Sweet Dreams Fuel / Film

Film — Animated

• Arlo the Alligator Boy is a cute animated film of a cute, loveable half-human alligator boy that goes on a road trip and meets a bunch of weird quirky characters filled with original pop/r&b songs.
• The Barbie films are full of positive messages and heartwarming characters, as well as some funny ones (including hilarious villains). They are also full of cute animals and very pretty color schemes. They end quite happily, on very heartwarming and hopeful notes.
  • Special mention goes to The Princess and the Pauper, billed as the first Barbie musical. The main characters are endearing, and the songs reflect the sheer *joy* in their voices. It’s like you can hear them smiling as they sing, and you can’t help but do the same.
• Coraline gained a notorious reputation for its Nightmare Fuel (Courtesy of the Other Mother), but it isn't a fright-fest as one is led to believe. A very understated aspect of the film is just how cute, funny and whimsical it is outside of that respect, especially after everything works out for the better come the end. The game is even more heartwarming.
• The Disney Animated Canon features beautifully animated movies with sweeping soundtracks, lovable and relatable characters, and an idealistic, romantic viewpoint of the world, so it naturally has a lot of this. Examples include:
  • Aladdin: Aladdin and Jasmine's magic carpet ride is enough to make your heart soar; ditto, the friendship between the titular street rat and the Genie.
  • Bambi brings in the concept of heartwarming birth, and The Lion King (1994), which also uses such a concept, has the song "The Circle of Life", which can be very heartwarming.
  • If you get past the death scene and the whole "Baymax destroy" bit, Big Hero 6 is so sweet and cute. Bonus points goes to Honey Lemon, a girl who's so peppy and uplifting that she might possibility make all the Disney Princesses look so average and bland, and Baymax, the adorably chubby Gentle Giant robot you just want to hug. Balalala!
  • If you really want an example of this, please watch the (incredibly underrated) Disney film Bolt. In short, we get a beginning consisting of the main character as a puppy being adopted by Penny as an adorable little girl and Bolt going across the entire country with two other incredibly adorable animals in tow just because he loves his person so much, in the middle a montage of him doing adorable dog stuff as he gains his identity (all while they're bonding and a happy country/pop song is playing in the background), and at the end we get to see all the main characters happily living together in a saccharine animation style and an incredibly sweet pop song. It is a testament to both Moment of Awesome and Heartwarming Moment.
  • Disney's Dinosaur, as it follows an iguanadon who gets adopted by a family of lemurs and later goes on an adventure to find a lush and nurturing land in a strikingly similar fashion to another animated dinosaur.
  • The Disney Fairies films themselves, Because Tinker Bell is cute and has Character Development unlike her Peter Pan counterpart and she also has five friends and a sister she didn't know she had, which also doubles as Major Sweet Dream Fuel.
    • Tinker Bell from start to finish. From the adorable and funny story about a fairy struggling to go to the mainland, to the very emotional ending when Tinker Bell finally goes to the Mainland.
    • Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure may be a little mean-spirited sometimes, but aside from that, this is still a very heartwarming story about Tinker Bell going to Neverland to find the Treasure that will fix the moonstone. The ending takes it up to eleven when the light from the Moon hits the jewel in the center just so it reflects to all the Moonstone shards and shines even more light on the Pixie Dust than it usually would! Not to mention the Visual Effects of Awesome from seeing all the blue pixie dust rain down.
    • Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue. Imagine if you take ending of the first film and stretch into a full-length movie. This is what happens. The bond that Tinker Bell and Lizzie form throughout the movie is nothing short of heartwarming, especially when the little girl actually gives Tink the option to leave when she asked to. It's the best Disney Fairies movie by fans and for good reason.
  • The Emperor's New Groove. Cute, funny, and so uplifting you won't care if it doesn't make sense. It has a great feel to it and it's near-impossible to watch it and not like it.
  • The "Pastoral Symphony" segment of the original Fantasia. Values Dissonance aside, it feels almost like an Ancient Grome version of Equestria set to Ludwig van Beethoven's sweeping Sixth Symphony.
  • Frozen in spite of its title, will probably warm your heart. It will also make you cry. If Young-Anna and Young-Elsa playing doesn't give you the warm fuzzies, the sisters reconciling at the end will.
