American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 55 One Story, Two Colors
“Oh——Sxxt——”

Where did this song come from?

"Was this a song Warner Bros. specially composed for the movie?"

At the same time, in New York.

New Line founder Robert Shea is watching The Voice at a movie theater in Times Square.

The first eight minutes of the plot made his face darken.

As a professional with 35 years of experience in the industry, he could certainly tell that the opening of "The Voice of China" was filmed with great skill.

The film is fast-paced and packed with information. Chris Columbus has already portrayed the protagonist's sunny disposition, his mother's fragmented nature, his grandfather's decadence, his uncle's irritability, and his sister's depression in just two scenes.

With all the plot still cloaked in what is called comedy, the entire opening is quite amusing.

Just as Shay was quickly estimating how many children "The Voice" would satisfy and how much box office revenue "The Two Towers" would lose due to the cheerfulness in the plot, a sudden burst of singing made his face turn cold.

He recognized Isabella's voice;
He could tell that Isabella was performing the song in a manner similar to church prayer;

He could also hear that the song was incredibly uplifting;
But none of the above matters at this moment—

Because most importantly, this song seems to fit the storyline of "The Voice of China" very well?
Yes!

Even if he didn't see what happened next!
Even though he didn't listen to the whole song!
He still feels that the song and the movie are a perfect match!

This feeling is terrifying!

Because audio and video are inseparable!
When you feel that a piece of music and a theme fit perfectly while watching a movie, at that moment, the movie will only go in two directions: either it will be amazing or it will be terrible. There is no middle ground.

Then, under normal circumstances, super ghosts only appear in feature films.

So, does the opening song of a musical film automatically make it feel okay?

OMG——

Is there any point in watching this movie?
Shay felt he should leave the theater.

That's right, this arrangement alone made him feel that the movie "The Voice" shouldn't lose money.

But he didn't want to leave the theater.

Because even if he dies, he wants to die knowing the truth.

Shay's question silenced the secretary who had accompanied him to the film. The secretary understood his boss's meaning, but he couldn't answer the question. New Line Cinema did indeed have an inside man at Warner Bros., but when it came to film production…

To put it simply, if they could get involved in the production, would they still be fighting with Warner Bros. to this extent?
Right?

So……

Since there's no answer, let's watch a movie first.

Because their reaction was very restrained, it did not affect the other people in the room.

While some people, like Shay, felt that the song that suddenly appeared was very pleasant to listen to, they didn't know why it was so good. Only professionals could immediately grasp the feeling of connection with the song, but most people simply thought that Isabella's voice was excellent and ethereal, and that the whole song was very interesting.

But this vague feeling didn't matter, because as the music started, the images on the screen flickered—

Dad appears, stepping to the softly fading music, celebrating his work success with his colleagues;

During this time, he suddenly received a call from the publishing house. It turned out that his father was also a writer in addition to his regular job. He had submitted a manuscript to the publishing house some time ago, and now the manuscript had been approved and could be published.
This made him very excited, and he wanted to go home quickly to share his joy with his family;
On his way home, he casually turned on the car stereo, and then the music that had been blurred earlier started playing again...

"Oh! It seems Dad is the best person in the family!"

"He should be a role model for the whole family, right?"

"And is it also the key to Lily's pursuit of her dreams?"

The reappearance of "Be What You Wanna Be" made many viewers feel that they had grasped the director's intention.

When Lily in the movie has dreams and her on-screen father is very successful, the connection between them through "Be What You Wanna Be" clearly puts them on the same side, not to mention, the song even has this lyric—

'Why not something like your old man?'

To the audience, these lyrics are an explicit statement!
Lily and her father are the only two sunshines in the whole family!

They will inspire their disheartened family members to pursue their dreams!

But the truth is...

It's both right and wrong.

That's right, it was when Dad came home and saw the mess in the house that he took the initiative to take on the responsibility of keeping it in order—

He cleaned up his father's vomit and helped his grandfather to the table so that he could have dinner with his family.
He took the initiative to mediate the conflict between his eldest daughter and his brother-in-law;

She helped her brother-in-law, who was sitting at the corner of the passageway, up from the ground and apologized to him on behalf of her eldest daughter.

He knocked on his eldest daughter's door, but instead of scolding her, he asked her to give him face and come out to eat. He promised that no matter what conflicts there were in the family, they should not be discussed during the meal.
After doing all this, he went into the kitchen and helped his wife serve dinner.
Seeing that his wife was unhappy, he hugged her from behind and whispered in her ear about his day's achievements. He said his work was very successful and that his book would be published...

The smooth and seamless renovation made Dad look radiant.

