History Main / MirrorRoutine

* In the first ''VideoGame/TombRaider'' game and its remake, there is an Atlantean creature who looks like a muscular structure of a human who copies Lara's movements exactly.

* In ''Film/InterviewWithTheVampire'', the titular vampire, Louis, relates his encounter with the French vampire Santiago, who happens to be quite dressed similarly to himself. Upon being spotted by Louis, Santiago amuses himself by engaging in a bit of this before he actually properly introduces himself to Louis.

* This is done as part of a rehearsal for a school play in ''Series/{{Hannah Montana}}''.

* In an episode of ''Series/{{Phil of the Future}}'', Pim dresses up as Debby's grandmother to sneak out of a {{Slumber Party}}.She poses as a mirror in front of Debby's real grandmother but gets caught when she accidentally sneezes.

* {{Played for Laughs}} in the ''Series/{{Wizards of Waverly Place}}'' episode "All About You-Niverse". Alex performs this routine to avoid spotted by her mother through a portal to a {{Mirror Universe}} but immediately drops the act when her mother falls for it.
--->'''Alex:''' [[PaperThinDisguise Mom we're not even dressed the same! I can't believe you bought this for one second!]]

* In ''Literature/Anpanman'' episode 322a "Shokupanman and Horrorman", Baikinman dresses Horrorman as Shokupanman due to the skeleton feeling depressed that Dokinchan loves Shokupanman instead of him. Baikinman takes advantage of this as he wanted Horrorman to cause trouble for the superhero. When Horrorman was at the Bakery, he tries to get way from Shokupanman by using the fallen mirror and tries to pretend that he is his reflection until the mirror falls.

* The IdenticalStranger version features in the [[PolishMedia Polish comedy]] ''Miś'', in which the protagonist opens the door and takes his doppelganger for a mirror salesman. Then he shuts the door in his face.

* Dinobot from ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' and... likewise.

* In the first ''VideoGame/PaperMario'', some shape-changing enemies try to pull this in the seventh dungeon, an ice palace, where every room ''looks'' like it has a mirror covering its wall, but is actually divided by a giant wall of glass. Eventually you find a hole in the "mirror" and bump into your "reflection".

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'': The battle against Shadow Link starts off like this and goes on for about a minute or so before he starts attacking on his own.

** Daffy does it again in "Attack of the Drones" with one of his drones.

* Jackie Chan from ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' and an evil clone.
** When Jackie first met Viper, they were dressed identically when they passed, causing Jackie to think he was looking in a broken mirror.

* Timid Smurf (later known as Actor) does this to Brainy in ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' episode "All the Smurf's a Stage".

* The ''Film/MissionImpossibleRogueNation'' special effects team used this to film Benji's ImagineSpot about donning a LatexPerfection mask. In the movie, Benji has the mask fitted, then the camera seamlessly pans to a mirror showing his disguised reflection. In reality, Benji's actor, Creator/SimonPegg, sat in front of a hole with a mirror frame around it, facing a flipped duplicate of the set. The man Benji wanted to disguise as sat on the opposite side of the hole and copied Pegg's motions as best as he could. Ilsa's actress, Rebecca Ferguson, also had a body double portray her reflection in the scene. Reversed in Ethan's case, as Creator/TomCruise played the reflection, and his body double filled the role of the "real" Ethan.

--->Alex:''[[PaperThinDisguise Mom we're not even dressed the same! I can't believe you bought this for one second!]]''

* An EasyAmnesia episode of ''WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry'' includes this... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er4zU20y8kg&feature=PlayList&p=2FABC4C1D36B5F36&playnext_from=PL&index=7 in song]].

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': Bolt's look-alike father mirrors his son's actions in “The Cameo.” They even shout “Creator/MarxBrothers! Film/DuckSoup!” to each other when they finish.

%% Image replaced per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1296326021035484500
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

* ''Manga/MyLovelyGhostKana'': Daikichi and Kana are cleaning opposite sides of a window and go through a short routine, then burst out laughing at each other.

