Alpha and Omega (Lionsgate) (Western Animation)

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A computer-animated film released by Lionsgate and produced by Richard Rich and Crest Animation, 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 tranquilized 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 the Clock - back home, conflict is brewing among rival packs...

While the film's box-office returns were only mildly successful, a direct-to-video sequel (the first of four inicially planned), Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure, was released on October 8th, 2013, and introduces Humphrey and Kate's pups: Stinky and Claudette, the alphas, and Runt, an omega. Despite the subtitle, the film barely involves holiday overtones and focuses more on everyone's attempts at rescuing Runt from King, a Social Darwinist wolf determined to take the territories for himself. The next, The Great Wolf Games, released March 25, 2014, concerned the pups' participation in the eponymous sporting event in a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits (particularly Claudette who connects with a rival team's leading pup Fleet). On October 7, 2014, Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave released on DVD. This time Runt decides to help a she-wolf named Daria who was chased out of her pack when she was young. By 2018, seven sequels had been released, with no plans for any further films emerging since.

For the series of urban fantasy books named Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs, see Mercy Thompson.

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Series-Wide Tropes

Actor Allusion: This certainly wasn't Kate Higgins and Ben Diskin's first time playing as a couple together.
Action Girl: Kate, although some other female characters have received moments (such as Lilly and Princess in the second film)
Alpha and Beta Wolves: Of course. The series is named after this trope, after all.
Anime Hair: The wolves feature exaggerated manes, to say the least.
Artistic License – Biology:
- The (now debunked) theory of an "alpha, beta, omega" pack structure requires one single pair, male and female, of alphas, and the other members would each have their own rank. The pack wouldn't be divided into half alphas and half omegas, and individual wolves would fight to earn their spot in the hierarchy rather than just having it assigned at birth.
- The porcupines appearing throughout the franchise more closely resemble Old World crested porcupines than they do the North American porcupine, which is the only species actually found in Canada.
Butt-Monkey: Humphrey, mainly in the first film although still subject to it on occasion in the others
Color-Coded Characters: Notice the western pack (excluding the alpha females) are grayish in fur color and the eastern pack are brownish in fur color. Adding to this, the Rogues of the second film tend to come in far darker shades than those of the protagonists.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Humphrey, to varying degrees throughout the films
Fantastic Caste System: Wolf society as we see it runs on this. Social class is decided upon when the wolves are young pups, and there doesn't seem to be any way of changing it.
Four-Fingered Hands: The reduced number of toes variant. The wolf characters are depicted with only three toes on each paw (instead of four touching the ground on each foot with a fifth toe in the form of a dewclaw on the front ones) and the bears have only four toes on each of theirs (when they would realistically have five).
Greek Letter Ranks: Alphas are a wolf pack's best fighters and hunters, and 'omega' is a catchall term for everyone else. It's an Omega's role to defuse tension within and between packs, so the alphas don't fight unnecessarily. The two types aren't allowed to mate, and omegas don't have much official power, yet every pack onscreen has some.
Late-Arrival Spoiler: The sequels are centered around Kate and Humphrey's pups, thus giving one an idea of how the first film turned out.
Missing Mom: A recurring element in the series, given that we never see Garth, Princess, Fleet, or Humphrey's mothers (then again, we don't see his father, either). Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave subverts this with Daria's mother.
Not Allowed to Grow Up: Averted in the first film, as the main cast are shown as adolescents in the prologue, and grow into young adult wolves over the span of a single winter. Played straight in the sequels, where Kate and Humphrey's own pups look exactly the same, despite the films taking place over the span of at least a year.
Palette Swap: As the sequels progressed this became a more common practice. It's particularly noticeable in The Great Wolf Games, where not only are several one-off characters recolors of existing ones, but major supporting character Fleet is just a brown-furred version of Stinky.
- Even the first film is guilty of this to an extent; for instance, crows seen flying overhead in the one scene clearly reuse the model of a woodpecker seen earlier, despite the obvious anatomical inaccuracies this results in.
Parental Neglect: Kate and Humphrey throughout the sequels are shown to be pretty irresponsible parents as they are constantly unaware of their young pups' activity and often don't correct them in their bad behavior; which is made more jarring since it's never acknowledged.
Reused Character Design: Alongside the propensity for Palette Swap this was also more common as more sequels got made. The more egregious examples are the multiple instances of "twin" characters who're really just the same exact character model used twice, like Link & Lyle or the trapper brothers.

