Fourth Wall

Fourth Wall is a term used to describe the imaginary boundary between the audience and the characters. By breaking the fourth wall, characters either turn to the audience and talk to them directly or acknowledge the fact that they're in a game console, movie, TV show, book, etc.

Sometimes characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog series will say something that implies that they know they are fictional characters in a video game, movie, television show, or book; this is called breaking the fourth wall. The term originated from plays, in which actors would do something that involved the audience. Due to a stage looking similar to a box with two walls on the left and right, and two more in the front and back; the front wall, or the direction where the audience is sitting, is called the fourth wall.

Breaking the Fourth Wall is when a character in a show, movie or game "breaks the fourth wall" by directly talking to the audience or camera or acknowledges the audience's existence. In Pokémon, some of the characters in the anime break the fourth wall. Meowth does this occasionally. In one of his breaks, he complained that he couldn't breathe, Jessie then remarked that Meowth didn't have a nose. And then Meowth remembered and replied that the artists never gave him a nose. In another moment Jessie throws Meowth toward the TV screen. In "Fowl Play" after the motto, Meowth tells the audience that they will catch noctowl right after the commercial break. Ash and the other characters have broke the wall too. Ash said that he wants to make a TV show about his Pokémon, Misty then replied saying who wants to see a show like that. In Black and White, Bianca broke the fourth wall by introducing herself to the audience, and Stephan broke the fourth wall when the narrator couldn't get his name right.

Breaking the fourth wall is a comedy device used in fictional stories in which a character acknowledges the fact they are a character in a movie or television show, and are actually aware of being such. Listed here are scenes in Disney movies and television shows where the characters break the fourth wall.

Common Elements[]

Characters tell the player about commands such as "Press the A Button to Jump. Press the A button again to do a Homing Attack".
After finishing a stage, the character(s) will strike a pose toward the player and comment on the rank they receive.
In the 2D games, characters will look at the player and act impatiently.
In most character artwork for games, TV shows, etc, the characters often pose towards the viewer.

Games[]

Sonic 1/2/3/& Knuckles/4[]

When the character is idle for a while, the character will turn to the player and perform various actions.
- If Sonic is idle, he'll turn to the player, giving an annoyed look and start tapping his foot. In Sonic 3, if the player waits long enough, Sonic will look at the player and point in the direction he's facing.
- If Knuckles is idle, he'll turn to the camera and start punching.
- If Tails is idle, he'll look at the player and yawn.
When the player hits Dr. Robotnik, he'll look to the camera with a shocked expression. If he hits the player, he'll laugh directly at the player.
After finishing the game in Sonic 1 or Sonic 4, Sonic will turn to the camera and strike one final pose.
After finishing Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, Tails can be seen waving at the player.

Sonic CD[]

If Sonic is idle for three minutes, he'll turn to the player and say "I'm outta here!" and jumps off the screen with an annoyed look on his face while still looking at the player. This results in an instant Game Over, regardless of how many lives the player has.
Before the player is able to control Sonic in the Special Stage, Sonic will turn around, as though saying "Hey! Pay attention!"
Before Sonic races against Metal Sonic, Metal will do Sonic's finger wave toward the player. If the player loses against Metal Sonic, he'll do the same thing.
In the good ending, Sonic will glance, then turn to the player and pose before the credits play.
There is an unlockable extra which has a picture of Tails saying to the player "See you next game!"

Knuckles' Chaotix[]

When Robotnik is being lifted by Metal Sonic, he is seen laughing at the player.
Once Vector reaches top speed, he occasionally looks at the player.

Sonic Adventure[]

If the player moves the camera around a lot while playing as Knuckles, he'll state that he doesn't want to fall.
After finishing their respected stories, the character (with the exception of Gamma) will turn to the player and strike one final pose, as though thanking the player for their help.
In the cutscene of Amy's Story where she sees Sonic at Casinopolis, she turns to the camera and says, "my hero."
In the CGI intro, Sonic does a quick glance and smirks toward the viewer while running.