* ''Anime/MegaManNTWarrior'' has Yuriko and Mariko doing this, mainly because Mariko thought Yuriko ''was'' her reflection due to their very similar appearance. Yuriki then hypnotises Mariko to forget she ever saw her and disappears.

* In ''Barney and Friends'', two characters perform the clown version of this.
* The Creator/MarxBrothers do this in ''Film/DuckSoup''. The [[TropeCodifier definitive version]] that everyone copies. The gag was old when the Marxes did it, dating from vaudeville and being used in several silent comedies in the '20s, though they subvert it niftily at one point when Groucho and Harpo ''walk around each other'' but continue imitating each other afterward.
* A variation shows up in the Creator/BusterKeaton film ''Film/SherlockJr'' -- Buster stands in front of what appears to be a full-length mirror, then steps through, revealing that it's a door connecting two identical rooms.
* Max Linder, in the 1921 silent comedy ''Seven Years Bad Luck'', in which Max's servant is trying to hide the fact that he's broken his master's mirror.
* Another silent-era example: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4VdIZLiRec Charley Chase,]] in his 1924 short ''Sittin' Pretty''. (which, incidentally, was directed by the same director who went on directing... ''Film/DuckSoup''.)
* Like every other slapstick trope, this one was used on occasion by Film/TheThreeStooges -- usually Curly.
* Played with in the Creator/BetteMidler flick ''Film/{{Big Business|1988}}''. She's playing identical twins who don't know about this and meet for the first time -- walking along a mirrored surface. Neither wants to foil the other, they just happen to do the same movements at the same time -- except, you know, mirrored.
* Used in ''Film/{{Airheads}}'' when Pip first leaves the radio station. He encounters a police officer, and they perform the basic routine. Pip tries to throw off the cop with some kind of dance move, but the officer reaches for his gun, causing the inept rocker to flee.

* This happens in the TV movie ''Model Behavior'', except the lookalikes are ''unintentionally'' copying each other's movements.

* Done in the Creator/VincentPrice vehicle ''[[Film/DrGoldfootAndTheBikiniMachine Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs]]'' (1966), between Price's title villain and Ciccio Ingrassia's hero/comedy relief.
* There is a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeL0xdVTy_g deleted scene]] in ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' where Sarah Connor installs new hardware into the head of the Terminator while he sits in front of a mirror. In the movie, the mirror and its reflections are genuine. In real life, Creator/LindaHamilton's identical twin stood on the other side of the mirror and copied her sister's movements. This was done so that the camera could make a continuous shot from the back of the Terminator's head (actually a dummy) to looking down inside it; Arnold sat on the other side of the fake mirror while Leslie Hamilton pretended to fiddle with his head. Also, it's done to fool ''us'' the audience, and you know what? It works.
* In the second ''Film/{{Garfield}}'' movie, ''A Tale of Two Kitties'', Garfield and IdenticalStranger Prince do this when they finally meet, over a hedge arch. They desynchronize once Garfield tries some wicked dance moves, although it's Garfield's bad breath that's the last straw for Prince.
* Done in ''Film/TheNuttHouse'', when two identical twins finally meet.
* Also used in ''[[Film/RepliKate Repli-Kate]]'': Kate and her clone both mistake each other for a reflection, unintentionally mirror each other's movements, and walk away without a clue what just happened.

* In the unused script for ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'', old Doc Brown travels to the sixties and has to avoid being seen by young Doc Brown by hiding behind an empty mirror frame. ''"Great Scott! I look terrible!"''

* In ''Film/AGirlWalksHomeAloneAtNight'', the vampiric Girl taunts Hossein like this as she stalks him on the opposite side of a street.
* A surprisingly horrifying example in ''Film/FourteenOhEight'': the protagonist tries to articulate his troubles by gestures to a stranger he sees in the window of the house across the road. He manages to attract attention to himself, but then the stranger suddenly begins repeating the protagonist's own moves. And when the hero finally realizes that [[MindScrew he sees his own reflection in the opposite window]], [[MirrorScare the reflection gets attacked from behind...]]
* Also played for horror in ''Film/Cube2Hypercube''. One character opens a door and sees herself in an apparent mirror...until her other self grabs her hand, then is murdered seconds later by another character ''who's in the room with them''.
* The IdenticalStranger version features in the [[PolishMedia Polish comedy]] ''Miś'', in which the protagonist opens the door and takes his doppelganger for a mirror salesman. Then he shuts the door in his face.
-->"We already have a mirror."