Alpha and Omega

All Men Are Perverts: Humphrey's expression after realizing about repopulating the park, and how it sounds good to him.
All There in the Manual: According to the official website, Lilly was rejected from the alpha position because she has leucism (It's what makes her white).
Ambiguously Gay: Shakey (the little wolf who wears a flower necklace), or Camp Straight depending on how you interpret his interactions
Anti-Villain: Tony is a Type III.
Arranged Marriage: Kate to Garth, in order to prevent war.
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.^note
Ass Shove: No, there's another reason for the moose's facial expression.
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."
Bears Are Bad News: 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. However, it's a 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. Also, according to The Other Wiki, evidently wolves can sometimes win against Bears, "Depending on context". 'Course, given the situation shown in the film: yeah, they'd be in trouble.
Beautiful All Along: After failing miserably to hit the intended target during a hunting exercise, Lilly tries to hide away from Garth in shame. Garth, figuring her bangs are the reason she missed, brushes her hair out of her face and is wowed by how beautiful her eyes are. Following this, Lilly becomes far more confident.
Beta Couple: Garth and Lilly.
Big Bad: Tony serves as the main antagonist of the film. It's his threat 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 Eater: Mooch.
Body Wipe: With Mooch landing on Humphrey after a sled ride.
Boyfriend-Blocking Dad: Humphrey gets into this role to a degree when he catches onto the growing attraction between Claudette and Fleet. He immediately yells at Claudette that she's forbidden to date until she's "[her] grandma's age", embarrassing the poor girl (and Kate, who watches on). That Humphrey is also coaching her and Fleet is also on the rival team do not help matters.
Bring My Brown Pants:
- Humphrey when a store owner points a shotgun at him. Justified since he was suffering from a severe Potty Emergency minutes earlier.
- The trailer made it seem like it would happen when he and Kate ran into the bears. Guess they lied.
Casanova Wannabe: Salty with his best (and only) pickup line being "hey".
Chekhov's Gunman: Eve's Ax-Crazy motives actually served a purpose by convincing Tony to end their pack differences.
Chekhov's Skill: Humphrey's logboarding skills manage to come in handy twice in the film. It's first used to help him and Kate escape an angry pursuing bear. And later on, it's used to quickly get the two of them down to save her father Winston from a caribou stampede.
Child Marriage Veto: Both Kate and Garth refuse to go through with the Arranged Marriage and confess they've fallen in love with their respective Omegas
Childhood Friend Romance: Humphrey's feelings start out as possibly one-sided, 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. Nevertheless, their interactions as pups, most notably the way they embrace while spinning in the air, hints that she might have felt something then.
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.
Cool and Unusual Punishment: Eve is a real goldmine of these.
- "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!
Cool Big Sis: Kate to Lilly.
Creative Closing Credits: A very good example of this. The credits feature early concept art and in-development 3D models of all the characters and scenery, actual behind-the-scenes extras such as the script, storyboards, a scorebook and screenshots of the film being worked on in the software used for its modeling and animation processes, all accompanying the names of the actors that voiced the characters and the people in the production crew.
Cub Cues Protective Parent: Humphrey plays with a bear cub and accidentally makes it cry after hitting it with a snowball. The cub's mama and two of her friends come along to make Humphrey pay for it.
Cute Little Fangs: Salty's trademark.
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.
Daydream Surprise: Humphrey has one where he thinks he's hugging Kate. It turns out that he was about to hug one of his friends.
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. Humphrey also gets in a lot of these moments as well, which befits his Omega status.
Deliberately Monochrome: Kate's Disney Death is shown in duller, browner colors compared to the rest of the film.
Disney Death: Humphrey and Kate respectively-him after getting them both across a raging torrent and her after getting hit by a caribou during the stampede.
Distant Duet: There’s a moment where Humphrey, Garth, Lily, and Kate howl musically at the moon together, Kate & Humphrey on a train, and Garth & Lily at the mountain.
Dreadful Musician: For all his capabilities and prowess, Garth has a horrible howl that drops birds if they're in range. Even Kate, Lilly, and himself agree. Of course, this is before Lilly helps him become a better howler.
*Drool* Hello: How the Mama Bear introduces herself to Humphrey after he unwittingly makes the bear cub cry
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.
Eye Take: Eve's death threats tend to get this response, most notably a glorious Oh, Crap! Aside Glance from Kate.
Feather Fingers: All the animals seem to be able to use their wings/paws like hands.
Foil: The two most notable sets are Kate and Humphrey (serious Alpha and playful Omega) and Lilly and Garth (Omega with little confidence and overconfident Alpha). 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, which Marcel comments is 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.
Gosh Dang It to Heck!
Humphrey: (Upon seeing the slobber on his face and a very pissed-off bear) "Oh, poo..."
Granola Girl]: Reba and Janice, the vegetarian she-wolves.
Humphrey: It's Spring! Whoa, look who's back from alpha school.
Salty: Forget about it Humphrey, Kate's an Alpha now, and you're an Omega.
Humphrey: We're friends, ok?
Mooch: Exactly, just friends, end of story.
Salty: You better set your sites over there: Reba and Janice, the "veggie-tarians".
- Later on in the film, the full moon showdown between Tony and Winston is interrupted by:
Reba, Janice [wearing daisy wreaths]: Stop the insanity, go organic!
G-Rated Drug: Kate and Humphrey acting trippy after sedation, complete with a background acid sequence and Kate speaking in a singsong voice.