Sonic Adventure 2[]

During the CGI intro, the various playable characters look at the player and perform various actions like smiling.
- At the end of the intro, Sonic and Shadow strike a pose midair.
Much of the characters (depending on the character theme) will say a line, which is directed toward the player, like asking the player which stage or story they want to play.
During the CGI ending for the Hero Story, after shutting down the Eclipse Cannon, Sonic turns to the camera, smiles and gives his patented thumbs up.
During the title screen, after enough demos play, a character can be heard saying "Sonic Team!"
During the City Escape stage, there are posters telling players that "Playing SA2 is a habit forming" and to not turn off their Dreamcast. In the remake, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, the posters say not to turn off their GameCube.
- There are also posters of Soap shoes, which are what Sega helped promote at the time.
- Posters of Sonic Team are also present throughout the stage.
When starting a level the character will say something about what happened or what is going to happen directed towards the player.

Sonic Advance/2/3[]

Much like the other 2D games, if the character is idle, they'll perform various actions toward the camera.
- If Sonic is idle, he'll motion to the player, as though saying "Let's get moving!"
- When Tails is idle, he'll look through his binoculars, then turn to the camera and point, telling the player that they need to get moving.
- When Knuckles is idle, he'll look at the player with an annoyed face, clear his throat, and yell at the player, as if he's telling the player to "Hurry up!"
- While Amy is idle for a while, she'll wave at the player, before shouting something like "Hey!", and then repeatedly shout something and she'll continue to do this until the player moves her.
While Cream is grinding, she'll wave at the player.
During the Tornado Special Stage, the character will turn to the player and do something like give a thumbs up or wave.
- After the character gains a Chaos Emerald, they'll show the Emerald to the player.
When Sonic does some stretches, he'll look toward the camera while shaking his hands.
While Tails is about to start, he'll look around, notice the player and nod.
When Amy is about to start, she'll yawn but will notice the player and pretend to clear her throat.

Sonic Heroes[]

When Team Chaotix face the Egg Emperor, Charmy asks if it's the final stage, Vector says that it's not (foreshadowing the final battle against Neo Metal Sonic).
In Team Rose's opening cinematic, Amy is holding a newspaper clipping with a picture of Sonic (Metal Sonic in disguise) carrying Froggy and Chocola. The article on the newspaper appears to be an ad for a portable "Palm" version of Sonic the Hedgehog.
While selecting Shadow or Omega to be Team Dark's leader, if you use the first-person camera to look at Rouge, she will turn her head in your direction and wink at you.
When playing as Team Dark, after being idle for a while Shadow will often remark (mostly at the start of the game) "no need to rush" which is both aimed at the player and also saying that there is no time limit.

SEGA Superstars[]

At the start on the Sonic game, Sonic (or Shadow) will look at the player and give a thumbs up.

Shadow the Hedgehog[]

When touching the Hint Ring during the final stage of Expert Mode, Eggman can be heard telling Shadow (i.e. the player) "This is the final stage!"
When an ally character appears for the first time, they'll turn to the camera and pose.
In the Final Haunt level, when Shadow meets Sonic, Sonic will say "Hey Shadow, looks like we've reached the climax of this little game here."
And just before fighting Black Doom after the Final Haunt stage, Sonic says "Like it or not, the game's over".
In the cutscene before the Lethal Highway stage, Sonic says "Welcome to the next level." This phrase was also a reference to one of the slogans used for promoting the Sega Genesis.

Sonic Rush[]

If the player taps Sonic with the stylus, he'll swing his arms, as though saying "Come on! Let's go!"
If Blaze is tapped with the stylus, she'll jump like a scared cat, stamp her foot, and turn her back to the player while tapping her foot.

Sonic Rush Adventure[]

In the final part of the battle against the Ghost Kraken, it will shoot an ink ball at the screen, obscuring the player's vision. The player can wipe away the ink blot with the stylus, but this method is time-consuming.
Just like Sonic Rush, Sonic and Blaze will react when they are touched by the stylus on the lower screen (Sonic stretches while Blaze lifts herself in the air).

Sonic Rivals[]

When Sonic reaches the Sky Park, Sonic will say "Looks like we've been teleported to a completely different location..." in which he possibly refers to him and the player.

Sonic Riders/Riders: Zero Gravity[]

In the animated intro to Sonic Riders, Sonic gives the player the "Peace"/"Victory" sign just as he's passing the camera.
After starting a race in Zero Gravity, the character will turn around and look at the player.
When performing an "X" trick in later games, the character will turn to the player, as though saying "Good Job!"

