Big Little Man: Difference between revisions

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A [[Visual Pun]] where an extremely short character is introduced in a manner that makes them appear much taller than they actually are. Also the inverse, where someone ([[Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever|or something]]) of great size or height is made to appear normal-sized at first, or perhaps introduced in a shorter or chibi-like form.

A subtrope is [[Big Shadow, Little Creature]], where this is done via a large shadow cast on the wall. [[Depth Deception]] is the [[Super-Trope]]—all examples that don't involve people should go there. May involve the use of [[~~Hitler~~ ~~Cam~~]]. See also [[Mister Big]].

A subtrope is [[Big Shadow, Little Creature]], where this is done via a large shadow cast on the wall. [[Depth Deception]] is the [[Super-Trope]]—all examples that don't involve people should go there. May involve the use of [[Low-Angle Shot]]s. See also [[Mister Big]].

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== Anime and Manga ==

* In the first episode of ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'', after being knocked down by a ball Ataru appears to have an enormous monk towering over him; it's only when he gets to his feet again that we realise the monk is half his size.

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** The inverse happens a short time later when a vast door opens and General W. R. Monger (tiny compared to the [[Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever|49'11 1/2"]] Ginormica) comes out. The two glowing eyes were just the lights of his jetpack.

** And it happened a third time when Dr. Cockroach is trying to shrink Susan back to normal [[Lightning Can Do Anything|with electricity]]. When she comes to, she sees the others standing over her and she thinks she's small again. Turns out they were just standing over her face.

* ''[[Shrek]]''. Our first glimpse of Lord Farquaad involves him striding dramatically along a corridor, camera focused on his face or body [[~~Hitler~~ ~~Cam~~|at a strange angle]], then when the camera and scenery go still, he's revealed to be maybe half the height of the guards. The gag is repeated when princess Fiona first meets Lord Faarquaad: he arrives on horseback, propped into a sort of prosthetic armour that apparently enables his controlling the horse, and makes him look like he has normal sized arms and legs. Then arrives a guard who helps his lord dismount by picking him up like a teddy bear. Her previously favourable reaction... dies.

* ''[[Shrek]]''. Our first glimpse of Lord Farquaad involves him striding dramatically along a corridor, camera focused on his face or body [[Low-Angle Shot|at a strange angle]], then when the camera and scenery go still, he's revealed to be maybe half the height of the guards. The gag is repeated when princess Fiona first meets Lord Faarquaad: he arrives on horseback, propped into a sort of prosthetic armour that apparently enables his controlling the horse, and makes him look like he has normal sized arms and legs. Then arrives a guard who helps his lord dismount by picking him up like a teddy bear. Her previously favourable reaction... dies.

* Finis Everglot in ''[[Corpse Bride]]'' is first shown talking face to face with his wife. Then the camera pans out and it turns out he is standing on a stool and is really half her height.

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* In the [[Buster Keaton]] film ''[[Three Ages]]'', caveman Buster tries to grab a woman lying on the ground by the hair and drag her away, as cavemen were apt to do back then. The woman stands up and turns out to be [[Statuesque Stunner|a good two feet taller than Buster]].

* ''[[Black Robe]]''. Father LaForgue is harangued by the shaman Mestigoit, who is filmed close to the camera—it's only when he comes face-to-face with LaForgue (who is sitting down) that we realise how short he is.

* Played with in ''[[The Transporter]] 3''. Frank Martin battles his way through a gang of mooks; after a disposing of them another man enters the room, shown via the standard [[~~Hitler~~ ~~Cam~~]] to make him look big, but in close-up so we don't see how big. Frank says, "Let me guess. You're the smart one." The mook replies, "No. I am the big one." and knocks Frank across the room. Then we see he's not just the standard big mook, but a [[Giant Mook]] [[One Head Taller]] than Frank!

* Played with in ''[[The Transporter]] 3''. Frank Martin battles his way through a gang of mooks; after a disposing of them another man enters the room, shown via the standard [[low-angle shot]] to make him look big, but in close-up so we don't see how big. Frank says, "Let me guess. You're the smart one." The mook replies, "No. I am the big one." and knocks Frank across the room. Then we see he's not just the standard big mook, but a [[Giant Mook]] [[One Head Taller]] than Frank!

* In ''[[Ichi the Killer]]'', Jiji is a small old man who wears baggy clothes. When a thug threatens him at the end of the film, he strips off his clothes and reveals that he's ''ludicrously'' muscled, then breaks every bone in the thug's body.

== [[Live Action TV]] ==

== [[Live-Action TV]] ==

* In the pilot episode of ''[[Get Smart]]'', KAOS is run by the mysterious "[[Mister Big]]" (as opposed to Siegfried). It's only when Mr Big and Maxwell Smart are in the same room do we realise that Mr Big is actually a dwarf.

* There's an episode of ''[[Quantum Leap]]'' where Sam leaps into a guy who works at a carnival. While he's checking out his new reflection in a funhouse mirror, one of the other carnies walks up and starts a conversation. At first we only see his reflection, which looks the same height as Sam, but when Sam turns to reply to him, he's revealed to be a dwarf.