http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AWizardDidIt

Question not the affairs of wizards....

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No need to describe this trope, it's just magic.

The standard all-encompassing explanation for any continuity errors noticed by hardcore fans of any given fantasy show: If it doesn't make sense, A Wizard Did It. Move on, nothing to see here!

Can be used to Hand Wave away minor nitpicks and Contrived Coincidences that should really be covered by Willing Suspension of Disbelief - if it didn't happen that way, there wouldn't be a movie, or magic genuinely is involved in the story. However, having to use it to excuse major Plot Holes that the creators really should've caught beforehand will make people rightly angry.

Often used in the literal sense, i.e. something that would be impossible happens because someone explicitly used magic (magic that only they know) to make it happen. However, this trope is not about magic per se,note We could have called this trope 'The Sufficiently Advanced Science/Aliens Did It' if we wanted to. but any kind of handwave; it happened because the author wanted it to, end of story.

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Note that this explanation can potentially bring more Fridge Logic into a story, e.g. when the explanation given later fails in a situation in some way that could have easily been solved by doing what they apparently did before. This can also lead to Reed Richards Is Useless when you realize the possible, fantastic uses of that random trick nobody seems to care about.

Also known as God of the Gaps, after the famous Hand Wave "(The) God(s) did it". Another Memetic Mutation is "It's magic, I ain't gotta explain shit."

Contrast Bellisario's Maxim, MST3K Mantra, Doing In the Wizard, All Just a Dream. See also Plot-Sensitive Items.

Not to be confused with The Butler Did It. Or with Doing In the Scientist, which is when a wizard did something that was originally explained by science.

Now comes with didactic audio-visual summary!

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Examples

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Anime and Manga

Comic Books

Fan Works

Films — Animated

Frozen: "WTF no way Elsa has textile powers — that can't be explained by her ice / snow / cold powers, so that can't be?!" is a question that pops up time and time again about Elsa's magically transforming her coronation gown into a light blue dress; and the question of "Where did Olaf and the Snowgies get their coal eyes and twigs attached to their otherwise-only-snow-created-by-Elsa-bodies when she can only create snow and ice?"). Let's just assume that being born An Ice Person in this universe comes with some bonus magic powers thrown in for extra.

After The Reveal of The LEGO Movie that the entire LEGO universe is a story being told by an eight year old boy , nearly every plot hole in its story can be explained as " Finn didn't think of it. "

, nearly every plot hole in its story can be explained as " " Very literally played in Shrek. Fiona's situation is explained only as "It's a spell. When I was a little girl, a witch cast a spell on me." That's all they bothered to explain her premise with, and it's the primary foundation of the plot. Until the second movie at least. Even before then, the DVD extras made it pretty clear that's how Fiona naturally looks, the spell was what made her look human. The Hand Wave was probably done because going into detail about what the witch did and why would have spoiled the plot.

That's all they bothered to explain her premise with, and it's the primary foundation of the plot. Until the second movie at least. Even before then, the DVD extras made it pretty clear In Beauty and the Beast, the movie takes place over several months. This creates the problem of just how far the castle is from the village - ranging from several day's travel (the length of time Maurice spends in the forest on his first journey there) to several hours (this is the time during which Maurice is returned to the village) and then a matter of minutes hard ride (the mob's assault on the castle followed by Belle's race to get there). Even taking into account the castle being hidden, magic is the only explanation for this fluctuation. The 2017 live-action remake goes out of its way to explain that the villagers (including Mrs Potts's husband) had their memories of the castle erased.

Pocahontas displays certain shamanic powers throughout her film, such as the ability to communicate with spirits, dive off cliffs without getting hurt, run large distances and an affinity for animals. This presumably is why she's able to understand English via "listening with your heart".

Films — Live-Action

Literature

Live Action TV

Music

Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Looking Out My Back Door" provides the following explanation for the strange imagery of the song: "Wondrous apparitions, provided by magicians"

Podcast

In the RiffTrax for the Harry Potter films, Voldemort being Crazy-Prepared is a common explanation for why a character can't use an obvious solution to a problem. Kevin: Okay, so cast the water spell directly into Dumbledore's mouth. Bill (as Dumbledore): Yes, uh, well, Voldemort made it so that we couldn't.

Tabletop Games

Theatre

This trope is in full effect in Shakespeare's last play: The Tempest. The plot begins with Prospero, a wizard, conjuring a storm which bring most of the other characters to his (Prospero's) island. From there on, nearly every plot development stems from some further act of magic by the wizard. Some Lampshade Hanging also occurs, as the script repeatedly comments on magic being the solution to inconsistencies in the plot.

Video Games

Web Comics

Web Original

Western Animation

Real Life