Triumphant Reprise

"Students: Hail to the bus driver, bus driver, bus driver...

Seymour Skinner: ...yes. Hail to the bus driver. Bus driver man."

- From The Simpsons,

Sibling to the Dark Reprise, only it's the Good Twin of the pair. While a Dark Reprise is a dark, ominous version of a previous song, the Triumphant Reprise is just the opposite -- an earlier song, especially one with either a neutral or downright dark tone, redone in an uplifting, dramatic, and victorious form. Frequently used as a Theme Music Power-Up. This also tends to happen to an "I Want" Song -- it turns from that to an "I Got What I Wanted Song."

Is quite prone to being both awesome and heartwarming, and frequently used for Climactic Music.

Anime

 * While the ending theme of Clannad and Nagisa's Leitmotif Dango Daikazoku (Big Dango Family) is already fairly happy, though for some reason has a tint of Tear Jerker, the Triumphant Reprise Chiisana Te no Hira (The Palm of a Tiny Hand) that plays at the climax of the series ramps the heartwarming up to eleven.
 * The music in the final episode of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, "Love Conservative" (spoilers), since it's played during, reprises both Nia's and Simon's themes.
 * In the Jack and the Beanstalk anime Princess Margret's song "No one's happier than I" is given a reprise after the villains are defeated.
 * In the final episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion, we hear two separate triumphant reprises of the opening theme, titled "The Heady Feeling of Freedom" and "Good, Or Don't Be" respectively. Though these aren't typical of the Triumphant Reprise - they're much more mellow and calming arrangements of what is normally a passionate and driving theme song.
 * The final battle of Macross Frontier is capped off by the Nyan Nyan Service Medley, which is practically every song from the series strung together into a single, continuous seven and a half minutes of awesome.

