Reverse Video Reference of Walking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Laws of Physics in an Animation Universe

Funny Physics in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs from Sony Pictures Animation is a fun, family-friendly animated comedy that tells the story of Flint Lockwood, a good natured, accident prone 'backyard tinker-er'. We start off with Flint as a young, charming, pint-sized inventor then watch him grow into a goofy, but lovable mad scientist. Along the way we see some of his strangest creations. Perhaps the oddest of the bunch are Flint's 'rat-birds', a weird and comical mixture of sewer rats and tropical parrots. The film quickly takes us to the moment when Flint is readying his greatest invention, a machine that can convert water into any type of food conceivable. Given that the town in which this story takes place is destined to eat nothing but sardines, an invention such as this will change the town for good, making Flint the hero he so desperately wants to be. Though Flint's miracle food device works, things eventually take a turn for the worst. The device malfunctions and rockets into the sky above, overproduces food causing radiological mutations and eventually becomes a sentient machine. The closing of the film brings Flint face to face with the disaster he's created. Ever the optimist, Flint vows to make things right and in the end he saves the day and gets the girl. The movie is fun and whimsical, filled with Chuck Jones style gags and humor. The world in which the film takes place is similar to ours in that the laws of physics that hold are universe together also exist in the film, but there is a catch. The physical world of the film is at the mercy of storytelling emphasis and slapstick comedy. If a Newtonian law must be broken in order to provide a better punch line then the Meatball universe will make it so.

In our universe, the Law of Gravity is a constant, unwavering presence. In the Meatball universe, gravity is anything but constant. It bends and fluxes as a way to accentuate the silliness or drama of a particular moment. Falling objects rarely follow a true parabolic arc during their descent, and flying objects often follow paths of action that are absolutely impossible. This manipulation of gravity helps to describe the world and characters of the Meatball universe, wherein the Law of Gravity is second to what I consider the Law of Funny. For example, in one scene, our main character Flint plunges down a Jell-O slide and dives into a giant pool of the jiggle-y dessert. Upon leaving the slide, Flint accelerates and ascends along a fairly convincing arc; however, at around the apex of this arc Flint comes to a resting stop for about 14 frames, which is just over half a second! At the same time, Flint’s forward motion halts and he drops out of frame straight down, in a fashion similar to Wile E. Coyote (36:22). Clearly this type of action deviates significantly from what we’d come to expect here on Earth. Rising and falling objects do not rest or stop at their apex because gravity is constant, and the moment the force that sent the object into the air is overtaken by the force of gravity the object begins its descent. Also, the concept of inertia tells us that objects in motion will continue that motion until another force acts upon it. Therefore, Flint’s horizontal motion would have remained constant throughout his fall, it wouldn’t have stopped as it does in the film. So, why does this happen in the film? Well, having Flint float and stop midair, allows us as viewers to anticipate his fall thereby greatly increasing the effect of Flint’s impact, making the action much more humorous. Here, the Law of Funny took control of the Law of Gravity, adding a hold and exaggeration to enhance silliness. Another example of gravity giving way to hilarity is in a scene early in the film in which we see the video history of Flint's inventions. One of the inventions we see is a jet propelled, flying car. Flint and his car are resting atop the end of a pier out on the bay, ready for take off. Flint ignites the engines and, blasting away, Flint and his flying car are zipping down the pier. But, before the flying car can even make it all the way off the pier, it nosedives right into the water, not just crashing, but accelerating down into the deep (3:35). Again, rather than follow a legitimate arc, the Meatball universe applied it's Law of Funny to Flint's flying car and allowed it to fail in epic fashion. What is so great about this is that it shows us just how doomed Flint and his machines are, in most cases, failing before they ever really get going.