  • Disney's adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame has a lot of dark moments and Nightmare Fuel in the form of the villain Frollo, but it balances out with sympathetic and loveable protagonists, gorgeous animation, amazing songs, and it explores some deep concepts in a way kids can still understand. There's a reason it provides the page image for Heartwarming Moments.
  • Lady and the Tramp had the tagline "...and now his HAPPIEST motion picture!" and it lives up to this so, so much. The dogs are cute (and rendered in the typically beautiful hand-drawn animation of old-school Disney). They face some peril and adversity, but the only antagonists are of the One-Scene Wonder variety and not the kind seen in other Disney movies. They eat spaghetti while the chef serenades them. And eventually they give birth to adorable puppies.
  • Lilo & Stitch is about a little girl befriending an adorable yet mischievous alien and teaching it the meaning of family. In addition to the film's optimistic tone, nearly all the main characters are fun and quirky. Two of the minor villains are even redeemed.
  • Meet the Robinsons is a very underappreciated gem and the inspiration for many an idealistic, if not realistic dream of the future. Blue skies and Ghibli Hills are awesome. Don't forget the house of the future.
    • The future has indeed arrived.
  • The scene from Oliver & Company where Fagan reads to the dogs and they fall asleep. Plus the song "Good Company" will give you the fuzzies.
  • Tangled. Of note are the scenes where Rapunzel gets out of the tower for the first time, running about singing about how wonderful it is, and the festival where she drags in a bunch of complete strangers to dance with her.
    • Flynn/Eugene and Rapunzel's relationship is W.A.F.F. incarnate, especially with their duet "I See The Light", which is probably one of the most spectacularly beautiful sequences Disney has ever made.
    • The whole movie is a sweet dream, even with the appearances of Mother Gothel. It's a great, fun, heartwarming and cute little movie.
  • Wreck-It Ralph, even with the appearances of Turbo and the King Candy Cy-Bug, this is still a heartwarming, funny, awesome, and wonderful animated movie with a massive emotional punch to it. It also has one of the most beautiful and memorable Like Brother and Sister relationships of all time, and the ending may probably cause tears of joy.
  • Zootopia, with its beautiful if complex message of diversity and acceptance, its beautiful scenery, and the friendship between Nick and Judy.
• Pretty much every Don Bluth film qualifies as this (yes, including the less popular ones). While they are well known for their dark and sad moments, they make up for it with lovable characters, beautiful animation, and happy endings.
  • The Secret of NIMH is considered one of his darkest films yet, and for good reason, but the protagonist Mrs. Brisby just cares so much about her family, and always puts them before her, and it has a wonderful soundtrack provided by Jerry Goldsmith.
  • An American Tail stars a cast of lovable anthropomorphic mice, and while it is very depressing for the most part, it still manages to have plenty of Heartwarming Moments, as well as memorable songs and a wonderful message on not giving up.
  • The Land Before Time, typical of a Don Bluth film, has its tragic moments, but it balances it with some of the most beautiful portrayals of maternal and filial love ever shown on film. The soundtrack only makes it all the more heartwarming...
    • The many sequels take the adorable-ness up to eleven with their catchy, upbeat songs, new stories, and many new lovable characters.
  • All Dogs Go to Heaven is another one of his darker films, but like the previous three films, still has plenty of likable characters, amazing music, and of course, a heartwarming ending; the main character Charlie ends up in heaven.
• Ernest et Célestine: With hand drawn, storybook-style animation, this movie tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a gruff, struggling bear and a plucky little mouse from the world below, as they go from reluctant allies to closer than family. Every single frame is gorgeous to look at, and the relationship between the title characters is so sweet and sincere, it's impossible not to watch the whole thing with a big, goofy grin.
• The Grinch (2018): The Grinch is much nicer than his other two counterparts here, and if you can get past his major Tear Jerker backstory, it's absolutely adorable. It also doesn't hurt that everyone gets a Happy Ending.
• Horton Hears a Who! (2008) from start to finish. From the adorable and funny story about an elephant struggling to get his miniscule Who-ville on a clover to safety, to the lovable and colorful characters, to the epic Sudden Musical Ending where they all sing REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling", this movie, based on the book by Dr. Seuss, will have you smiling all throughout.
• How to Train Your Dragon. Basically any scene with Toothless is this but especially the scene where he and Hiccup bond for the first time and definitely the ending.
• Igor is a family-friendly riff on the monster movie genre, complete with a not-so mindless igor, a not-so monstrous monster, a not-so brainy Brain in a Jar, and very Ugly Cute character designs.

