Favorite Scenes/Moments in Animation

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

We all have our favorite series, and among them we all have scenes that stick out to us and move us in some way, or at the very least are so memorable that whenever we think about a certain show, its scenes like those that first pop into our thoughts.

This thread is for you to generally list and discuss your favorite scenes/moments in your favorite animated works. For this thread we will expend the rule of only limiting things to juts general animation, and you can feel free to include stuff that would normally only be allowed in other boards, be it anime or something from Disney, or DCAU, or whatever, and it can be from shows, movies, shorts, OVAs, or any other format of animation as long as it is in fact animated. You can also feel free to post links to "clips" of your favorite scenes, as long as it is only just a clip, and not a direct link to an entire episode or movie or whatever it is that the scene is from.

Now, if anyone else is like me there will be way too many favorite scenes in your memory to just go over them all at once, so I will only be listing my favorite as I think of them.

Oh, also be sure to post up stuff in spoiler tags if you think it'll actually spoil something for someone who hasn't seen that particular scene and actually cares about that particular work of animation enough to keep watching it.

Anyways, I'll start out with one of my many favorite scenes from my favorite story arc of my "personal" favorite animated show of all-time (which actually happens to be an anime, believe it or not):

Yu Yu Hakusho- Sensui's Past

Let me just say that I feel that EVERY single hack writer who works with shounen series and can't help but write 2-dimensional cookie-cutter "dialogue" AND "characters" should be forced to watch the Chapter Black arc of Yu Yu Hakusho for direction on how to properly write a good story for a battle manga with an interesting villain. If that couldn't be done, though, then I'd at the very least recommend this scene along with a few others (one other which I could link to, but won't do so because that'd be stretching some fair use policies if I linked to too much footage from a show at once, I believe).

Now, as for why I love that scene, its because it does a great job of exploring the background of a villain, but I also like the touch that its narrated and told from the point of view of his former boss (and the main character's, Yusuke, current boss; especially since the villain was his predecessor as a Spirit Detective). Its nothing incredibly deep, but its also far from shallow, and yes, that actually counts for something. Its the perfect balance for an action series, IMO. It gives the viewer a different perspective on the villain besides just a 1D or 2D view, and also clearly defines how he transformed his views from pure black and white upon exposure to "truck-loads of gray" (it almost feels like it could be used to commentate of what most generic shounen villains would experience had their mangaka creators ever decided to give them at least more substance than a piece of cardboard).

By other people's standards this scene might not mean a lot (although, I would probably argue that it has more to do with seeing it out of context rather than seeing it after initially seeing how the villain was set up), but to me it is the perfect combination of adding another dimension to a villain while still keeping things simple, and without dragging out his back-story for multiple episodes, which is a trap that other shounen that try the same thing often fall into.

Another scene which I love that appeals to me especially, but might not hold the same value for others, is actually from One Piece:

One Piece- Luffy and Zoro win a fight by avoiding it....AND....Luffy meets Teach

What I just called the former scene makes it sound like some extremely cheesy after-school specially moment that is easy to laugh off, but that's actually the thing, it is one of the most effective scenes in the series (IMO), because it has a very basic and common message to it that we've all heard since we were 5 and reading all of those nursery stories with morals to them, but it executes it so brilliantly that I can't help but be moved by it.

I think I just like the idea that sometimes the best way to win a fight is to not go hostile towards your opponent and instead let idiots think what they want. Wish other shounen could do that from time to time.

Also, another favorite scene of mine is:

Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid- This scene....Just because....

And as for some good old action cartoons, I will always remember this scene, which was one of the first times that I was exposed to BTAS:

Batman: The Animated Series- I AM BATMAN!

Its really more the power of that line and Kevin Conroy's delivery that works more than the scene itself, but at the time, and even now, its just so damn amazing to hear. At a time where most kids shows were as 1-dimensional as possible because the writers didn't care to try and give any effort to treat the kids more seriously (you know, like Captain Planet), scenes and moments like in BTAS stomped all over all of that crap, and proved that kids could be treated to a show with actual effort behind it that took itself seriously.

Another fantastic scene from a super hero cartoon is from TSSM:

The Spectacular Spiderman- Peter confronts the symbiote within his mind

Unlike the other scenes, I couldn't manage to find a clip for this scene, but it can be found in episode 12 of season 1, titled Intervention. The most touching part of the scene to me was when Peter's mind had his version of Uncle Ben come in to talk some sense into him. It really made for an extremely satisfying conclusion to Peter's internal struggle with the symbiote, and helped him come to terms with the importance of his role as Spiderman. Its moments like this that always stick in my memory.

Anyways, there are a bunch more moments which I didn't post from a bunch of shows, movies, and etc., like Futurama, South Park, DBZ, The Lion King, and bunch of much less popular stuff that nobody else here would watch or care about, but I'll post them up at another time.