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]

During Sonic's Side Taunt, he'll turn to the player (possibly the opponent) while saying "You're too slow!"
During Subspace Emissary, Sonic appears before the final fight against Tabuu. This could be a nod to Sega's late acceptance to let Sonic join Brawl.
If the player fights Sonic while playing as Solid Snake and contacts Otacon, Snake will say that he doesn't like Sonic for some reason. Otacon will then state that many fans are happy that he's in Brawl. Snake's unexplained dislike toward Sonic could, among other things, be a nod to the Sonic games selling better than the Metal Gear games.
- It's more highly possible behind this is the fact that the Japanese voice actor for Snake, Akio Otsuka, is the son of Dr. Eggman's voice actor, Chikao Otsuka.

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood[]

Tails will constantly remind Sonic to save the game before dangerous areas.
Sonic and Tails cite the credits themselves, even making various comments; like Sonic pointing out that one of the members who worked on the game is named "Miles." Omega eventually joins in, but ends up putting Sonic to sleep.

Sonic Unleashed[]

After Sonic realizes that Chip lost his memory, he asks the player if he fell on him.
After Sonic sulks away because Amy didn't recognize him as a Werehog, Chip will offer him chocolate, but Sonic will refuse. Chip will then shrug at the player before flying after him.
While Sonic is being graded in the 360/PS3 versions, he and Chip will look directly at the results.
After Eggman fails to kick Orbot and falls flat on his back, Orbot turns to the player, points at Eggman, and chuckles before the Doctor gets back up.
While visiting any Gaia Gate, if Sonic is idle, he'll sometimes lay down sideways with his hand propping up his head.

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing[]

During races, Sonic or some of the other characters will look at the player.
When Big gains first place, he'll put his hand on the camera to stop himself, jump off his bike, and pose.
In the CGI opening, after just beating Eggman and when gaining first place, Sonic give the player his famous thumbs up.
At the title screen, various characters will drive up, look at the player, and perform various actions.
When Amy won, her car would crash back-first into the camera, she'd step out, and giggled as if the "cameraman" was in a fairly sticky situation.

Sonic Free Riders[]

Omochao seems to be talking as though the player is watching television (although he is speaking to the "camera" that some of the other characters can see). It's also supported by the fact that the game is somewhat featured like a television show.
During Kinect calibration, characters will occasionally motion towards the player before jumping on their Gear.
When characters do their 'X' tricks, they would glance toward the player.

Sonic Colors[]

When Tails corrects Sonic by telling him that it's pronounced "Wisps", Sonic turns to the camera and tells the player, "Yeah. I'll just stick with 'aliens,' if that's okay with everybody."
In the CGI opening, a White Wisp looks at the camera in wonder, as though trying to look at something.
In one of the cutscenes, Sonic says that Tails missed the "BBBE", which stands for "Best Boss Beating Ever".
In the DS version, Tails offers Sonic to go over some tutorials.

Sonic Generations[]

Both Sonics will look at their score after each stage.
Classic Sonic will look at the player in annoyance if he doesn't move for long enough and Modern Sonic would lie on the ground looking almost sleepy at the player.
When attaining an S rank, Modern Sonic will breakdance and then wink at the player.
If the player enters the Death Egg Robot boss gate as Modern Sonic, in the cutscene "Through The Glass," Modern Sonic will look at the player and say, "Another Sonic! What!?"
At the start of Speed Highway and some challenges, Modern Sonic will look at the player and give a thumbs up.
In the cutscene after defeating the Death Egg Robot, Classic Sonic will look at the player and shrug his shoulders.
In the second-to-last cutscene, the hammerspace concept is referenced by Classic Tails, who asks his modern self about where Sonic puts all his gold rings. Modern Tails then says that he has no idea. However, this isn't necessarily breaking the fourth wall, so much as "leaning" on it.
When Classic Tails refers to Classic Eggman as "Dr. Robotnik", Classic Eggman says "No one calls me THAT anymore," considering that he referred to himself as Dr. Robotnik until after Sonic Adventure, this comment is partly directed at the player.
In the post-credits scene, after Modern Eggman tells his younger self, "It'll be your plan pretty soon," Classic Eggman says that he will dedicate the rest of his life to forgetting it at the camera.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I[]

Same as Episode II, excluding Tails.
In the iPhone/iPod Touch version, if the player stands still for a while, Sonic will take out an IOS, hold it up to his ear, and starts dancing a little, though this exclusive waiting pose was taken out in the HD version of this game on the iPad.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II[]

If the player stands still for a while, Sonic will put his hands on his hips and Tails will look towards the player, followed by looking around. Super Sonic will cross his arms and face forward.