* Inversion: In ''Ares Express'' by Creator/IanMcDonald, Sweetness searches through a mirror maze for one image that doesn't match her every move, because it's an independent virtual-reality copy of her.

* Partially applies to a scene in ''Literature/WitchesAbroad'', where Lily rushes into her mirror-filled room and mistakes Granny for one of her own reflections, as she's standing in the frame of a broken one. Justified in that Granny was dressed similarly to Lily, they're sisters who look a lot alike, and Lily's ''ordinary'' reflections don't move perfectly in synch with her, due to her excessive use of mirror-magic.

* This sketch was done as a performance in ''Series/TheVicarOfDibley'': Rather slim prima ballerina Darcy Bussel in a famous cameo is reflected by not-at-all slim Geraldine.
* This is a plot point in the episode "The Tailor's Dummy" of ''Series/JonathanCreek'', inspired by ''Film/DuckSoup'', to bluff that one man was the murderer.
* Lucy and Harpo Marx, in an episode of ''Series/ILoveLucy'', echoing the famous scene from ''Film/DuckSoup''.

* Parodied in the "Arrivederci, Arnold" episode of ''Series/WelcomeBackKotter'', when Mr. Kotter dresses up as Horshack and puts on a skit to convince Woodman to return Arnold from mainstream classes to the Sweathogs, with Kotter looking face-to-face at Arnold and both of them doing such trademarks as Arnold's wheezy laugh and several "Ooh-ooh-ooh!"'s. Arnold takes a look at Mr. Kotter and says "Wait a minute; I don't got no mustache..."
* Happens a few times in ''Series/TheBennyHillShow'', usually with Benny in drag mirroring a woman. The "disguise" fails when they start to strip...
* Done in an episode of ''Series/TheXFiles''. In the Season 6 two-part episode "Dreamland", Mulder switches bodies with a [[TheMenInBlack man in black]]. When he later looks in the mirror, the two actors (David Duchovny and Micheal [=McKean=]) perform this trope.
* Scott Bakula did the same performance with dozens of other actors on ''Series/QuantumLeap'', for pretty much the same reason.

* This is done as part of a rehearsal for a school play in ''Series/{{Hannah Montana}}''
* In an episode of ''Series/{{Phil of the Future}}'', Pim dresses up as Debby's grandmother to sneak out of a {{Slumber Party}}.She poses as a mirror in front of Debby's real grandmother but gets caught when she accidentally sneezes.
* {{Played for Laughs}} in the ''Series/{{Wizards of Waverly Place}}'' episode "All About You-Niverse". Alex performs this routine to avoid spotted by her mother through a portal to a {{Mirror Universe}} but immediately drops the act when her mother falls for it.
--->Alex:''[[PaperThinDisguise Mom we're not even dressed the same! I can't believe you bought this for one second!]]''

* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2NTranced'': The fight against Fake Crash has him copying the player's movements. If you touch him you'll die, so to damage him you had to lead him into the [[BossArenaIdiocy traps in the stage]] without getting killed by them yourself.
* In the ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' quest "Broken Home", you encounter the ghostly Mysterious Waif in a room, with a pane of glass between you. She doesn't respond if you speak to her, but if you mimic her actions like a mirror, [[CuteMute you can make her smile]]. [[spoiler: Turns out, it was a very good thing that glass ''was'' separating you...]]
* A version of this appears in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'', albeit so subtly that neither the player nor Batman notice until the end of the game: when Batman arrives for their second confrontation, Joker is seen adjusting his makeup in a large mirror; though he has his back to the door, it's clear from his reflection that he's still [[DarkLordOnLifeSupport horribly diseased and likely within hours of dying]]. However, when the Joker turns around, he appears perfectly healthy. [[spoiler: It's not until the end of the game that Batman discovers that Joker has actually hired [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Clayface]] to act as his BodyDouble; the "mirror" was just a pane of glass that the real Joker was hiding behind, Clayface being able to mirror his bosses mannerisms almost perfectly as he put the finishing touches on his disguise. If you look carefully at the mirror during this scene, you can even get a glimpse of the real Joker ducking out of sight.]]