The Meatball universe applies its Law of Funny in many situations where inherent humor or absurdity exists. In situations where heightened drama or tension are possible, the Meatball universe applies its Law of Storytelling. The Law of Storytelling most closely represents, or manipulates, our physical concept of action and reaction. Typically, in our universe, every action is met by an equal reaction in an opposing direction. The Meatball universe is filled with over-the-top actions, but many of the opposing reactions are so severely unequal they border on the non-existent, or amazingly, the Law of Storytelling will reverse and allow for some truly gargantuan reactions. For example, when Flint finally achieves his dream and builds a device that seems to work, the ‘food-weather device’ comically rains down delicious treats upon the small, isolated town. The mood is happy and uplifting. As a storytelling device, the food represents a turn for the better for this downtrodden community, so it wouldn't make sense to have these falling delicacies crash through homes and injure citizens. The Law of Storytelling accounts for this and allows these falling foods to come to rest without much damage done. In one instance, Flint designs an ice cream snowfall for his town. The children awake to find their rooftops piled high with frozen desserts, enough ice cream to cave in the sturdiest of homes, yet the giant scoops seem to rest atop their houses with no problem (30:55). Later in the film, however, when Flint's food device begins to malfunction, a massive food-storm rips through the town. The people are terrified and the danger is ever increasing. Again, the Law of Storytelling manipulates the action/reaction principle to bolster the dramatic effect of the moment. In this case, the falling food begins to take on a more realistic action/reaction result. For example, a massive watermelon, the size of a Walmart, tumbles through the air and obliterates an old factory (57:34), followed by a stadium sized pancake flattening a middle school (57:44). Clearly, the Meatball universe is using this Law of Storytelling to accentuate the tension and suspense that are part of the moment. The principle of action and reaction, though present throughout, is changed to suit the needs of the storytelling ideas.

Perhaps the biggest difference between our world and that of the Meatball world is something I call the Law of Inanimate Animation. Generally speaking, inanimate objects on our planet require an outside force to act upon them in order for them to move or accelerate. For example, a golf ball on Earth will never spontaneously launch itself into the air and onto a fairway. It requires that someone or something strike it with a sufficient amount of force to send it on its way. This is not the case in the film. On several occasions, inanimate objects seem to come to life and propel themselves across the screen with no outside force acting on them. I believe this was done for a couple of reasons, the first being purely mechanical. At times, it is better to have an object in motion to facilitate the introduction of a setting or scene, and as a result the viewer will see an inanimate object move without being acted upon. In the beginning of the movie we are introduced to Flint's furry sidekick, Steve the monkey, in this manner. As Flint is rattling on about the activities he is performing, he calls out to his partner Steve, who is sitting rather still in an office chair. This chair begins rotating towards camera without any prior force being applied to it. The chair seems to rotate, smoothly on its own. This is physically impossible to achieve here on earth (paranormal activity would still be an outside force, no?), yet it is completely believable in the film. The second reason this is done is just to make things a bit wackier. Sometimes it’s nice to have a little unexpected craziness in an animated film, and that’s what has been done here. In the final scenes of the film, when Flint is battling the evil machine he’s created, the filmmakers threw in a little ‘what-the-heck?’ Case in point, flying pizza. Not just, flying pizza that was thrown in the air, rather, thinking, alive, flying pizza (61:33). Not only do these slices of flying pizza move on their own, they appear to have cognitive capabilities and actively seek out the destruction of Flint! As it relates to the physical properties of inanimate objects on Earth, this aspect of the Meatball world is way out there.

The laws of physics we know as Earthlings exist in much the same way within the universe of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. However, their primary role in this fantastical world is to convey a simple sense of realism and visual coordination. They don't exist as a means to connect and control the Meatball realm the way our laws of physics dictate the order of our universe. At any moment, these laws may be overridden or broken if the situation allows for a greater impact on the drama, tension, humor or emotion of a moment. Though this may differ greatly from our physical world, it connects deeply with our emotional or psychological universe. Rather than having a universe that ‘looks’ right, the makers of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs designed a universe that ‘felt’ right.

The Laws of Physics in an Animation Universe

Funny Physics in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

I. Introduction

- describe the movie, an animated family film, goofy

- film universe is based on our laws of physics

- hypothesis: humor and storytelling override the laws of physics

II. Selective Gravity

- parabolic arcs adjusted for comical/dramatic effect (flying car falling off dock, Earl's toast boat falling into port)

- flying objects move in space without following trajectory (malfunctioning device zigzags in air)

- falling objects tend to float down, rather than fall (sardine stops mid fall)

III. Unequal Reaction

- opposing reactions are non-existent or severely unequal

- gigantic pieces of food fall from the sky with little to no damage done to the community (giant scoops of ice cream, people-sized hot dogs etc.), then later in the movie the falling food is devastating (giant pancake crushes school)

IV. Movement without Force

- inanimate objects move without a force acting upon them (slices of pizza fly and chase Flint's flying car)

- giant rotisserie chickens attack Flint with karate

IV. Conclusion

- the laws of physics are used to create a sense of realism, and then broken when they impede storytelling and funniness