Fan Works

 * In the Pony POV Series,

Film-Animated

 * Movies from the Disney Animated Canon often end with a chorus reprising one of the songs to reinforce its theme (which in most cases has to do with dreams coming true).
 * The Nightmare Before Christmas has a Triumphant Reprise of "This Is Halloween" when Jack returns after his troubled stint as Santa Claus. The lyrics are changed to "Jack is Back!," but the tune is still alike.
 * The very end of the finale has a reprise of "Sally's Song" in which Jack finally reciprocates Sally's feelings.
 * The Disney Tarzan ends on a short Triumphant Reprise of the opening song, "Two Worlds, One Family." Now that Jane and her father live in the jungle, they really are two worlds living together.
 * The Emperors New Groove opens with "Perfect World" which, while upbeat, foreshadows the problems ahead; it's a pean to Emperor's unchecked ego: And this perfect world will spin/ Around his every little whim / 'Cause this perfect world begins and ends with him ME! By the end of the film the Emperor has undergone harrowing troubles, found true friends and the Triumphant Reprise of "Perfect World" becomes: A perfect world begins and ends with us
 * In Treasure Planet, there's an amazing reprise of Jim's solar-surfing Leitmotif from 12 Years Later when he puts his Chekhov's Skill to good use in Jim Saves The Crew.
 * The finale of Dumbo is a non-snarky version of "When I See an Elephant Fly."
 * Does the reprise of "Friends on the Other Side" count? It's still dark and ominous (and awesome), but it's played over Dr. Facilier's undoing.
 * Tiana's reprise of "Down in New Orleans" might be a better example.
 * In Disney's animated version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame Clopin reprises "The Bells of Notre-Dame". What makes it powerful is the Crowning Moment of Heartwarming that happens just before where the little girl hugs Quasi. Also the orchestration of it, and Paul Kandel's repeat of his incredibly high note in the first incarnation of the song
 * One of the Cut Songs from Aladdin is a Happily Ever After version of "Arabian Nights". The final cut of the film does contain a reprise of "A Whole New World," while the reprise of "Arabian Nights" was instead used in Aladdin and the King of Thieves.
 * The Screen to Stage Adaptation reinstated both that and the other three reprises, as well as the cut verses of the main song and extending the "Whole New World" reprise slightly.
 * Played with and played straight in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. As Sam and Flint prepare to enter the meateroid, Brent asks what he can do, and after he is told he can be "President of the Backseat," a mocking trumpet version of the Baby Brent Sardines jingle plays. Later, when he is reborn as Chicken Brent, a triumphant, orchestral version of the jingle plays.
 * Tangled reprises Rapunzel's "I Want" Song after she leaves her tower for the first time.
 * There's also her reprise of "The Healing Incantation" when she heals Flynn's hand, changing it from the greedy, self-centered Villain Song it had been introduced as - although in this case, it's the first time the full song is sung properly, after two instances of only the first verse and one instance of being sped up almost past the point of intelligibility.
 * The reprise of "Mountain Town" at the end of South Park The Movie is quite triumphant, with everything being sunshine and rainbows (literally), American/Canadian relations restored, and Kenny going to heaven and getting 72 virgins.
 * The Little Mermaid ends on a reprise of "Part of your World," with altered lyrics to reflect that Ariel finally got her wish.
 * "Epilogue" from Dinosaur, which is essentially a reorchestrated version of "The Egg Travels."
 * During the climax of the film, there's "Stand Together!" (a reprise of "Raptors/Aladar Meets the Herd", the music played when Aladar and the lemurs are attacked by Velociraptors and subsequently being rescued by the Herd) which is played during the scene when Aladar fights the Carnotaurus.
 * "I'll Make a Man out of You (Reprise)" from Mulan. Originally sung during the film's Training Montage, this song is sung during the scene where Mulan and her teammates are shown infiltrating the Palace as an attempt to rescue the Emperor of China from being assassinated by the Huns, while dressed up as women.
 * Wait a minute, isn't Mulan a woman from the start?
 * Yes.
 * In Beauty and the Beast, the music for the Beast's Transformation Sequence is a triumphant version of the Prologue music.
 * Also, "Beauty and the Beast (reprise)."
 * When Spirit and Little Creek make their final escape from the soldiers at the end of the film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, the song "You Can't Take Me!" actually starts right back up where it was rudely interrupted near the start of the plot.
 * In the original 1986 feature, Transformers: The Movie We hear The Touch by Stan Bush as Optimus is plowing through the Decepticons and then going head to head with Megatron. The song is powerful, driving, and even upbeat. But Prime dies just moments after the song ends. However the song begins playing again near the film's climax when Hot Rod, nearly dead from Galvatron trying to pop his head off like a zit, touches the container of The Matrix, which revitalizes him, and empowers him. As the song begins to play he is changed from Hot Rod into Rodimus Prime, defeats Galvatron, leads the Autobots to safety as the energy unleashed by the Matrix rips Unicron apart, and finally declares the end of the Cybertronian Wars with victory being claimed by the Autobots.
 * Disney's Hercules has one of "Go The Distance" after Hercules speaks to his father and sets out to become a hero.
 * Bolt reprises the chorus to "Barking At The Moon" at the very end before the credits.
 * At the end of Pocahontas, "Farewell" is a solemn but triumphant reprise of "Colors of the Wind."
 * Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs ends with the prince taking Snow White to his castle, to the accompaniment of "Some Day My Prince Will Come."
 * Pinocchio has "When You Wish Upon a Star" sung again after Pinocchio becomes a real boy.
 * When Bambi inherits the title of, "Great Prince of the Forest," he stands majestically on a cliff (like his father did near the beginning of the movie), while "Love is a Song" plays again.
 * "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" plays at Cinderella's wedding.

Film-Live Action

 * Life's like a movie./ Write your own ending./ Keep believing./ Keep pretending./ We've done just what we've set out to do/ thanks to the lovers,/ the dreamers,/ and you...
 * We had comedy./ We had mystery./Had a real good time and solved the crime real easily./Hey a movie!/Starring ev'rybody and me!
 * The love we found,/ The love we found, /We carry with us so we're never quite alone.
 * Note that the theatrical version cut out the song reprised in that number.
 * We've got everything that we need!/ We can be whatever we want to be!/ Nothing we can't do,/ The skies are blue when it's me and you and you and you./ Life's a happy song,/ when there's someone by your side to sing./ Life's a happy song,/ when there's someone by your side to sing. / Life's a happy song/ when there's someone.../ by your side.../ to sing along!
 * In Speed, when Jack and Annie escape from the bus, a major-key version of the film's Theme Tune plays.
 * Return of the King has the Mordor theme (played in a minor key) change to a major key when it shows the destruction of Barad-dur.
 * The first Transformers film featured the Autobots making planetfall with a track called, appropriately, "Arrival To Earth." The music is already heroic, but an even more triumphal version is heard when Optimus, relating it thematically as well.
 * Newsies has TWO of these- "Seize the Day" in the first half, and then "The World Will Know" sung by the hundreds of child strikers at the very end. extra points for the latter because it * starts* as a Dark Reprise, until 6 lines in.
 * The Emperor's Theme from Star Wars, a very dark theme, appears in a major key as happy parade music at the end of The Phantom Menace. This is chronologically earlier than the theme's first appearance, but the minor key version appears earlier in the film.
 * Music meant to emphasize the harrowing capture and escape of the Millennium Falcon from the first Death Star are reprised in a later movie as the rebel fleet presses the attack after the second Death star is made vulnerable. Another music piece from the first death star battle, "X Wings Draw Fire", is reprised when the Super Star Destroyer Executor is destroyed.
 * The song "Hoist the Colours" in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is fairly dark, first appearing during the beginning execution scene. Then later, it gets reprised (awesomely) as "What Shall We Die For?"
 * The end credit song to Tron: Legacy is the same as "The Grid," only the mournful orchestra is superimposed over a house beat, courtesy of Daft Punk.
 * In The Shawshank Redemption, a similar melody is played when Andy is led through the prison doors as to what is played again later when.

