Animated Narratives,week#5

Week 5 - Folio #1 

Wiki premise：‘ “Did she really fly?” A girl said incredulously’

Story

Scene 1 School corridor

A girl wearing a large hat is struggling to walk, the hat is too big, so big that it almost weighs her down and she can't walk. The students passing by are also wearing hats, or bigger or smaller, but not as big as the female. At that moment appeared a girl wearing a small beret, toeing the big hat girl said: "Hey, stupid hat, or walking to school today?" The big hat girl did not dare to speak. The beret girl went on to say, "If I hadn't learned to ride a broomstick for three years like you, I would have dropped out of school long ago, and people who are stupid and dumb don't deserve to stay in magic school. The big hat girl wiped her tears quietly and walked to her classroom.

Scene 2: Classroom

She thought to herself that she had heard that there was a new teacher today, and wondered when she would be able to learn basic magic. The first one was like a robot in class every day, just reading, not even considering her progress or paying attention to the questions she asked. The second teacher was the beret girl's aunt, who sneered at her every day and only resented her meager magical power. I wonder what this teacher looks like now? Just thinking about it, the new teacher comes in, eh? Isn't this the new genius assistant teacher? The assistant teacher smiled at the girl and introduced herself, "Hello, my name is Francesco, and you are Anna, right?" Anna nodded her head. Francesco continued, "Magic doesn't come out of thin air, it requires a strong heart and the conservation of matter, one thing for another. People with great magic don't just come from their talent, they come from their courage, the courage to face themselves head on."

Scene 3: School

In the following days, Francesco were carefully taught Anna magic, spells and some techniques. Francesco was really the warmest person and the most patient teacher Anna had ever met. But Anna never made much progress. Oh, she learned how to light a fire, which was already a big improvement. Day by day, suddenly one day outside the magic creatures began to approach the school, all the elite class of outstanding students (that is, those students with small hats, the smaller the hat the stronger the ability) are involved in the fight to eliminate the magic creatures, which is also their internship. When everyone thought the battle was over so simply, some small ice men quietly slipped into the campus. The first to find them is in the corner of the celebration Anna, because has been learning the art, encountering magic creatures she just want to hide. But when she saw a small ice man creeping up Francesco's back, when it tried to freeze Francesco's head, Anna closed her eyes and made a nervous ignition, melting the small ice man. Just then her hat became a circle smaller, everyone looked to her, before that timid and cowardly and incompetent Anna actually saved Francesco. Francesco came over and patted her and said, "Well done, Ann, I knew you could do it."

Scene 4: Off-campus magic forest

Because of her excellent performance at the celebration, Anna was sent to the forest to participate in the battle to repel the magical creatures. In one battle after another, Anna finally showed her courage, faced her fears and defeated them. Her hat also became smaller and smaller, and finally qualified to enter the elite class, but she still chose to stay in Francesco's class. "He will always be my most precious initiator," Anna wrote on the back of the graduation photo of just two people.

Reflective Text

This work explores the theme of the very old classic protagonist against the odds. Many anime works use this formula to narrate the story, and the hot storyline with animated characters and exaggerated performances drives more emotions than live action movies. And the story is set in the background of the magic world, the biggest advantage of animation works is the switching of scenes and non-realistic world shaping, using animation to show the magic world is the most appropriate form. Two of Hayao Miyazaki's animated films, Mary and the Witch's Flower (2017) and The Witch's House (1989), both shape the wonderful world of magic through the scenic characteristics of the animated medium. During the creation process, I referenced Winston Groom's Forrest Gump (1986), so I added the key episode in the story where Anna gains courage by helping Francesco destroy the Little Iceman, which is a good segue to show why Anna has more magic behind her.

Reference

Hayao Miyazaki, Mary and the Witch's Flower, viewed date:17/8/2021

Hayao Miyazaki, The Witch's House, viewed date: 17/8/2021

Winston Groom, Forrest Gump, viewed date: 18/8/2021