Until then, I encourage everyone else to post up some of their favorite moments. Who knows? You might get someone else interested in watching something you like just by sharing and praising one of your favorite scenes from it.

[Avaitor]

Oh damn, I could go on all day. These are the first two that come to the top of my head

Dr. Facilier's death from The Princess and the Frog

If you haven't seen the movie yet, don't click, but this has got to be Facilier's most evil moment. The man is a great word twister as well as visionary, and he nearly succeeds, too. Besides that, the animation for the entire sequence is stunning, right down to that final image.

I personally liked how there wasn't a final clash in the movie. The conflict was handled out of dialogue and sheer emotion, unlike in other Disney movies where it takes a fight for the villain to end their reign of terror. PATF was a smaller film than the Renaissance pictures and needed a smaller ending, which is just fine.

The ending to "Epilogue"

Wrote about this on tz last night, but I'll repeat that this would have been the perfect finale to the entire DCAU. Completely perfect.

[Pharass]

Incidentally, I'm watching the "Chapter Black Saga" for the first time, right  now. So far, it's been pretty good.

It's hard for me to pick a favorite scene, but one from recent years that I found memorable was Azula's gradual breakdown in the finale of "Avatar". There was something quite disturbing about seeing such a supremely arrogant and confident villain slip further and further into paranoia and insanity.

On a lighter note, I've always loved the scene in "Wrong Trousers" when Gromit threatens Feathers McGraw with a rolling pin only for Feathers to pull out a gun. The look on Gromit's face is priceless.

[gunswordfist]

I really need to watch Chapter Black again and I love that Batman scene. And Avaitor, I also love the ending to Epilogue.


Monster- The Picture Book

Munch munch munch. Chomp chomp chomp. Gobble gobble gobble. Honestly that freaked the shit out of me. I've been meaning to find the video for it, just tried to and failed. I would be forever greatful if someone found it.

100 Bullets- The 100th issue

Such a great ending.

Superman Secret Identity and Superman Birthright's ending.

I loved Secret Identity's ending and the ending to my 2nd favorite Superman comic, Birthright, made me cry. I think that's the only time a comic book did that to me.

DC Identity Crisis-

When the murder gets solved.......

Heat Guy J Episode 24-

It has my favorite plot twist in any animated anything I've ever seen.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

That was indeed a great scene from Monster, but my problem with listing any scenes from Monster is that the series is just so full of memorable scenes that I can't just settle for picking one or even a few. Its way too hard for me to pick something to be representative of that series. In addition to the scene that GSF mentioned, I also loved the scene in which Tenma's patients hold off the authorities to give him a chance to escape, as well as the scene where Johan breaks the detective's will and actually gets him back into drinking to the point of suicide, and I will always remember the scene which reveals what truly happened between Franz Bonaparta and the twins. Monster's characters and story are just crafted so amazingly that its impossible for me to stick with just one scene. The entire series is like one giant string of unforgettable moments, one after another.

Incidentally, I'm watching the "Chapter Black Saga" for the first time, right  now. So far, it's been pretty good.

The funny thing is that a lot of people will claim that they prefer the Dark Tournament arc because it had more fighting and stuff like that. While I loved the fights and in fact loved how that arc went beyond just a simple tournament and had a fairly clever plot progressing in the background, I always felt that Chapter Black was the pinnacle of YYH in terms of actually being far more successful at telling story than being about fighting. Since its a shounen, it could easily have gone wrong if the plot was poorly written or the villains were uninteresting, but IMO it was all the more entertaining because it gave most of its intention to story over action. I kind of which more shounen series could have arcs like it, personally.

I sincerely hope that you enjoy watching the rest of the arc. Its one of my personal favorite in any action show. I'd say its on par with other well-praised shounen arcs like Rurouni Kenshin's Kyoto arc and even on the level of brilliance of the highly-acclaimed shorter arcs of action cartoons like the City of Stone arc in Gargoyles or the Cadmus arc in Justice League Unlimited (which I admit I liked mostly for the 2nd half of it; thanks to Avaitor).

[gunswordfist]

Crap, I missed the scene with Tenma's patients. I am sure it happened soon after they were in a restaurant or whatever, right? Anyway, the picture book came to mind because it really creeped me out.

Anyway, Dark Tournament is my favorite arc. Not just my favorite arc in animation by my favorite period. It's that simple. What made it stand out for me so much is all the freaking great characters. Of course team based tournaments include many characters and they really ran with it. Besides the teams that were taken out by one Toguro, almost all of them had an interesting member, with Team Toguro being filled with badasses. DT is the best in my book because it takes complete and total advantage of its type of arc. Everything's on point.

[Avaitor]

I also want to say the entirety of "Duck Amuck" as well. It's the Casablanca of animation in that not a single frame or syllable is wasted.

And this is among my favorite Simpsons scenes.

[Spark Of Spirit]

"I'M A FIREMAN! I'M A FIREMAN! I'M A-OW"
"*sigh*"

"Kids? I gave you names! Gribble- Joseph, Hill- Bobby."

