Now I can already hear some of the writing critics and lit-majors out there plotting my demise. I want to state ahead of time that this is simply how I feel. It's not a doctoral thesis on the right way to do tell a story. I also want to dispel the myth that what I mean by a happy ending is this:
Not so.
Perhaps a better term would suffice. Instead of a “HAPPY” ending, let's go with a “POSITIVE” ending.This is the point:
When you end a sentence there are a variety of punctuation marks you can use to create a feel for the statement. A period ends the sentence matter-of-factly, an exclamation point gives it energy, and a question mark leaves us waiting a response. In the same way, the ending to a story will leave the viewer feeling a certain way about what they've just experienced.
When you have a “POSITIVE” ending, it means we get what we wanted: the world is saved, the villain is defeated, the right couple falls in love, the skater makes it to the Olympics, friends forgive each other, ect. Generaly something good happens that we've been waiting for, because up till now, it was a question as to whether or not it would.
Then what about the ninjas?
What about your action movies?
No villains to fight,
No Batman,
No Arnold Swartzeneggar,
No Chuck Norris,
No superheroes sitcoms, soap operas, stand-up comedians, or Saturday morning cartoons.
You see: Story Telling = Conflict + Characters trying to end said conflict.
A problem exists. The characters need to fix it. We follow the characters in their efforts to fix it. At the end the problem is resolved and the journey is over. We get a sense of closure and the story has come to a peaceful and satisfying rest.
But in a “NEGATIVE” ending, we are refused this privilege. All of the above happen except the last. The villain wins, the romance ends, the bank forecloses. What we were waiting on never happens and as a result there IS no closure. Without a solution to the conflict, the reason for the story is left open like a sentence with a question mark. Our reason for engaging the story is unrewarded. And WE are left holding the bag.
A negative ending fails to resolve the issues that make up the story and therefore leaves the audience thinking: “Wait... was that it? Is that the end? Wasn't there supposed to be more?”
It's like if you were to tell a knock knock joke.
“Knock, knock”“Who's there?”
“Andy”
“Andy Who?”
“An-dey lived happily ever after.”
Yes it's a pun. Yes it's the lowest form of commedy. It's also my specialty so zip it.
With a negative ending, it would be more like this:
“Knock, knock”
“Who's there?”
“Andy”
“Andy Who?”
“Andy.”
...
Not a very fulfilling joke, and not a very fulfilling story.
I believe that the best kind of ending is one that rewards the audience for their attention. Plays to their emotions on a positive level and thus leaves them feeling good that they chose to participate.
AND
I say “the longer the wait the bigger the reward” Don't make me sit through some 3 hour movie just to watch the Joker win in the end. I paid 8 bucks for that movie.
NOTE: All this of course, excludes the concept of cliffhangers and minor defeats. A shorter story that exists as a small part of a larger one is already unfinished, when you leave the audience hanging on until next week they know the story's not over; that there will be more to come next week. They know that even with a cliffhanger, a sudden twist, or even a downright sad ending, that the big picture moves on. That there will be a chance for a positive ending in the future. BUT DO NOT make us sit faithfully through a storyline for YEARS only to let us down at the very end.
This is why I feel that the greatest line ever written:
Does not come from Shakespeare or Mark Twain,
Does not come from Louis or Tolkien,
It comes from "Toy Story 3"
Those who have seen this movie, I'm sure can agree on the brilliance of it's plotline. We all understand how it hits home, using the concept of growing up and leaving our childhood behind to tug at our heartstrings and makes us connect to the movie as it ends it's long running legacy.
You might even say that while the film has a "Technically Positive" ending, it is actually quite bitter-sweet, as it hits home for all of us.
But then something Incredible happens.
Andy looks back toward the house.
He looks almost directly into the camera and says:
"THANKS GUYS"
This is not just Andy speaking to the toys. It is Disney and Pixar speaking to us; the audience:
"Thanks guys, for sticking with us, for being fans. for being there at the beginning, for helping make us what we are. Thanks for believing in the first movie, for liking the second, and for wanting a third. For all the movies you've watched, the money you've spent and the time you've given us, we appreciate you. So from the hearts of every producer, director, actor, and animator..."
"THANKS GUYS."
This is the single most wonderful gesture I have ever seen from a film company and the perfect way to end not only a movie but a series that watched us grow up. A final goodbye, a unique gem and perfect reward for our time and attention. Now THAT is a "HAPPY ENDING"
A few things:
ReplyDeleteI think your desire for happy endings is fine, even though I completely disagree with it on an artistic level. I think the primary way a great deal of fiction works is by denying people what they want, to leave them wanting more, or to get them to look at what they think is a happy ending and to look beyond it.
You see, the only real reason why Disney films tend to end "happily" is because they end prematurely. They always end at the wedding, arguably the happiest day of any person's life (well, I'd put in the honeymoon, but Disney is G rated so oh well). But what happens after that? Cinderella will eventually lose her beauty and die. All stories, when they are touched by realism, lose their Disney happiness because they must balance out "happy" with "real."
I also think you have set up a false binary, only allowing for two sets of stories to exist: good endings and bad endings. In reality, it's more like a continuum, with Happy go lucky and Disney one side, and nihilistic on the other. In the middle, however, we see many examples of stories where a mixture of happy and sad occur. Even your example of "The Dark Knight" (one of my favorite films of all time) does not fall as bleak as you seem to think it is. The Joker wins a victory in a manner of speaking, but it is hope that really wins in the end. Hope in the face of depressing and overwhelming odds, the idea that people can construct a meaningful model for society in the midst of madness. I always thought the ending to "The Dark Knight" to be absolutely perfect, a bittersweet ending. Needless to say, the entire film is quite dark (as established by the title), but I wouldn't say it has a bad ending.
Another thing that many fictional pieces do is examine and problematize what we think we want, but actually is unrealistic. Although fairy tales and Disney stories are fun dalliances (as are super hero comics), the fact of the matter is that they can create highly unrealistic expectations of what we think life is and what we desire from it. Sometimes, the stories you might think are bad are simply redefining what "happy" is, showing the Disney version to be at times overly idealistic, empty and hollow. Real life happiness is not found in "happy endings" but in making what you have a happy life through your own perspective and choices. In fact, most people who seem to get the Disney ending in real life ultimately find themselves rather...unhappy.
Of course, all of these deep lessons can be quite hard to put into an animated feature, which is why entertainment for more mature audiences seems to leap into "unhappy" territory by comparison.
All that being said, I do concur with you to some degree. It seem to me personally that there does seem to be a trend sometimes to deliberately invert everything that can or ever could make a story happy, hold it over the audiences's head like a carrot, and then take it away. Sadistic writing is rather irritating to me, as it seems to get its jollies from making people frown. I personally find a good deal of postmodern literature to suffer from this, and it gets on my nerves. In these cases, I actually prefer to spend some time in fairy tale land, as I would rather spend some time reading something unrealistic, rather than completely pessimistic. However, a good blend of stuff in the middle, or even a the extremes at the right time is never a bad thing, in my humble opinion.
Also, on a design note, the blue you are using is hard on the eyes as it contrasts to your background. I actually have a hard time reading some of it.
Secondly, you misspelled "generally." :)