• The LEGO Movie makes tropers in their college age feel like a ten year old again, and it's probably one of the funniest and best animated movies ever made.
  • Uni-Kitty. She's a pink fluffy unicorn princess kitty filled with such sugary sweetness to make anyone smile.
• The Magician's Hat: Try doing a youtube search for "Thistle sings" - the song, the voice and the imagery is truly sweet (and has considerably fewer gawky forest creatures than its prequel). But the Heartwarming Moment comes at the end when the aforementioned Magician defeats the film's bad guy but in the process ends up being another victim of said bad guy's freezing curse (and due to the timing is not freed by the curser's death) and the Fairy Queen, who has come to reciprocate his affection is able to remove the curse with her tears.
• The Nightmare Before Christmas: All the characters are absolutely adorable and a lot of the songs are dangerously catchy. The finale where Jack and Sally have their ending duet is a Heartwarming Moment and if that's not a high note for a movie to end on, then what is? It's one of the very best films for Halloween, and with good reason.
• The Peanuts Movie is another one of those films that makes college-age tropers feel like little kids again, thanks in no small part to the lush visuals, faithfulness to the source material, and reusing of the old Snoopy soundbites. There's also the "Better When I'm Dancin" music video that has the Peanuts characters dancing to the song alongside its performer, Meghan Trainor, via Roger Rabbit Effect.
• Every. Pixar. Film. Ever. Even if you can survive the heart wrenches, the heartwarming moments and lovable characters surely makeup for it. Stand outs being the Toy Story franchise, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, WALL•E, Up, Inside Out, Coco, Turning Red, and Elemental (2023)
• The Polar Express is all about a child rediscovering the magic of Christmas. "When Christmas Comes to Town" is a beautiful song, and the friendship between the main kids is super sweet.
• Rise of the Guardians. Pitch Black aside, this movie really brings back the magic that was felt all around you as a kid, back when you believed in things like Santa Claus. Brilliant characters, music, a touching plot and FANTASTIC special effects, it has brought about a ton of fans/"believers" of all ages.
• The Secret Life of Pets and its sequel are filled to the brim with Sweet Dreams Fuel, especially if you love animals. Special mentions goes to the ending of the first film, where all the humans come home to their pets set to "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers and in the second movie, the "puppy school" scene and any scene with Liam.
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Say want you want about Illumination, but this film is really great. It makes Mario fans feel like little kids again, because it's jam packed with heartwarming moments, funny moments, and awesome moments. It's one of the best video game movies on the big screen and with good reason.
• Yellow Submarine is built entirely on songs from The Beatles, where the ultimate message is that love will save the world. The psychedelic-inspired art design even makes it feel like something out of a dream.

Film — Live-Action

• Amélie, a beautiful little film that is essentially one big Heartwarming Moment that helps to restore faith that people aren't all that bad...
• The Back to the Future trilogy. Even though time travel can be pretty terrifying and tearjerking from time to time, it still proves that you can shape your own destiny. Plus it is filled to the brim with multiple levels of nostalgia-fueled goodness. It is the Trope Namer for The Power of Love.
• Barbie (2023), even with it being an Internal Deconstruction and Self-Parody of the Barbie dolls, the film still has no shortage of laugh-out-loud moments and surprisingly thought-provoking moments that make the film truly stand out. The film's message of proper equality and finding one's place and purpose in life is also very beautiful and heartwarming. All wrapped in a vibrant and gorgeous pink package filled with tons of Crowning Music of Awesome.
• Benny & Joon. A movie all about the healing power of love, and how there really is someone for everyone. Sam’s hilariousness just makes it all the sweeter.
• DC Extended Universe:
  • SHAZAM! (2019), not only is it the Lightest and Softest installment of the DCEU thus far, but it's also one of the happiest, most optimistic superhero films ever since Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movie. Featuring loads and loads of hilarious scenes like the titular hero giving a robber back his gun after realizing he's bulletproof ("Yeah, come on, shoot me again!"), pretending to be his foster brother's dad in school, and learning his superpowers to the tune of Don't Stop Me Now by Freddie Mercury. And by the end of the movie, his entire family of foster siblings gets a share of his superpowers as well. This film is guaranteed to leave audiences smiling for hours after the end credits roll. Special mention goes to Freddy Freeman. He's a disabled kid who fantasizes about being able to fly. A superpower Billy Batson struggles to get the hang of. When Freddy is empowered, guess what he can do without even trying?
