经典儿童文学的重复与差异

SunPAGE15TheChildProtagonistthatSells:RepetitionandDifferenceinChildren’sLiteratureClassicsandHollywoodChildren’sMovieHits(2001—2005)經典兒童文學的重複與差異：近五年好萊塢兒童賣座片中的孩童主角形象T.SaraSunNationalAbstractThisprojectfocusesonhowtheimageofchildprotagonistshowninHollywoodchildren’smoviehitsTheresourcesofboxofficedata:BoxOfficeGuru.Ed.GiteshPandya.2006.7May2006.</>andStarBoulevard.TISNetTechnology,Inc.2006.7May2006./.from2001to2005resemblesthefeaturesofarchetypalcharactersconstantlyemployedinchildren’sliteratureclassics.TimMorris,auniversityEnglishteacherwithagrade-school-agechild,pointsinhisYou’reOnlyYoungTwice(Chicago:UniversityofTheresourcesofboxofficedata:BoxOfficeGuru.Ed.GiteshPandya.2006.7May2006.</>andStarBoulevard.TISNetTechnology,Inc.2006.7May2006./.TimMorris,auniversityEnglishteacherwithagrade-school-agechild,pointsinhisYou’reOnlyYoungTwice(Chicago:UniversityofIllinois,2000,1-14)thatthebooksthatyoungchildrenlikearelessculturallyimportantintheuniversitythanarethebooksthatadultsadmire.Herealizesthattherewasaculturaldynamicalmostcompletelyignoredbyscholarship—whetherbytheculturalstudiesapproachestoseriousadultfilmthatareincreasinglyimportantinEnglishdepartmentsorbytheapproachestochildren’sliteraturespecialists.However,myunderstandingismoreoptimistictonotethatmostofthetopboxofficehitsforthepastfiveyearsarechildren’sPG-13becauseyoungcinemagoersdemandfinancingaccompanies.Moreover,ifgoingtomoviehasbecomeoneofthefavoriteactivitiesthewholefamilycanfulfilltogether,children’Keywords:childprotagonist,repetition,difference,children’sliteratureclassics,children’smoviehits Lovedofwisemenwastheshadeofmyrooftree. Thetruewordofwelcomewasspokeninthedoor—Deardaysofold,withthefacesinthefirelight, Kindfolksofold,youcomeagainnomore. --RobertLouisStevenson““HomeNoMoreHomeToMe”(Bloom51).ThisprojectfocusesonhowtheimageofchildprotagonistshowninHollywoodchildren’smoviehitsfrom2001to2005resemblesthefeaturesofarchetypalcharactersconstantlyemployedinchildren’sliteratureclassics.Thediscussionsareinitiallyconcernedwiththesuccessivedefinitionsofwhatchildren’sliteratureclassics,children’smoviehits,andchildprotagonistmeanintheselectedcontextofthecircumscribedcommunity.Theargumentationisthenfollowedbythecarefulexaminationonthecharacteristicsofgenre,theme,andeventuallycharacterexemplifiedinbothchildren’sliteratureclassicsandchildren’smoviehitsfromthepreviouslychosenlist.Thepost-structuralanalysisonthedifferenceandrepetitionTheFrenchpost-structuralphilosopherGillesDeleuzeiswellknownastheauthorofDifferenceandRepetition(1969),buthisthoughtoninterpretationandtheproductionofsignshasfurtherdevelopedinCinemaI:TheMovement-ImageandCinemaII:TheTimeImage,hisBergsonianfilmproject.AsRonaldBougesummarizesinConcentric,asignisadifferencethatunfoldsitself,anditsunfoldingisanongoingrepetitionofitsdifference.Theinterpretationofsignsproceedsviaanunfoldingofdifferences,andthesignsofartrevealthetruthofdifferenceandinducearetroactivereinterpretationofallsigns.Theproductionofthesignsofartentailstheformationofamachinethatemitsrepeatingdifference.Suchamachinecreatesunityasanafter-effectthroughtheinventionoftransversals,whichdiscloseconnectionsbetweensignsthattheworkofartalonecanactivate(Bourge1).TheFrenchpost-structuralphilosopherGillesDeleuzeiswellknownastheauthorofDifferenceandRepetition(1969),buthisthoughtoninterpretationandtheproductionofsignshasfurtherdevelopedinCinemaI:TheMovement-ImageandCinemaII:TheTimeImage,hisBergsonianfilmproject.AsRonaldBougesummarizesinConcentric,asignisadifferencethatunfoldsitself,anditsunfoldingisanongoingrepetitionofitsdifference.Theinterpretationofsignsproceedsviaanunfoldingofdifferences,andthesignsofartrevealthetruthofdifferenceandinducearetroactivereinterpretationofallsigns.Theproductionofthesignsofartentailstheformationofamachinethatemitsrepeatingdifference.Suchamachinecreatesunityasanafter-effectthroughtheinventionoftransversals,whichdiscloseconnectionsbetweensignsthattheworkofartalonecanactivate(Bourge1).I’vequestionedthedilemmasofmediastudiesinoneofmypreviouslypublishedarticles(“LightandDesire:ContemporaryLiteraryTheoriesandMedia—ACase-studyon‘StruggleforHope’ofYo-yoMa’sInspiredbyBach,”HwaKangJournalofForeignLanguages&Literature,Vol.7,174).Mediastudiesinitiatedinthe1960stoservebyandfortheso-called“elitesociety,”itsaimistoavoidculturaldegradationandaudienceentrapment,thoughthemotivationitselfexecutesanothertypeofseduction.Inmediastudies,thestudyofsignsincludesalinguisticconcernwithhowmeaningistransmittedandalsohowparticularandpreferredmeaningsaretransmittedthroughsignifyingsystem.Thedominantideologiesinanysocietybecomebroadcastthroughmediadominatedbyrulingpartyandeventuallycontrolthesocialordertokeepthingsastheyare.Mass-communication,therefore,becomesaformofindoctrinationinwhichthesuppressedareforcedtospeakandthinkinthelanguageoftheoppressors.Whenitcomestothedebateastowhatconstituteschildren’sliterature,thesolutionhasneverbeenpreciselysimple.Thedefinitionofchildren’sliteratureinthetextbooksbyRebeccaK.Lukens(ACriticalHandbookofChildren’sLiterature,8-9),PerryNodelman(ThePleasuresofChildren’sLiterature,191-215),andDavidL.Russel(LiteratureforChildren,1-24)arediversified.Ingeneral,thetermrelatestoanyliteraturethatisenjoyedbychildren.Morespecifically,children’sliteraturecomprisesthosewrittenandpublishedforyoungpeoplewhoarenotyetinterestedinadultliterature,thoughmostoftheliterarygenresofadultliteratureappearinchildren’sliteratureaswell.Fictioninitsvariousforms—contemporaryrealism,fantasy,andhistoricalfiction,poetry,folktales,legends,myths,andepics—allhavetheircounterpartsinchildren’sliterature./childrens-literature-285-292-eoed.However,whenitturnstodefinechildren’sliteratureclassics,theanswerisusuallyconcludedwithlittlehesitation.Theselectionofclassicssustainingfrommanyre-readinginHaroldBloom’sStoriesandPoemsforExtremelyIntelligentChildrenofAllAgescontainthreefeaturesthatsharewiththeassertionsofWallaceStevens,RebeccaJ.Lukens,andPerryNodelman:itmustchange,itmustgivepleasure,anditmustbeabstract(18).Bloomfurthermoreexplains,Stevensdidnotmean“abstract”asopposedto“real,”Thedefinitionofchildren’sliteratureinthetextbooksbyRebeccaK.Lukens(ACriticalHandbookofChildren’sLiterature,8-9),PerryNodelman(ThePleasuresofChildren’sLiterature,191-215),andDavidL.Russel(LiteratureforChildren,1-24)arediversified./childrens-literature-285-292-eoed.Bloomfurthermoreexplains,Stevensdidnotmean“abstract”asopposedto“real,”but“withdrawnfrom,”takenoutformsomething,fromthestalecoveringsthatmasqueradeasreality.EverylyricandtaleinBloom’svolumehasscrubbedthevarnishoffthecommonplaceinordertorevealhiddenmagic.Thelasttwoaremyadditionalchoices.Theseabove-mentionedbooksattractreadersfromonegenerationtothenext.Theycrossallgenrelines;theyareanimalfantasy,adventure,realisticfiction,andhighfantasy.Nomatterwhereorwhentherespectiveauthorssettletheirsettingsineitherauniversalbarnandgarden,animaginedNeverlandoraspecificallyhistoriclocale,theirmaincharactersareoftendescribedasbeingyoungand,inthatway,equivalenttothechildrenwhoreadaboutthem(Nodelman192).ThesechildprotagonistsaremostlyorphanslikeAnneofGreenGablesandMaryLenoxofTheSecretGarden.Eveniftheyhavefamilies,someofthemareraisedbysingle-parentorotherrelatives,suchasPeterRabbitandDorothyGale.ThesepowerlesskidsandtheircompanionsareusuallyassecludedasAnneShirleyorasembarrassedlypoorastheMarchgirls.Theirencounterwithvillain/mentor-likeantagonists,suchasLongJohnSilver,CaptainHook,andevenCharlottethespider,appealtoprovoketheemotionalinvolvementofthereadersofallages.Ontheotherhand,talkinganimalslikeWilburandthecowardlylioninfantasy,aswellastherealboysandgirlsinrealisticnarrativeorhighfantasysettheirfootstepstoexploretheworld,toescapetheconfiningpresent,todiscoverthem,tobecomesomeoneelse.Lukens.Theyaremainlystoriesofcomingofage,orbildungsroman,mimicthecurrentsituationoftheiryoungreaders.Asitsfocusonnewandunfamiliarexperiencesrevels,therefore,thecentralthemesthatrelatetochildren’sliteratureclassicscanbecategorizedaspairsofbinaryoppositions.ForinstanceLukens.Likethemajorityofotherbornleadersintheworld,youngKingArthurandthesechildprotagonistsofchildren’sliteratureclassicsboreawisementor,aflockoffollowers,acontrastingopponent,anenchantingwifeorabetrayingsupporter.Theseleadingcharacters,or“popularkids,”persistinitslegendarysignificanceforalongtimebecausetheyembodysomeoftheenduringfeaturesinvitingreaderstoremember.Firstofall,theybecomealeaderbecausetheyhavenochoice.JimHawkins,JoeMarch,andWendyDarling,areforcedtoleadforthefinancial,physical,andemotionaldeficiencyofthemselvesandtheirpeers.Theydefytotheauthoritiesbecausetheyareobligedtosurvive.PeterRabbitneedsrunfromMr.McGregor’schasing,JimHawkinsneedstorunfromLongJohnSilver’streachery;PeterPanneedstorunfromhisnemesis,CaptainHook,aswell.Fortunately,theseyoungleadersattractwisementorsandcollectloyalfollowersoftheirgangpeers,althoughsomefriendshipisderivedfromcompromiseordetachedbybetrayal.Dorothycanfinallyreturnhomewiththeassistanceofmentor-likeGlindathegoodwitch,andthecompanionshipofherthreefriends