Unfortunately, the disintegration of a family cannot be forcibly repaired by an individual's efforts.

And this is the error in the public's judgment—

Dad was able to clean up Grandpa's vomit and help him sit at the table, but he couldn't help Grandpa sober up, which led to Grandpa accidentally breaking a plate in his drunken state.
The father could mediate the conflict between his brother-in-law and his eldest daughter, but he couldn't make those who hated each other reconcile.

After reuniting, the uncle and sister both set their sights on a dish on the table. Then, they started arguing again, the clattering of their knives and forks making a sharp, clattering sound.

The messy restaurant and the jarring noise reignited Mom's anger, and Dad sighed, rolling up his sleeves, wanting to quell the family dispute once again. But just as Dad was about to slip into the restaurant, the phone clipped to his waist suddenly rang.
The boss called, saying they had celebrated too early and the partner suddenly canceled the collaboration.

Because they celebrated prematurely while ignoring the facts, they can get out of here;

Immediately afterwards, the publisher called, saying that the previous operations had been wrong and his manuscript had not been reviewed;

The publisher hopes he can continue his efforts and write even more interesting things;

Because Mom was right next to Dad, therefore—

"Oh!"

Upon hearing everything, she slammed the pot she was holding onto the stove.

The sudden noise startled the still-dazed old man, made the arguing sister and uncle shudder, and earned the well-dressed father a birth certificate from Gotham. It also surprised the audience in front of the screen.

"Huh? Is Dad a loser too?"

"My God—are they all losers?"

"Oh—it's so hard for families like this to thrive—"

"So what about Hermione? How is she supposed to pursue her dreams?"

In the plot of "Little Miss Sunshine", only two of the six family members at the beginning are losers.

One is a grandfather who loves to tease grass.

One was his uncle, who studied the Proust effect and attempted suicide.

The others cannot be considered losers.

The brother, who wanted to be a pilot, discovered he was colorblind while accompanying his sister to a beauty pageant.

Before this, he was a hard-working dreamer.

Because the father, a motivational speaker, also discovered he was a loser while accompanying his daughter to a competition;
Before this, he was even the guide of the family's will.

Needless to say, the mother is also involved. The reason why the protagonist in "Sunshine" participates in the beauty pageant is because her aunt, who is also her mother's sister, is in the same industry. Before participating in the "Sunshine Little Miss" competition, the protagonist participated in a competition called "Chili Little Miss" and won second place.

So, theoretically speaking, the protagonist in "Sunshine" appears sunny because her family is naturally sunny.

The reason why Michael Arndt, the screenwriter of "Sunshine," designed it this way is because a good family environment is indeed the cornerstone of success, and a harmonious family can really help a person avoid trivial troubles when striving for success.

Since the saying "harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things" is universally applicable, does that mean the Zeller family are all losers?

Oh——

How can a baby beaver get up in a family like that?

When the audience realized that the little beaver's start didn't seem to be going well, everyone became extremely focused!
Everyone wants to know, in such a lousy family, how can Little Beaver pursue his dreams?
Everyone wants to understand why children don't go astray in an environment where even adults lack confidence.
Meanwhile, some people were confused. The background music that just played, "Be What You Wanna Be," had lyrics about learning from dad, so why was dad still a loser? This design is a bit illogical!

The highly anticipated situation also made Robert Shea, the founder of New Line Cinema, purse his lips tightly—

Because he discovered that "The Voice of China" was better produced than his own show, "Ace vs Ace".

Or perhaps, Columbus's ability to leave hooks in his films is no less than that of Spielberg and Cameron.

But at the same time……

"If the whole family are losers, then the plot would be too difficult to develop, wouldn't it?"

Shay muttered to himself.

Ok.

At this moment, even though he and Warner are rivals, he still wants to know how the story of "The Voice" will unfold.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the image on the screen flipped.

The little sun icon, which had been offline for almost five minutes, rose again—

My mother's roar triggered a violent earthquake.

This interrupted Lily Zeller's train of thought as she was happily writing songs in her bedroom.

The eerily quiet environment aroused her suspicion. She took off her headphones and carefully went downstairs.

When she crouched at the corner of the stairs like a beaver stealing food, peeking out furtively to see what was happening downstairs, her mischievous appearance made the audience in front of the screen laugh instinctively.

"Oh--"

"Miss Beaver is so cute—"

"I feel like Hermione and her family are completely different styles in this show—"

The little girl tiptoed around, catching her family's attention unnoticed.

But the ice-cold restaurant still managed to reveal her.

To break the ice, the little girl took the initiative to greet her family.

