Author: Sister Shan, film critic, comics, TV series screenwriter, director
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01
The last time Pixar launched an original story was two years ago, and many people even began to wonder "has Pixar's original magic disappeared?"
In 2020, a new original Pixar animation "The Magic of 1/2" has quietly arrived.
Because it was released in early March of this year, during the epidemic, this animation that should have made big friends and children enter the theater with surprises and surprises has also been silent.
But look at this All-Star dubbing lineup, you really can't miss it.
The two big figures in the Marvel Universe, "Star Lord" Chris Pratt and "Spiderman" Tom Holland, assume the roles of two male protagonists.
There are also Octavia Spencer, who has won the Oscar for best supporting actress, and Julia Luis-Dreyfus, who has won an Emmy for best actress.
The setting of the story is very fantastic.
Long, long ago, the world was full of miracles, full of adventures.
Elves, wizards, monsters, centaur, mermaid... are the masters of this world.
The most surprising thing is that the world at that time was a magical world.
When the firewood does not light up, someone will use magic to help you.
When a monster appears, a lightning bolt can help you subdue it.
To dispel the darkness in the house, magic is the most useful tool.
In short, magic helped all those in need.
However, there are only a few people who can magic in this world, and magic is a very difficult skill to master.
Over time, people discovered some more convenient and popular methods.
Such as light bulbs.
Such as gas stove.
Remote control fireplace and so on.
Therefore, the magic gradually faded out of people's sight.
People in this land like us, like cars, mobile phones, and express delivery.
The protagonist of the film is a pair of brothers. Although they are two brothers, they have completely different personalities.
The elder brother Barry has entered the society, enthusiastic, cheerful, carefree, and very independent.
His car, from the nut to the air-conditioning system, was assembled by himself. The way he drove to the school to pick up his younger brother was a spectacle on campus.
Like games, his equipment and toys are everywhere in the house.
Because he is addicted to the game, he is convinced of the story in the game, believes that there is magic in the world, and believes in many old things.
Whenever a tile is to be demolished in this city, Bali will always be seen.
The younger brother Ian is timid by nature, not talkative, and has no friends in school.
The back table put his feet on his stool for a long time, and he dared not squeak.
Even the pet dragon at home can knock him to the ground.
My father passed away very early. My elder brother had seen my father, but my younger brother had only seen photos of his father.
Because I haven't seen my dad, Ian often talks with his dad's recordings, pretending to be a dad right in front of him.
His greatest wish is to see Dad.
At the beginning of the story, Ian’s 16th birthday, he put on the sweater left by his father on this day, ready to welcome a new self.
He wrote down small goals in his small notebook: communicate more, learn to drive, invite classmates to parties, and become like a father.
On this day, he mustered up the courage to welcome his new self.
He actively asked the back table not to put his feet on his stool.
In the driving lesson, he was the first to raise his hand.
After preparing for a long time, I invited my classmates to a birthday party.
But in the end, all failed.
Although this day was terrible, his dead father left him with a big surprise.
The mother took out the 16th birthday gift left by his father to Ian, which was actually a magic wand and a long-lost phoenix gem.
And these two mysterious gifts will make their father come back to the world for a short time.
The surprise of the two boys overflowed the screen, which was the best gift Dad gave them.
Barry, who is proficient in games and ancient stories, picked up his magic wand and began magic experiments.
But time and time again, Dad still didn't show up.
But the younger brother who accidentally took over the wand unexpectedly discovered that he had the gift of a magician.
After a while, Dad came back, but only half of his body, and he couldn't hear the sound.
Encouraged by his brother, the brothers decided to find another phoenix gem to revive father's body.
The two embarked on a journey of thorns.
02
During this journey, the younger brother was forced to grow up.
The moment Dad was almost crushed by the red beams on the ground, he learned to levitate into the air.
The moment his brother was reduced by magic, he learned to drive.
Because you can't lie when using a disguise spell, Ian has learned to speak his true thoughts when communicating with people.
He learns to be brave when he wants to use the invisible bridge to cross the cliff.
The gift his father gave him was not to meet, but to grow.
The father's love that has been missing for more than ten years has caused this boy to always be conscientious and lack self-confidence.
But this night's adventure has allowed Ian to grow up. Although his father's love is invisible, or only half of it, it is already the best gift.
Very absurd and very warm.
There are many easter eggs in "1/2 Magic", and there is also the "Pizza Planet Takeaway Car" that all Pixar animations have.
In the record stack, there is a record called "dorothea williams", which is the name of a jazz player in the director's another animation "Journey of the Soul" to be released at Pixar.
The chef of the Manticore Tavern is Remy the little mouse in "Ratuitouille".