G-Rated Sex: Howling, at least in the context of the Moonlight Howl, is often treated with sexual undertones. Alpha and omegas are forbidden to howl together, with the implication being that they shouldn't mate. Garth's pathetic howl is analogous to him being terrible in bed, most blatantly when he slyly asks Kate, "Was it good for you too?" after he howls for her. Kate and Humphrey howling together, as well as Garth and Lily practicing a better howl, are treated as intimate moments.
Groin Attack: While flying hanging from a goose, poor Humphrey gets slammed groin-first into a rock...ouch...
Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Once again, Kate's mom.
Hidden Depths: While Garth is initially an overconfident jock type, some of his earlier lines with Kate suggest that he's just as uneasy about their Arranged Marriage as she is.
Howl of Sorrow: Humphrey lets out a howl (and all the other wolves join in) when they believe Kate has died. Particularly notable since earlier in the movie, howling was demonstrated by the character singing, whereas this is a melody-lacking real howl.
I Don't Want to Ruin Our Friendship: It's implied that Kate said this to Humphrey off-screen after their howling session.
Instant Sedation: Subverted. Never Trust a Trailer.
Involuntary Smile of Incapacitation: Kate and Humphrey each do this when they are tranquilized by hunters.
Jerk Jock: Garth initially comes off as such towards Humphrey, but gradually shows he's more than that.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Tony is not subtle in his threats, but ultimately wants the best for his pack.
Lame Pun Reaction: Humphrey and Kate are surrounded by 3 bears, Humphrey tries to get them out of trouble with a joke.
Humphrey: Two bears are eating a clown and one of them asks 'Does it taste funny to you?'
One of the bears smacks Humphrey into a pile of snow.
Humphrey: A simple boo would have sufficed.
Large and in Charge: The alpha wolves. More so than the omega wolves.
Malicious Misnaming: Humphrey does this with Garth a couple times, calling him "Barf".
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!
- When Lilly offers to give Garth a tour since Kate disappeared, Garth passes on it and makes a snide comment that he wasn’t "stood up" by Kate, prompting Eve to angrily call out his name. This scares him into accepting Lilly’s offer and hurries off whimpering the second he passes by Eve growling at him, clearly warning him not to do any harm to Lilly.
- She also nearly murders Humphrey when she initially thinks he and Kate lived up to the "repopulating" part.
- There is also an actual Mama Bear at one point.
Missing Mom: Garth doesn't have a mom.
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.
Never Trust a Trailer: The trailer's editors had a field day.
- The Bear fight. ...What fight?
- A close up of Kate's eyes in the caribou hunt. That's not the same wolf.
- "Again with the butts" on the moose.
- The trailer also depicts two toilet jokes that are NOT present in the film: Humphrey saying "I just went" when confronted by the bears, and farting after being thrown at the mountain by them.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!: Humphrey causes Kate and himself to lose their ride back to Jasper because of his Potty Emergency. It's made all the worse when he can't resist the cupcakes left in the trash, which attracts the attention of the gas station owners.
Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: Eve is this, specifically her death threats.
"No Peeking!" Request: Kate and Humphrey are hiding in a trailer. Humphrey desperately needs to pee and he does a nonverbal version of this trope by gesturing at Kate to turn away from him so that he can relieve himself.
Odd Friendship: Kate and Humphrey's polar opposite personalities count as one for their friendship.
Oh, Crap!: Kate has several moments in the film. Among them include seeing that the caribou are stampeding twice, receiving her mother's "advice" concerning Garth, realizing why she and Humphrey were relocated, and spotting the two packs just as they're about to attack one another.
Only Sane Man: Kate is most likely the most normal character in the entire movie. She even points out how ridiculous Humphrey's actions are.
Pair the Spares: Humphrey and Kate are in love, but Kate is in an arranged marriage with Garth, while Humphrey is friends with Kate's younger sister Lilly. By the end, they've swapped partners.
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 regard for being good at it.
Rule of Cool: 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. Since real howling for wolves has meaning, the singing might not be completely Rule of Cool.
Running Gag:
- Birds repeatedly dropping to the ground after Garth's... less than ideal howling attempts. This 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.
- Eve's Ax-Crazy threats.
Shaking the Rump: The caribou do this to taunt the wolves.
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.
Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: Garth has a noticeable shade of red-orange fur and green eyes that make him stand out from the other wolves. He's also the one Kate is being pushed to marry to prevent war by their packs' tradition and ultimately helps her call off the wedding and break said tradition when he too falls in love with an Omega.
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. Although the sequels seem to suggest he's still considered an Omega.
Tension-Defusing Joke: The purpose of the omega wolves in each pack is to lighten the mood and remind the others to have fun even in times of stress. This also results in them being peacekeepers, whose jokes ensure that the mood is good enough to stave off conflict between packs. Notably, with Humphrey as the leader of his pack's omegas, he's also a highly skilled and dedicated peacekeeper who, along with the other omegas, manages to prevent a battle through jokes. Unfortunately, when he's missing, the other omegas are shown struggling as hostilities rise between packs, and the ones who try aren't given a good reception.
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."
Token Good Teammate: In a sense, Garth is this to the Eastern Pack, being the only one not on board with the whole "take the Western Pack territory by force if the Arranged Marriage doesn't happen" idea.
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". Makes sense when you think about it.
- 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.
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.

Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure

Aerith and Bob: The pups are named Stinky, Runt, and Claudette, respectively.
Bad "Bad Acting": Humphrey's assumes a "big Alpha" guise with Garth to lure King and his Rogues away from Runt. He's not very convincing and mostly succeeds thanks to Garth's help and King's Genre Blindness.
Bears Are Bad News: Remembering this from the previous film, Humphrey initially refuses to help the lost bear cub. However, this time, the bear cub convinces his mother and their fellow bears to use this against the Rogues.
Beware the Nice Ones: During the climax, four Rogues surround Garth while badmouthing Lilly as the "weak Omega" he married. She promptly drops a log on them.
Big Bad: King, the leader of the Rogue Wolves, who has Runt abducted to use as bait to draw out and kill the Alphas of Winston and Tony's united pack.
Call-Back: Kate and Humphrey cross the river once again by vine, and this is repeated by their two eldest cubs. Also, Garth uses the howl he and Lilly improved upon in the last film to make Humphrey's "big Alpha" persona more convincing.
Card-Carrying Villain: King, complete with Evil Laugh and aspirations to take over the territories
Casual Danger Dialogue: As Humphrey and Kate hang from the vine and his tail respectively
Humphrey: I don't know if I can hold you.
Kate: You held me last time!
Humphrey: Yeah, well, that was a few years ago.
Kate: Are you implying that I've gained weight?!
Humphrey: Are we really doing this right now?
Chekhov's Gunman: The bear cub Humphrey and Kate find along the way who, despite their initial disturbance, is temporarily adopted by them and the cubs. He later convinces his mother to organize other bears to defeat the Rogues.
Chekhov's Skill: Runt's ability to climb trees which later allows him to spot the gas station from the previous movie to give his family shelter from the storm
Christmas Special: The film is set around the holidays, but Christmas doesn't really factor in until the end.
Circling Vultures: With Marcel circling around above, "big Alpha" Humphrey passes the goose off as a vulture circling around his "grizzly kill". Marcel is not amused.
Marcel: If they don't kill him, I will.
Daddy's Little Villain: Subverted with Princess. While she is loyal to her father and serves as The Dragon, Princess does not share the Rogues' collective Social Darwinist views and has a good side that Runt helps bring out.
Dark Action Girl: Princess
Deadpan Snarker: Runt is quite adept at this for his age. Most notably when he tells a Rogue Princess scared into falling off an edge to "walk it off".
- Silent Snarker: Garth can be seen shaking his head and rolling his eyes at Humphrey's Bad "Bad Acting" during their "big Alpha" routine.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite being as rough with her as he is with other Rogues, King is hinted to legitimately care about his daughter Princess. This is most notable when Princess refuses his final order and retreats. Instead of getting angry and threatening her, King uselessly and desperately pleads for her to come back.
Generation Xerox: Claudette resembles her mother (with a hair/mane style similar to Eve's) while her brothers resemble Humphrey. Stinky and Claudette even repeat Humphrey and Kate's method of crossing the ravaging river. Lampshaded when Paddy and Marcel note how the kids have turned out like their parents.
Genre Blindness: King is so obsessed with the notion of the "pure and strong" Alpha that he readily falls for Humphrey and Garth's "big Alpha" guise, even when it features Bad "Bad Acting".
Heel–Face Turn: Although not really evil, King's daughter Princess is nevertheless pretty willing to do what has to be done by her father's command. However, she grows fond of Runt over time as her maternal instincts kick in and refuses to follow King's orders to attack the united Western and Eastern packs' territory in the climax, instead retreating.
Henpecked Husband: Humphrey becomes one of these to a degree, as Kate is quick to criticize and order him around (although Kate is noticeably trying to handle a lot of stress). Humphrey lampshades this by questioning if he's become the family pet when she orders him to dig up old bones for the family dinner.
The Kindnapper: The park rangers capture and relocate Kate and Humphrey to Idaho to repopulate the area. Downplayed, as it's not done to help them as individuals but to help the species as a whole.
Knight of Cerebus/Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: While he is a Card-Carrying Villain in many respects, King is the darkest antagonist in the series (along with the Head Wolf of Legend) due to his Social Darwinist mindset, abduction of a pup to draw out and kill the Alphas of his pack, and his willingness to kill said child once he's no longer useful.
Let Us Never Speak of This Again: During Humphrey and Garth's "big Alpha" act to lure the Rogues away from Runt, Winston and Tony pose as the "grizzly" Humphrey has brought for them. Neither of them are pleased with the situation.
Tony: {firmly} We never speak of this again.
Winston: {annoyed} Let's not even talk about it now.
Mama Bear: Princess' maternal instincts start showing when she cares for Runt during his time as the Rogues' hostage.
- The mother of the bear cub shows up towards the climax and leads other bears to fight off the Rogues.
Morality Pet: Runt becomes one to Princess during his time as the Rogues' hostage.
Ridiculously Cute Critter: Stinky, Claudette, and especially Runt
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Many of the Rogues flee when the bears rallied by the bear cub fight them off.
Shadow Archetype: In a sense, King, the Big Bad of the sequel, is one to Tony in the first film. Both are parents who would use their children in their plans and desire a sense of "purity". But whereas Tony's motivations were adhering to traditions and ensuring the livelihood of his pack through unity, King purely wants to satisfy his lust for power and to establish him and his Rogues as the dominating force. And while both intended to take the protagonists' territory for themselves, Tony wanted it for its resources that could help his pack survive. King simply feels he and the Rogues are entitled to it because of their alleged superiority.
Spin-Offspring: The sequel features Kate and Humphrey's cubs Stinky, Claudette, and Runt as major protagonists. The plot proper is kicked off by Runt's abduction.
Toilet Humor: To distract the Rogues in an attempt to rescue Runt, Humphrey perches upon Garth's back and pretends to be a massive wolf. Humphrey doesn't initially convince the Rogues.
Garth: Stake your territory. It'll keep them from coming close.
Humphrey: {caught off-guard} You want me to pee?
Garth: {annoyed} No, you fool! I want you to howl.
- During the attack on the Rogues, Marcel takes out a few of them by crapping on their heads.
Token Good Teammate: Princess to the Rogues
Took a Level in Badass: Lilly is a lot smarter and more confident in this film, repeatedly insisting she will fight alongside Garth and almost becoming something of a Battle Couple. Although it's also a bit inconsistent, as she does willingly stay out of the conflict, only to reappear alongside the others as though she was there the whole time. See also Beware the Nice Ones
Took a Level in Kindness: Tony is now a supporting protagonist. Eve has also considerably mellowed out since the previous film, not making her usual death threats in this one. Those fermented berries might have helped.
- The man running the gas station (understandably, but rather suddenly) tried to kill Kate and Humphrey with a shotgun in the first movie. Here, he sees them in the cold and, recalling his own family, decides to leave them food and a warm place to stay for the night.
Trojan Horse: To lure King and his Rogues away so they can rescue Runt, Humphrey perches atop Garth's back and pretends to be a "big Alpha" to distract them. They also set up a trap where Winston and Tony pose together in the shape of a grizzly Humphrey "caught" to try luring the Rogues to them. Unfortunately, King's Genre Blindness doesn't last long enough for this to happen, as he catches onto Kate just as she's rescuing Runt.
What the Hell, Hero?: A porcupine criticizes Humphrey for refusing to help the lost bear cub. (Which is understandable, considering how interaction with a cub almost got him and Kate killed in the first movie.) When Humphrey turns his back, the porcupine fires a quill into his backside and considers it "karma".