After receiving a series of curt responses, a strange melody filled the large restaurant.

Everyone sat quietly at the table eating their dinner. No one spoke. The knives and forks made a slight clinking sound against the porcelain cutlery, and the sounds of cutting, poking, and stabbing puzzled the little girl.

Hey! What's wrong with you guys today?

When everyone was silent, the little girl spoke up.

She looked at her father and said, "Dad, you used to call me for dinner after get off work, but you didn't today."

"Oh—maybe I'm just too tired from work—"

Dad forced a stiff smile and added, "Plus, I stayed up too late writing yesterday, so—"

"Hmph~~"

Before Dad could finish speaking, Mom interrupted him with a sharp laugh.

This made Dad a little embarrassed; he shrugged and stopped talking.

This situation made the little girl frown. She glanced at the two of them a few times, and then looked at her uncle, puzzled.

"Rayle, what happened to your nose? Why is it so red?"

The question, though the answer was obvious, made my older sister raise her head, and also made my uncle, who had been called out, force a smile.

"Oops~ I bumped into something by accident~"

"careless?"

"Ah."

"..."

The awkward conversation plunged the house into silence once again.

The eerie atmosphere made the little girl shake her head helplessly. Since none of you are willing to speak, then... I'll speak—

"Okay, since you're all alright, I have something to announce. You all know about 'The Voice of the World,' right? I mentioned it before. I've decided to officially participate in 'The Voice of the World.' I checked the registration period, and the city auditions are this weekend. So, who among you is free to come with me?"

The direct question was like a foot in a leather shoe stepping heavily on a cat's tail.

Almost instantly, everyone who had been engrossed in their food looked up.

Everyone stared at the little girl with surprise.

Seeing that her questioning didn't seem fake, the group exchanged glances.

I want to observe the expressions of the people around me to see if I've misheard.

After confirming there were no ears behind her ears, Mom spoke first, saying, "Oh—Lily—"

"Do you really want to participate in 'The Voice of China'? I thought you were just joking before—"

“Uh—I’m not trying to be mean, I just wanted to say that there are a lot of professionals participating in The Voice. I heard about it when I was shopping at the supermarket before, and Cole Carter is one of them.”

“You know Cole Carter, right? He’s the best kid in the choir next door, the principal…”

"Yeah~ Yeah~ Yeah~ I think Mom's right~"

As soon as her mother finished speaking, her older sister immediately nodded.

“Lily, you’ve never received proper vocal training. Going to participate in ‘The Voice’ will only be a waste of your time. Of course, if you just want to experience the process, okay, I can go with you, but if you want to win a prize…”

"Oh—"

"I think you shouldn't have too high hopes for this, because the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment..."

“That’s right, Lily, your sister makes a lot of sense.”

The uncle, who was just making a show of things a moment ago, now nodded in agreement.

He continued, picking up where his sister left off, "Lily, we all know you often go to church to learn music, and we also know that your biggest dream is to create a song of your own?"

"but……"

"You still don't have a complete clue, do you?"

“Music is very much a matter of talent. When I was in London, I heard that some people could write songs just by humming without having studied music theory. For example, John Lennon, who lived with his aunt from a young age and only formally came into contact with music in secondary school, was able to create music immediately after that and thus received a recommendation letter from his school principal to study at Liverpool School of the Arts.”

"So, when music is closely related to talent, I... personally..."

"Personally, I hope you can focus more on your main school subjects..."

The sudden persuasion was like a torrential downpour, causing a storm in the large family home.

The doubts, advice, and skepticism from family members seem like a dark comedy.

Everyone who speaks becomes a clown.

Because in the previous episodes, they still had a spark of hope burning within them.

Like my uncle, he is proving the Hodge conjecture;
Like her older sister, she wanted to apply to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts;

Even my mother longed for a better life;

When they themselves harbor dreams and even have obsessions, why do they make their youngest child see reality?

This……

Perhaps that's the greatest irony in the world. Because I've hit a wall before, I don't want you to hit one too.

I don't want to live an ordinary life, but I hope you can have a stable life.

When this concept emerged, many parents in cinemas in the UK and the US instinctively glanced at their children.

In the pitch-black theater, the focused gazes of the viewers made them quietly purse their lips.

Because of the diversity of the human species, no two parents in the world are exactly alike.

But as I said before, HP conveys universal values. People who can afford HP generally have harmonious families. When harmony exists in life, which parent wouldn't want their child to grow up healthily?

To put it extremely, even a player like Ma Sheng would want to hug his son!
At the same time, which of these parents doesn't hope that their child will succeed because of their dreams?