"Told ya it was bad luck."

"Why don't you eat some pizza? That's all you ever do is eat pizza. No wonder why you're bald and your wife left you."
"Dang ol', amen, man."
"HEY............ I'm burned!"

[Avaitor]

"My name is Dauterive comma Bill, I am also insane."

[Rosalinas Spare Wand]

Let me start off with The Flash defeating Luthor/Brainiac by tapping into his powers. At this point, every major hero is defeated, and he gets egged on by Luthor claiming he's a huge joke. I just love how he manages to do what no one else could, and finally proved that old joke about The Flash being capable of defeating anyone.

Then there's the death of Bambi's mother, easily one of the most powerful scenes in any Disney movie ever. I like how the audience never sees the actual threat, but anyone can figure out who it is and what he's doing. Plus, the hunter is technically the villain and he's never actually defeated, so that makes his presence more foreboding. Not to mention the somber, suspenseful music just adding to the impact of the scene.

Here's a recent one I liked, Hokago Tea Time cheers up their youngest member. Even though I missed tons of context, I still think there's a lot of emotion coming from this moment. I think most of us have known that feeling of how difficult it is to move on, and the girls translate it perfectly into a light song. I especially like the nice touch of showcasing the supporting characters also dreading the end, and the series ending with the first song they performed.

Got a lot more of them around here, but I need to find the accompanying scenes that go with them.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I could spend hours finding clips from this show... Especially this episode.

[Avaitor]

Bumping this thread out of necessity.

This one has always been one of my favorite EEnE scenes. Really gets into Double D's anger issues and is unforgettable.

I wish the full thing was up. I mean the episode is full of great stuff, but this only has the key part of that particular sequence. Also, you can cut out after about 20 seconds.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Bumping this thread out of necessity.

This one has always been one of my favorite EEnE scenes. Really gets into Double D's anger issues and is unforgettable.

I wish the full thing was up. I mean the episode is full of great stuff, but this only has the key part of that particular sequence. Also, you can cut out after about 20 seconds.

Wow, now that's a scene that brings back a flood of good memories and nostalgia from my days of watching Cartoon Cartoons. I always really liked Double D's more frustrated interactions with Ed and Eddy, what with he being of a higher intellect and not always being able to put up with their more childish antics (even though he takes part in most of what they do, himself). I really need to re-watch that series when I get the chance.

Oh, as for other favorite moments of my own, here are some more:

Anything with Doctor/Kamiya from Yu Yu Hakusho, but this is the only really good scene of his that I could find on youtube (granted that, he was only around for about 2 episodes, so that makes sense). I really just liked the dilemma that he presented to Yusuke, and since he couldn't beat him with strength he tried to attack him psychologically by testing how willing he was to take the life of another human being. Its a nice change of pace from the regular shonen battle structure (hell, the entire Chapter Black arc is like that).

Just about every death scene in One Piece, but this one here is one of my personal favorites, and IMO one of the saddest and most effective scenes in the entire series. Even though Oda allows a bunch of One Piece characters to live through ridiculous circumstances, he really knows how to send characters off when it comes to that (granted that most of these characters are both introduced and die in the flash backs of other characters, but still it doesn't hamper the emotional impact all that much).

Then there is this scene from Hunter X Hunter. The first half of it is great just for being a damn fine fluidly animated fight scene (better than most of the cheap crap that gets churned out of most shonen anime these days), but the real reason for my posting that scene is for the last couple of minutes of it, when Kurapika is interrogating Ubogin. You can really tell that its tearing him apart to have to sink that low to get his revenge on the Genei Ryodan, since he's never killed a person before fighting Ubo. I think its a really great emotional scene in a very subtle sort of way that only somebody like Togashi could pull off in a shonen series.

This is my 2nd favorite scene from Return of the Joker (I couldn't find a specific video for my favorite scene in the film). And really, how could you possibly top that introduction scene with any other animated scene in existence....

....OH WAIT! THIS IS HOW!

[Dr. Insomniac]

"The access code is... alone."

Yeah, in hindsight, read that line sounds a tad corny. But it helps put a sad cap to what we had seen so far of Demona's life in City of Stone.

[Commode]

Watching a bunch of Sylvester and Tweety's right now, and at one point in the cartoon "Tweet Tweet Tweety" Sylvester is shown trying to retrieve Tweety from inside of a tree. His method of choice?  Taking a bicycle pump, sticking the hose in one hole, pumping, and trying to catch the bird as he comes out of the other hole.  He does this three or four times, until eventually a stick of dynamite emerges, blows up Sylvester, and ends the gag.

I love it though, from the idea of pumping a bird out of a tree limb using a bicycle pump, to the wonderful animation accompanying the scene, it's just a great bit.  It's amazing to think just how much the WB shorts defined what it means to be a cartoon.