Alpha and Omega 3: The Great Wolf Games

Abusive Parents: Nars is shown to be emotionally (and possibly even a bit physically) abusive towards Fleet when it comes to competition, to the point where he threatens to strike Fleet down if he doesn't comply. It carries over to the cubs he's training where one constantly whispers because she's terrified of Nars. He comes around at the end when his son ties with Claudette and he sees that it's not affecting him in the same way.
- Judging by Nars' breakdown, his own father may have been one as well.
Ascended Extra: After being a largely Flat Character in A Howl-iday Adventure, Claudette plays a bigger part in this film where she is the leading athlete in the Western Region's team.
Bears Are Bad News: Brent starts out as a subversion due to his paranoid fear of birds. However, while he never reaches the full potential of the trope, he proves to be a valid team member.
Berserk Button: Stinky shows that he's not fond of his dad implying he's not as good as other Alphas. To quote him, it makes him "feel a bit slighted...and a bit snappy-jawed".
Big Bad: Nars is essentially this in terms of the competition and his abusive treatment of Fleet.
Breather Episode: While the franchise is rarely outright dark, this is by far its most lighthearted and casual instalment. There is no larger threat to the pack or life-or-death stakes of any kind, and its plot merely revolves around a relatively friendly contest.
The Bus Came Back: Mooch returns after being absent in A Howl-iday Adventure, although he doesn't really have much of a role aside from briefly encouraging Humphrey to act as the cubs' coach.
Calling the Old Man Out: Fleet gets two such moments when he calls out Nars for his actions. And quite awesomely, he doesn't back down after Nars threatens to strike him the second time.
Character Development: Claudette receives a considerable amount, by comparison to her previous appearance (see Ascended Extra). Namely, she goes from being a somewhat typical kid character to a more compassionate one as she realizes Fleet's situation and works to help him despite them both being competitors.
- While introduced as a Love Interest for Claudette, Fleet starts out as a bit arrogant, telling Claudette that she and the others can cheer for him when they intend to compete. As the plot goes on, it shows he's not as obsessed with winning as he initially suggests and is willing to stand up to his Games-obsessed father.
- Both Brent and Agnes start out as misfits due to his crippling fear of birds and her poor sense of balance. They become more balanced individuals and competitors as they train.
Chekhov's Skill: There's the "Mom slide" technique that Claudette learned from Kate. While she does use it during competition, it's most significant when she and Fleet use to to ensure they have a fair competition and tie.
Deadpan Snarker: Agnes the porcupine
Does This Remind You of Anything?: Humphrey explains to the pups that their pack has opted out of the games for several years, in protest of the other teams only presenting alpha wolves instead of being inclusive to other animals. This parallels numerous iterations of The Olympics — including the 1980 games in Moscow and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi — where various countries and athletes refused to partake for moral or political reasons.
Establishing Character Moment: Both of Nars' first appearances to the cast consist of him angrily calling for Fleet to get back to practice and then having an emotional breakdown when he remembers how he lost.
Heel Realization: Much to Nars' anger, Claudette and Fleet tie, thus costing his chance to score a victory through his son. However, he notices that Fleet isn't destroyed by not winning as he was and softens up considerably.
Lighter and Softer: This is undoubtedly the most tame installment out of the whole franchise so far.
Love at First Sight: At the very least, it becomes apparent that Claudette and Fleet like each other the moment their eyes first meet.
Opposing Sports Team: The Northern Region team, led by Fleet and coached by Nars
Puppy Love/Ship Tease: Claudette and Fleet
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Humphrey ends up coaching a team of the like, consisting of his children, a snide porcupine, and a bear who believes birds are monsters. They manage to get over the "misfit" part about halfway through the film.
The Rival: The Northern Pack team consists of Alpha cubs who've been training all winter thanks to their coach Nars. This includes Fleet, who befriends and shares a mutual crush with Claudette.
Scare Chord: The film admittedly abuses these as some of the character's more intense and psychological moments (namely Brent and Nars) are played out.
Slice of Life: This one is a bit laid back, focusing on a local competition rather than a major conflict among the wolf packs.
Unknown Rival: Nars lost to Kate in the Great Wolf Games when they were cubs and hasn't moved on past that point. As a result, Nars trains his son Fleet to regard Claudette as an enemy like her mother, and even growls at Kate when she appears as though he intends to attack her. Kate, on the other hand, barely remembers who he is.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Nars is hinted to have been one, given his breakdown and quiet pleading with his dad about how it wasn't his fault that he lost to a girl in his Great Wolf Games.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Brent has...bird issues. But he gets over it as they train.
Written-In Absence: Lilly, Garth, Tony, Winston, and Eve do not appear. Their absence receives a Hand Wave in saying that the Alphas all went on an extended hunt. (Although this still doesn't explain why Lilly isn't present.) Kate, however, shows up in the final ten minutes.

Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Frieda and Fran withhold information regarding Runt's whereabouts, until they decide to do so on the condition that Kate and Humphrey beg. Being her dignified Alpha self, Kate refuses. Humphrey, on the other hand...
Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Due to concerns over the cubs growing up, Kate and Humphrey cross into this trope a bit with their desperate attempts to keep their cubs close.
Artistic License – Biology: Daria is said to have been born blind, but is depicted as if she has cataracts.
Ascended Fridge Horror: This film explicitly confirms that, despite them being anthropomorphic and having the intelligence of humans, the wolves in this setting are still beholden to the behaviours of their real life counterparts, including killing pups that are deemed too weak or defective.
Big Bad: The Head Wolf, who had tried to kill Daria as a cub and murdered her mother after she hid Daria in Shadow Forest, triggering the haunting to occur in the first place.
Beware the Nice Ones: During the climax, Humphrey tackles one of the hostile wolves that has Runt and Daria corner, notably the first time in the series that Humphrey has been shown in a physical fight.
The Bus Came Back: Lilly returns to, along with Humphrey, lead the Omegas on the field trip that results in Runt's first encounter with Saw Tooth Cave. Winston, Eve, and Tony also return.
Character Development: Runt is the focus again, and he truly shows how far he's come as a character when he tries to help Daria despite the various threats at hand. This also applies, to a degree, to Kate and Humphrey as they learn to let their pups grow up.
Darker and Edgier: With more intense action scenes, a surprisingly frank depiction of trauma, and a major plot point surrounding the attempted killing of a disabled pup, the film is easily the darkest and heaviest installment of the franchise.
Don't Go in the Woods: The premise concerns an allegedly haunted section of Jasper that is hidden within Shadow Forest called Saw Tooth Cave. As several characters find out, there is indeed a ghost lurking in there, manifesting whenever anyone approaches the cave. However, it turns out that the ghost is actually Daria's mother trying to protect her.
Foreshadowing: Link and Lyle are shown near the beginning of the film complaining about how the pack has changed since Kate married Humphrey, lamenting how omegas are now being treated equal to alphas. It serves as an early hint of their secretly supremacist views, which they get to act on when they eventually defect to King's pack in the seventh film.
Intergenerational Friendship: Daria is at least a young adult, and forms a close bond with Runt (still a young pup).
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Frieda and Fran are a pair of porcupines who are generally bitchy towards just about everyone they meet, especially wolves. However, they're also revealed to be more of Daria's allies, warding off Lyle and Link's group when they come after her.
Karmic Death: The Head Wolf is ultimately consumed by the ghost of Shadow Forest. With the reveal soon after that the ghost is actually Daria's mother, it serves as a long-overdue comeuppance for the Head Wolf killing her all those years ago.
Killed Off for Real: Daria's mother was murdered by the Head Wolf of their pack because she defied "pack rules" by protecting Daria. However, she is implied to be the ghost wolf that defends Daria, and later kills him in a flash of light after he tries to kill Daria again. This makes them the only characters to die in the franchise, so far.
Knight of Cerebus/Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: The Head Wolf turns out to arguably be a worse antagonist than King, especially due to how we see him actually try to kill Daria when she was a cub due to her blindness.
Mama Bear/Papa Wolf: Kate and Humphrey waste absolutely no time in once again trying to find their missing child. There's also a brief moment when Kate gets especially angry when Frieda and Fran refuse to tell her where her son went.
- To say nothing of Daria's mother, who was murdered by the Head Wolf for saving Daria from him. She's come back from the dead to defend her at all costs, eventually killing the Head Wolf.
Missing Mom: Played for Drama. Daria was separated from her mother as a pup, and enlists Runt's help to return to her old pack in order to find her. It's ultimately revealed that her mother was killed for protecting her, and later reincarnated as the wolf ghost that still guards Daria now in the forest..
Mysterious Protector: A ghostly wolf manifests whenever anyone approaches Saw Tooth Cave, and generally acts as a protector of Daria while she resides there. Which makes sense given that it's Daria's mother.
Never Say "Die": Downplayed. Despite it being a major plot point, it's never explicitly stated that Daria's mother was killed, only that she "never made it back" after hiding her daughter in the forest. Given her mother is now a ghost, it's nevertheless obvious what happened to her.
Nightmare Face: Kate briefly uses a rather feral expression to threaten Frieda and Fran when they particularly anger her by withholding information about Runt.
No Name Given: The Head Wolf has no name, simply being called "Head Wolf" in the credits.
Prophet Eyes: Daria, which fits with her being blind. Although they also have an eerie glow in the dark, as well.
Rock–Paper–Scissors: Apparently, the wolves have their own version with "Leaf-Teeth-Rock", as seen with Lyle and Link.
Sexophone: Briefly employed when Kate initially mistakes Humphrey's attempt to tell her that Runt's gone missing as something else.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: The unnamed leader of Daria's old pack is a darker-furred wolf and strict traditionalist with a low opinion of weaker, non-hunting wolves, similar to King from the second film, and Humphrey even calls him "Mr. King" when he runs into him. Despite this, the two characters have completely different designs and voices, and this pack's territory is clearly not where King was located.
Truth in Television: It's revealed that the Head Wolf of Daria's pack declared her unfit and useless to the pack after she was born blind, and attempted to kill her until her mother intervened at the cost of her own life. This is indeed common behaviour with real life wolf packs.
Those Two Guys: Lyle and Link, Tony's two fellow Alphas and friends from puphood, who have a subplot of attempting to force the ghost out of Shadow Forest in order to become heroes.
Toilet Humor: Humphrey mistakes Paddy's preening and "getting [his duck tendencies] out of his system" as going to the bathroom in his drinking water.
Vocal Dissonance: invoked When Tony tells the family of his first time in Shadow Forest, he claims he was about the pups' age. In the flashback, the younger Tony speaks with the same strained, elderly-sounding voice as his adult self, just slightly higher pitched.
Unreliable Narrator: When Tony recounts his experience at Saw Tooth Cave as a cub, he speaks of how he handled the situation like a brave leader. The flashback shows that Tony initially sent his two fellow Alphas ahead on the grounds that "if one was lost, they always have another".
Winds Are Ghosts: The ghostly wolf is accompanied by leaves flowing through the wind.
Wise Beyond Their Years: Played with, as despite that he still has childish habits here and there, Runt handles the situations they get into a lot more maturely than his Alpha siblings.
Would Hurt a Child: The Head Wolf of Daria's pack tried to kill her when she was cub due to her blindness, and is no more hesitant to go after Runt when he tries to protect her now.
Written-In Absence: Once again, the "extended hunting" excuse is used to explain Garth's absence.