Sonic Lost World[]

In the cutscene preceding Zazz' second fight, Zazz looks at the player in shock after Sonic insults him for "needing a bath". At the same time, Sonic also glances at the player.
When Sonic is free-falling, if the player doesn't hold down the R-trigger button, he will turn around so his back is facing the ground, and look at the player as if to say "Oh, come on!".
In a cutscene at Tropical Coast, after Tails asks the characters to raise their hands if Eggman is a "total bonehead", Tails and Sonic then turn to the camera and the former says "Well, folks. The motion has been passed unanimously!", referring to the audience as the "folks".

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric[]

In the cutscene right before the Ocean Purification Plant, Tails briefly looks towards the screen while Knuckles is attempting to boss the group around, as if to say: "Yep, there's Knuckles for you."

Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal[]

In the cutscene before Shadow Canyons, after Sonic makes a pun on the word "shadow", Tails winks towards the camera and says: "And there's your irony!"

Archie Comics[]

When Antoine let Pseudo Sonic into Knothole, he blamed the writers for making the panel so dark.
The issue #3 comic cover had Sonic and Tails returning from their look at the other comics, telling the potential buyer that "this is the one you want."
When the Freedom Fighters were looking at video footage of Universalamander, Rotor believed that Jurassic Park has been released for the Genesis.
When Sonic went into the Special Stage in issue #4, a prompt appeared at the bottom of the page, telling the viewer to use their Genesis to help Sonic through the Special Stage.
When Sonic went to the Casino Night Zone, he told the reader to use their Genesis to get him there.
When Sonic rushed off to save Sally from the trees, he uses a full panel to tell the viewer about the story and what he hopes he'll be able to do, all while using all the bad tree puns that haven't been used up to that point. Later he states that he "feels like [he's] getting 'stalked,'" and the caption assures the reader that it was a corn pun, not a tree pun.
One of the early Off-Panels features some "deleted scenes" from the comics.
- One of the more recent Off-Panels has Sonic mentioning that there are more Rabbit characters in the comics.
In issue #2, the reader may choose what Sonic says.
In issue #19, Sonic and a large group of other Sonic from different dimensions enter the Neutral Zone, which is completely black and white. The reader is urged to color that colorless pages like a coloring book.
The entire issue #71 is told backwards. With Sonic Grams (which are always at the back of the comic book) being first, followed by letters, fan art, pin-up, the backup story and finally the main story in that order.
- On the of that, the main story is also told backwards. With the reader seeing the end result first, then seeing the events leading to it in reverse, finally ending with how it all started.
In a bonus feature, Sonic directly addresses the reader and tells them to help him.
On the SSS Issue #11 cover, Sonic can be seen saying "Hey! Whose comic is this anyway?!"
At the end of Sonic X #17, Sonic says "That's all folks!" and then tells the reader what will happen in the next issue.
In Super Sonic vs Hyper Knuckles Tails says that the odds are 4 to 1 that Sonic and Knuckles will be in a fight by page 6.

Mario[]

Nintendo World[]

TV Shows[]

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog[]

During the intro, Sonic and Tails give the viewer a thumbs up.
After changing "Sonic Sez" to "Sonic Says", he'll give the viewer a thumbs up.
- The entire Sonic Sez segment has Sonic breaking the fourth wall, because he gives advice to the watcher (or audience) to do things like not to smoke, to stay in school, or not to play with guns.
At the end of Sonic Christmas Blast, Sonic tells the viewer to be on the lookout for more episodes of AOSTH, even though none were released afterwards. He also wishes the audience a very merry Christmas.
At the end of Blank-Headed Eagle, Sonic declares that he wants his own television show by the name of "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog".
In the beginning of Robotnik's Rival, while Sonic and Tails were chased by Robotnik, Tails bumps into the large-font title, knocking it over.
At the end of Sonically Ever After, Sonic tells the audience to stay toon for the next episode.

SatAM[]

At the end of Sonic Conversion, Sonic squeezes through the black circle (which signifies the end of an episode), turns to the viewer, and says "Seriously!".

