Interactive
multimedia paratexts are arguably the most prominent paratext for further
developing storylines within a text, as well as keeping the excitement
alive. Jonathan Gray discusses the
impact of these “primary paratexts” in his chapter entitled “In the World, Just
Off Screen” in Show Sold Separately (176).
A hit animated film series that I believe accurately assists Gray’s
claims is the Toy Story
Franchise. Because of its spaced out
releases of each of the three Toy Story films,
the franchise has been able to capture multiple generations in its hype. Through the use of paratexts such as action
figures, video games, and interactive online games, Toy Story has created deeper plot lines and furthered character
development with its fans and essentially boosted the text’s popularity.
Like
all Disney-Pixar released films, Toy
Story was an instant hit. The release
of the first film in 1995 instilled a love and wonder for toys in a generation,
and prompted a mass release of all kinds of Toy
Story themed toys. To begin, the
classic action figures released in 1995 still hold meaning today. These replica action figures do everything
the characters in the movie do. For
example, Buzz Lightyear has a “karate chop”, while Woody has an authentic drawstring
in which he quotes the same catch phrases from the films. The
authenticity of these toys allows the consumers and fans to take the movie home
with them, and continue the action on their own. This allows them to step into the director’s
chair and create any scenario they see fit.
Gray quotes Dan Fleming’s work by stating, “their ability [licensed
toys] not only to continue the story from a film or television program, but to
provide a space in which meanings can be worked through and refined, and in
which questions and ambiguities in the film or program can be answered,” (Fleming qtd. in Gray, 178). The accessibility of all the characters
replicated as action figures allows the audience to interact with in text in a
way that infiltrates daily life. Instead
of being restricted to only dealing with the text at the movie theater, or when
it is playing on TV, the fan has the privilege of having a “mobile Toy Story” of their own. Through the use of the action figures, scenes
can be recreated, altered, or added in to appease the fan’s imagination. The action figures also help to perpetuate
the films’ themes because although it is up to the fan to decide how they would
like to play and interact with the dolls, all of the dolls are consistent,
meaning that across manufacturers and retail outlets the characters will not
change (Gray 179). This consistency allows for the audience to
always know that Woody is a sheriff, Buzz is a space warrior, Bo-Peep is a
sheep herder, and so forth. The
characters functions do not change, which reinforces their roles within the
text itself.
Another
popular mode of interaction with paratext outside of the film is through the
use of video games. As a child, one of
my favorite video games was Toy Story
for the Super Nintendo. This game was
simple enough and followed the plot of the first film, yet was engaging because
it allowed the fan to delve into the actual text. In the game, the player being controlled is
Sheriff Woody, and the fan in then invited on an adventure as Woody – this is
literally placing the player in the movie, or “story world” (Gray 190). This
game allows the audience to “inhabit the world and its characters” (Gray 192)
by seeing extended versions of Andy’s room, house, and other places in the
movie. The fan has the chance to
interact with the text a new way since they can now freely explore certain
scenes from the film. This full on
interaction, according to Gray, becomes almost a necessity to engage the entire
text (196). Video games also allow the fan to relive the
experience, and for young children playing the game, it allows them to identify
with a main character. I believe that
this is an important fact because after this association with the characters
through a gaming world, the children will be more inclined to want to live the
experience, thus prompting their parents to buy them other Toy Story themed merchandise. Also, as children (and occasionally adults)
are playing these video games that are set on one path in line with the film,
they are being taught to identify with the good guy – an inadvertent morals
lesson.
Along
similar lines of interaction, a third paratext is that of Disney Junior’s Online Toy
Story website. The website includes
media clips, a coloring section, and interactive games. Bearing in mind that this website’s target
audience is children, we can see how this paratext invokes the use of several
different means to engage the audience and promote the text as a key
platform. The media clips on the website
are a collection of clips from the three Toy
Story movies that are set up in a YouTube like fashion. This allows the audience to see their
favorite moments from any of the movies.
What I want to focus on from this particular paratext, however, is the
interactive game section. There are two
games currently available and are both themed with plots from the third Toy Story film. In particular, “Bonnie’s Flashlight Fun” is
about helping a little girl find her toys in a dark room. This game takes a character from the third
film, Bonnie, and develops her character outside of the film. This game gives Bonnie a little more
background, as the audience is prompted to sit through an introduction clip and
then asked (rather, instructed) by Bonnie to search for her toys. This extended side to Bonnie’s character
allows the audience to “enjoy a different relationship with the characters than
the film allows” (Gray 192) because it plays off of her characters – as well as
the fans assumed – love for her toys.
Moreover,
as Gray states, “toys not only intensified several themes of the films – the focus
on the cosmic battle, and the voyage of personal discovery especially – but
also allowed individual children or communities of children playing together to
personalize these themes, situating the child in the middle and as active
participant” (183). The paratexts associated with Toy Story help to shape the fan’s
experience with the text because it allows them to take it home, play with plot
line, and incorporate it into their daily experience.
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