Term Paper #1 (Outline)

Term Paper #1 Outline.

Introduction

A. Animated Feature Film: Hercules (1997)

B. Thesis- In the Walt Disney Feature Animation, Hercules, the reality of physics in the real world is broken throughout this film in order to push the mythological story.

Body Paragraph

A. Weightless Environment

1. Baby Hercules was able to squeeze his fathers’ finger and lift him parallel to the ground.

2. Hercules in his teens tried to stop a lightweight flying disk that went off course. As a super strong superhero he should be able to stop it with no effort, but the disk took his entire body like it had no strength and threw him across the yard causing Hercules to knock over heavy columns with his super strength.

3. When the Titans were unleashed the molten lava was formed into a human form.

B. Exaggerated Anticipation and Follow Through

1. On Hercules first encounter of saving a damsel in distress (Meg), the anticipation to punch the centaur Nessus was overly exaggerated where Hercules’ arm spun out to gain speed like a tire would at a drag race.

2. Prior to that punch the centaur’s “shoe” follows through Nessus’s path of action as he gets punched upwards and then falls back down, all four hitting his head.

C. Squash and Stretch

1. When Phil tries to tell Hercules that Meg is a fraud, Phil dodges a punch from Hercules by squishing his entire body down but his arm.

2. While Phil is trying to confront Hercules, Pegasus gets lured into a shed by a pink horse and just as he enters, the pink horse stretches and gets divided in two.

Conclusion

A. The films unrealistic law of physics accentuates the mythical story of the Gods.

B. It also made the audience experience what it would be like in the presence of a God on earth.

C. The laws of physics are exaggerated for the mythical/immortal characters but not for the mortal characters.