1. The modernization transformation.
Maybe many people are like me. It was only after watching the movie "Miss Potter" that they realized that the bunny that appeared on the teacup, saucer and towel was still a wrist. Now that the "Bidder Rabbit" movie is online, from veteran picture book stars to super IPs, you don't need to look at it to know that not so much change is inevitable, it is better to say that the only thing that can be preserved in the original is the image.
And I only mean the external image.
That’s right, the Hobbit rabbit is still cute and flying like the original painting. The excellent visual effects bring the artistic charm of the original image to the fullest-the perfect combination of the realistic life of the rabbit and the full personality of the dress. The dynamics are as vivid as the rabbit's movements, and it really makes the original work come alive.
And there are a lot of original elements in the movie, such as the three little birds that appeared at the beginning, such as the little blue jacket that Pete Rabbit lost at the old Mr. McRaego’s house, such as being caught by a barbed wire when trying to escape, such as hiding Go into an upside-down flowerpot and hide it (only Benjamin is not a lop-eared rabbit in the original work, presumably there was an exotic species of lop-eared rabbit in Miss Potter’s village)... However, these details are of course not restoring the original work. , And more like paying tribute to the original work, like passing away from the accident and the secret blink of the right eye, making people who know the Bunny couldn't help but smile.
So here comes the problem. How does a picture book with a simple plot become the protagonist of the movie?
Obviously, the biggest problem that Pete Rabbit faces is not just the richness of the story, but the modernization—not only the change of the time background of the story, but also the change of the narrative style.
In the original work, the contradiction between Pete Rabbit and the old Mr. McCraig was transformed into a contradiction with his nephew in the movie. A seemingly simple change actually means a change in the tone of the entire story. The opposition and connection between animals and humans is a relatively simple relationship. They are both afraid and curious about humans, yearning and fearful of the delicious garden they create. To Tutu, the human world is unpredictable, but at the same time full of fascinating taboos (this kind of imagination relies on reality and is romantic and cute).
But now in the movie world, this simple romantic feeling is no longer suitable. Rabbits understand humans and treat them as equal creatures. The barrier and distance are broken, and the rabbit knows everything.
2. The inconsistency
is much more than that.
In this era when everyone has read countless stories, we can understand the inner logic of the story (maybe called the worldview?) in a story with animal characters without prompting.
The first is realism. Animals are animals. They may be smart but can't speak, and communication with humans is limited. For example, "Bai Fang".
The second type is that animals are completely personified and have no essential difference with humans. They can talk to each other and treat each other equally. For example, "Little Bear Paddington."
The third is that animals have their own language and social system, but they do not communicate with humans. The communication between them is insignificant and humans can neither intervene nor understand. For example, "Charlotte's Net" and Miss Potter's picture book "Bed Rabbit".
The fourth kind is more fantasy, that is, a particular animal always speaks human words, but it deliberately doesn't tell you anything. It is a miracle buried under the surface of reality, a surprise egg hidden in ordinary daily life. It basically belongs to the same category as the stories about encountering fairies and aliens. (If I give the example of the talking cat Luna in "Sailor Moon" here, will he be beaten? Well, let me give the example of the fisherman who fished out the talking goldfish and promised to fulfill his wish.)
No matter what kind of story the story belongs to, as long as the beginning of the story, we (even the little friends are no exception) can immediately understand and bring this kind of logic to understand the plot.
Having said that, have you also realized that the movie is a bit different than the rabbit?
The world view of "Bed Rabbit" is not uniform. At first it was indeed the third type (although the bunny’s wisdom and behavior were moving closer to the second type, not to mention the little clothes), but from it and the male protagonist Thomas, he was shocked. At the beginning, everything fell apart.
I'm not saying that anyone is not allowed to move from the third type to the second type and then switch to the fourth type, but... how to say, ignore the bunny's clothes and treat them as ordinary truths like the hostess. The rabbit has consumed part of his imagination, and now the movie is almost over, you suddenly said that there are supplementary rules?
The first half is a typical fairy tale rabbit that only speaks within the animal group, and the second half suddenly becomes a ghost rabbit in a fantasy story. Can you imagine that in the story of Paddington, someone suddenly shouted to the little bear, "God, this bear can talk!"? This is joking about the tone and nature of the story!
And I really laughed.
Laughed out loud.
When Mr. Thomas told the hostess that Pete Rabbit pressed the detonator with her small paw, and she "like all normal people" didn't believe it at all, the brilliant sense of humor that burst out of it was born of this difference. The absurd fusion of world views. Is the rabbit just a rabbit, or is it a anthropomorphic rabbit? Or is it a refined rabbit that does not conform to scientific common sense? Different understandings and different perspectives appear at the same time, condensed in the same scene.
3. It's all joking.
I admit that this kind of jump is very deconstructed and has a sense of humor. However, it is also this kind of creativity that requires continuous fine-tuning of the slightly complicated story logic, which may make children who watch the Bunny (including many adults) ) Slightly confused.
Many voices say that the Three Views of the Rabbit are not correct, but this is actually caused by this humorous escape. Many details in this movie make people feel a little awkward. For example, Pete Rabbit is justified to steal the fruits of other people's labor, and the whole movie is full of applauding emotions.
Miss Potter's "Bed Rabbit" has also entered the human vegetable garden, but the little rabbit still has a very ignorant understanding of humans. You can't tell a little milk rabbit who walks along his own instinct about the sacred and inviolable private property. . But the movie is not the same as the rabbit. He can even be an electrician. He knows everything but commits it knowingly.
You can understand that he hates the old Mr. McCraig for deliberately trying to trick him, but can you just use unjustified and unrestricted methods for a person you hate? To be honest, I don't believe that these are the three views of the creative team.
Normally speaking, you may hate, fear, gloom and heavy when you treat a murderer of your father’s enemy, but you can’t have this kind of mentality of "you guys want to prank him today." So facing the old Mr. McCraige, Pete Rabbit’s ridiculous attitude is actually a playful attitude that disregards everything, or a joke attitude that deconstructs the seriousness of the story.
This is the logic of comedy.
There is no problem in itself. Robert McKee said, "A supreme routine rules (comedy) this super genre, and distinguishes it from the main show: no one gets hurt." So when the old Mr. McRaego is going to hang up with a face like a rabbit Irregularity is not moral corruption, but a kind of comic-style unsound logic.
This kind of ridicule may be understandable to adults (perhaps), but it is a bit hard to explain to children. After all, rabbits are not always completely unscrupulous.
Although the ears were caught in a mess by the engine cover and tugged and straightened, after all, they were not squashed like cats and mice and stood up. Most of the time, he is still serious. This inconsistent and subtle change of attitude is indeed too easy to cause misunderstanding.
In fact, personally, I particularly like the narrative rhythm of Pete Rabbit and the music that forcibly enters or fades out suddenly. The sense of rhythm and music throughout the film really makes the movie alive. The theme of the story is extremely simple and can be as young as adults. The good thing is that it does not focus on the concept of being too big. Your courage to apologize and take responsibility in a movie is better than an animation to interpret the freedom, equality, world, peace, and true love without boundaries. The more the details, the more often even adults do not really learn.
Pettu's smile is full of creativity and spirituality, and adults seem to be equally surprised and not dull. In addition, its thinking is out of logic and its narrative level is not logical, so it is more adult-oriented. And it is more suitable for two kinds of adults with clear thinking and chaotic thinking.
(Reposted from the public account "Invitation to Lies")
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