Live Action TV

 * Kamen Rider Decade has a triumphant instrumental remix of the Title Theme Tune "Journey Through the Decade" that plays at the climax of the later story arcs. Of course, the original song wasn't exactly dark or depressing, but still.
 * Game of Thrones pulls off a triumphant reprise of its main theme over the final scene of season 1 and the ending credits. It's so effective it's hard not to leap into the air pumping your fist and cheering as soon as it cuts to black., dude!
 * Babylon 5 used a different theme song for each season. The second season's theme was basically the first season's theme song exchanged some of the mysterious tone of the first season's theme for a more ominous militaristic style (in keeping with the show's changing mood). The third season was instead a combination of the music for two of the show's most one-sided fights, presenting a rather desperate tone. The fourth season was the theme from the first two seasons, played as a victorious march.
 * And the 5th season was an amalgamation of the preceding 4, with signature lines from each season spliced through.
 * "Impossible" from the TV movie Cinderella has a cynical, pessimistic half, and a part containing a glimmer of hope for Cinderella's wishes. After the Fairy Godmother grants Cinderella's wish to attend the ball, the two of hem sing, "It's Possible," which puts a more optimistic spin on the song.

Music

 * "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)"
 * In Olivier Messiaen's "Vingt Regards de l'Enfant Jésus", a two-hour-long twenty-movement suite of piano works inspired by the Nativity: The first movement introduces a leitmotif called the "Thème de Dieu" ("Theme of God"), which recurs a number of times throughout the suite. In the twentieth and final movement, it final statement is very slow and emphatic, being described by the composer as the "Glorification du thème de Dieu" ("Glorification of the Theme of God").
 * In Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor, the first theme of the first movement is glorified in the cadenza of the first movement.
 * Dream Theater's About To Crash is about a girl with Bipolar Disorder. Musically, it start's off quietly cheerful, then becomes more and more eerie as it describes how her illness destroyed her life. The reprise start's off triumphantly describing how she pulled herself out of a bout of depression, and manages to end hopefully.
 * From Trans-Siberian Orchestra's The Christmas Attic, "Music Box Blues" is this to "The Music Box", but mostly in the backstory. The latter is about a woman who misses her old boyfriend/husband, who was implied to have been killed in a war. The latter is sung by the husband as the two reunite after so many years.
 * The self-titled final song off of Everything Else's self-titled album is a medley of every previous song on the album.
 * Funker Vogt's "Arising Hero (Forgiven)". In addition, the album has a Hidden Track that is an instrumental orchestral version of the song.

