Creativity comes in many guises. For some, it comes from
having an idea and running with it as much as you think should be possible. It
involves thought, development, reconsideration and, occasionally, running with
a gut instinct. For writers, this instinct can sometimes come from a simple
knowledge of a character or place, and sometimes from their own experiences or
mood at the time. JK Rowling has famously said that she had considered killing off Ron Weasley during a dark moment of writing Harry Potter, but eventually decided against it and stuck with her
original plan to keep the main trio alive.
However, not every creative process starts off with an
original idea. Sometimes that spark comes from someone else. You see a film or
read a book and suddenly a thought appears. Maybe it’s curiosity as to what was
happening in a missing scene. Or trying to understand a character’s motivation
for certain actions. Extra scenes have been placed in The Hunger Games movies for just this reason, adding something that
was lost in media translation. A lot of this creativity comes from fans who
explore these different avenues through writing, artwork or debate with other
fans, trying to understand and add new layers, or indeed, new worlds for these
products that caught their attention.
I came across one such example while browsing Youtube a few
months ago. It was a video that someone had created for Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons. It was essentially a (pretty
impressive) ‘trailer’ that had been created using clips from Rise of the Guardians, How to Train Your
Dragon, Tangled and Brave.
For those of you who do not recognise these titles, these
are four CGI animated films from Dreamworks, Disney and Pixar. They have four
very different plots, have very different settings and have very different
characters. However, there is one thing that they have in common.
The protagonists are teenagers.
Automatically this leads me back to YA fiction and the points that I set out there about finding identities and universality, so I
will try not to repeat it here although some points may be mentioned. But I was
curious and explored the Internet a bit and it turned out that this
amalgamation was not the product of a few individuals who seemed to think it
was a great idea. This seemed to be an official fandom of its own with people
posing different theories on how the four protagonists could meet, why they
were together, what they could possibly do and how they would react to each
other.
I will admit to being a bit stumped. After all, with any
type of crossover, there is usually a core reason to join these characters
together. Two uber-crossovers that I adore are Roommates and its spin-off Girls Next Door. Roommates began with a
few comics involving Jareth from Labyrinth
and Erik (The Phantom) from Phantom of
the Opera having a few drinks and mourning over their status as ‘villains’
and the loss of their love interests. This eventually escalated into the two
moving into a flat together and becoming friends with James Norrington (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Javert (Les Miserables), two military men who
are considered ‘anti-heroes’ by canon. Crossovers happen frequently in these
two comics but at the core was the same question: What was it about these
characters that appealed to us so and was there more to them than what was
originally portrayed?
So, what was at the core of this teenage, CGI love-fest? Why
were people at one point or another so taken with the idea that these four
characters should be together and generally do awesome hero-type things as a
group? Was it simply that they were animated in a similar way? That they were
teenagers? What connected them?
After a bit of shuffling around, I finally came across an answer. It was a document, hastily thrown together, detailing exactly why (this
person at least) considered ‘The Big Four’
(as they are also known) to be logical. A lot of it involved gushing over the
characters but one thing that struck me was the idea that ‘Each of the
characters teaches us something.’
So what lessons can we learn from Hiccup, Jack, Rapunzel and
Merida?
Follow me and find out.
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| Trust me, I'm the Doctor! |
A few rules before we get started. Before exploring what
‘The Big Four’ teach, it is necessary to look at them individually. I will be
examining them based on the context of their films, and adding a few personal
observations along the way. This is by no means an exhaustive list and is
entirely based upon my own opinion so if you have any views of your own, I
would love to hear from you.
So where best to start than with the character who started
it all?
The Inventor
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| Don't let him fool you. This guy tamed a DRAGON! |
Name: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
Movie: How to Train Your Dragon
Age: 15/16? (it’s never made clear)
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Green
Hiccup’s story is basically one of self-discovery and
forging your own path much like any YA book. He is not like the other Vikings
in his village of Berk and he really REALLY wants to be. It is only a chance
meeting with the mysterious Night Fury that makes him realise that the
acceptable is not always right and that right is not always considered
acceptable.
Hiccup himself is one of my favourite characters on this
list. He’s intelligent, snarky, thinks outside the box and isn’t afraid to try
new things. He’s considered weak and scrawny by Viking standards, even if he is
about the same size as the other teenagers of his village, but he’s constantly
trying to make up for those shortcomings by inventing ways around it.
One of the biggest strengths of Hiccup is his ability to
think. He doesn’t accept things as they stand and is constantly looking for
ways to solve problems. He can’t throw a bollard? He invents a machine that
will. A dragon cannot fly? He finds a way to do it.
He’s faced with a hideously giant dragon that is about to
destroy the majority of warriors from his village, including his father? He will use every trick he knows to defeat it, using his brain, rather than his brawn.