Sonic X[]

While Sonic is standing on one of the S-Team's race cars, Hector Dragg, the driver of the race car yelled at him, telling him that there are kids watching, which also brings Sonic to break the fourth wall, and his expression shows that he knows that in which ever dub the viewer is watching, it is unlikely to happen anyway.
- While standing on top of the racer, Sonic then proceeds to saying: "Kids, don't use formula One cars to chase hedgehogs!"
- In the original Japanese Dub, Sonic tells the viewers that they should not stand on top of speeding race cars.
When Sonic flies over the city and is subsequently about to fall into the pool, he looks at the viewer with an exasperated expression then says: "uh...oh...." makes an attempt to run to try to keep moving in the air, then proceeds to saying: "see ya!" right before he falls and lets out the Goofy Holler.
When Eggman was viewed as a hero by many of the brainwashed civilians, Decoe and Bocoe pitched an idea of a TV show called "Eggman X". A clear nod to the show's title being "Sonic X."
- Immediately afterward, Eggman tells the audience to "tune in next week"
When Sonic fails to reach the Egg Carrier, he turns to the camera and says "No way".
During the ending sequnces in the first season, Sonic will watch footage from the episode.
When Sonic fell into a small pond/puddle while fighting Knuckles in Cracking Knuckles, he'll turn to the camera and sheepishly say "It's lucky I fell in the kiddie pool.", before returning to his fight with Knuckles.
In the Japanese version of Episode 26, Eggman tells the audience not to change the channel before a commercial and when a card showing a blacked-out E-99 Eggsterminator, Eggman appears and tells the viewer "I'm sorry!" before bringing out the Eggsterminator.
When Sonic got the idea to persuade Chris and his friends to get off his dad's yacht in Cruise Blues, he looked at the viewer with a sly smirk on his face.
In one episode, Charmy shows Vector a DVD of Sonic X.
In the Chaotix's debut episode, Vector and Espio give a description of themselves to the viewer. These descriptions take so long that when Charmy asks if it's his turn yet, Vector informs him that they don't have enough time, and that they have to cut to commercial. Charmy, desperate for some screen time, grabs the camera with a worried look on his face as the scene fades to black. In the Japanese version, Charmy fails to introduce himself before the eyecatch and instead the eyecatch details all of his stats for him.
In the Japanese version of Unfair Ball, when an Eggman robot was batting and hits the ball out of the stadium, Sonic who was fielding, goes an catches the ball and says, "Out!" but Chuck tells him that if the ball goes beyond or at the end of the stadium then that is a home-run. Sonic then says, "Why should we follow the rules? This is an anime!"
In the Japanese version of the final episode of Season 3, Charmy reminds Espio that he's acting out of character after the latter begs for more of Vanilla's cake.
In the Japanese version of episode 67, after Rouge destroys the Fake Emerald producing machine she then moves off-screen complaining that this is all she does in the episode and even yells "Call the Producer!!"
In the Japanese version of Episode 77, Eggman and his crew have an entire argument about whether or not each were properly acting in character.
In the Japanese version of Cruise Blues, Amy goes on about how Sonic is the hero and that without him, the viewers and fan rate would drop.

Sonic Boom[]

In The Sidekick", when Burnbot damages the wing for the plane, Tails accidentally breaks off the ejector seat switch and looks at the viewer with a puzzled look on his face.
- In the same episode, while Eggman ponders his scheme in his lair, the camera suddenly pans down. Eggman then picks it up, saying to himself "Lousy security camera!".
- When Knuckles tries to change Sonic's name to "Knuckles.Jr" for his sidekick, Sonic looks at the viewer with an annoyed look on his face.
- When Sonic is done explaining to Tails that he's having "Early Retirement", he looks at the viewer and asks "Wait, what just happened?"

D.N.Angel[]

In "Double Cooking", the commercial break graphic of the swinging black feather is played four times in this episode. On the fourth time, both Risa and Riku shout "Enough, already!" and the music grinds to a halt.

Films []

Cartoon shorts []

Mickey's Amateurs - At the very end of the short, when Donald finishes reciting "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", the iris-out suddenly shuts around his neck, and he pulls it open to get himself unstuck.
Get A Horse! - Most of the short revolves around Mickey and company being shot out of the screen and interacting with the screen itself.
The Nutcracker - The characters either spoke to the narrator or is aware that he's there.
- Von Drake spoke and argue with the narrator about trying to ignore the narrator and about how the narrator is a "big surprise spoiler."
- Minnie Mouse is aware of the narrator as he explains to the audience about the Nutcracker doll.
- The narrator kicks Von Drake out of the story when Von Drake broke the Nutcracker doll.
- Donald Duck argues with the narrator about being the Mouse King until the narrator tells Donald that the Mouse King wins in the end, which was a lie.
- Mickey asks the narrator for help but the narrator said, "Nope, I'm staying out of this one."
- When Donald got trapped in the scepter, Donald tell off the narrator that he said Donald would win, to which the narrator jokingly replied, "Sorry, I've made a mistake."
- The narrator and Von Drake argue about Von Drake having a scepter and being a King of the Sugar Plum Fairies until Von Drake prove his point. Afterwards, the narrator decided that he had enough and went out.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit[]

Roller Coaster Rabbit - While Roger Rabbit was riding the roller coaster, he almost went out of the film.

