The film Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs is a good film to show how the definition of disaster films needs to be altered. The majority of the definition of disaster films can be used to fit all audiences of disaster films. The reason the definition of disaster films needs to be changed is the definition needs to encompass the younger audience of disaster films. Most conventions of disaster films fit well in children’s disaster movies. The narrative shape and the genre’s function are also two aspects of the definition of disaster films that do not need to be changed. It is the death and the exclusion of the impossible that must change to include a child audience. Using the film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs it is clear that the definition
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In Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs there is the world before, during and after the disaster. The amount of time for each part of the narrative structure is not equal. The world before the disaster takes up the most time in the film. It displays a world where beauty is better than brains, mayors are corrupt, fathers do not accept their sons and bullying is is to be encouraged. Similar to other disaster films the world before the disaster displays a troubled society that needs to be fixed. The disaster is what erases the errors in both disaster films and children’s disaster films. In this film during the disaster Sam uses her knowledge, Flint’s father encouraged his inventing and Brent became part of the team. The world after the disaster only lasted a few minutes in the film. Just like in normal disaster films the world after the disaster has all the problems of the society resolved. Flint’s father now fully accepts and understands him: “when you hear me make a fishing metaphor, just know that fishing metaphor means I love my son.” Sam now fully accepts her knowledge and no longer bails when she says an intelligent remark. The mayor is likely to perish due to his own mistakes and Brent is now positively contributing to the society. Based on analysis of this film it is clear that in children’s disaster films the narrative structure remains. Therefore, the narrative structure of disaster films does not need to be expanded or altered to fit a child
In Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs there is the world before, during and after the disaster. The amount of time for each part of the narrative structure is not equal. The world before the disaster takes up the most time in the film. It displays a world where beauty is better than brains, mayors are corrupt, fathers do not accept their sons and bullying is is to be encouraged. Similar to other disaster films the world before the disaster displays a troubled society that needs to be fixed. The disaster is what erases the errors in both disaster films and children’s disaster films. In this film during the disaster Sam uses her knowledge, Flint’s father encouraged his inventing and Brent became part of the team. The world after the disaster only lasted a few minutes in the film. Just like in normal disaster films the world after the disaster has all the problems of the society resolved. Flint’s father now fully accepts and understands him: “when you hear me make a fishing metaphor, just know that fishing metaphor means I love my son.” Sam now fully accepts her knowledge and no longer bails when she says an intelligent remark. The mayor is likely to perish due to his own mistakes and Brent is now positively contributing to the society. Based on analysis of this film it is clear that in children’s disaster films the narrative structure remains. Therefore, the narrative structure of disaster films does not need to be expanded or altered to fit a child