Theater

 * "Hilf mir durch die Nacht" ("Help Me Through The Night") from the Austrian musical version of Rebecca is later happily reprised as "Jenseits der Nacht" ("After Tonight"). In the first one, the de Winters appear to be questioning their marriage; in the reprise they're pledging to stay together through thick and thin.
 * In Legally Blonde the Musical, the title song is very slow and somber as Elle prepares to leave Harvard, but the reprise, when she decides to stay, is very upbeat and energetic.
 * Scrooge, the 1970 musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol: the first version of "Thank You Very Much" is a grave-dancing tune in all but one aspect (someone's dancing on Scrooge's coffin before they bury it) but the reprise is one of genuine gratitude towards the man.
 * Also "No Better Life" and its light reprise "A Better Life".
 * In The Muppet Christmas Carol, "When Love Is Gone" is reprised as "When Love is Found" at the end.
 * The Broadway version of The Lion King has two:
 * "He Lives In You" - Rafiki's reprisal of Mufasa's song, "They Live In You," showing Simba that Mufasa is not truly dead as long as he is remembered by those who love him, and ends with Simba realizing that his father is always with him, if only in spirit, and thus gaining the courage to return home and reclaim what is rightfully his. The song starts out soft and low-key, with the chorus and Rafiki singing in hushed voices, gradually building up until - BANG - it shifts suddenly in intensity to coincide with the return of Simba's confidence.
 * "King Of Pride Rock/Circle Of Life (Reprise)" - the reprisal of the opening "Circle Of Life," after Simba defeats Scar and claims his rightful place as King of the Pridelands. Starts off soft and tentatively hopeful, then quickly and smoothly transitions to a bright and cheerful upbeat chorus that builds to an uplifting crescendo and climax.
 * The final reprise of "Do You Hear The People Sing" which closes out Les Misérables.
 * Subverted with "Beggars at the Feast". It's a victorious reprise of "Master of the House"... but that itself was a Villain Song (albeit a rather cheerful one), so the triumph in it isn't really a good thing.
 * "Big Bright Beautiful World," from Shrek: The Musical. The first version is a sarcastic opening number about how it's awesome being anything but an ogre. The reprise is a tender song about how Shrek's life has become worthwhile.
 * In Next to Normal, Diana's part of "Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling (Reprise)." The words are changed to "Watch me I'm flying". Dr. Madden's part is actually darker, as he acknowledges that medicine can't fix everything.
 * Avenue Q has "For Now", which is a (sort of) triumphant reprise of "Sucks To Be Me".
 * "I'm Nothing Without You" from City of Angels is a triumphant reprise of "You're Nothing Without Me" which ends the first act.
 * A weird version in Reefer Madness. At the end Jesus shows up at  to mock him for not listening to him.
 * Also May reprises The Stuff while
 * Kiss Me Kate and Guys and Dolls both do this with their title songs for the finale.
 * The final Reprise Medley of Wicked is partly this, partly Dark Reprise. Bittersweet reprise?
 * The short reprise of "The Wizard and I" Elphaba sings when Madame Morrible gives her the tickets to the Emerald City and the invitation to see the Wizard is a better example. It's only about half a minute at most and isn't on the soundtrack, so most people forget it.
 * The opening, title song of Bye Bye Birdie becomes this at the end. Kim's tone goes from "What am I going to do now? I miss Conrad so much!" in the opening to a mocking "To hell with you, Conrad! I'm a grown woman now!" at the end. Definitely less sentimental than most other examples on this page, but it still fits.

