Mostadventure moviesinvolve a call to action that takes the protagonist from the safety of their home to a new, fantastical land. Harry Potter leaves the cupboard under the stairs. Luke Skywalker leaves Tatooine. Bilbo Baggins leaves the Shire. Sincetechnicolor moviesbrought the light spectrum to the screen, moviegoers expect the excitement to take place somewhere extraordinary, full of color and intrigue and spectacle. However,Barbieflipped the script by having Barbie’s hero’s journey take her from the pastel plastic ofBarbieland to the grey concrete of the real world, where the adventure begins.
Even beforeBarbie, plenty of movies have taken interesting characters on adventures in the most normal, boring environments.Fantasy characters in commonplace settings provide a naturalfish-out-of-water element.These movies prove a hero’s journey is about character growth, which can happen anywhere from a McDowell’s in Queens to the high-rises of Century City in Los Angeles.
Barbie
Cast
Barbie is a film adaptation of the generational iconic toy directed by Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the script with Noah Baumbach. The film centers on Margot Robbie’s Barbie who is expelled from Barbieland and travels with Ken (Ryan Gosling) to the real world in search of happiness. The film also stars Simu Liu, Will Ferrell, and several other famous celebrities in cameo roles.
Barbieis the summer blockbuster comedy starring Margot Robbie as Barbie.Every day is the best day in Barbieland. Barbie is worried when she suddenly gets “irrepressible thoughts of death” and, worse, cellulite. Barbie does not want anything about her life to change, but to fix what is going wrong, Barbie must journey from the matriarchal utopia of Barbieland to the real world to find whoever is playing with her.
Barbie is unmoored by how backwards everything is in the real world.Construction sites are not hubs of “woman power.” Driving requires a lot of focus. Barbie is devastated to realize that, as a doll, she upheld unrealistic standards while thinking she was empowering girls.
Did Barbie rip off Disney’s Enchanted?
While there are no doubt some similarities between Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Disney’s Enchanted, I don’t feel like they were overly similar. While the general “teleported from a fantasy world to the real world” plot was similar, I feel the actual stories of the two films teach different (but thoughtful) lessons. For example, Enchanted follows the classic Disney princess formula of the princess finding her true love. However, the story twists on its head by swapping partners, sending real-world Nancy to Andalasia with Prince Edward, and leaving Giselle in the real world with Robert. The story, though, does push thee idea of being yourself, even if others might not understand. Kindness and love can be strengths, and you shouldn’t be afraid to be you. Barbie similarly has an empowering message, but focuses a bit harder on not striving only for perfection. It also teaches that everyone has different experiences, and it’s important to do our best to understand where others are coming from.
Barbie deals with a lot of complicated realities.Beauty takes many forms. Barbie journeys to the real world so she can return to her life as it was, but bythe end ofBarbie, Barbie chooses to stay and embrace the beauty of complexity.
Soul
Pixar’s Soul follows Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a pianist, who is killed in an accident just before his big opportunity to finally succeed in the world of jazz music. Joe’s soul gets stuck in the “Great Before”, a purgatory which gives him the idea of reuniting his body and soul. Alongside Foxx, Soul features the voices of Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Phylicia Rashad, and Angela Bassett.
Soulwas an animated high-concept dramedy by Pixar.Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) dies on the very day he was going to get his big break as a jazz musician. In the “Great Beyond,” Joe encounters 22 (Tina Fey,) a soul who never got a body as she never found her “spark.” Joe accidentally brings 22 back to Earth with him, and as 22 experiences the small joys of life, she finally finds her spark. They realize a “spark” is not a specific passion, but an openness to experiences. After thousands of years, 22 is ready to begin her life.
22 has spent eons in the ethereal “You Seminar,” where souls can observe all human experiences, but nothing grabbed 22 as her purpose.If 22 never wound up on Earth, she would never have experienced the warmth of a beam of sunshine or the first bite of a slice of pizza. It’s the simplest human pleasures that make 22 excited to start her life.