Disney animated features []

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Tigger Movie and Winnie the Pooh (2011)[]

The characters often speak to the Narrator and use the book as part of the scenery (such as when Tigger used the book to get out of the tree).

The Great Mouse Detective[]

While Basil expresses his acknowledgement of Dr. Dawson, he whispers something to Olivia, who then looks at the audience in either confusion or shock.

Aladdin[]

The Peddler greets the audience and tells them to come closer which resulted in the camera hitting his face. He then attempts to show the audience some of his fine merchandise, but are not interested until he unveils the Genie's lamp. He then begins to tell the story of how the lamp "changed the course of a young man's life."
Genie brings out a script for Aladdin and whispers, "You're line is: 'I'm going to free the genie,'" and it happens again when Genie calls Jafar "a tall, dark and sinister ugly man."
At the end of the film, Genie lifts up the screen.

The Lion King[]

At one part of the song "Hakuna Matata", Pumbaa almost said that every time he "farted," but Timon cuts him off, warning Pumbaa, "Not in front of the kids!" (referencing the audience [or unseen animal kids] and Simba).

The Hunchback of Notre Dame[]

At the end of the film, Hugo says, directly to the audience, "Good night, everybody!"

The Emperor's New Groove[]

Kuzco freezes the movie after Pacha's appearance to remind the audience that the movie is about Kuzco, not Pacha.
Right after Pacha abandons Kuzco at the diner and finds out the truth about Yzma and Kronk, the narrator Kuzco comes in at the scene where the movie began, and the llama Kuzco tells him that the audience knows the whole thing.

Brother Bear[]

At the end of the credits, Koda directly tells the audience that "no fish were harmed during the making of the film," but then a grown-up bear was seen chasing one of the fish, attempting to eat it. Koda tells the camera man, "Cut!" but the camera keeps rolling, so Koda covers the camera with his paws so the audience couldn't see the bear eat the fish.

The Wild[]

At the end of the film, Kazar pops his head through the iris-out, which chokes him. Nigel then shoves him away and apologizes to the audience, telling them to carry on.

Bolt[]

A meta-example would entail the entire story of Bolt realizing he's just a character in a TV show.

Wreck-It Ralph[]

All of the characters (save the Cy-Bugs) from their respective video games are aware of their position in life (to be video game characters).
- At one instance, Ralph throws his medal at the screen, causing the sheet of paper to fall off.

Pixar features and shorts[]

Your Friend the Rat[]

Remy and Emile teach the viewers about the history of the rat in an attempt to bring a better understanding between the two species.

Cars Toons[]

At the end of Rescue Squad Mater, Mater the Greater and Tokyo Mater, Lightning McQueen looks toward the audience after noticing the characters and references from Mater's stories.
At the end of Air Mater (Cars 2 DVD and Blu-ray only), Mater meets up with Sparky in front of Propwash Junction's sign, and says that they should make a movie about planes. Sparky then says that's a good idea, and the two look at the audience in anticipation.

Cars 2[]

At the end, Siddeley winks to the audience before flying off.

Brave[]

A Will O' the Wisp waves goodbye to the camera before disappearing.

Toy Story of Terror![]

At the special's ending, Mr. Pricklepants comments that if they were in a movie, the credits would roll at that point.

Non-Disney features[]

All Dogs Go to Heaven[]

After seeing Carface use his life clock to return to Earth and being chased away by an angry Annabelle, Charlie assures the audience with a wink that "he'll be back."

Anastasia[]

Bartok ended the movie by pulling down the screen after being kissed by a female bat.

Live-action features[]

Mary Poppins[]

In the beginning of the film, Bert notices the viewer. After being asked, he shows the viewer the route to 17 Cherry Tree Lane, along with some of the residents.

James and the Giant Peach[]

At the end of the film, the Magic Man addresses the audience and then winks at them before the screen fades to black.

George of the Jungle and George of the Jungle 2[]

At one point in the first film, Lyle Van de Groot can be seen fighting with the Narrator. Near the end of the second film, Lyle insults the Narrator, who then drags him out of the movie into the sky.

