The opening lines from Onward the latest movie by Disney’s Pixar studios are spoken by someone you cannot see. He speaks over scenes of magic that turns into something else.
“Long ago, the world was full of wonder. It was adventurous, exciting, and best of all, there was magic. And that magic helped all in need. But it wasn’t easy to master. And so the world found a simpler way to get by.
[we see as magic was not easy to master, technology takes over, making life easier]
”Over time magic faded away. But I hope there’s a little magic left in you.”
Over time the magic has faded away. We all feel that way at times don’t we? Not just magic, but wonder and romance. Sometimes we feel we need to escape, hide for a little while from our troubles, from the world’s troubles. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Once upon a time could start now?
A cash-strapped theater producer promotes a nine-year-old boy's dancing caterpillar, a thing of wonder and amazement, an escape from the war in 1944, in Once Upon a Time.
Wonder, Amazement. Remember the look on Marty’s face as he walks thru the future Hill Valley in Back To The Future II? Or the utterly astonished look when he discovers he is sitting beside a teenage boy who is and will become his father in Back To The Future?
That moment was not nearly as astonishing for Marty as the time in the movie when he wakes from a head knock and meets his future Mom. There is an immediate connection, wonder on the part of Lorraine, who keeps calling Marty Calvin Klein (because his name is on his, well, you know) and fear from Marty because she is his Mo…Mo….Mom. Lorraine, not knowing who Marty is, but finding him fascinating, so different from any of the other boys she knows, and who show her unwanted attention, falls for Marty right away.
It is a misguided romance, which goes nowhere, but happens nevertheless. It ends with a brotherly (family) kiss, much to everyone's relief. But what does happen? Marty arranges for his parents to meet, go to the Under the Sea Dance, George rescues Lorraine from Biff, and the rest is history. Wonder, Magic, which is sometimes technical, Romance, which may include a battle for the heart. George had to win Lorraine’s. Marty had to protect himself from the same person until later. In Back To The Future II we have loss. Because of Greed, Marty loses the life he knew and has to battle to restore it. To Create it again as it were.
Astonishment wonder, romance, restoration. Indiana Jones in The Last Crusade was astonished at the power of the Chalice, the Holy Grail, at its life giving water that healed his Dad, yet minutes later he loses someone he cares about, maybe even loves. Casey in Tomorrowland touches the mysterious pin and finds herself in another world. A world of amazement and wonder, a world that is dying, even if she doesn’t know it yet. A world she falls in love with and is determined to fix, even if it means re-creating it. From scratch. Frank, the hero but not at first, has to deal with Casey’s determination to heal things, and how he lost his heart to another many years before.
Where have we heard that kind of story before? Thawing out Frozen Narnia? Aslan’s sacrifice to save it from the White Witch? Harry Potter giving up his life in The Deathly Hallows? Wonder, Magic, Amazement, Romance, Love, and let us not forget redemption. These elements are the ingredients that make a powerful, sometimes life-changing story. However, the story that inspired these elements, that gave birth to them, is the Greatest Story of all.
EPIC Act 3 The Battle For The Heart