Last Action Hero
Last Action Hero follows young Danny Madigan, who magically enters the world of his favorite action film through a special ticket. Inside the movie, he teams up with action hero Jack Slater, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, to battle cinematic villains. Directed by John McTiernan, the film blends reality and fiction, offering a whimsical take on action film tropes.
Last Action Herois a satire of the action genre. Danny Madigan (Austin O’Brien) loves action cop movies so much he finds himself transported into one.Danny teams up with hero cop Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger,) but in their quest to get Danny back home, Jack and the villains also find themselves in the real world of crime-ridden New York City.
Jack Slater is disturbed by his time in the real world.He’s used the superhuman invincibility he has in the movie world. In the real world, when he punches a car window, it really hurts. When he shoots, he doesn’t always hit his mark. Slater becomes more well-rounded and empathetic as a mere human in the real world, but when he’s mortally wounded, he returns to his movie world, where it becomes just a flesh wound. Slater heals with a new appreciation of the differences between his world and the real one.
Blast from the Past
Blast from the Past is a romantic comedy directed by Hugh Wilson. The film stars Brendan Fraser as Adam Webber, a man who emerges into the modern world after being raised in a fallout shelter for 35 years. Co-starring Alicia Silverstone as Eve, the story explores Adam’s attempts to navigate a new and unfamiliar society while seeking a partner, highlighting the contrast between old-fashioned morals and contemporary culture.
Blast from the Pastis a romcom. Brendan Fraser plays Adam Webber, a boy who grew up in a nuclear fallout shelter experiencing the outside world for the first time. His father sealed the family inside for 35 years. Outside the bunker, Adam meets Alicia Silverstone’s Eve Rustikov, his love interest who introduces him to the exciting world of the 90s.
WhileBlast from the Pastis all in one world, Adam’s life in the fallout shelter might as well have been a separate universe.Adam only has references and mannerisms from the 60s, which clash with the behavior and expectations of the 90s. At first, Adam is disoriented and disillusioned, but with Eve’s help, he learns how to navigate the present. Adam loves the outside world so much he convinces his parents to move back as well.
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is directed by Patty Jenkins and introduces Diana, an Amazon princess, who ventures into the world of Man during World War I to combat the forces of evil and strive for peace. This film is a part of the larger DC Extended Universe.
Wonder Womanwas a DC superhero film starringGal Gadot as Diana Prince, better known as Wonder Woman. Diana was raised on the hidden island of Themyscira, home of the Amazons, a force of warrior women.The peace of the island is shattered when Diana rescues a soldier from a plane crash.He tells her about World War I, and Diana believes it is the Greek God of War inciting violence among the humans. Diana steals a sword rumored to be “the god-killer” and leaves her island to protect the real world.
Diana learns the truth of the real world is much more complicated.Her idealistic view of humans is shattered by the brutality of war. While humans are more selfish than she realized, they’re also worth saving. Diana taps into the moments she shared with her new friends and love to find the strength to become the god-killer in the final battle. Diana chooses to stay in the real world, as people are worth protecting.
Coming to America
Coming To America is a 1988 comedy directed by John Landis. It follows the young Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy), who travels from the kingdom of Zamunda to New York to find a woman who truly loves him. While Akeem’s friend Semmi (Arsenio Hall) reluctantly helps him, his father King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones) attempts to bring him back home so he can proceed with an arranged marriage.
Coming to Americais a romantic comedy starring Eddie Murphy as Prince Akeem Joffer, the Crown Prince of Zamunda. Akeem has grown up with every luxury, but when his parents present him with his bride for his 21st birthday, Akeem realizes he wants an independent woman who loves him independently of his titles.Akeem decides to go undercover as a poor, foreign student to find the right woman, and the only place he can think of to find his princess is Queens, New York.
While Queens is technically in the same world as the fictional Zamunda, the change in lifestyle might as well be a different dimension. In Queens, Akeem sets up in a small studio apartment and gets a job at McDowell’s, a knockoff of McDonald’s. Akeem is drawn to Lisa McDowell (Shari Headley,) the daughter of the restaurant’s owner, for her principles and her open-mindedness.This is the type of woman he had never met at the palace. Akeem is willing to abdicate to be with her when she eventually learns his identity, but Lisa jokes that won’t be necessary.