No parent wants to see their child lose hope in life.

And when this dilemma arises—

'This movie was very well made.'

So how did the little beaver convince its family?

The adults in the harmonious family silently voted in their hearts.

Lily Zeller on screen was unaware of their feelings. After discovering that her mother, sister, and uncle could all speak, the little girl immediately smiled and said, "Oh, so you can all speak in long sentences?"

"Then why did you ignore me when I was talking to you?"

Why do you have to say it one word at a time?

Anyone with a normal mind could see that Lily Zeller was making a joke at that moment.

Because she had no idea what had just happened.

She meant no harm.

But her question was seen as a provocation by the three of them.

Or rather, in the world of her mother, sister, and uncle, Lily Zeller was very disobedient.

I don't want to accept their opinions at all.

That being the case...

They seemed to share an unspoken understanding, speaking almost simultaneously—

Mom: "Oh Lily—what you're saying now is two different things from what you just said. You can't mix them up..."

Sister: "Lily, we didn't say we wouldn't go with you. We only suggested it for your own good..."

Uncle: "Lily, listen to me, I just hope you can be more realistic about your life plans..."

The cacophony of sounds, like a thousand mosquitoes, buzzed and swarmed.

Moreover, Lily Zeller, who was in the center, also experienced the effect of surround sound.

The dining table was rectangular, so because they were facing each other, my older sister and uncle sat at opposite ends. To show family harmony, my father and mother sat together. After this arrangement, Lily and my grandfather sat opposite my parents.

Therefore, as the three spoke, the scene on the screen immediately gave the impression of a joint trial by the three judicial authorities.

Even so, Lily Zeller wasn't angry; with her sunny disposition, she greeted everyone with a smile.

During this process, the father tried to speak up several times to protect his daughter.

Unfortunately, after losing his role as the 'pillar of support', his behavior was completely ignored by his mother, sister, and uncle.

The three of them kept talking and talking and talking until, in the end, their faces even became somewhat distorted.

This situation left the father somewhat distraught, the little girl somewhat helpless, and even the grandfather, who rarely spoke, sitting beside her, somewhat annoyed. Upon realizing that the three of them had no intention of solving the problem and only wanted to vent their emotions, deep furrows immediately appeared on his forehead, and a hoarse voice, tinged with alcohol, came from his throat.

"enough--"

"Stop arguing!"

"Would it kill you to let Lily say a word—?"

"boom--"

He slammed his fist on the table.

The angry roar brought peace back to the world.

Mom, sister, and uncle all shrank back, somewhat afraid of the old man's outburst. The old man glared at them fiercely, and after venting his dissatisfaction, he calmed down and looked at his granddaughter—

"Lily, do you really want to participate in 'The Voice'?"

The old man asked seriously.

"Yes."

The little girl nodded decisively.

"Can you tell me why?"

"Because I love music, I want to sing."

"It's that simple?"

"It's that simple."

The old man chuckled at the simple answer.

Just as he was pursing his lips, about to say something, Lily Zeller added, "Of course, besides that, there's another reason I want to participate: you all have dreams, and I want to have one too."

At this point, Lily Zeller paused, then looked around.

Furthermore, whoever her gaze swept over, her words fell upon them—

"Mom, you want a better life."

The mother, whose name was called, was a little surprised. She opened her mouth but couldn't make a sound.

"Uncle, Mom said you've loved math since you were little, always researching difficult problems, and aspiring to become the greatest mathematician."

My uncle's face twitched, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Sister, you like painting. I hope to study in Vienna and then hold an art exhibition in the future."

The older sister avoided eye contact, not daring to meet her younger sister's gaze.

Lily Zeller continued, "Your life goals are very clear, which I really admire."

"So, when I discovered that I really love music, I wanted to be like you."

The little girl's words were simple, but they carried great weight.

The noise level immediately silenced the entire large restaurant.

These words brought a kind smile to the old man's face, and as he nodded repeatedly, seemingly in support of Lily Zeller, the little girl's soaring gaze found its footing on a high branch—

She hadn't finished speaking yet.

He gazed at his father and said, "Of course, there's also Dad."

“My dad has to go to work every day, but he still insists on writing and bravely submits his work to magazines. I admire him very much.”

"In my eyes, he has always been a Superman in a suit, able to support his family while pursuing his dreams."

"Although I don't know why he ignored me today, I still want to say—"

"You'll support me, right?"

"Daddy?"

Lily Zeller winked at her dad.

The father who met her gaze felt as if struck by lightning.

He never expected his daughter to mention him again!

His lips trembled, and after several seconds, he finally gave an affirmative answer.