Muppet films[]

The Muppet Movie[]

The film itself is mainly presented within the framing device of the characters watching a movie, the following are instances of the fourth wall being broken in the movie-within-the-movie:
- Kermit comments on Hare Krishna becoming a running gag.
- In a particularly meta-fictional plot twist, Kermit and Fozzie actually give a copy of the screenplay to Dr. Teeth, who later uses it to find and rescue them after they have been stranded in the desert.
- In regards to the Miss Bogen County Beauty Pageant, Charlie McCarthy comments to the audience, "You're not gonna believe who the winner is, folks." Edgar Bergen replies, "Oh, come now, Charlie, it's their movie."
- Sweetums literally breaks through the fourth wall when he bursts into the screening room as he finally catches up with the Muppets at the end of the film.
The film ends with Animal looking directly into the camera and telling the audience to "go home!"

The Great Muppet Caper[]

Fozzie, Kermit and Gonzo comment on the opening credits as they appear on screen.
During the opening musical number "Hey a Movie!," Kermit talks directly to the audience about the roles that he and Fozzie and Gonzo will play in the film and says, "I wish I were you people seeing this for the first time!"
When Mike Tarkanian asks Kermit what makes him so sure there will be a "next time," Kermit responds: "Well, if there isn't, it'll be a very short movie."
When Miss Piggy asks Lady Holiday why she's sharing her entire back story, Lady Holiday responds "It's plot exposition. It has to go somewhere."
Kermit tells one of the guest stars (Peter Falk), after a meandering monologue, that they're "trying to do a movie here."
Kermit and Miss Piggy break character and start arguing over her acting skills by the duck pond.
Miss Piggy calls out Nicky's musical talent by saying, "You can't even sing! Your voice was dubbed!"
At one point a truck driver (Peter Ustinov) questions the presence of Oscar the Grouch, to which Oscar says he's there doing "a very brief cameo." Ustinov looks at the camera and says, "Me too."
When asked why he's doing all this, Nicky Holiday responds: "Because I'm the villain! It's pretty plain and simple."

The Muppet Christmas Carol[]

Acting as narrators, Gonzo (as Charles Dickens) and Rizzo the Rat frequently break the fourth wall as they provide narration and commentary on the events of the film. While the duo often speak directly to the viewer, they rarely interact with the other characters and the story itself - a notable exception is when they step in to correct Sam Eagle's declaration of it being the "American way" to being the "British way."

Muppet Treasure Island[]

Rizzo the Rat comments when Billy Bones has his heart attack: "He died? And this is supposed to be a kid's movie!"
Statler comments on being "stuck to the front of this stupid ship," and Waldorf replies, "Well, it could been worse. We could be stuck in the audience!"
A line in the "Cabin Fever" song says, "I'd like to get my hands on whoever wrote this script".
Clueless Morgan comments on the "Cabin Fever" musical number.
Long John Silver gives his crewmates stage directions during the "Professional Pirate" number, saying "Upstage, lads, this is my only number" as they carry him across the camp.
A tomato on the Swedish Chef's ingredient tray says, "How else did you think we were going to get him into this movie?" (after which the Chef whacks it with a large mallet).
A rat conducts a tour of the island referring to the place as the location for the movie Muppet Treasure Island.
Statler comments that saving Smollett and Benjamina made them heroes, and Waldorf replies, "Well, it was too late to save the movie!"

The Muppets[]

While meeting with Tex Richman, Statler comments that if he didn't know any better, he'd say Waldorf was "reciting some sort of important plot point." Waldorf responds, "I hope so. Otherwise I would've bored half the audience half to death." Statler retorts, "You mean half the audience is still alive?"
Gary often makes references to some of the musical numbers he sung in earlier scenes.
When Kermit shakes his head and says there's no way they can raise the money to save the theater, Mary sadly observes, "This is going to be a very short movie." This is somewhat a callback to a joke Kermit made to Mr. Tarkanian in The Great Muppet Caper.
Fozzie is surprised that they "had that in the budget" in response to an expensive-looking explosion at Gonzo's Royal Flush.
80s Robot suggests they speed things up be picking up the rest of the Muppets by using a montage. Rowlf is upset that his reunion is omitted from the montage.
Fozzie suggests that they travel by map to get to Miss Piggy in Paris, which they subsequently do.
Uncle Deadly comments on the film's charming finale.
In the finale, Marvin Suggs sings: "The movie's almost over, it's time to say 'So long.'"
Tex Richman comments on the fact that they've "already sung this song" during the reprise of "Life's a Happy Song".

