For the series of urban fantasy books named Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs, see Mercy Thompson Universe.A computer-animated movie released by Lionsgate, in Fall 2010.Alpha And Omega focuses on two wolves on opposite ends of their pack's social order. Kate is an Alpha, who takes her job seriously, and Humphrey is an Omega, who spends his days joking around with his friends. Kate is to be married to Garth, an Alpha wolf from another pack - not for love, but to preserve peace. However, the marriage is put on hold when Kate and Humphrey are sedated and taken a thousand miles away from home, to... repopulate. They must work together to get back home, but falling in love with each other complicates everything. To make matters worse, it's a race against time - back home, conflict is brewing among rival packs...
Aside Glance: After Kate's mother gives her a 'talk' about what to do if Garth gets out of line on their date (being Eve, it involved a violent murder), Kate gives a wide eyed glance to the camera.
Ax Crazy: Kate's mother tells her that if Garth tries to pressure her she should "take those beautiful teeth of hers, go for the throat and don't let go until the body stops shaking."
Big Bad: Tony serves as the main antagonist of the film. It's his treat to declare war on Kate and Humphrey's pack if the Arranged Marriage doesn't happen on account of his stubborn Appeal To Tradition as the only way the packs could merge. He also orders his pack to declare war at the climax simply due to his son falling in love with an Omega and Kate breaking off the marriage for the same reasons, which nearly gets Kate trampled to death. He's also treated with a very ominous air whenever he appears and his pack is overall the more aggressive of the two. That said, he's not really evil, just an extremely large Jerkass. He changes his mind in the end, but takes a Disney Death on Kate's part and threatening by Eve to make him do so.
Big Badass Wolf: The alpha wolves. More so than the omega wolves, who leave out the big and the badass.
Truth in Television: That's more or less how the pecking order is established by real wolves. Bear in mind that even a pathetic little omega is still plenty able to ruin the day of a squishy human if you mess with it.
Which is odd, since wolves loose the blue color of their eyes by the time they reach adolescence.
Bring My Brown Pants: Humphrey when a store owner points a shotgun at him. Justified since he was suffering from a severePotty Emergency minutes earlier.
The trailer made it seem like it would happen when he and Kate ran into the bears. Guess they lied.
Cloud Cuckoolander: Eve, who switches from caring Mama Bear to threatening Ax Crazy whenever a serious situation tends to happen, such as Kate's disappearance.
Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Notice the western pack (excluding the alpha females) are grayish in fur color and the eastern pack are brownish in fur color.
"Aww, Kate, you look so beautiful. Now, if Garth gets out of line, take those beautiful teeth of yours, go for the throat and don't let go until the body stops shaking."
"Rip his tail off and shove it down his throat".
"If any of you wolves have hurt my daughter, I will personally RIP out your eyes, and SHOVE them down your throat so you can see my claws TEAR YOUR CARCASS OPEN!"
Cub Cues Protective Parent: Humphrey plays with a bear cub and accidentally makes it cry. The cub's mama and two of her friends come along to make Humphrey pay for it.
The Cutie: Lilly. Also, Shakey counts as a male version.
Dance Party Ending: However, justified as this is how group howls are treated throughout the movie anyway.
Deadpan Snarker: Kate, especially if you are considered mostly normal and you have a loopy friend, a crazy mother, a ditzy sister, and a terrible howling future mate in your life.
Disproportionate Retribution: Tony threatens Winston by telling him if Kate doesn't marry Garth, his tribe will declare war and take over his land.
Dreadful Musician: Garth. Even Kate, Lilly, and himself agree. Before Lilly helped him become a better howler.
Drool Hello: Bear slobber on Humphrey after he accidentally hurts the bear's child.
Earn Your Happy Ending: Humphrey gets this after he rescues Kate from the caribou stampede, and after realizing how their differences almost got them killed, both packs abolish to become one and Humphrey and Kate end up together.
Everything's Worse with Bears: Trailers depict Kate and Humphrey being cornered by a group of bears, subverted as they are apparently weak enough to be beaten up by wolves.
Actually, it's yet another case of Never Trust a Trailer. It takes a lot of trickery and even more luck, and even then they only get away by the skin of their teeth. And aside from Kate's remark hinting at Suicidal Over Confidence.
Foil: Kate and Humphrey, Lilly and Garth, the title of the movie says it all.
