Disciplines
English Language and Literature
Abstract (300 words maximum)
How would one go about integrating a theme of acceptance of self and others into an adventure, comedy, fantasy, and family friendly film? In the film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the invisible hand of the screenwriters does just that. The importance of this story is in the story structure. The four main characters are used to exemplify how there is an important relationship between plot and structure. Through this, character transformation takes place both physically and emotionally. The characters are presented as four normal people who were sucked into a game and sent on a quest to solve mysteries and survive but in actuality their quest and means to survive is a direct reflection of how life can suddenly put you in uncomfortable situations that ultimately in the end result in self growth. There is a symbiotic relationship that forms between the ‘reader and writer’ as readers look for the writer’s invisible hand to save the characters. Due to this, the film then has the power to pull on its audiences’ emotional core and leave them lingering on the message of how the quest was necessary for their growth
Keywords
character growth, story, structure, emotional journey, physical journey, narrative stage, plot, acceptance
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - English
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Anna Weinstein
Included in
The Hero's Journey Beyond the Physical
How would one go about integrating a theme of acceptance of self and others into an adventure, comedy, fantasy, and family friendly film? In the film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the invisible hand of the screenwriters does just that. The importance of this story is in the story structure. The four main characters are used to exemplify how there is an important relationship between plot and structure. Through this, character transformation takes place both physically and emotionally. The characters are presented as four normal people who were sucked into a game and sent on a quest to solve mysteries and survive but in actuality their quest and means to survive is a direct reflection of how life can suddenly put you in uncomfortable situations that ultimately in the end result in self growth. There is a symbiotic relationship that forms between the ‘reader and writer’ as readers look for the writer’s invisible hand to save the characters. Due to this, the film then has the power to pull on its audiences’ emotional core and leave them lingering on the message of how the quest was necessary for their growth
Keywords
character growth, story, structure, emotional journey, physical journey, narrative stage, plot, acceptance