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FROM a galaxy far, far away to a cinema just down the road: “The Force Awakens”, the newest installment of the Star Wars saga, is inescapable this Christmas. The first Star Wars title since Lucas film, the owner of the franchise, was acquired by Disney in 2012 for $4.1 billion, it represents more than just the revival of a beloved science-fiction series. It is the latest example of the way Disney has prospered over the past decade from a series of shrewd acquisitions (see article). Having bought Pixar, Marvel and Lucas film, Disney has skillfully capitalized on their intellectual property—and in so doing, cemented its position as the market leader in the industrialization of mythology. Its success rests on its mastery of the three elements of modern myth-making: tropes, technology and toys.
從遙遠(yuǎn)的星際抵達(dá)你周邊的電影院—《星球大戰(zhàn)7：原力覺醒》這部星戰(zhàn)系列的最新影片就在圣誕期間上映，不容錯(cuò)過。早期星戰(zhàn)系列電影出自盧卡斯影業(yè)名下，該公司在2012年被迪士尼以41億美元收購(gòu)。不僅又讓擁躉頗多的科幻系列重回影迷視野，還成為迪士尼公司另一個(gè)成功收購(gòu)案例—在過去十年，迪士尼走了一條通過成功收購(gòu)而實(shí)現(xiàn)蒸蒸日上的發(fā)展路徑(另見文)。它先后收購(gòu)了皮克斯，漫威和盧卡斯影業(yè)，并巧妙的利用自己的知識(shí)產(chǎn)權(quán)獲益。在這一過程中，迪士尼也鞏固了奇幻題材故事產(chǎn)業(yè)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者地位.。它的成功依賴于掌握了現(xiàn)代奇幻電影制作的三大要素：類型化，高科技和相關(guān)玩具產(chǎn)品。
Start with the tropes. Disney properties, which include everything from “Thor” to “Toy Story”, draw on well-worn devices of mythic structure to give their stories cultural resonance. Walt Disney himself had an intuitive grasp of the power of fables. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, is an avid student of the work of Joseph Campbell, an American comparative mythologist who outlined the “monomyth” structure in which a hero answers a call, is assisted by a mentor figure, voyages to another world, survives various trials and emerges triumphant. Both film-makers merrily plundered ancient mythology and folklore. The Marvel universe goes even further, directly appropriating chunks of GREco-Roman and Norse mythology. (This makes Disney's enthusiasm for fierce enforcement of intellectual-property laws, and the seemingly perpetual extension of copyright, somewhat ironic.)
先從類型化說起。迪士尼旗下的眾多作品，包括《雷神》、《玩具總動(dòng)員》等等，都采用了老調(diào)重彈的神話故事架構(gòu)來讓觀眾產(chǎn)生文化共鳴。沃特·迪士尼自身非常清楚寓言故事的魅力。星戰(zhàn)系列導(dǎo)演喬治·盧卡斯熱衷于借鑒約瑟夫·坎貝爾的作品。坎貝爾是一名比較神話學(xué)者，他提出了“神話故事原型論”(Monomyth)。即在一個(gè)英雄的旅程當(dāng)中，英雄主角需要完成一個(gè)使命，他通常在某個(gè)導(dǎo)師的指引下去到另一個(gè)世界，歷經(jīng)千難萬(wàn)險(xiǎn)最終成功。兩大電影制作公司也鐘情借用古代神話和民間傳說。漫威超級(jí)英雄更夸張，直接取材于許多古希臘羅馬和中世紀(jì)斯堪的納維亞的神話。(這讓一向嚴(yán)格實(shí)施版權(quán)保護(hù)，并不停延長(zhǎng)其版權(quán)期限的迪士尼公司，看起來多少有些諷刺。)
The internal mechanics of myths may not have changed much over the ages, but the technology used to impart them certainly has. That highlights Disney's second area of expertise. In Homer's day, legends were passed on in the form of dactylic hexameters; modern myth-makers prefer computer graphics, special effects, 3D projection, surround sound and internet video distribution, among other things. When Disney bought Lucas film it did not just acquire the Star Wars franchise; it also gained Industrial Light & Magic, one of the best special-effects houses in the business, whose high-tech wizardry is as vital to Marvel's Avengers films as it is to the Star Wars epics. And when Disney was left behind by the shift to digital animation, it cannily revitalized its own film-making brand by buying Pixar, a firm as pioneering in its field as Walt Disney had been in hand-drawn animation. Moreover, modern myths come in multiple media formats. The Marvel and Star Wars fantasy universes are chronicled in interlocking films, television series, books, graphic novels and video games. Marvel's plans are mapped out until the mid-2020s.