—thescarecrow,thetinwoodman,andthecowardlylion.Evenagood-for-nothingpigWilburhasaspidermentorandfriendsofhumansandanimals.Theotherpossibilitytoensurethesepopularkidstobethecenteroftheadventuresfortheirwildimagination,ramunctionspirit,andfierytemper.ThinkofAnneShirley,MaryLenox,andDorothyGale,theircongenitalleadershipcomealongwiththeirpersonalities.Theyarefearless,curious,andluckyenoughtoexploretheircomingfuture,toretrievesomethingtheylostatthebeginningoftheplot,tosolvetheconflictshappeningintheirlife,andeventuallytobecomeastronger,happier,healthierbeingattheresolutionofthestories. Childrenhavealwaysenjoyedgoodstoriesandadventures.Theyareentertained,theylearnhowtounderstandandgaininsightintothelifetowhichtheyonedaywillhavetoadjust,andinthemostserioussense,storiesandfairytaleshelpthemtosurvive./movies-608-610-ecc.Literatureserveschildreninfourmajorways:ithelpthemtobetterunderstandthemselves,others,theirworld,andtheaestheticvaluesofwrittenlanguage.Whenchildrenreadfictionorotherformsofnarrative,theyoftenassumetheroleofthemajorcharacters.Throughthecharacter’sthought,words,andactions,thechilddevelopsinsightintohisorherowncharacterandvalues.Frequently,becauseofexperienceswithliterature,thechild’smodesofbehaviorandvaluestructurearechanged,modified,orextended./childrens-literature-285-292-eoed,2However,todaymovingimagesareamongchildren’sfavoritestoryteller,andgenerally,childrenhavehadaninquisitive,nonpleblmaticalrelationshiptofilmasyetanotheruseful,splendidsourceofentertainment,knowledge,andinsight.ibid,9.Itisworthnotinghowfilmandtelevisionnowclearlyprovidethemajorvehiclefornarratives.Mediastudies,theextensionofthetraditionalstudyofliterature,willinevitablyconcentrateprimarilyonfilmortelevision,andhastoconsidertheissueofhowthemedium,inholdingamirroruptosociety,reinforcesideologywhile,occasionally,questioningthevaluesofsociety(PeckandCoyle,105-106).EveniftherepresentationandvalueembodiedbytheleadingrolesofHollywoodchildren’/movies-608-610-ecc./childrens-literature-285-292-eoed,2ibid,9.Nevertheless,mostgoodfilmsforchildrenhaveanumberofcharacteristicfeatures.Theyhaveachildintheleadingrole,andthischildhasamissiontofulfill.Themissionmaybetoughbutthechildsucceeds,becausethemessageisthatachild’sactiondoesmakeadifference.ibid,9.However,itseemsdifficultforIanWojcik-Andrewstoverifythepreviously-mentioneddefinition.HeadmitsinthebeginningofhislengthyChildren’sFilm:History,Ideology,Pedagogy,Theorythathespendssixareasofdiscussion—personal,pedagogical,critical,textual,institutional,andcultural—andmerelyforaysintothe“ideaofcinemaforchildren”(1).HealsomocksthesimilardilemmathatPerryNodelmanencountersinhisThePleasureofChildren’sLiteraturebydiscussingeleventraitsthattypicallyyetproblematicallydefinechildren’sliterature(6)Hethenconcludesthatnotallchildren’sfilmsarejustaboutchildrenandnotallfilmschildrenseearejustchildren’sfilms.Definingachildren’sfilm,andthusthechildviewersaidfilmspresuppose,issomethingofimpossibility(7).Buthiscritical,textual,andculturalapproachesdobringperspectivetothedefinitionofchildren’smovie.Firstly,heintroducesideasinDouglasStreet’sChildren’sNovelsandtheMovie(1983)tolinkchildren’sfilmasoneadaptedfromaclassicworkofchildren’sliterature(4).ForStreet,therearethreekindsofcanonicalchildren’sfiction:thoseconceivedforachildaudience,thosewrittenforanadultaudience,andthoseseminalworks“energeticallyadoptedbyyoungreaders”(xiv).Inotherwords,Wojcik-Andrewsparaphrases,forStreet,canonicalworksofchildren’sliteratureattractfilmmakersandareadaptedintothemovies.Achildren’ibid,9.Additionally,Wojcik-AndrewsthenborrowsAnnetteKuhn’sdefinitiononaclassicrealistfilmtonotifythetextualsignificanceofplot,setting,andcharacterinchildren’sfilms:“Plotandsetting,forexample,agesubordinatedtocharacterdevelopmentandcharacterdevelopmentissubordinatedtotherequirementsofthenarrative,itselfsubordinatedtothecoatsoffilmproduction.Mainstreamfilmsreflectthestatusquo,evenwhentheyleastappeartosupportit.Producedbydominantinstitutionsofcapitalism,theyrecapitulatecapitalism’sdominantideologies(7).”Finally,Wojcik-AndrewsadaptculturalconceptsofCaryBazalgettandTerryStaplestoconnectchildren’scinematofamilyfilm(17).ChildrenintheUnitedStatesseeG,PG,andPG-13.However,whetherthefilmgeneratesmoreboxofficereceiptsinternationallythanintheU.S.dependsonthecommercialtrafficinfilmsandfilmicimagesofthechildprotagonist(19).Fortunately,itislesscomplicatedtodefine“Hollywoodchildren’smoviehits”becausetherehavedistinctboxofficedataonplentyofwebsites.ToremovethefilmwhichisnotG,PG,andPG-13fromthetop50highestgrossingreleasesforthepastfiveyears,tofocusonthefilmstarringyoungorchildlikeprotagonist,andtodrivetheanimationoranimalfilmsTwoofthemostenduringgenresofchildren’Twoofthemostenduringgenresofchildren’sfilmsarethechildren’sdetectivestoryandanimalfilm.Thesearealsopopulargenresinliterature./movies-608-610-ecc.FigureI:BoxofficedataTheresourcesofboxofficedata:BoxOfficeGuru.Ed.GiteshPandya.2006.7May2006.</>andStarBoulevard.TISNetTechnology,Inc.2006.7May2006./.ThemoviedatabaselocatesinTrueMovie.Ed.Albert(FangYangBan).2005.7May2006.</andIMDB.2006.InternetMovieDatabaseInc.7May2006.</>.Top50HighestGrossingReleasesof2001/top50gross01.htm#TitleInt’l(M)US(M)World-wideGrossAsOfDis-tributor1HarryPotterandtheSorcerer’sStone(HP)哈利波特I:神秘的魔法石/cgi-bin/movie/euccns?film/2001/HarryPotter/HarryPotter.html649.0317.6966.65/23/02WarnerBros.2TheLordoftheRings:TheFellowshipoftheRing魔戒首部曲(LOR)/cgi-bin/movie/euccns?film/2002/TheLordOfTheRings/TheLordOfTheRings.html/cgi-bin/movie/euccns?film/2002/TheLordOfTheRings/TheLordOfTheRings.html552.9314.8867.712/18/03NewLine3Shrek史瑞克.tw/210.4267.7478.17/1/02DreamWorks4Monsters,Inc.