Relevant Content Standard - Students will identify the point of view in the story/screenplay of each film based on the narration in the scene that is featured.
Key Terms
Screenplay - A screenplay is a written work produced for a film or television show. It is a form of narration in which the movements, actions, expressions and dialogue of the characters are described in a certain format. When films are adapted from books, they must be rewritten as a screenplay. Therefore, a screenplay is a story rewritten to be acted out by actors as characters in a film or TV show. Character Dialogue - Character dialogue is a literary and theatrical form that depicts the interactive communication between two or more people in a story. Story readers and film viewers can oftentimes figure out the point of view of the story based on what the characters say to each other during the dialogue or while talking to one another in the story in the absence of a narrator. Narrator - Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. The narrator is a specific person or voice developed by the author of the story to deliver information to the audience including the story’s point of view and the plot.
Instructions
Watch the following scenes from some animated television shows and films. Assume you are able to identify the point of view of each story based on what is said by the narrators or the characters in the scene. Write the point of view for each film based on what you see and hear in the scene – First-person (uses words such as I and me), Second-person (uses words such as you and your), or Third-person (uses words such as he, she, them, they, and their). What is the point of view and how do you know?
Cinderella (1950)
Cinderella is the title of an animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions about a young girl named Cinderella. It is based on a fairy tale written by Charles Perrault in 1697, and is about the daughter of a widowed aristocrat, who is forced to become a servant of her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, until her fairy godmother grants her the chance to attend the royal ball and meet the prince. The screenplay was originally adapted from the story by Walt Disney himself. The character Cinderella became the second official Disney Princess following Snow White. The narrator of this opening scene is an actress named Betty Lou Gerson. She is also the voice of Cruella de Vil in Disney's "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961).
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
This animated television special is based on the 1957 children's book of the same name by Dr. Seuss. It is about how the Grinch tries to ruin Christmas for residents in a town named Whoville. This opening scene is narrated by a voice actor named Boris Karloff.
Beauty and The Beast (1991)
This animated musical romantic fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, is based on the French fairy tale that was published anonymously in 1740. Set in 18th-century France, the story is about how an enchantress transforms a selfish prince into a monster known as the Beast as punishment for his cruelty. Years later, a young woman offers the Beast her own freedom in exchange for her father's. To break the spell, the Beast must earn her love before the last petal falls from his enchanted rose, lest he remain a monster forever. The film was the second to use Computer Animation Production System (CAPS), which enabled seamless blending of traditional and computer animation, particularly during its ballroom scene. The narration in this opening scene explains the backstory of the Beast and the curse placed upon Prince Adam.
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
This musical fantasy film is based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. It is a combination of live-action and stop-motion animation. The story is about a young orphan boy who enters a gigantic, magical peach, and has a wild and surreal cross-world adventure with magically altered garden bugs he meets. In this scene, the narrator gives the viewer some background information about the main characters in the film.
The Polar Express (2004)
This animated Christmas music fantasy adventure film is based on the 1985 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. It depicts human characters using live action and motion capture computer animation. Set on Christmas Eve, it tells the story of a young boy who travels to the North Pole aboard a magical train guided by its conductor. The opening scene is narrated by the Conductor who lets the viewers know that he is telling his own story.
Coudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
This animated science fiction comedy film is loosely based on the 1978 children's book by Judi and Ron Barrett. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, it is about an aspiring inventor who develops a machine that can convert water into food. In this opening scene, the inventor named Flint, lets viewers know about his background.
Rango (2011)
Rango is an animated Western comedy film about an anthropomorphic pet chameleon who ends up stranded in a small town named Dirt after he accidentally falls out of his owner’s car while they were traveling out of town on vacation. This is the opening scene, in which the Mariachi Owls begin narrating the story.
This second scene from the film Rango is the beginning of the story. In this scene, Rango is passing the time while he is traveling with his owner by play acting with his imaginary friends in his tank.
Doc McStuffins
This animated children’s television series aired on Disney Junior from 2012-2020. It is about a girl who dreams of becoming a doctor who fixes toys, with help from her four toy friends. In this episode titled “The Lamb’s Exam,” the main character Dottie “Doc” McStuffins lets viewers know about this particular workday in her clinic.
Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
This animated spy comedy film is a spin-off of the Madagascar film series. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation. It takes place after the events of Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) and follows the Penguins as they join forces with the North Wind intelligence agency to stop the octopus Dave who seeks revenge on penguins for upstaging him at zoos and aquariums. This opening scene is narrated by someone who appears to be making a documentary and lets his viewers know about the life of penguins in Antarctica.
Inside Out (2015)
This animated coming-of-age film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, is about the inner workings of the mind of a young girl who adapts to her family's relocation as five personified emotions administer her thoughts and actions. In this opening scene, the character named Joy begins narrating the story.
Ice Age: Collision Course (2016)
The fifth film in the Ice Age franchise, in Collision Course the main characters have to find a way to fend off a giant asteroid that has accidentally been sent towards Earth by Scrat who was propelled into outer space while trying to bury his acorn. This opening scene is narrated by astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Coco (2017)
This animated fantasy comedy-drama film was produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is about a boy in Mexico who is accidentally transported to the Land of the Dead, where he asks for help from his deceased great-great-grandfather to fix a family problem. The narrator in this opening scene is Miguel, the main character in the film.
Spider Man: Into the Spider Verse (2018)
This animated superhero comedy film based on the Marvel Comics character, is the first animated film in the Spider-Man franchise. It is about how a teenager from New York City becomes the new Spider-Man and teams up with other Spider-People from various parallel universes to save his universe from the Kingpin. In this scene, Peter Parker - the previous Spider Man, begins telling the story that unfolds in the film.
Encanto (2021)
This animated musical fantasy comedy film was produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It is about a multigenerational Colombian family and how they each receive magical gifts from a miracle, which they use to help the people in their rural community. In this opening scene, the main character’s grandmother Abuela (which means grandmother in Spanish) begins telling her granddaughter about the history surrounding their community and their house in Encanto.
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(Information Sources – Fandom, Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia, YouTube)