Video Games

 * The ending song for The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon, "Guide You Home," is a triumphant, lyrical reprise of the music used in the "Enchanted Forest" and "Valley of Avalar" levels.
 * However, if you listen closely, the tune was also used in the Celestial Caves level from The Eternal Night.
 * In Mother 3, "Mind of a Thief" (also known as "Duster's Theme") is a much more upbeat version of "Sorrowful Tazmilly", which plays earlier.
 * Also, near the end of the game a song named "New Pork Bossa" plays, which is a calm and soothing version of the normally military pig-mask theme.
 * Part of one of the battle themes gets reprised into Something Strange Is Going On.
 * Final Fantasy IX. Beatrix's gloomy theme is revisited as a much more uplifting, spirited theme later on during a fight in a certain plot-important town.
 * It's actually remixed once before that as well, into a sadder, more introspective version, when the player sees that she's actually torn for having to follow the queen's evil plans.
 * A somewhat less emphatic example from Final Fantasy X: The melancholy piano theme "Zanarkand", played during the introduction, is turned into "Sprouting", a fairly bouncy exploration theme that plays while wandering on several sections of road between areas.
 * During the ending credits of Final Fantasy VI, Nobuo Uematsu does this with all 13 (!!!) character themes.
 * It goes on for 15 minutes, then we are given a 2-minute fade-out and THEN the Final Fantasy Theme, which is kind of a Leitmotif for the whole series, kicks in. Awesome doesn't even come close.
 * The Battle For Freedom in Final Fantasy XII. When the brass fanfare of the Resistance theme drowns out the Imperial motif, it's hard not to stand up and cheer for the heroism at display.
 * Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz has the credits music be a medley of the background music of the individual worlds (except World 3) with a victorious tone.
 * Persona 4 has The Genesis, the music to the True Final Boss. About half of it is composed of a new, orchestrated song that's largely silent, and very dark in tone. About halfway through, the main boss theme I'll Face Myself has its own orchestrated version - while definitely far more striking than the first half, it's generally neutral in tone. Then, soon afterwards, comes the orchestrated version of the normal battle theme, Reach Out to the Truth. While the original version was actually quite optimistic, the version in The Genesis lands right here.
 * Then there's I'll Face Myself, the piece that plays whenever a character receives their Persona. Whereas this tune is first heard as dark, heavy boss theme, an upbeat version of it is heard after the fights.
 * Variation occurs in Persona 3, where the final boss theme "The Battle For Everyone's Soul" is a battle remix of the Velvet Room theme ("Poem for Everyone's Soul"). This makes a bit more sense when you realize that  is usually portrayed as an opera diva clad in black in the other games (both tracks contain a One-Woman Wail).
 * Another with Persona 3's "Memories of the City", a sombre piano-centric piece that plays as you walk around various city locales after the revelation of Nyx inside Ryoji. The reprise comes in the form of "Memories of You", a more pop-sounding piece played over the credits and emphasizes the bittersweet but ultimately uplifting ending.
 * The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge has "A Filthy Finale," Jack's final battle with the giant Oogie Boogie, who has become the Seven Holidays King. This time both Oogie and Jack sing Oogie Boogie's song in the original film, but Jack joins in, countering Oogie's threats and jibes as he takes Oogie down.
 * Used rather ironically in Halo 3's ending, which features major-key reprises of "The Last Spartan" and the Covenant/Arbiter's Theme. "Hard to believe he's dead. Were it so easy".
 * It's actually a reprise of Respite from High Charity of the Halo2 soundtrack. Also, it may not be entirely soundtrack dissonance, as it's actually a quite sad, bittersweet piece. Appropiate for the occasion - trumphiance of mankind as well as the sadness of Master Chief's "loss."
 * Sacred Icon Suite 2 from Halo Legends is a triumphant Reprise Medley of the Arbiter's theme, "Unforgotten", and "Opening Volley".
 * And there's the Theme Music Power-Up reprise of the main theme during the first and third game's escape sequences.
 * Halo: Reach is full of these. "Before the Fire" is an uplifting-yet-solemn version of "In Amber Clad." "We Remember" is "Hymn to Reach" given heroic electric guitars, in the style of the original "In Amber Clad". And the middle part of "Ghosts and Glass" (which "Spartans Never Die" is a Dark Reprise of the beginning of) is a triumphant version of the middle of the Tear Jerker "Ashes."
 * The Berserk Play Station 2 game closes with Sign II, which is a major-key Triumphant Reprise of Sign, the ominous opening theme.
 * The original Knights of the Old Republic, in the Light Side ending, reprises the title music, the Old Republic Theme. The Dark Side ending, meanwhile, works the same theme in to the Infinite Fleet music.
 * The Ending Theme of The Legend of Zelda a Link To T He Past is a triumphant reprise of the dark Opening Theme.
 * Similarly, Wind Waker has Journey and Epilogue-- original and reprisal, respectively. These also qualify as Book Ends, playing when the adventure starts and ends.
 * In Runescape, "But We Can Fight" is this to "Zanik's Theme".
 * And "On the Up" to "Down and Out".
 * In Ikaruga, the theme of the first level, Ideal, has it's melody reused throughout the game, fading into darker and deeper tone. During the final boss' onslaught, however...
 * In Tales of the Abyss, Luke's theme receives both this and Dark Reprise... twice each, ending with five versions of the same theme (Motoi Sakuraba apparently loves to do this)
 * Compare the Lonely Piano Piece opening theme of Final Fantasy XIII to it's soaring, orchestral ending theme.
 * The final Pokémon Gym theme in Pokémon Black and White is mixture of this and Near-Victory Fanfare.
 * Cross-medium example: Remember all those chiptune Pokémon themes you heard in the first generation of games? They've all gotten full orchestral/rock remixes in the animé. And they are indeed awesome.
 * Ace Combat 5 gives something of an inversion. All throughout the game, various pieces of music tease the main theme, most of them being after  (examples: "15 Years Ago," "Into the Dusk," "Briefing 2," "President Harling"). Then in the final level, , we get The Unsung War in all it's orchestral, Latin Chanting glory. And it is AWESOME!!
 * The music played when Mario/Luigi obtains a Power Star at the end of a level from either Super Mario Galaxy and/or Super Mario Galaxy 2 is actually a Triumphant Reprise of the music played when said level is introduced. The only levels that do not have this music are the ones where you either have to fight Bowser and/or Bowser Jr., due to them having Grand Stars instead.
 * The music played during "The Perfect Run", the real final level of Galaxy 2, are actually Triumphant Reprises of the World S, World 1, and the ending of Story Mode themes, which in turn are Dark Reprises of the "Gusty Garden Galaxy", "Good Egg Galaxy", and "Comet Observatory" themes from Galaxy 1 (which are actually reused in this game).
 * In Ys: The Ark of Napishtim, "Collapse of the Ark" and "Zeme's Protection" are triumphal reprises of "Revival of the Ark" and Olha's theme, respectively. "Spread Blue View" also contains a triumphant reprise of "Reconciled People".
 * Mass Effect reprises its main theme at the end
 * This is done again in Mass Effect 2, Provided you, the main theme will reprise itself triumphantly
 * Occurs in the epilogue of Eternal Daughter, to the melancholy but touching theme heard in the first area of the game. Spoilers abound in the following examples but you can hear the example at these links: part 1, part 42 (final) with ending
 * The background music of Bit.Trip FLUX's Catharsis level builds up to and fades out of a reprise the main theme of Bit.Trip RUNNER as a slower, more climactic tune fitting for the last level of the entire series.
 * Zone of the Enders has two triumphant versions of "Beyond the Bounds:" "Jehuty Returns" and "Trusting Peace."
 * "The Songless Nightingale" from the Medal of Honor: Frontline OST is a major-key version of the "Clipping Their Wings" Leitmotif.
 * As upbeat as "Pushing Onwards" from VVVVVV already was, it gets an even more energetic reprise in the form of "Positive Force".
 * The music that plays after in Metroid: Zero Mission is a remix of the Brinstar theme, the first music heard in the game after the opening titles and Samus's fanfare.
 * The theme to Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty was replaced with a different track in Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater. Absent a muzak version in a cutscene, it stays out of the game until the ending, in which it plays twice over two minutes: a subdued version over, and then, ninety seconds later, a fully orchestrated version over the revelation to the player that . It ends up being both triumphant and utterly heartbreaking in the same breath.
 * Chrono Cross uses "Triumph ~ The Gift of Spring" for its victory fanfare. That's just for normal enemies, though, if you beat a boss (or recruit someone for your private army) you get a brassy remix, "Victory ~ Call of Summer." Chrono Trigger fans will immediately recognize either version as a Triumphant Reprise of Lucca's Leitmotif.
 * One of your first encounters with the young knight Glenn is at his father and older brother's grave, where a somber little piece named "Leaving the Body" plays. At later parts in the game, though, the same melody is revived as "Dragon Rider" whenever a Dragoon is doing something awesome - such as Glenn returning to that grave to inherit the Einlanzer.