So, does that mean that the lesson here is about the power
of brain over brawn? Well, no. If it was, there would be no need for Toothless
who is considered to be a superior species of dragon. There is a time and a
place for both strength of mind and strength of body.
Hiccup is very different to his fellow Vikings. He sees
things in a different way. He does things in a different way. He traps a
dragon….and lets it go. None of these things are accepted or appreciated by the
other Vikings and he is consistently told to stop ‘all of this’ (with accompanying
gestures towards all of him). But by maintaining that curiosity and creativity
that everyone so despises, he discovers something amazing and becomes more than
just another Viking from Berk.
To me, the lesson that is to be learned from Hiccup is simple.
Everyone has different talents. They may be different and unappreciated now but
there is a place for everyone. You just need to find the opportunity and take
the risk.
The Dreamer
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| Rapunzel: The Ultimate Jack-of-all-trades |
Name: Rapunzel
Age: 18
Hair: Blonde [(then brown)]
Eyes: Green
Rapunzel has lived in a tower all her life and only has one
real desire; to see what the floating lights that appear on the horizon every
year actually mean. Like Hiccup, it is a chance meeting that finally provides
an opportunity to do something about it and, despite being forbidden to do so,
she goes to fulfil a dream that will change everything.
To my surprise, Rapunzel was actually the most difficult
character to understand. She spends much of Tangled
being rather cheerful, compassionate and gung-ho about everything and honestly,
that doesn’t really change. So what does her story involve?
Like Hiccup, Rapunzel’s is a story of discovery, not only
about who she is but WHAT she is. She spends a lot of the film uncertain about
things and more than a bit nervous because of how Gothel has treated her and is
a classic example of an emotional abuse victim. But she is still curious about
the world and desperate to be a part of it and to experience it for herself.
Despite everything she has gone through, she remains optimistic and gets
excited about experiencing new things, no matter how nervous she feels.
Rapunzel is possibly the ultimate example of what
teenagers go through as they grow up. She has to learn to not only become her
own person, but to make her own choices and to do something about her dreams
and desires. Unlike the rest of the Four, she has to make a very difficult and
deliberate decision to start her journey and to brace herself to do what she
wants for once. The rest more or less find themselves in the middle of their journeys
without making that deliberate first step.
However, for me the ultimate lesson that I learned from
Rapunzel came from her optimism. When it looked like she and Flynn were going
to drown, hope came from the light in her hair. And when her heart was broken
and Gothel had taken her back to the tower, hope came in the form of the sun: a
promise that she had a family who loved her and wanted her.
To me, Rapunzel herself reminds me that even when things
look the darkest, hope can always be found, although it might not always appear
in the way you expect.
The Princess
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| The love-child of Hawkeye and Black Widow |
Name: Merida dunBroch
Age: 16
Hair: Red
Eyes: Blue
Merida is possibly one of the more childish characters in
this group. She hates being a princess and hates what it involves. Why bother
learning about public speaking and decorum when all she wants is to ride
through the glens, firing arrows into the sunset? So when she discovers she is
to be the ‘Prize’ in a marriage contest between
three clans, she takes matters into her own hands, never dreaming that
‘changing her Fate’ would almost lead to tragedy.
I have talked about Merida before so I will try not to
repeat myself here. Suffice to say I like her the least of all these
characters. She does grow on me after a while but it does take a very VERY long
time for me to reach that point. Having said that, I think she’s the one who
grows the most.
Yes she’s a bit of a free spirit who knows her own mind. But
unlike Rapunzel, Merida knows her mind a little bit too much and fails to see
how her actions might affect everyone around her. Granted she does want to
calmly explain her side of things to her mother but just cannot find the
opportunity to do it. And when things blow up in her face, she tries to find a
solution and make everything right again, even if it takes a while for her to
admit responsibility. And how does she find that solution?
Not by drawing on what she knows and likes, but by drawing
on what she’s learned from her mother.
Yes. Pixar has just given us a princess who is teaching us
about the value of education. Let that sink in for a moment.
But this isn’t the only thing Merida teaches. With her also
comes a lesson about the value of perspective and communication. So much could
have been avoided if Merida had actually spoken to her mother and so much was
resolved by finally seeing things from another perspective and telling the
clans, and her parents, how much they were actually valued.
The Joker
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| Speak softly and carry a large stick. |
Name: Jack Frost
Age: 17 (at least in appearence. Actual age: 317)
Hair: White
Eyes: Blue
Jack Frost is one of the oldest characters on this list and
certainly the most unusual. He has been around for centuries, creating snow,
ice and everything that makes Winter fun. But he is also invisible to everyone
but other legendary spirits, none of whom seem to give him the time of day.
Surely becoming a Guardian will change all that. But the question remains, is
this a job that Jack is suited for?
