"Psychic Journey" only grossed 36.08 million in its first week of release. However, in the New Year's Day slot, although there were not many films, it actually surpassed the attendance rate of other films and ranked fourth at the box office. It can be seen that the reputation of this film is slowly fermenting among the audience.
It's a film with the same magical content and box office trajectory, and it's hard to evaluate.
I can only exclaim, "Wow"!
At one point, Pixar Studios brought new life to animated films.
This not only refers to the revolutionary improvement of animated films such as "Toy Story" at the level of 3D technology, but also the bold attempt of animation films such as "Wall-E" and "The Flying House" in artistic expression, and the extraordinary use of audiovisual means such as silent films and musical montages. However, as the acquisition of Disney grew, the expansion of this innovation base became more and more conservative. In recent years, the most energetic work is probably "Dream Quest", which can only be regarded as a good work in the direction of warm dreams and the decent performance of family relationships.
In the past few years, Pixar's animation has always lacked the previous eye-catching thing - in addition to the conventional story and visual spectacle, the few pictures that really make the audience feel unforgettable, the gold finger that stirs people's heartstrings.
A poster for "Flying House" released in 2009 is full of bold and concise artistry. It is more impactful than the poster of "Psychic Journey".
The film's director is Also The Flying House and The Brainstorm Director Pete Doggett. Judging from his past works, there is no doubt that he has never lacked the courage and creativity to try. The innovation and specialness of "Spiritual Journey" lies in the fact that the theme has entered a state of metaphysical meditation - after you watch the movie, it is even difficult to tell others what the story is told. Probably only according to the title of the film, the content can be briefly described as "a strange journey of the mind". The English title of this film is even more straightforward and mysterious: Soul, literally translated as "soul".
What exactly is it talking about?
If the traditional way of telling the story, the film can be roughly described as:
An unambitious jazz pianist, encountered the opportunity to perform with a good band, but because of the excessive excitement of the accident, the soul drifted to heaven. In order to return to the flesh, he has to serve as a mentor for another mischievous soul, helping "her" find a motivational point in life. The two return to the human world, accidentally bumping into one turned into a cat, and the other occupied the body of a jazz pianist. After a short journey, the jazz pianist finally performed successfully, achieved his musical dream, but realized that life should have a higher meaning...
This is a film theme that is both traditional and a little abstract: finding one's own life value.
In fact, American films, or art films with a bit of literary comedy style in various countries, often explore this problem. The protagonists are often men after middle age – they should be the backbone of a successful society, but suddenly they are confused and lose their direction and enthusiasm for the future of their lives. This tradition, known as the "midlife crisis," is actually the eternal theme of philosophy for all:
Since people are all going to die in the end, what is the point of living so hard now?
However, some people seem to be born full of vitality, and they never consider these "life to death" problems. Just like the fat boys in "Flying House", or the naughty souls in this film, they are clumsy and unworldly, reckless, but full of hope for life, they are all energetic teenagers. It is this desperate momentum and love that helps the protagonist awaken his life, refill the power, and face the polishing and criticism of life every moment.
The combination of one old and one young, inspired by each other to gain new insights, is the director of this film, is Pixar Studios, and is also a common storytelling method in many animations. The bridge sections of "two people exchanging bodies" in this film are also the most common and easy to understand comedy routines.
—— If you only look at the passages in the middle of the film, then this film is still a popular animation with a warm story.
The rest of the film, however, is too bold.
In the first half of the film, the protagonist's soul drifts to the "reincarnation ladder" or to the "birthplace" similar to heaven, which seems to have no special world view setting, but uses the most stylized animation method to express. Whether it is the "dead land" composed of lines and black backgrounds, or the paradise and "elves" presented in a dynamic and soft way similar to art games, people have left a very special impression on the environment - abstract painting, game style, minimalist lines and other means, and the collision of the main body's 3D animation image, resulting in a very artistic and amazing picture contrast.
In the second half of the film, when the comedy story of gags between the two protagonists is shown, it really begins to return to the theme, it is mysterious and mysterious through some freehand pictures, conveying the change and beauty of life. Years later, you may forget the funny plot and dialogue of the characters in the film. But you will definitely remember that there is a very special scene in this movie:
A golden butterfly fluttering in the air flies into your hand in the sunset – and if you look closely, you will find that what remains in the palm of your hand is half a leaf that naturally falls from the tree.
It's a picture that's hard to relay to others, but it's so moving and unforgettable. Even if you buy a movie ticket, sit in the movie theater in the black hole hole, and look up at the screen with the people around you, and watch the 30-second picture, it is worth the ticket price. It conveys a certain temperament and connotation of the film -
Residual leaves are the product of the natural replacement of trees, and perhaps we usually only see them as a symbol of garbage fertilizer or life decay. But how can we explain to others that at a particular "special moment" in life, it may be a beautiful butterfly?
Sometimes beauty is fleeting, but it is truly present in our lives. Just like every most ordinary life, the most ordinary life every day, there will be moments worth cherishing and moving.
It's like patting a hit worker on the back of a late-night worker who is still working overtime and patting him on the shoulder and saying, "You've worked hard." Sometimes the insignificant moments and actions of life are enough to bring tears to one's eyes.
This is a certain characteristic of this film that moves the audience.
When the protagonist has fulfilled his wish and successfully completed the jazz performance, since the general film has achieved the ideal and achieved success, it should have completed the climax of the story and can end. However, the film mysteriously let the predecessors say these few words to the protagonist:
"A small fish has been looking for the sea,
But the big fish told it, you don't have to look for it,
Because you've been living in this sea. ”
This kind of philosophical story that brings the taste of chicken soup to the soul can sometimes seem hollow and pretentious to read. In this film, because of those mysterious beautiful pictures and realizations, it has become a truly memorable philosophy.
Have we been longing for a landscape we have never reached? Or are we living in the process of realizing the value of life? It depends on how we look at life and how we look at Soul, the soul.
There is an old saying that "success" is not about the result, but about the process.
And "Spiritual Journey" even tells us that the meaning of life is not even "success", but "living".
Very metaphysical, but also very moving.
Because it encourages everyone, there is no need for any burden in life, "live well, find the good", this is the meaning of life.
Source: The Paper