Muppets Most Wanted[]

The film features the song "We're Doing a Sequel" which comments on the fact that the Muppets are doing another film.
A deleted scene features dialogue that directly and literally breaks the fourth wall.

DisneyToon Studios/Direct-to-video films[]

The Return of Jafar[]

The Genie says, directly to the audience, "He's big, he's blue, he's back!"

Aladdin and the King of Thieves[]

The film starts with Genie summoning the logo and (in his morph of Tinker Bell) says that the film is "in color."
After Genie morphs into Pumbaa to say, "Hakuna Matata," he suddenly says that he was having an "out-of-movie experience."
Right after the film's credits, Genie looks straight at the audience.

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time[]

After Cinderella's opening narration, she turns to the screen, giving a little smile.
The King discusses the flaws of Prince Charming's motives (i.e. basing his marriage on the person who fits the glass slipper).

Return to Neverland[]

After the establishing shots of the clouds, Peter Pan waves his cap to the audience.

The Lion King 1½[]

As Timon scurries, sniffs, and flitches, he looks directly at the audience and says, "I like the sound of that."
When the other meerkats look angrily at Timon for not looking out for hyenas, Timon admits that he broke into song. Usually, characters in musicals do not seem to notice this and just go with singing.
Rafiki, as Timon acts out on what Rafiki would say to him about finding "Hakuna Matata," looks directly at the audience. Then, after Timon runs off to catch up with his friends, Rafiki says to the same audience, "My work here is done."

Kronk's New Groove[]

Kuzco pauses the movie to talk to the audience three times.
- The first time was to introduce himself and let the audience know that this movie was about Kronk.
- The second time was to let the audience know that Yzma is producing fake potions, and when he sees that they already notice, he calls them "smarty" and says, "Bet you haven't seen this!" to which the scene zooms in to show Yzma's armpit hairs. The scene then zooms out and Kuzco says to continue the movie after being freaked out.
- The third time was because Kuzco becomes emotional over the love between Kronk and Birdwell.
Kronk, while panicking on what to do, looks directly at the audience, explains his plan, and says, "That'll work."
After talking to his shoulder angel and devil, Kronk asks, "Now where was I?" Then, while remembering, he looks at the audience and says, "Doomed!"
As Kronk begins to tell his story about meeting Birdwell, he pulls out a slideshow screen. When he notices that the screen is showing the wrong show, he steps in front of it in embarrassment, looks at the audience and says, "Wrong show!"
While Kronk's friends try to pass themselves off as Kronk's wives and kids, Kuzco shows up dressed as a woman and says to the audience, "Like how I weaseled my way into this movie? Nice!"

Television shows[]

Animated shows[]

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh[]

"Pooh Oughta Be In Pictures" - At the end of the song "'Cause It's Make Believe", Tigger says, directly to the audience, "See you in the Hundred Acre Wood!"
"The Old Switcheroo" - At the end of the episode, Tigger, after learning that taking a bath isn't as bad as he thought it would be, remarks that he was right about it being "the end," at which point the episode ends and he says, "See?"
"The Monster Frankenpooh" - Winnie the Pooh reached to the top of the film celluloid while Tigger was making him really big.

Darkwing Duck[]

"The Frequency Fiends" - When Megavolt slams on the brakes of his car and flies through the roof, he looks at the audience and says: "Let this be a lesson to you, kids. Always wear your seat belt."
"Clash Reunion" - After capturing the good guys, Megavolt remarks: "At last, I'll be rid of those meddling kids and their nosy dog! Whoa, wrong cartoon."

101 Dalmatians: The Series[]

"Dalmatian Vacation" - As the Dalmatians take a tour of a "Kanine Krunchies" factory, they are told not to mark any territory during the tour. Whizzer gives the audience a look of disappointment.

Timon and Pumbaa[]

"Around the World with Timon and Pumbaa" - At the end of the video, the only way Pumbaa can bring Timon's memories back is by asking the viewers to rewind the tape and watch the film again.

Henry Hugglemonster[]

In each episode, Henry speaks to the audience about what he and/or his friends and family are doing, including explaining details during each plot.

The 7D[]

In the episode "Buckets", Happy said "I love this running gag." when the 7D jumps to Starchy's arms after they being scared.