神話故事架構(gòu)可能未隨時(shí)間流轉(zhuǎn)變樣，但是讓其流傳開來的技術(shù)手段卻日新月異。這也是迪士尼公司科技特長(zhǎng)的精彩所在。在荷馬史詩(shī)的年代，英雄故事要用長(zhǎng)短格六步格韻體寫就;而在現(xiàn)代，計(jì)算機(jī)繪圖，特效，3D，環(huán)繞立體聲，在線視頻轉(zhuǎn)發(fā)等等媒介就能夠承載這些故事。迪士尼買下盧卡斯影業(yè)不僅獲得了星球大戰(zhàn)系列的版權(quán)，還同時(shí)把光影魔幻工業(yè)(特效行業(yè)最佳公司之一)收入囊中，這家公司對(duì)星戰(zhàn)系列的重要性不亞于它對(duì)成就復(fù)仇者聯(lián)盟做出的貢獻(xiàn)。動(dòng)畫制作在數(shù)字化轉(zhuǎn)型，老牌迪士尼曾一度跟不上腳步，但收購(gòu)皮克斯使其動(dòng)畫制作重?zé)ㄉ鷻C(jī)。畢竟皮克斯在數(shù)字動(dòng)畫制作領(lǐng)域的地位堪比當(dāng)時(shí)手繪動(dòng)畫時(shí)代的沃特·迪士尼。而且，現(xiàn)代奇幻作品通常采用多平臺(tái)推廣，漫威和星戰(zhàn)就陸續(xù)出品系列電影、電視劇，圖書，漫畫和電游。漫威影業(yè)要推出的作品續(xù)集已經(jīng)排到了2020年。
But these days myths are also expected to take physical form as toys, merchandise and theme-park rides. This is the third myth-making ingredient. Again, Walt Disney led the way, licensing Mickey Mouse and other characters starting in the 1930s, and opening the original Disneyland Park in 1955. Mr. Lucas took cinema-related merchandise into a new dimension, accepting a pay cut as director in return for all the merchandising rights to Star Wars—a deal that was to earn him billions. Those rights now belong to Disney, and it is making the most of them: sales of “The Force Awakens” merchandise, from toys to clothing, are expected to be worth up to $5 billion alone in the coming year. In all, more than $32 billion-worth of Star Wars merchandise has been sold since 1977, according to NPD Group, a market-research firm. Even Harry Potter and James Bond are scruffy-looking nerf-herders by comparison.
但是，目前神話故事也將以實(shí)體形式呈現(xiàn)，如玩具、商品和主題公園等形式，這也是神話創(chuàng)作的第三要素。沃特·迪士尼成為了行業(yè)中的典范，從二十世紀(jì)30年代開始，他們?yōu)槊桌鲜笠约捌渌囊恍┙巧暾?qǐng)專利，并于1955年開放了最初的迪士尼樂園。盧卡斯將電影相關(guān)產(chǎn)品帶上了新的維度，作為導(dǎo)演他接受降低薪資以換取所有有關(guān)星球大戰(zhàn)的商品權(quán)——這個(gè)協(xié)議讓他賺了數(shù)十億。這些商品化權(quán)現(xiàn)在隸屬于迪士尼，并得到了充分利用：從玩具到服裝，《原力覺醒》相關(guān)商品的預(yù)期銷售額僅明年一年就能達(dá)到50億美元。美國(guó)市場(chǎng)調(diào)研機(jī)構(gòu)NPD集團(tuán)的調(diào)研報(bào)告顯示，自1977年起累計(jì)，銷售星球大戰(zhàn)附加品已帶來320億美元的收入。與之相比，甚至連哈利波特和詹姆士邦德看起來都是如此的上不了臺(tái)面。
Those other franchises are reminders that Disney's approach is not unique. Other studios are doing their best to imitate its approach. But Disney has some of the most valuable properties and exploits them to their fullest potential. It is particularly good at refreshing and repackaging its franchises to encourage adults to revisit their childhood favorites and, in the process, to introduce them to their own children. This was one reason why Pixar, whose films are known for their cross-generational appeal, was such a natural fit. Now the next generation is being introduced to Star Wars by their nostalgic parents. At the same time, Disney has extended its franchises by adding sub-brands that appeal to particular age groups: children's television series spun off from Star Wars, for example, or darker, more adult tales from the Marvel universe, such as the “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones” series on.
