The Construction of Multimodal Metaphors in Animation: An Example from "Soul"

Abstract

Pixar Animation Studios is currently one of the most influential animation studios in the world, and every year Pixar animation is an Oscar favorite. Soul, which won the 78th Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature, is one of  Pixar’s best works. The film tells the story of the main character Joe, who learns that following his heart is the greatest meaning of life in the process of pursuing his dream of playing jazz. And it is loved by audiences for its profound themes and the film’s combination of the reality of the times and imaginary fiction, which conveys metaphorical connotations in childlike humor and meets the psychological needs of audiences in the post-epidemic era.  Multimodal metaphors are metaphors whose source and target domains are represented by different modalities respectively. Based on the multimodal metaphor theory proposed by Forceville, this thesis analyzes the movie in terms of metaphors from different aspects and the construction of meaning under synergy between multimodal metaphors. By studying the issue of multimodal metaphors in Soul, this thesis combines conceptual metaphor theory with multimodal metaphor theory so that viewers can have a deeper understanding of the thematic interpretation, characterization, and plot development of this animated film and enjoy it better.