    Freddy: I CAN FLY!
  • Zack Snyder's Justice League: Aside from the catharsis of watching a director's vision fully realized after being stifled by Executive Meddling, the film itself is a crucial stepping stone towards a Lighter and Softer world. Superman comes back from the dead, his new lease on life has made him a happier man and as Jor-El promised, Earth's finest have joined him in the Sun. Batman learns to have faith in the goodness of others after years of wallowing in despair. Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Martian Manunter witness the defenders of Earth united and fighting as one as the Age of Heroes returns. The Flash gets to prove to himself that he's one of the best of the best and Cyborg overcomes his self-loathing.
    Cyborg: I'm not broken and I'm not alone.
• The Disney Sing Along Songs video "Pongo and Perdita" is this if you love dogs. Special points go to "Hot Diggety Dog Ziggety Boom" which is just the kids in the video all having fun with their dogs and "The More We Get Together" where the kids and dogs leave the party and Pongo and Perdita and their pups go to bed. The instrumental version of the song that ends the tape just adds to the Sweet Dreams Fuel.
• Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas . About a poor otter trying to get a Christmas present for his mother, and vice versa, and the misunderstandings that happen along the way. A very sweet flick with equally sweet songs.
• Enchanted, as it follows a Disney Princess who winds up in our Real Life New York City and soon displays a sheer tendency to lighten the mood for those around her everywhere she goes.
• Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the most beautiful portrayals of The Anti-Nihilist's philosophy, and how powerful kindness, genuine support and love can be; especially when someone has emotional struggles. And did we also mention that it's also filled with lots of wacky comedy, while also providing tons of breathtaking action scenes?

  Protagonist Waymond: Please. Be kind. Especially when we don't know what's going on.

• Guardians of the Galaxy: When it's not making you cheer or making you laugh your ass off, pretty much all of the movie is this. What else do you call an adventurous band of True Companions jetting around the universe to a mix-tape of '70s pop hits? Or a friendly walking tree who gives flowers to children and conjures fireflies from his fingers? Or a space pirate forgiving his adopted son—with one wordless smile—after getting a troll doll as a gift? Or a baby potted plant dancing to the Jackson 5?
  • The Marvel Cinematic Universe can be this as a whole, for at least the entries made by Marvel Studios. Even with Darker and Edgier entries filled with Nightmare Fuel and Tear Jerkers, the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole is a fun-filled romp filled with badassery, all forms of humour and sweetness that even the darkest moments all work out in the end. The films show how the protagonists develop into better versions of themselves and become the heroes that the audience cheer for, that heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and that The Power of Friendship truly can conquer all.
• Guest from the Future, a children's Sci-Fi classic from 1980s Russia. The characters—both kids and grownups—are all likeable, especially Alisa, the future girl herself. She made a new generation interested in science and the future, and the actress, Natalia Guseva, became a scientist herself. And the theme music is always worth a listen if you want to feel good.
• Hairspray: While the 1988 version was good, the 2007 remake is pure Sweet Dreams Fuel, from the joyous dance numbers to its giddy optimism.
• Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky: Poppy's cheerfulness really rubs off on you. Unless you can't stand quirky happy people who joke a lot.
• Try, just try, to watch Sigur Rós' homecoming-tour documentary Heima without wanting to move to Iceland and just bask in a sea of ethereal post-rock, cable-knit sweaters, and geological anomalies forever.
• Hocus Pocus. If you can get past the occasional moments where it's weirdly dark for a family film, it's ultimately a 100% earnest and sincere story about the unconditional love between siblings—and it's centered around a teenager having the adventure of a lifetime on Halloween night with his crush, his precious kid sister, and their adorable talking cat sidekick. If you have fond memories of trick-or-treating on Halloween as a kid, this film will probably evoke some comforting childhood memories. Just watch if you don't believe us.
• Terry Pratchett's Hogfather. Even if you think all Christmas movies ever are sugar-iced, honey-coated, syrupy pieces of cheap tacky feelgood, this one will still manage to make you cry four to five times every time you watch it.
  • For example: Death himself, in the role of the Hogfather (Discworld's version of Santa), saving The Little Matchgirl.