“Ye……ah……”

“Yeah…”

"Yeah!"

And at the moment he nodded vigorously, "Be What You Wanna Be" appeared again—

“Focus on every little thing~”

(Pay attention to every ordinary little thing)

"That's what does really matter~"

(This is what really matters.)
"Luxury cars and bling that's not real life~"

(Money and material possessions are not the real life.)

A moment frozen in time, capturing the scene of a family gathering.

If the loser's family had previously turned the film gray, now the little beaver, like the sun, has dispelled all the gloom and brought color to the scene, and the first one to be infected and change color is the father.

"Oh! Lily is so great—"

The little beaver's successful persuasion made the children in the theater cheer with joy—

"Isa makes a lot of sense! You all have dreams, so why can't I?"

"Exactly! You guys can do what you like, why can't I?"

"Whether the dream is easy to achieve or not, let's just do it!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Doing it doesn't guarantee success, but not doing it guarantees failure!"

This also made the adults who were previously struggling with the soundtrack suddenly realize—

"Oh—so this song has two meanings?"

"Does pursuing dreams refer to one's career?"

"Looking around" refers to life?

"You can pursue your career dreams, but even if you fail, it's okay, because you still have a life."

"And as long as you have love in your heart, you are omnipotent in the eyes of your family and children?"

"Oh my god—this design—it's really—hahahaha—"

In the cinemas in both the UK and the US, many knowing laughs erupted.

Of course, most of these laughs came from adults.

That's right!

The reason for portraying the entire family as losers was simply to enhance the dramatic conflict of the entire film!
If the entire family were truly portrayed as losers, then the movie couldn't have been made, because it wouldn't make sense!

Therefore, when designing the Zeller family's characters in "The Voice," Isabella, under Columbus's guidance, differentiated the concept of "loser," dividing them into career-type losers and lifestyle-type losers.

Then, the Zeller family are all career-oriented losers.

My sister didn't get into Vienna; that was a failure in her career.

My uncle couldn't solve the math problem, which was also a failure in his career;
My father's story was rejected and he was fired from the company, which was a failure in his career.

But can failure in your career determine your life?

how can that be possible!
If you can't be a doctor, do something else!

There's always a way out!
When a person's world can be divided into work and life, "Be What You Wanna Be" comes into being.

Yes, this song was deliberately inserted by Isabella.

Because this song inherently carries both of these meanings.

"Oh—this deceptive design is really brilliant—"

"Although it was a bit of a shortcut, it was... very clever..."

In a movie theater on Fifth Avenue in New York, Joe Morgenstein, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, smiled and nodded.

He is a full-time film critic who has been writing film reviews for 37 years.

He has seen countless movies, but he has never seen a movie like "The Voice" that can portray a story in two colors in 25 minutes and then connect the grayness of his career and the color of his life with a song.

Of course, this is not to say that other directors lack this skill.

Almost all movies about pursuing dreams tell the story of a person who suffers setbacks in their career but is cleansed by life experiences, and finally picks up their spirits to pursue their dreams again. Therefore, the concepts of career losers and life losers have always existed.

But harmony is the most precious thing in the world today.

Everyone understands the principles, and anyone can write a story, but the song used to connect them—

It's hard to come by.

"So where did this song come from? It fits the movie so well."

Washington.

Stephen Hunter, a columnist for The Washington Post, hummed along to the movie's melody while asking his secretary a question, and like Robert Shea's secretary, she didn't know the answer either.

But for them, that's not important, is it?
Because once the entire audience is anticipating what will happen next, watching the movie becomes the most important thing at that moment.

Yes……

As the secretary shook his head, Stephen Hunter also turned around and looked around the theater where he was.

Christmas morning is not a good time to watch a movie, as winter holidays are better suited for sleeping.

Even so, the huge theater was more than a quarter, nearly a third, of full capacity.

Hermione Granger's presence with her family is a testament to her immense popularity.

And the fact that both adults and children are satisfied...

"horrible."

Los Angeles.

Newsweek columnist David Anson is also watching a movie right now.

In the past 25 minutes, cheers erupted intermittently several times in the theater.

He was very impressed by this timely feedback.

Because he hadn't seen a similar scene in a feature film for many years.

What he saw on the big screen piqued his curiosity even more.

He wanted to know, if the opening of "The Voice of China" was filmed so well, what would the rest of the story be like?
When Chris Columbus illuminated the father character in the film through painting...

How will the storylines involving the mother, uncle, sister, and grandfather unfold next?
And this...

As "Be What You Wanna Be" played, the plot of "The Voice" also progressed rapidly.

(End of this chapter)