The whole movie is set in fantasy, and the appearance of magic may make the children extremely excited.
The two brothers fight monsters all the way, with surprises. Some coincidences and foreshadowing are very good. For example, when you need to hold your breath underwater to step on the button, your brother can't do it, but at this time, only the father of the lower body is the best candidate.
The narrative and logic are also relatively neat, and it is a work that satisfies the audience.
03
Pixar has always liked to play warm cards, but this time the "resurrection of relatives" is still full of tears.
After all, this is so fantastic that many people dare not even think about it.
This story is adapted from the personal experience of director Dan Scanlon. His father passed away when he was one year old, and his older brother had only a vague memory of his father.
Such regrets were fulfilled in the magical world, and it resonated with many people.
The death of relatives, their faces, their stories, gradually blurred in our minds,
In other words, none of this is important. If you can meet the last time and hear them say "I am fine" face to face, you can let go of the pain and tears.
Of course, what impressed me the most was the ending of the story.
When his younger brother finally had a chance to meet his father, he gave up on his own initiative.
He chose to let his brother stay to meet with his father, defeat the monsters and protect them by himself.
The experience along the way made him understand that the most unreliable brother is the most important father role in his life.
Although his elder brother is also a child, he has always guarded him, encouraged him, and supported him.
When Ian didn't dare to go into the water, it was his brother who pushed him.
He was naughty when he was young, and it was his elder brother who played crazy with him.
When learning to ride a bicycle, he was also the elder brother who supported him and learned to let go.
Therefore, when his younger brother was walking on the "Bridge of Invisibility", his elder brother dragged him with a rope, so he was not afraid of anything and focused on walking forward.
However, when he found that the rope in his brother's hand had fallen, he suddenly lost his direction.
Ian wrote down the things he wanted to do with his father in his notebook, and because his father hadn't changed his whole body, he crossed it out one by one.
But when he changed his direction to think about those things, one-half of his father had already completed those things with him.
What was not done, my brother had already done it for Dad.
Therefore, when the three of them were dancing, the elder brother thought on a whim, let his upper body coincide with the father's lower body, that is a complete father.
Of course, in addition to the family card, the film also puts forward another philosophical proposition worthy of our reflection-"modernization".
This magical land, because of modern production, makes magic fade out of human sight.
The disappearance of magic has brought about changes in everyone's body and mind.
The mermaid drinks soda in the inflatable pool and plays with the mobile phone, and the dragon becomes a domestic pet.
The centaur, which could run 120 kilometers in one hour before, is now a big fat man out of breath after running two steps.
The elves are no longer gentle, no longer able to fly, but manic boys with broom heads, middle fingers, and racing cars.
The irritable and adventurous Manticore has become a cute lion whose temper has been eroded by investors, businesses, and customers.
When the danger came, these animals stretched out their instincts when they were swaying and unbelieving themselves.
The scene of large-scale mechanical production in the film clearly implies that this is human society, and we have lost the magic that originally belonged to us.
Mechanical production brings about the liberation of hands, but it also comes with the degradation of body functions, the dissipation of wisdom, and the lack of courage.
Disappearance does not mean evolution, but will leave a void in the human body.
Therefore, we became obsessed with some back-to-the-natural things, people, and things, such as Li Ziqi.
Her explosion is precisely because she has recovered the first things in human society.
My children often ask me, "Mom, do we have magic?" I always tell her firmly: "Yes, we have magic."
We used to have a lot of magic, but we have to admit that the magical instinct is gradually getting away from us.
Modernization is not bad, but in our footsteps towards modernization, we have lost too many things.
As the father wrote in the film:
A long, long time ago, the world was full of miracles. Although magic faded out of human sight, I hope you still have a little magic left, so I wrote this spell so that I can see what kind of person my son is. .
These magics are the light of human nature that makes human beings themselves. In the long evolution, children need to keep some of these magics in them.
At the end of the film, my brother hid behind the rock, and had no time to run to his father before sunset, and when he really embraced him, my tears fell like a storm.
- He has talent, he has become stronger, he can even slay dragons, but the destined regret is still a pity, he has not gotten, he has to learn to accept, and with a smile.
"Dream Quest" tells everyone that as long as there is no forgetting, it is not real death; and "1/2 of the magic" takes a step forward, a little deeper and more essential——
- Even if you are a child, you have to accept it. Life is born with regrets.
I see it as the growth of Pixar, because the children watching Pixar will eventually become teenagers, and we will all grow up. Finally, let's end this article with one sentence.
How to turn a destined regret into a kind of luck?
You can only give up the victim's perspective and look at the problem, and you can only cherish what you already have but are ignored by you.
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