其他系列電影表明，迪士尼的策略不是唯一的。其他一些影城也竭盡全力地效仿迪士尼的做法。但迪士尼擁有最有價(jià)值的資源，并能最大程度開發(fā)這些資源，尤其擅長(zhǎng)再更新和再包裝其產(chǎn)品，以此鼓勵(lì)成人回憶他們的童年最愛，在此過程中，將喜好介紹給自己的孩子。皮克斯擅長(zhǎng)制作吸引兩代人的電影，這也使得它與迪士尼的合作成為天作之合。現(xiàn)在，懷舊的父母?jìng)円矊研乔虼髴?zhàn)傳承給下一代。與此同時(shí)，迪士尼通過增加吸引特定年齡的子品牌拓寬系列經(jīng)營(yíng)權(quán)：例如，源于《星球大戰(zhàn)》的少兒電視節(jié)目，始于漫威宇宙系列的更黑暗、更成人化的故事，比如網(wǎng)飛公司的《超膽俠》和《杰西卡瓊斯》等電影。
What explains the power of all this modern-day mythology? There is more to it than archetypal storytelling, clever technology and powerful marketing. In part, it may fill a void left by the decline of religion in a more secular world. But it also provides an expression for today's fears. The original “Star Wars” film, in which a band of plucky rebels defeat a technological superpower, was a none-too-subtle inversion of the Vietnam war. The Marvel universe, originally a product of the cold-war era, has adapted well on screen to a post-9/11 world of surveillance and the conspiratorial mistrust of governments, large corporations and the power of technology. In uncertain times, when governments and military might seem unable to keep people safe or stay honest, audiences take comfort in the idea of superheroes who ride to the rescue. Modern myths also have the power to unify people across generations, social groups and cultures, creating frameworks of shared references even as other forms of media consumption become ever more fragmented.
當(dāng)代神話故事為何有如此大的魅力?絕不僅僅是原始的講述故事、靈活的科學(xué)技術(shù)和強(qiáng)大的營(yíng)銷能力。在某種程度上，這種神話可以彌補(bǔ)當(dāng)下越來越世俗的世界中宗教地位下降帶來的空虛。然而，這也表現(xiàn)出了現(xiàn)代人的恐懼。在最初的電影《星球大戰(zhàn)》中，講述了一個(gè)勇敢的反叛者對(duì)決強(qiáng)大的科技超能量者，這實(shí)際是越南戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的寫照。漫威宇宙系列，最初是冷戰(zhàn)時(shí)代的產(chǎn)物，在后911時(shí)代，監(jiān)視無(wú)處不在以及人們對(duì)政府、大公司和科技力量等的不信任，漫威調(diào)整創(chuàng)作，將后911時(shí)代精彩地呈現(xiàn)于熒幕。在不穩(wěn)定時(shí)期，當(dāng)政府和軍隊(duì)似乎無(wú)法保證民眾以及自身絕對(duì)忠誠(chéng)時(shí)，民眾便只能寄希望于拯救世界的超級(jí)英雄。即使在媒體消費(fèi)的其他形式變得越來越碎片化的時(shí)候，當(dāng)代神話也可以跨越時(shí)代、階層、文化將人們聯(lián)合起來，創(chuàng)造出一個(gè)擁有一些共性的架構(gòu)。
Ultimately, however, these modern myths are so compelling because they tap primordial human urges—for refuge, redemption and harmony. In this respect they are like social-media platforms, which use technology to industrialize social interaction. Similarly, modern myth-making, reliant though it is on new tools and techniques, is really just pushing the same old buttons in stone-age brains. That is something that Walt Disney understood instinctively—and that the company he founded is now exploiting so proficiently.
然而，究其根源，現(xiàn)代神話的魅力是因?yàn)樗ぐl(fā)了人們對(duì)于庇護(hù)、救贖與和諧的原始訴求。在這方面，它們更像是工業(yè)化的社交平臺(tái)，使用技術(shù)使得社交產(chǎn)業(yè)化。同樣地，現(xiàn)代神話創(chuàng)作加入了新工具和新技術(shù)，也不過是舊瓶裝新酒。這是沃特·迪士尼領(lǐng)悟到—并正在有效地運(yùn)用于他所創(chuàng)立的公司。