The fourth and final member of our group is also one of the
more surprising members of the Four in that one of my biggest problems with him
is at a production level, rather than a narrative one. I love Chris Pine. I
really do. But in no universe does he sound like a 17 year old boy, no matter
how good a job he does.
But back to the character himself.
Like the rest of this group, Jack’s story is one of
self-discovery. But unlike Hiccup or Rapunzel who are discovering who they are, Jack’s focus is on who he was. Who he used to be before he became
the Spirit of Winter, in the hopes that somehow this will explain why he was
created and why he exists.
I mentioned earlier that most of the group do not really
choose when they start their journeys and Jack is the ultimate example. It’s
not so much that he needs to find his place in the universe as it is that he
needs to understand why he ended up there.
One of his strongest points is the way he treats children.
Yes, he is the Guardian of Fun but that never comes at the expense of a child’s
safety. He is light-hearted without being irresponsible. Towards the beginning,
a brute of a girl is hit with a snowball and it looks like she is going to harm
the children who threw it. Jack’s response? Throw another one that will
magically let her lighten up enough to have fun and make friends. Yes, he does
lead Jamie into a fun but pretty risky looking sleigh ride, but watch Jack. He
is always beside Jamie, helping him to dodge people, cars and anything else
that could seriously hurt him. Sure he misses the sofa which crashes into the
child, but the result is a lost tooth and nothing more.
But the main plot of the story focuses on Jack’s inability
to be seen. 300 years more or less alone is tough to get over and Jack does
struggle with the idea of being part of a team. It is quite clear that Jack is
a sociable individual considering how he interacts with others, but he acts
alone a lot of the time. It is only when he allows himself to be part of a team
(a team that includes some of the children he has been protecting) that Pitch
is defeated. In a world where we are constantly told to look out for ourselves,
to do things ourselves and to solve everything ourselves, it’s nice to see a
character who embodies the need for people and acknowledges that sometimes it’s
OK to ask for help.
I think that’s the main lesson we can take from Jack. Sometimes
it’s easier to be alone. But it is also vitally important to let other people
into our lives and not let ourselves become isolated because that way, when we
fall, there will always be someone to help us back up.
The ‘Big Four’ do teach us some important lessons about how
we view ourselves and others, but not every lesson that they have to teach can
be confined to a single character or film. As I’m sure you have been able to
tell, there is a significant amount of comparison and shared experience between
these four which I feel are just as important to examine as the ones that are
unique to the characters and films.
The Class
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| Oh yeah. Our eyes reveal our badassery |
I have said before that one of the most common themes in YA fiction comes from the idea of self-discovery and that is no different when it
comes to films centred on teenagers. Hiccup, Rapunzel, Merida and Jack all have
to learn who they can be and to be comfortable in their own skin. You see this
best in Hiccup during the course of his journey. Not only does he become more
vocally confident but when he isn’t wearing his long furry vest, he looks more confident (and a little bit
taller).
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| And the prize for Best Facial Expression goes to... |
In order to make this discovery, each of them learns to take
a chance and to be open to new experiences, but most also learn to recognise
what the consequences of those experiences might be, a trait which is best
illustrated by comparing what happened to Rapunzel and Merida after they
disobeyed their mothers.
At the end of the day, all four of these characters learn
the importance of trust and applying it to the right people. Hiccup learns to
trust Toothless which ultimately leads him to learn to trust in his own
judgement and gain confidence in himself. Merida learns to trust that her
mother’s actions are the result of love and do ultimately have a reason behind
them. Jack has to learn to trust the guardians to take care of him and watch
his back. Rapunzel not only needs to learn to trust the world, but also has the
unenviable task of realising who is worthy of her trust and when to recognise
that it has been misplaced.
However, it must be understood that trust goes both ways and
that is something that each of the films recognises and makes a point of
acknowledging. Often this comes in form of a character’s acceptance of
responsibility. I have touched on this with Merida, but it also applies to the
others as well. Merida learns to trust her mother, but must in turn make
herself worthy of her kingdom’s trust which only occurs when she recognises her
responsibilities to Scotland. Jack officially acknowledges his responsibility
to the children of the world (something he was doing anyway) after he learns to
trust his teammates, in order to ensure that they, in their turn, can trust him.
Hiccup balances his responsibilities to his people with his new
responsibilities with the dragons and somehow bring them together only after the
bond with Toothless occurs, while Rapunzel’s responsibilities change from
Gothel (her mother) to Flynn (her boyfriend. Ahhh symbolism) as their trust in
her changes.
But to me, the main lesson that comes from these characters is
much more straight-forward.
The truth will always set you free no matter how big or
small it might be. It may not be something you’re prepared for, but that doesn’t
mean you don’t have the ability to recognise it and handle the ramifications
that come with it. You are capable of so much more than you know, and it’s not always
necessary to do it alone.
Say what you like, but I think this is something that we
could be reminded of from time to time.
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