History Main / MoodDissonance

* ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'':
** The song "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen was already meant to be ironic and melancholy. The use of the word "Hallelujah" in contrast to the general mood of the song only emphasizes its mood, making it even ''more'' melancholy. [[SarcasmMode Perfect for a sex scene!]] This was intentional since Snyder thought the scene was already ridiculous.
** Likewise the opening scene of The Comedian's brutal murder with the romantic song "Unforgettable" playing in the background. This was also deliberate, as one theme of the story is the eroticism of violence and how, for The Comedian especially, masked heroes only felt alive when they're beating the hell out of somebody. The song is also symbolic of the murderer, [[spoiler:Adrian Veidt having never forgotten how The Comedian was the only person to ever defeat him in combat. Veidt also considers himself unforgettable. In his defence, he's certainly anything but dull.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'': You'd never have guessed that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiqmZLOaD8o such a happy, cheerful]] DisneyAcidSequence could end in such a way. The last line is even cut short in order to emphasize this; the soldiers immediately stop singing, mid-sentence, when they reach the charred ruins of a village. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick:
-->'''The Chick:''' We were too busy being ''outrageously'' horny to notice the smoky red sky of decimation in the distance.

* ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'' is a pretty good example, both with its opening and ending themes. No matter what happened in prior episodes, whether it be [[spoiler:a young alchemist or Rapunzel's best friend turning evil]], the whimsical "Wind in My Hair" ''always'' plays regardless of the situation. In addition, with the exception of ''right before'' moments like the above, the upbeat, pop-sounding "More of Me" has a tendency to pop up after an especially serious episode.

* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'': Ayumuu "Osaka" Kasuga is one of those few characters who ''revel'' in this trope, for hilarious effect. She's supposed to be an {{Adorkable}} ShrinkingViolet, but due to her eerily serene voice, bloodshot TaremeEyes, and habit to go into a SlasherSmile even over the most innocuous and cute things tends to stray into this trope. Luckily it's all PlayedForLaughs.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': Has a relaxing and soothing EndingTheme which tends to pop up after an episode that ends serious, even the SeasonFinale of the first season. It's averted in "Agony of a Witch", which takes place before the finale and has SilentCredits instead.

* ''Series/{{Legion}}'' does this all the time to [[SurrealHorror bizarre and often disturbing effect]], like a [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind psychic duel]] between powerful telepathic mutants depicted through a ''dance battle'' - that's still somehow extremely tense and ominous in context. Or the scene where the protagonist sings and plays "[[Film/TheMuppetMovie The Rainbow Connection]]" for his girlfriend on the banjo while they're in a beautiful, softly lit pure-white bedroom. What should be romantic and sweet instead becomes incredibly chilling to watch, because David is visibly terrified - so badly he can barely sing - and is trying desperately to warn his girl about the horrifying demonic entity that's trapped in there with them, [[AndIMustScream but can't.]]

** This extends to the entirety of ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}''. On one hand, it's colorful, creative and hilarious. On the other hand, [[spoiler:there aren't enough people left on earth to maintain the human species for more than a few generations.]] Not to mention all the murder, death, and suicide. Y'know, for kids!

* ''Webcomic/CtrlAltDel'': [[spoiler: The death of Embla is supposed to be a moving event, as she's the only other intelligent robot on earth and Zeke's only equal. It's tarnished due to Ethan acting like his usual "lolrandom" childish self, being insensitive by attempting to dump Embla's body in a recycling bin, and selfishly blaming his alcoholism on Zeke leaving. It's further warped when you realize Ethan is acting more emotional over Zeke, a robot who loved insulting him and blackmailed him into creating his mate, than his own [[strike:unborn]] stillborn child.]]

* The anime of ''Manga/ViolinistOfHameln'' has one of the most inappropriate opening themes. The sequence is very light and upbeat with an uplifting song, while the anime itself is very dark and depressing. Not to be confused with the manga which is a comedic parody of shounen action fantasy.

* ''Manga/{{Narutaru}}'''s ridiculously over-the-top cheery introduction can have this effect, given that inevitably it will only take a few seconds after it's ended for the anime to start recapping how the plot went GoneHorriblyWrong last episode.

** ''WesternAnimation/Ducktales2017'' and ''WesternAnimation/BigHeroSixTheSeries'' manage to pull off the same trick by always having their upbeat and rocking opening and ending themes play before and after every episode, no matter how serious or dark they are.

* ''Series/OneFootInTheGrave'': Mood dissonance is practically the bread and butter. Many episodes revolve around Victor Meldrew being driven to fuming indignation by a series of increasingly absurd comic mishaps, then in the final scenes of the episode, the tone abruptly shifts as he (or his long-suffering wife Margaret) draws a comparison between what just happened, and how it is simply another example of the unfairness of life, usually on the theme of mortality and the trials of growing old. Then, with a resigned sigh, normal life resumes. Aside from this staple, the show also randomly drops in tragic moments, often as a counterpoint to a farcically comic scene, such as the death of a relative, or revealing Victor and Margaret having lost a child early in their marriage. Though it doesn't always hit its mark, at its best these scenes can be genuinely sad.