Foreshadowing: Early on in the film, Humphrey and Kate hitch a ride with a vacationing couple, a huge biker and his small, librarian wife, who Marcel and comment where a case of Opposites Attract. This foreshadows the love between Kate, the hardworking, serious Alpha, and Humphrey, the playful, fun loving Omega. It also foreshadows the relationship between the shy, Shrinking Violet Lilly and the big talking Jock Garth.
Kate's nightmare actually came true later on once the war started, and everything that was shown in her nightmare became accurate in action.
Mama Bear: Eve is usually a nice, sweet Mom with an unusually violent preference of solutions, but so much as hint that one of her daughters is "In Trouble" or heaven forbid dead... Nice knowing you.
Eve's death threats are Played for Laughs the first two times and she's in her normal calm, smiling personality. However, the last time when this trope is evoked, she gets absolutely furious and looks it.
Eve: "If any of you wolves have hurt my daughter, I will personally RIP out your eyes, and SHOVE them down your throat so you can see my claws TEAR YOUR CARCASS OPEN!"
Ms. Fanservice: Kate, especially during the "hair-flipping" scene.
My God, What Have I Done?: Tony gets a silent one after his actions appear to directly result in Kate's death and everyone else is howling for her memory. The look on his face lets you know this is what's going through his head.
My Name Is Not Durwood: Humphrey does this with Garth a couple times, calling him "Barf".
Plucky Comic Relief: In universe, this is the Omega's actual job. Humphrey and his fellow Omegas tend to break up fights and generally keep everyone's spirits up. Kate's father even tells Humphrey when he's a pup that this is his responsibility and holds him in high reguard for being good at it.
Possibly a case of Did Do The Research as this troper recalls reading a documented study of one wolf pack where it first appeared to researchers that the omega was "bullied" into his position, but it became apparent that the male omega wolf purposefully distracted and engaged others in play to diffuse tense situations; when he grew too old, this "responsibility" was passed to a younger female wolf.
Potty Emergency: Humphrey suffers from this while he and Kate are in a trailer heading back to their home.
Wolves with Anime Hair? Check. Wolves that can do triple flips in the air? Check. Wolves that can howl at the moon as if they are singing? Oh, double check.
Actually, since real howling for wolves has meaning, the singing might not be completely Rule Of Cool and have some Fridge Brilliance.
Running Gag: Birds repeatedly dropping to the ground after Garth's... less than ideal howling attempts.
Came to an end when his howl improved. Instead they flew around him.
Humphrey and issues concerning his behind.
The French-Canadian argument between Paddy and Marcel.
She Is Not My Girlfriend: While Kate's asleep on the train, Marcel inquires to Humphrey about Kate, referring to her as his girlfriend. Humphrey replies with this trope, almost verbatim.
Shown Their Work: Sort of, mixing in with Fridge Brilliance: The flower Kate wears in her hair in the first part of the film is on her right ear, where later on, as she's about to be married, it's on her left. Many islander cultures' women wear them in a very similar way; right ear single, left ear taken.
The Idaho relocation and repopulation is accurate. Source here.
Standard Hero Reward: Never stated explicitly, though it would've been a nice touch, Winston most likely finally agreed to the match because of this. Since Humphrey saved himself and Tony from the stampede, along with protecting Kate from additional injury while she was unconscious.
It is also possible Humphrey was "promoted" to Alpha following the climax, allowing for him to be properly mated with Kate.
Surfer Dude: Salty is basically a wolf version of this.
That Makes Me Feel Angry: After Kate disappears, Eve goes into full Mama Bear mode and threatens the entire Eastern Pack in a murderous fury. Lilly then gets this reaction from her by trying to get her attention: "Not now, dear, mommy's in a rage."
Tuck and Cover: Humphrey jumps on top of Kate during a stampede after she was knocked out to protect her. This also Earns His Happy Ending by convincing Winston to let him and her be mates.
Unusual Euphemism: For wolves, "pup" seems to replace the word "babe".
Coyote is also considered an insult, though this also has reasons. Mainly because coyotes are known to be the weaker of the two canines, so this insult towards a wolf means the wolf is apparently weak.
Unlucky Childhood Friend: Humphrey starts off as this, though Kate's feelings prior to being carted off to Idaho, and falling in love with Humphrey are never really explored, like Humphrey's are. Of course, he pretty much laid them out on a silver platter.
Wolves Always Howl At The Moon: Double-subverted. Howling is just a wolf version of dating; however, their version involves howling at the moon together. The wolves also howl as a form of communication or greeting.
Which is actually more realistic than it's normally portrayed.
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