is a hooded crow in animal form and a dark-haired beautiful woman in human form. Her unique font and balloon style also extends to her Fomorian guise of Calatin at times.