Web Original

 * Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog plays this trope straight and subverts it at the same time. There is a reprise of "Brand New Day" and "Dr. Horrible's Theme" worked into the finale instrumental sequence of "Everything You Ever". It's triumphant because Horrible is now a world-class supervillain and has been welcomed to the Evil League of Evil just as he'd been planning, but it's also dark because  to accomplish it.
 * In A Very Potter Musical, the first time Quirrell and Voldy sing "Different As Can Be" it's about how annoyed they are with each other, the reprise is about how they're BFFs and ends with them joyously singing about their plans to murder Harry Potter.
 * In Starship, "Status Quo" ends with a triumphant reprise of "I Wanna Be".

Western Animation
"This is not how we'll end it.
 * The Simpsons has the episode The Otto Show, where Otto is temporarily fired from his job as school bus driver, and students mockingly sing "hail to the bus driver" at Seymour Skinner when he tries to drive the bus in Otto's place. Once Otto is back on the job as the bus driver again, Seymour gives a triumphant reprise of the song.
 * The Batman the Brave And The Bold Musical Episode "Mayhem of the Music Meister" features a reprise of Black Canary's song "If only he could love me" in the first version the villain joins in and it ends with a fight, in the second version Green Arrow does, and well... it doesn't.
 * In Katy Caterpillar, Katy has an "I Want" Song early on, which gets reprised near the end. At the very end of the film, however, she sings a reprise that turns her earlier song into an I Got What I Wanted Song.
 * This happens in-song during Total Drama World Tour's song 'This is How We Will End It, sung by Alejandro. The song starts of as Alejandro talking about all the girls he's manipulated in the past, and how now he is going to leave Heather to basically die. However, in the middle of the song, the music stops for about 35 seconds, and Heather is able to convince him to help her. The song ends like this:

This game we have played!

This is not how we'll end it.

But there's a bill to be paid!"