Alpha and Omega: Family Vacation

Artistic License – Animal Care: It is mentioned that a significant reward is being offered for any captured wolves, and Griffin and Jethro spend the film pursuing the main group in the hopes of getting rich. In real-life, the rounding up and relocation of wild animals for preservation would be carried out by legitimate, uniformed officers working on behalf of the government (as previously shown in the original film), not left to the devices of civilian bounty hunters.
Big Bad Duumvirate: The trackers that pursue the wolves for the potential money they can make off of their capture, especially with the cubs in tow.
The Bus Came Back: Fleet, Brent, and Agnes from Great Wolf Games, Fran and Frieda from Saw Tooth Cave, and the librarian lady from the first movie all make a return.
Clip Show: A good chunk of the movie is taken up by flashbacks to events from all the previous films.
Continuity Snarl: A minor yet strange example is the flashback to the first movie, where Humphrey is being flown around by the birds and collides with the moose in the river. In the original movie, Humphrey gets his paws stuck in the moose's antlers, while in the flashback, he gets his face lodged in the moose’s butt and it farts on him, causing Humphrey to fall into the river.
Disney Death: When the trackers manage to catch up with them, Humphrey backtracks and attacks them to give his family and their friends a chance to escape. Kate goes back to help him, and there's a lengthy pause as the others worry that they might have been done in. Of course, Humphrey and Kate return just fine.
Eat the Camera: To emphasize Humphrey's Papa Wolf moment against the trackers, he jumps right at the camera.
Flashback with the Other Darrin: Kate and Humphrey recall the times from the first film when they were hit by Tranquillizer Darts and escaped onto the train, complete with Kate Higgins and Ben Diskin redubbing their dialogue.
Humans Are the Real Monsters:
- The antagonists of the film appear to be trackers trying to capture the wolves. At first, they sound like wildlife personnel (much like the ones who carried Kate and Humphrey to Idaho in the first film), until one of them mentions how they'd make more money for successfully capturing the cubs.
- Averted with the librarian lady from the first film. Despite initially being scared by the group, she ultimately helps Humphrey, Kate, their pups, and the others escape the trackers. She even manages to free the two wolves they captured earlier in the film.
Offscreen Breakup: When the family find themselves back at Debbie's house — the librarian that Kate and Humphrey hitched a ride with in the first film — it's mentioned that she and her husband Garn split up at some point between films and she now lives alone.
Papa Wolf: Humphrey backtracks to ward off the trackers, when it seems like they will finally catch up to them. This is particularly emphasized when he outright lunges at the attackers.
Reused Character Design:
- Griffin and Jethro are both recycled models from the first film — one of the unnamed gas station workers and Garn the biker, respectively — and have no connection to either of them. While the series is no stranger to slightly recoloring its wolves and other animals to make new characters, this is notably the first time they've done this to make human characters.
- Julia and Liz, the two wolves that the family see running from the trappers at the beginning of the film, are recolored models of Reba and Janice from the first film.
Series Fauxnale: The film was originally intended to be the final installment of the series, explaining the significant amount of flashbacks and ContinuityNods, and Kate and Humphrey's Disney Death in the climax is notably dragged out. During production, the rights to the series transferred to Splash Entertainment, leading to three more films following after this.
Toilet Humor:
- Brent the bear has to pee and everyone spontaneously sings a song about peeing.
- In a heavily altered version of Humphrey's first encounter with the moose in the first film, he is shown colliding with its rear end and the moose farts in his face, with the smell seemingly causing him to collapse into the river. When he comes to, the moose raises its tail and Humphrey screams before the flashback abruptly ends, implying he was also defecated on.
Trojan Horse: Kate, Humphrey, and their pups sneak past the humans tracking them by moving under a hollow log, although it does not hide their paws or tails at all. They eventually abandon it after reaching the train tracks.
Uncertain Doom: In the climax, Humphrey and Kate both go back to physically attack Griffin and Jethro to allow the rest of the family to escape. The humans are last shown when Humphrey lunges at them with his teeth and claws bared, and while he and Kate ultimately emerge alive, it's not explicitly stated what they did to the trappers. Though the next film would eventually reveal that they survived.
Water Equals Whizzing: Brent tries to pee out of a train, but is having trouble getting himself to do it, so he sings about streams and rivers. The others then join in on the song for the heck of it.

Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs

Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: Amy the dinosaur is cartoonishly purple and green a la Barney, unlike all the other dinos seen in the movie who are more neutrally colored, including Amy's own mother.
The Genie Knows Jack Nicholson: Downplayed with Amy. As a magically resurrected dinosaur, she inexplicably knows all about the various names of dinosaur species, despite those names not existing during her time, she's familiar with the concept of evolution, and is aware of other animals, such as dogs, that didn't evolve until millions of years after she and her fellow dinosaurs went extinct.
Green Aesop: The film presents a rather Anvilicious one about not encroaching on nature.
Informed Species: While Amy could at least pass for an artistic rendering of a Velociraptor, her mother looks absolutely nothing like one and thus doesn't even appear to be the same species as her own daughter.
New Job as the Plot Demands: Griffin and Jethro return from the fifth film, only now working as archeological diggers rather than wolf trappers.
Only Sane Man: Downplayed. Humphrey spends much of the film's first half calling out the absurd things going on, though it's heavily implied Kate, Marcel and Paddy are intentionally turning a blind eye out of denial. By the time the pups introduce them to Amy, any pretence of normality completely drops.
Reused Character Design: The golf course owner Mac and his twin brother Ian are both slightly recoloured models of Max, the gun-wielding gas station attendant that appeared in the first two films.
Resurrective Immortality: Amy and the T-Rex, as a consequence of being in the Circle of Light when the dinosaurs went extinct, were apparently granted this ability. When their bones are unearthed in the present day, they revive immediately.
Terrifying Tyrannosaur: The T-Rex that is resurrected by the Circle of Light.
Theme Music Abandonment: While the previous sequels all prominently reused and reworked Chris Bacon's themes from the original film, Dino Digs is notably the first sequel in the series to have a completely new score, without any pre-existing motifs from any of its predecessors.

Alpha and Omega: The Big Fur-Reeze

The Bus Came Back: King and the Rogue Wolves return for the first time since the second film, though they're significantly smaller in numbers. Link and Lyle also appear in bigger roles, having last been seen in the fourth installment.
Face–Heel Turn: Link and Lyle join King's pack against the heroes.
Let Us Never Speak of This Again: After Humphrey slips out of a bear's grasp, the latter rolls over and cuddles up next to another (male) bear. When the two bears wake up, they quickly separate and awkwardly stand around, prompting one of them to try and talk about anything else.
Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Part of the reason behind Link and Lyle's alliance with King stems from the rest of the united pack constantly dismissing them.
Shout-Out: When one of the bears briefly wakes up, Humphrey hypnotises him back to sleep, telling him that he and Kate are "not the wolves [he is] looking for".

Alpha and Omega: Journey to Bear Kingdom

Artistic License – Physics: It is explained that the Rogue Wolves want control of the lake at the Bear Kingdom because it feeds every river in the valley. Rivers feed lakes, not the other way around, and the water shown at the lake clearly doesn't lead anywhere else onscreen.
Big Bad Duumvirate: It is revealed at the midpoint that the Rogue Wolves are actually aiding a coup devised by Strom and Claw, who want the Bear King's throne for themselves. Though they initially succeed and drive the royal family out, it becomes apparent the villainous bears and wolves don't cooperate well, and it doesn't take long for Humphrey to turn them against each other.
Disney Villain Death: During their final showdown, the Bear King overpowers Strom and lifts him up, throwing him off the cliff edge to his watery doom.
Retcon: Stinky previously referred to the local bears as a "clan" in the fifth film, while the bears featured throughout the series were not shown to have any kind of leadership over each other nor any other animals. In this film, the bears are now established to be a highly respected monarchy that the entire forest has to answer to.
Sequel Non-Entity: Though King's army once again appears at full strength, his daughter Princess — who played a prominent role in the second movie — isn't shown or mentioned at all.
Soft Water: The Bear King and Louie are pushed off the high cliff into the lake, but emerge unharmed and are able to climb back up. Averted later in the climax, when the Bear King throws Strom from the same location, only now the latter is indeed killed when he hits the water.

Alpha and Omega (Lionsgate)

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