(MI)怪獸電力公司/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/monstersinc/index.html/cgi-bin/movie/euccns?film/2002/MonstersInc/MonstersInc.html273.1255.9529.08/29/02BuenaVista2.WeekendBoxOffice(Dec.27-29,2002)/123002.htm#TitleInt’l(M)US(M)World-wideGrossAsOfDis-tributor1TheLordoftheRings:TheTwo魔戒二部曲：雙城奇謀/2002moviedata/LordRings2.htm581.2341.7922.912/18/03NewLine2HarryPotterandtheChamberofSecrets哈利波特II:消失的祕室/2002moviedata/HarryPotter2.htm604.4261.9866.34/17/03WarnerBros.3LiloandStitch星際寶貝/2002moviedata/LiloStitch.htm111.7145.7257.43/23/03BuenaVista4StuartLittle2(SL)一家之鼠2/2002moviedata/StuartLittle2.htm101.364.7166.012/19/02SONY3.Top50HighestGrossingReleasesof2003/top50gross03.htm#TitleInt’l(M)US(M)World-WideGrossAsOfDis-tributor1TheLordoftheRing:TheReturnoftheKing魔戒三部曲:王者再臨/2003moviedata/LordRings3.htm741.9377.01118.98/1/04NewLine2FindingNemo(FN)海底總動員/2003moviedata/FindingNemo.htm513.5339.7853.22/8/04BuenaVista3PiratesoftheCaribbean:theCurseoftheBlackPearl(POC)神鬼奇航/2003moviedata/PiratesoftheCaribbean.htm347.8305.4653.21/8/04BuenaVis4TheCatintheHat(CIH)魔法靈貓/2003moviedata/CatintheHat.htm32.7100.5133.28/1/0Universal4.Top50HighestGrossingReleasesof2004/top50gross04.htm#TitleInt’l(M)US(M)World-WideGrossAsOfDis-tributor1Shrek2史瑞克2/2004moviedata/Shrek2.htm478.5436.7915.24/3/05DreamWorks2TheIncredibles超人特攻隊/2004moviedata/Incredibles.htm371.0261.4632.41/1/06BuenaVista3HarryPotterandthePrisonerofAzkaban哈利波特3:阿茲卡班的逃犯/2004moviedata/HarryPotter3.htm540.1249.4789.51/1/05WarnerBros.4ThePolarExpress(PE)北極特快車/2004moviedata/PolarExpress.htm123.8168.0291.81/19/06WarnerBros.5.BoxOfficeHitsof2005/top20gross05.htm#TitleInt’l(M)US(M)World-WideGrossAsOfDis-tributor1HarryPotterandtheGobletofFire哈利波特4:火盃的考驗/2005moviedata/HarryPotter4.htm602.2290.0892.23/30/06WarnerBros.2TheChroniclesofNarnia(CON)納尼亞傳奇：獅子、女巫、魔衣櫥/2005moviedata/ChroniclesofNarnia.htm447.1291.7738.84/27/06BuenaVista3Madgascar馬達加斯加/2005moviedata/Madagascar.htm337.7193.2530.91/1/06DreamWorks4CharlieandtheChocolateFactory(CCF)巧克力冒險工廠/2005moviedata/CharlieandtheChocolateFactory.htm266.0206.5472.51/1/06WarnerBros.5ChickenLittle四眼天雞/2005moviedata/ChickenLittle.htm176.8135.3312.13/30/06BuenaVista6Robots機器人歷險記/2005moviedata/Robots.htm132.5128.2260.71/1/06Fox Togenerallyanalyzetheaboveinformationindicatedintheabovefigures,theycanbediscussedintermsofgenre,theme,andcharacterization.Firstofall,morethanhalfofthesetwenty-twochildren’smoviehitsareadaptationfromcanonicalworksofchildren’sliterature.Moreover,theycanbedividedintothreecategorieswhichcoincidewiththefavoritegenresTwomostenduringgenresofchildren’sfilmarethechildren’sdetectivestoryandanimalfilm.Thesetwoformshappentobepopulargenresinliterature.Twomostenduringgenresofchildren’sfilmarethechildren’sdetectivestoryandanimalfilm.Thesetwoformshappentobepopulargenresinliterature./movies-608-610-ecc.FigureII:GenreGenreHollywoodChildren’sMovieHitshighFantasy/animalfantasyHarryPotter,TheLordoftheRings,TheChroniclesofNarnia,ThePolarExpress/Shrek,Monsters,Inc.,LiloandStitch,StuartLittle,FindingNemo,TheCatintheHat,Madgascar,ChickenLittle,RobotsadventureHarryPotter,TheLordoftheRings,FindingNemo,PiratesoftheCaribbean,TheCatintheHat,TheIncredibles,PolarExpress,TheChroniclesofNarnia,CharlieandtheChocolateFactory,Robotsanti-fairytale,anti-romance(mockheroic)Shrek,Monsters,Inc.,Eventheawarenessofthesimilaritiesanddifferencesinthegenresofchildren’sliterature,asRebeccaJ.Lukenspointsoutinhertextbook(30-35),mayormaynotbeuseful,itisnoticeablethatchildrenarehookedoncertaingenres—fantasy,forexample—mayfindtheirpleasureincravingforadventureandcuriosityaboutimaginativelycreatedworld.Similarly,RonellinvokesDeleuzeinDifferenceandRepetitionwhenheclaimsthatphilosophy‘oughttobeaveryparticularkindofcrimestory’andthatitshould‘resemblesciencefiction’.Clearlythenweareinatraditionwhichcannotseparatetheactivitiesofcreativewritingandcriticism.Currie,Mark.“Introduction:CriticismandConceit”forPart7Post-structuralismofLiteraryTheories:AReaderandGuide.JulianWolfreys,ed.NewYork:NewYorkUniversityPres,1999,326.Furthermore,SteveNealeviewsgenres,inhis“ExtractfromGenre”(1980),aswaysoforganizingtherelationshipbetweenrepetitionanddifference.Inthisway,thedifferencesbetweenfilmsbecomelittlemorethanthe“pseudo-individualism”ofmassculturetheory.Theyarelargelyillusory,andfunctiontopermitamorefundamentalrepetition.ForNeale,then,filmsofaspecificgenremayhavetoappeartobedifferent—Currie,Mark.“Introduction:CriticismandConceit”forPart7Post-structuralismofLiteraryTheories:AReaderandGuide.JulianWolfreys,ed.NewYork:NewYorkUniversityMarkJancovichrestatesSteveNeale’sargumentation(“ExtractfromGenre,”Genre.London:BritishFilmInstitute,1980,49-55)inTheFilmStudiesReader.MarkJancovichandetal,eds.NewYork:OxfordUniversity SteveNealecontinuestoargueJancovich,ibid,99.,thatrepetitionanddifferencehavefirstlytobeunderstoodintheirrelationshiptodesire,pleasure,andjouissance,i.e.asmodalitiesoftheprocessofthesubject.Desireisalwaysafunctionofbothrepetitionanddifference.Itisfoundedinthedifferencebetweenontheonehandtheinitialexperienceofpleasure,themarkestablishedbythatexperienceandwhichfunctionsasitssignifiers,andontheotherhand,futureattemptstorepeattheexperience,futurerepetitionsofthesignifiers.UnsurprisinglyinChildren’sfilm,orfilmsstarringchildrenorchildlikefigures,themotifofalightningboltthatcompletelydisruptsordinarylifeandleastoextraordinaryevents.Itallowsthedirectortospiltthestoryintothreeparts:thosemundane,realisticeventsleadinguptothelightningstrike,thedreamy,supernaturaleventsthatfollowafterthelightningstrike,andthereturntoeverydaylife(resolution)attheendofthemovie—the“happyeverafter”ending.IanWojcik-Andrews,20.VariationsonthisrepetitivethemeincludeanorphanHarryPotterissuddenlyinvitedtoenterHogwartsSchoolofWitchcraftandWizardry;orayoungHobbitnamedFrodoissuddenlyentrustedwithanancientRing;oragreenogreShrekissuddenlyassignedtorescueaprincessforatyrannicalmidgetlordwithachatterboxdonkey.Moreover,variationsonthethemeofunusualaffairsontheordinaryincludeaHawaiiangirlLiloadoptsanunusualpetwhoisactuallyannotoriousextra-terrestrialfugitivefromthelaw;aninfamousbutcourageousChickenLittlerescueshisfellowcitizenswhenalienstartaninvasion;andasuburbanfamilyofundercoversuperheroessavetheworld.Thirdly,variationsonthethemeofinitiationjourneyrecruitadoubtingboy’sastonishingjourneytotheNorthPolewithmanyotherpajama-cladchildren;andtheyoungrobotRodn