• The end of It's a Wonderful Life looks cheesy and cliche if taken out of context, but taken with the rest of the film it makes excellent Christmas-flavored sweet dreams fuel. Many people owe their holiday warm fuzzies entirely to director Frank Capra.
• The Jurassic Park/World franchise:
  • Each of the Brachiosaurus scenes in the first film, including John Hammond and his visitors observing one specimen as she feasts from the nearby treetops, Dr. Alan Grant, Lex, and Tim observing an entire herd of them from within another treetop, and finally one of them sneezing all over each of the three aforementioned visitors are this trope at its finest, complete with John Williams' incredible score.
  • The very last shot of the second film before the end credits features the successfully reunited Tyrannosaurus rex family, a passing Stegosaurus herd, and finally a Pteranodon landing on a nearby tree branch and screeching to close out the film.
  • Even more so in the third film, with the "river cruise" scene where Dr. Alan Grant and the Kirbys steadly sail on by Isla Sorna's herbivorous residents shortly before the dreaded Spinosaurus emerges from underneath their boat and attacks them once again.
  • The "Gyrosphere Valley" from the fourth film features Isla Nublar's herbivorous residents going about their daily lives and basically nothing else until the Indominus rex breaks into it and starts killing them for sport.
  • The lone Stygimoloch and how Owen Grady and Claire Dearing both "adopt" Macie Lockwood in the fifth film also take this trope to incredible extremes with the former's charges and headbutts providing comedic relief and the middle two's "adoption" of the latter providing her with a chance to escape the Lockwood Manor and start a new life with them.
  • Beta's hilarious Droideka-style rolling while hunting a White Bunny, the successful rescue of a baby Nasutoceratops from black-market traders, and Rexy's final reunion with the Isla Sorna Tyrannosaurus rex couple in the sixth film all make for some of the most potent sources of this trope in the entire franchise.
• La La Land is one of the most beautiful films of The New '10s, and it's not hard to see why. It's an excellent homage to movie musicals of old. Special mention goes to the planetarium scene.
• Alfonso Cuarón's A Little Princess (1995), HEART Jerking not withstanding.
  • And the Shirley Temple version too. Heck, Shirley Temple was usually sweet dreams fuel incarnate.
• There is this little musical called Mamma Mia!; an hour and half of incredibly upbeat jukebox musical about a wedding almost-not-quite gone wrong. If you can get past the relatively-cheesy premise and writing (you're on this page, so you probably can)... there is no way you get out of watching this without grinning like an idiot.
• Mary Poppins. A spoonful of sugar really helps those nightmares go down.
• A Mighty Wind, with its colorful characters, incredible music (one of its songs was nominated for an Oscar!!) and all-around optimism.

• The Muppet Movie: Life is like a movie, write your own ending, keep believing, keep pretending... Any time you hear "The Rainbow Connection" your heart will smile.
  • The 2011 Disney film The Muppets. Especially for fans who grew up with The Muppet Show, when the telethon starts, and the Muppets start singing underneath the arches again, it's impossible to not be smiling.
  • Follow-up Muppets Most Wanted also has its sweet dreams fuel moments, such as the opening song (or just about ALL the songs), as well as some of the sillier and more well-acted moments. (Less sweet dreams inducing is the premise: Kermit being replaced by an evil doppelganger and all hell breaking loose.)
  • Really, just about ALL of the Muppet Movies are the epitome of joy. Whether they are going on an adventure to stop a jewel heist or sailing the seven seas, they are sure to make you smile with their fun songs, silly jokes, and likable characters.
• Though it contains scenes dealing with bigotry and violence, Paris Is Burning can be a hugely comforting film, especially if you're LGBTQ+. It's a film that proves that no matter how much of an eccentric or outcast you may think you are, there are ALWAYS people out there who'll love and accept you for who you are, no matter how niche your personality may be.
• It's a little weird to put this here, considering the rest of the movie, but the ending of Raising Arizona is this.
• The 1956 French short film The Red Balloon, being about the unlikely friendship between a young boy and a sentient balloon, definitely qualifies for a feel-good story. It's no wonder this film is beloved by elementary schools around the world.
• Shin Ultraman, in contrast to the rest of the oftentimes Darker and Edgier Shin Japan Heroes Universe, feels a lot more optimistic and fun even with its themes of Kaiju Deconstruction. The film has plenty of great Toku action while having an optimistic heart deep down.
• Singin' in the Rain. Quite possibly the greatest feel-good movie ever made.