Enchanted
Starring Amy Adams as Giselle, Enchanted follows its heroine as she is cast out of her animated fantasy world by an evil queen, ending up in the middle of New York City where she meets Robert, a jaded lawyer who reluctantly takes the clueless Giselle in. As Giselle begins to adjust to life in the real world, and her relationship with Robert deepens, she must reconcile what she thought she wanted with where life has taken her. Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, and Susan Sarandon also star.
Enchantedis a Disney musical fantasy romcom that offersa fresh perspective on the fairy tale genre. Amy Adams stars as Giselle, a woman from an animated fairytale kingdom who is tricked into falling down a portal into New York, “where there are no happy endings.” Giselle is reluctantly taken in by a divorce lawyer, Robert Phillips (Patrick Dempsey) and his young daughter.As Giselle waits for her prince to rescue her, Robert exposes her to modern ideas, like “dating”.
Giselle’s skills from her home world of Andalusia do not translate as well in the real world.Robert is not pleased when she has the rats help tidy up his apartment or cuts up his drapes to make herself a stunning dress. Giselle has never experienced real emotions. While Robert can frustrate her, even feeling negative emotions is a thrill for Giselle. When Giselle has the option to return home, she finds that she does not want to go back to the two-dimensional being she used to be.
The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid is an animated fantasy film that follows the tale of Ariel, a mermaid princess who dreams of life on land. She falls in love with Prince Eric and makes a daring pact with the sea witch Ursula to become human, risking everything for love.
The Little Mermaidis an animated musical romance by Disney.The movie tells the story of Ariel, a mermaid who falls in love with a human prince. Desperate to be together, Ariel makes a deal with a sea witch to gain legs in exchange for her voice. Even before falling in love from afar, Ariel always dreamed of life above the surface, which she sings about in “Part of Your World."
Ariel is charmed to be human. She excitedly wiggles her toes and gets the chance to explore all her land-based interests.While she is not the most articulate without her voice, her expressions are full of charming wonder at even the simplest things, like a fork. In the end, even her father concedes she was happier as a human and makes her fully human so she can live her happily ever after.
Thor
Thor, released in 2011, introduces Chris Hemsworth as the titular Norse god. Banished to Earth by his father Odin, portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, Thor must live among humans and learn humility. As he adapts to his new circumstances, a threat from Asgard, led by his brother Loki, endangers Earth.
Thoris a Marvel superhero film based on the Norse mythology.Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, is the arrogant crown prince of Asgard, home of the Gods. Thor has his powers, his friends, and his magical hammer. Thor openly courts war, and his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins,) decides to punish and humble him. Odin banishes Thor from the golden halls of Asgard to the mortal world of New Mexico, without his powers. Odin places an enchantment on the hammer so only someone “worthy” can wield it.
On Earth, Thor is a fish-out-of-water. He tries coffee for the first time, smashing the mug after according to Asgardian tradition, drawing the attention of the entire diner.Thor connects with people, and he sees he is not better than those he used to see as mere subjects.During the climatic battle at the end, he sacrifices himself to save innocent humans, soThor finally becomes worthy of his hammer and his power. When he was first banished, all Thor wanted to get back home. After his journey, Thor is devastated to be stranded in Asgard, unable to return to Earth.
Elfis a Christmas comedy starring Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, a human raised among the elves in the North Pole. As an adult, Buddy learns the truth of his parentage and journeys through the Candy Cane Forest and through the Lincoln Tunnel to get to New York City to find his dad. Buddy’s father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan,) is on the naughty list and is not patient with Buddy’s Christmas spirit.
Buddy grew up in the North Pole, where he could talk to animated narwhals and snowmen. Buddy’s naivety sticks out in NYC. When he passes a diner advertising “the world’s best cup of coffee,” he congratulates them. Some people findBuddy’s behavior cute, others find it annoying, but his incessant happiness tends to eventually infect everyone around him.Elfis not an example of the hero needing to change, but the hero changing the real world around them. Buddy manages to save Christmas, getting even the most cynical New Yorkers to believe in Santa.