* ''Website/{{Cracked}}'''s [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19369_the-6-most-mind-blowing-ways-your-brain-can-malfunction.html The 6 Most Mind-Blowing Ways Your Brain Can Malfunction]] mentions a mental disorder called mirrored-self misidentification, in which someone looking into a mirror believes that the [[MirrorMonster monster in the mirror]] is an intruder performing a Mirror Routine, not oneself.

* WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts

* WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes:
** WesternAnimation/BugsBunny does this to Elmer in the cartoon ''WesternAnimation/HareTonic'' to convince Elmer that he is turning into a rabbit.
** WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck does this in ''The Impatient Patient'' and ''Draftee Daffy''.
** On the short ''Bell Hoppy'', Sylvester has to put a bell on Hippety Hopper, and after various failed attempts, he tricks Hopper into putting the bell on himself with a mirror routine.
** Daffy does it again in "Attack of the Drones" with one of his drones.
* Tom and another cat did this while fighting over Jerry in the Chuck Jones WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry short ''Cat and Dupli-Cat''.
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' has an evil mime do this to Clay. It ends when he tries to mirror-punch himself in the head.
* Fred Flintstone does this on Billy's dad in ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' once. Apparently, Billy's dad catches on eventually and keeps going after Fred has left.

* Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Bonkers}}'' also had an example similar to the Scooby-Doo/Ape Man example in the episode "When the Spirit Moves You," where a ghost a haunted house disguises himself in a rubber Bonkers mask and suit and does the mirror routine with the real Bonkers at an opening in a room.
* Seen in the Paramount/Trans-Lux version of ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat'' entitled "Felix the Cat Suit", when as another scheme to steal the magic bag, the Professor disguises himself in a strange inflatable Felix the Cat costume, removes the glass from Felix's mirror and readies himself; once the real Felix arrives and begins combing his hair in the mirror, he is shocked to see a larger, fatter and permanently-grinning version of himself as his "reflection." Felix figures that he is either getting the mumps, is getting fatter, or the mirror is out-of-focus. But then [[BeeAfraid a bee comes along]] and pokes the "reflection" with its stinger, causing the Felix suit to blow up and give the game away.
* An EasyAmnesia episode of ''WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry'' includes this... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er4zU20y8kg&feature=PlayList&p=2FABC4C1D36B5F36&playnext_from=PL&index=7 in song]].