• Invoked Trope in The Sound of Music, used (in the film version) as a counter against a terrifying thunderstorm: Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens! Bright copper kettles, and warm woolen mittens!
  • The film itself, to the point where it was joked that if the world was ever going to end, then that movie would play on every channel, entirely for its soothing qualities.
• Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) and its sequel are very much this. Even with an action-packed and humorous tone, the films are still very heartfelt and touching, especially with its themes of friendship and found family. The Sleep Cute scene in the second movie may just be one of the sweetest moments in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, showing how Sonic and Tails are destined to be True Companions no matter the medium. It is also this for finally proving en masse that video game movies can not only turn out good, but genuinely great critically and financially.
• Space Jam: Despite being really silly and dumb, this movie is a Guilty Pleasure to many. It's hard not to smile at Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes playing basketball together. Not to mention its catchy theme song...
• Sam Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy can have its darker moments, but the films are still very fun to watch with their oftentimes intentional Camp while also providing genuinely stunning action and heartfelt character drama. One cannot resist grinning when witnessing moments like "Pizza time!" and the infamous Bully Maguire dance, but it's this level of intentional Camp and genuine heart that can set the film apart from its Darker and Edgier contemporaries in the 2000s and even more modern superhero films.
• Star Wars. The ultimate tale of good vs evil, with romance, adventure, mythology, and redemption thrown in for good measure, all while being set to one of the greatest film scores of all time. Because let's face it, we all spent part of our childhoods wishing we could be Jedi Knights a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.
• While Transformers is filled with Nightmare Fuel courtesy of the Decepticons, it also has the BGM Arrival to Earth. Why is it here? Because it's the theme of the Autobots when they, well, arrive on Earth. It's majestic and fits the tone of alien robot guardians coming from the stars to save us better than anything else in the film, and accompanies what may just be the best sequence in any Michael Bay film.
• Vanilla Sky is one long pop culture love letter, all about the sweet and sour of life. Without the sour, the sweet wouldn't be as sweet. If you've seen the movie, you get it.
• Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory: Almost literally, "Pure Imagination".
• The Wizard of Oz is a beautiful family movie, a great fantasy movie and a classic loved by millions of people around the world. Ignore all the hanging Munchkin stories (it has been confirmed to be a crane), reassure yourself that the Flying Monkeys are just actors in rather weird costumes, and sit back and watch your nightmares melt away with the songs, funny moments and the incredible acting.
• You Never Dreamed is also very adorable, and lets you know that no matter how hard it may seem today, love always works out in the end.
• While they are widely known for their dark and cynical films, a few of The Coen Brothers films may qualify, namely Raising Arizona, The Hudsucker Proxy, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, mostly for their sheer insanity and optimism, even if they do involve baby kidnapping, people jumping out of buildings, and breaking out of jail, respectively. Also, watching The Big Lebowski can put you in a good mood, and even Fargo, one of their darkest films, can be sort of heartwarming.
• To get rid of the Nightmare Fuel some more, recover from reading Creepypastas or outright destroy the Nightmare Fuel in your head completely, just try watching any of Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp movies, and of course, Laurel and Hardy's movies. You'll be laughing in no time, and perhaps in your dreams as well.
  • Add Buster Keaton to that list. He'll remain stone-faced but you'll be hard pressed not to laugh.
  • Anything by the Marx Brothers, really, but especially Duck Soup. These are my spies, anyone?
• Believe it or not, some of Kevin Smith's films can be this, especially the endings.
  • Clerks II, after over 90 minutes of Refuge in Audacity, ends on a rather sweet note. Talk about earning your happy ending.
  • Dogma is actually much more dark and violent than his other films, but God herself (yes, it's a her) is just the incarnation of this. Plus Alanis Morrissette's credits song.
  • Even the ending to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back could be this, depending on your sense of humor. While two stoners beating the shit out of several people sounds like it should be the complete opposite of this trope, it's just so satisfying to watch and resonates with anyone who's felt besieged by internet trolls, accompanied by a triumphant soundtrack by Stroke 9, it becomes plain awesome.
• The films of Wes Anderson. Which one? All of them. Yes, his films may include some heavy themes and dysfunctional families, but his films are so whimsical and optimistic that they could make even the most cynical adult smile.
  • The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is like a happy, magical fairytale for grownups. Its whimsy and wonder are childlike without completely distancing oneself from adulthood.

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