* In [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=020204 this]] ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' strip, Oasis's series of dramatic flashbacks is broken up by a shot of "My Love" (Torg) going, "mmmmmmm, pork rinds." Whether this ruins the mood, provides a pleasant break from the mood, or ''enhances'' the mood (since the man she's compelled to love is so disinterested in her), is up to you.

* In the film ''Film/{{Nikita}}'', about fifteen minutes in there's a scene where the junkie Nikita is turning her life around in the secret government agency, complete with bouncy, uplifting music. The problem is this is about ten minutes after watching her ''blow a cop's head off''. TooSoon.

* ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheseries'' is a pretty good example, both with its opening and ending themes. No matter what happened in prior episodes, whether it be [[spoiler:a young alchemist or Rapunzel's best friend turning evil]], the whimsical "Wind in My Hair" ''always'' plays regardless of the situation. In addition, with the exception of ''right before'' moments like the above, the upbeat, pop-sounding "More of Me" has a tendency to pop up after an especially serious episode.

* With its upbeat, J-Pop-ish theme tune, ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' sometimes suffered from this after a dramatic opening sequence.

* The Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog DarkFic ''Fanfic/PrisonIslandBreak'' always injects its humour this way, making engrossed readers sit up sharply. During even the darkest or most dramatic of moments, humorous thoughts and dialogue turn up almost randomly. There are many examples, one when the depressed Silver tries to drown himself in his bowl of cereal, and in another, during a dramatic Anger Management class Sonic drops boiling hot coffee in his lap without noticing. Others involve the erotic, violent, dramatic romp between Shadow and Sonic being described as 'a dance-battle with sex', and a ShoutOut to ''{{Disney/Frozen}}'' happens while Silver is dying from a drug overdose.

* ''Disney/{{Mulan}}'': You'd never have guessed that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiqmZLOaD8o such a happy, cheerful]] DisneyAcidSequence could end in such a way. The last line is even cut short in order to emphasize this; the soldiers immediately stop singing, mid-sentence, when they reach the charred ruins of a village. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick:

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', partway through the movie, there is a montage in which SuperHero fashion designer notes the drawbacks to capes. The [[DeathMontage montage]] is of several superheroes and superheroines getting into quirky cape-related accidents. The accidents are so hilarious that you don't dwell on the fact that they were fatal. Especially the ''teenage girl getting sucked into a jet engine.'' The results of which end up looking a great deal like [[http://www.inflexwetrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/IFWT_Man-sucked-through-jet-engine.jpg_10.jpg this]] ([[SchmuckBait you have been warned]]).

This can also occur unintentionally in shows with cutesy eyecatches or opening or ending themes when they are left unchanged after dramatic elements.

* ''Series/{{Legion}}'' does this all the time to [[SurrealHorror bizarre and often disturbing effect]], like depicting a [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind psychic duel]] between powerful telepathic mutants depicted through a ''dance battle'' - that's still somehow extremely tense and ominous in context. Or the scene where the protagonist sings and plays "[[Film/TheMuppetMovie The Rainbow Connection]]" for his girlfriend on the banjo while they're in a beautiful, softly lit pure-white bedroom. What should be romantic and sweet instead becomes incredibly chilling to watch, because David is visibly terrified - so badly he can barely sing - and is trying desperately to warn his girl about the horrifying demonic entity that's trapped in there with them, [[AndIMustScream but can't.]]

* The intro movie for ''Fallout1'' includes propaganda footage of two [[PoweredArmor Power Armored]] soldiers executing a prisoner...and then [[LookMaIAmOnTV cheerfully waving to the camera]].

* The finale and events of the Christmas party in ''VisualNovel/CiconiaNoNakuKoroNi''. [[spoiler: The characters, in their mental chat room, are having a fun and happy Christmas party, juxtaposed with the small snippets of reality where all of these same characters are killing each other and being killed in turn.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie'' surprisingly did this despite what it's based on, being outright colourful but going completely out of its way to demonstrate satire reminiscent of Brave New World and 1984, ColdBloodedTorture - [[spoiler: especially the full force of it on Good Cop Bad Cop ''whilst'' Lord Business is enjoying every second of it]] -- [[spoiler: a decapitation of a main character]] and many attempts on people's lives involving an attempted homicide of the Master Builders and a superweapon that turns people into practically frozen corpses.
* ''Disney/{{Mulan}}'': You'd never have guessed that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiqmZLOaD8o such a happy, cheerful]] DisneyAcidSequence could end in such a way. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick:

* ''Series/TrickyPeople'' is a pedophile awareness PSA that featuring among its cast members Yello Dyno, a wacky dinosaur resembling a hybrid between Barney and Woodstock. The filmmakers apparently realized the possibility of this trope and had him drop the goofy voice for a dramatic sequence midway through (while keeping his giant yellow noggin out of frame); however, any tastefulness the special may have built up from said scene is utterly destroyed several minutes later, when Yello Dyno [[TookALevelInBadass takes several levels in badass]] to storm the antagonist's headquarters and confiscate his child porn stash. The entire sequence is filmed ''completely seriously''. Few things in life are more surreal than watching a previously-harmless Barney CaptainErsatz begin to speak and act like the hero of an action thriller.