* Jackie Chan from ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' and an evil clone.
** When Jackie first met Viper, they were dressed identically when they passed, causing Jackie to think he was looking in a broken mirror.
* Dinobot from ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' and... likewise.
* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' episode "Marceline's Closet", when Finn spots Jake in Marceline's house, and Jake tries to pose as Finn's reflection in the window (only he mirrors Finn's movements the wrong way around).
-->'''Finn:''' Jake, get outta there! Marceline's gonna kill you! Jake! I ''know'' this isn't a mirror! What the-- You're [[LampshadeHanging doing it WRONG, even!]]
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''
** Rainbow Dash does this in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 "A Canterlot Wedding Part 2"]] with the first [[ShapeShifter Changeling]] to take her appearance, complete with a subtle lag in the latter's movements.
** In "The Times They Are a Changeling", Spike does this when he first encounters Thorax the Changeling (who's taken on Spike's form). Spike only figures it out when he turns to leave and Thorax accidentally slips in the snow copying him.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop'' episode "Big Top Trap", the Hooded Claw, disguised as Clyde ("One more clown Clyde won't be noticed"), does it by putting a mirror frame between himself and the real Clyde in the circus.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewSchool'' has Kuzco shape-shift into Kronk with one of Yzma's potions and then pose as a reflection in the mirror to the real Kronk to steal the potion that will turn him back.[[note]]Kronk is holding the potion while venting his guilt in the "mirror".[[/note]]
-->'''Kronk:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Where is the reflection of the potion?]]
* Timid Smurf (later known as Actor) does this to Brainy in ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' episode "All the Smurf's a Stage".
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleRascals'' animated short "Rascals' Revenge", Butch does this to Alfalfa in the abandoned house.
* The ''WesternAnimation/GarbagePailKidsCartoon'' episode "The House That Dripped Crud" had a short scene where Elliot Mess encounters a skeleton that pretends to be his reflection, even going to the trouble of scrambling his head and limb positions like Elliot's.
* The ''WesternAnimation/OhYeahCartoons'' short "Hubbykins vs. Sweetiepie" featured a variation on this trope where Hubbykins tried to avoid his irate wife Sweetiepie by covering himself in soot and pretending to be her shadow by copying her movements. His deception works until his wife's real shadow non-verbally points out he's an impostor.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheCrumpets'' episode "Pity The Prize" has the Weather Girl's encounter with Cassandra, who is being disguised as her in an attempt to divert her own crush's attention. This scene is an intentional homage to the ''Big Business'' movie example, including blowing raspberries and nose pinching.
* ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'': One of these occurs at the beginning of "Rapunzeltopia" when short-haired Rapunzel meets her long-haired alter ego:
-->'''Short-haired Rapunzel:''' Who are you, and what do you want? Ugh, whoa! ''[She finds herself wrapped up in her alter ego's long hair] ''
-->'''Short-haired Rapunzel:''' A frying pan? Who are you? Because that's kind of... my thing. ''[The other Rapunzel lowers her hood] ''Okay...
-->'''Other Rapunzel:''' Try not to freak out.
-->'''Short-haired Rapunzel:''' Try not to freak out? ''[giggles]'' Oh, why would I freak out? Meeting myself is perfectly normal, right? Trust me, I am not freaking out. Okay: I'm meeting myself, I'm meeting myself. I'm meeting myself!
-->'''Other Rapunzel:''' Right?
-->'''Both Rapunzels [simultaneously]:''' So neat! You said the same thing I said! Best day... Ha! You thought I was going to say "ever", but I stopped!
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': In "Cover Girls", Luan (disguised as Leni) runs into the real Leni ([[ShapedLikeItself who's in her normal getup]]). They end up doing this, complete with Macarena.

* Done by Chuckie and Donnie in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}[=/=]WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' Crossover "Rugrats Go Wild".

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': Performed between Bolt and his look-alike father in “The Cameo.” They even shout “Creator/MarxBrothers! Film/DuckSoup!” to each other when they finish.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'' episode "A Bad Reflection on You" features a scene like this.

* Partially applies to a scene in ''Discworld/WitchesAbroad'', where Lily rushes into her mirror-filled room and mistakes Granny for one of her own reflections, as she's standing in the frame of a broken one. Justified in that Granny was dressed similarly to Lily, they're sisters who look a lot alike, and Lily's ''ordinary'' reflections don't move perfectly in synch with her, due to her excessive use of mirror-magic.

* There is a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeL0xdVTy_g deleted scene]] in ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' where Sarah Connor installs new hardware into the head of the Terminator while he sits in front of a mirror. In the movie, the mirror and its reflections are genuine. In real life, Creator/LindaHamilton's identical twin stood on the other side of the mirror and copied her sister's movements. This was done so that the camera could make a continuous shot from the back of the Terminator's head (actually a dummy) to looking down inside it; Arnold sat on the other side of the fake mirror while Leslie Hamilton pretended to fiddle with his head. Also, it's done to fool ''us'' the audience, and you know what? [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome it works]].