早在3000多年前,南太平洋島民被認為是世界上最了不起的航海家,他們憑借對星辰、潮水的了解,在廣闊無邊的大洋中探險,發(fā)現(xiàn)了上千個島嶼。然而后來,他們的航海活動卻莫名中斷了一千多年,之后又重新興起,而具體原因至今還是個謎。這段空白時期激發(fā)了導演們的想象力,于是便有了《海洋奇緣》的故事。
許多小學生的作文里都有類似這般的豪言壯語:哪怕孤身一人,也要揚帆起航,去領(lǐng)略海洋深處最美的風景。水天一色的蔚藍、星光相接的璀璨、與鯨共舞的自由,對大海的向往像是播撒在所有孩子心中的種子,暗暗訴說著遠方世界的魅力。然而隨著年歲漸長,“揚帆起航”漸漸淪為另一句空洞蒼白的宣言、又一個虛無縹緲的夢,在安穩(wěn)單調(diào)的現(xiàn)世甚至不會再被提起。這也是為何2016年末迪士尼動畫電影《海洋奇緣》的上映令不少觀眾感動不已的緣故——盡管只是一個充滿童趣的奇幻故事,但它卻用最生動的方式提醒著你:有一個地方,你以為自己早已遺忘,但它其實一直埋藏心底;有一種人生,你認定自己此生無法企及,但也許那才是你真正的心之所向。
《海洋奇緣》的故事發(fā)生在南太平洋一座充滿熱帶風情的小島上?!霸獨馍倥盡oana是酋長的女兒,雖然她一心向往海洋,但父親卻反復對她耳提面命:她的未來就是繼承酋長的位子,和她的族人一起生活在這座物資富足的小島上。
可是不知從哪天起,小島的椰子開始腐壞,捕魚的人們一次次空手而歸。Moana從祖母那里得知,這是因為女神Te Fiti的“海洋之心”在千年前被半神Maui偷走,黑暗勢力正在吞沒各個島嶼。Moana還得知,自己的祖先原本也是海上民族,正因躲避這場災難定居在這里,并且再也沒有走出過這座小島。而在機緣巧合之中,Moana被大海選中,大海將Maui在與火山怪獸Te K戰(zhàn)斗時掉落的“海洋之心”送到了Moana身邊。在祖母的鼓勵下,Moana不顧父親反對,只身出海找到Maui,誓將“海洋之心”歸還女神,拯救家園。
剛開始時,Maui并不想去辦這份苦差事。不過在Moana的感召下,他最終決定幫助Moana,并與她共同戰(zhàn)勝征途中的重重困難,找回了自己丟失已久的武器——魚鉤法杖。兩人逐一打敗了成群結(jié)隊的椰殼海盜、愛好財寶的海底巨蟹,以及最后關(guān)頭出現(xiàn)的強敵——火山怪獸Te K。這時Moana才發(fā)現(xiàn),原來Te K
就是失卻了海洋之心的女神Te Fiti,釋放黑暗勢力的也正是這位迷失了自我的女神。勇敢的Moana對Te K
溫柔輕語,將“海洋之心”放回到Te K
胸前的漩渦當中。女神蘇醒過來,萬物重煥生機,Moana終于完成了她的使命。
奇幻的想象、動感的歌舞、迷人的風景,所有這些元素構(gòu)成了這部色彩明麗、充滿歡樂的動畫,但最重要的還是故事本身帶給觀眾的啟示,尤其是主人公Moana身上那份堅持和勇氣、舍我其誰的使命感,以及對真實自我孜孜不倦的探求。這些我們平日里反復宣揚的“正能量”在少女Moana那里,絕不止于幾個簡單的名詞或幾句浮夸的口號,而是她所走的每一步路、所受的每一次傷、所做的每一個選擇。她也曾想做一個聽話的女兒,依照父親的心愿循規(guī)蹈矩地開始酋長生涯,但當海水親吻她的額頭,貝殼朝她涌來,Moana抑制不住內(nèi)心的呼喚:她是海上民族的后裔,是被大海選中的人,她要走的路是去海洋深處冒險,完成自己的使命。
Maui同樣如此。他原本是個被父母拋棄的嬰兒,只因被天神救起并賜予一副魚鉤法杖,這才成為一位守護人類的半神。雖然他勇猛無敵,但他一直覺得自己只是天神的奴仆,沒有了魚鉤他什么都不是。表面自信囂張的Maui內(nèi)心仍是個迷茫無措的孩子,是Moana的勇氣激勵了他,使他意識到讓自己成為英雄的根本不是天神,而是他自己。影片快要結(jié)尾時,Maui對著Moana瀟灑一笑:“不管有沒有魚鉤,我都是Maui?!边@正是電影教會我們的重要一課:發(fā)現(xiàn)并悅納真正的自己。如果你始終賴于他人的庇護,或是永遠活在別人的期待中,怎能實現(xiàn)自身潛能的完全釋放,又怎能體會心靈如雄鷹般遨游天際的自由與豪邁?
和許多善惡分明的好萊塢電影不同,這部動畫電影中沒有真正意義上的壞人。對于Moana來說,雖然前有父親百般阻撓,但他卻給予了Moana無限的疼愛;后有強敵Te K堅不可摧,但它轉(zhuǎn)瞬間就變成頭戴五彩花環(huán)的美麗女神;至于航海途中邂逅的其他對手,毋寧形容其為兇惡,不如說是可愛。事實上,這也更貼近我們真實的生存境況,善惡從來不是涇渭分明,成長也絕非簡單的殺敵打怪。在希望達成某個目標時,我們要戰(zhàn)勝的最大敵人其實是自己,對Moana和Maui是這樣,對我們每一個人亦如是。
Moana出生在海上一座物產(chǎn)豐饒的小島上,父親希望她未來能接替自己的位置,做下一任酋長。然而Moana天生與大海親近,向往遠方。從小到大,她無數(shù)次奔向大海,但每次都被父親抓回。她不明白父親為何不允許部落的人們出海。有一天,人們賴以生存的椰子全部腐壞,附近海域中的魚兒也消失不見,Moana建議到更遠的地方捕魚,不料卻遭到父親的嚴厲訓斥。直到那時,她才從媽媽口中得知,父親年輕時也曾出過海,可卻付出了慘痛的代價。
Mom: Well, it's not like you said it in front of your dad, standing on a boat.
Moana: I didn't say "Go beyond the reef!" because I want to be beyond the ocean.
Mom: But you still do. He is hard on you1 because ...
Moana: Because he doesn't get2 me.
Mom: Because he was you. Drawn to the ocean. Down by the shore. He took a canoe, Moana. He crossed the reef, and found an unforgiving sea. Waves like mountains. His best friend begged to be on that boat. Your dad couldn't save him. He's hoping he can save you. Sometimes who we wish we were, what we wish we could do, it's just not meant to be3.
Tips for Learning
1
Be hard on sb.的意思是“對某人苛刻、嚴厲”,可以用be strict with sb.代替。表示某人“嚴厲”還可以用stern,如:Her father was stern and hard to please. (她的父親很嚴厲,難以取悅。) Hard作形容詞時除了我們熟悉的“堅硬的”“困難的”“努力的”等含義之外,還可以表示“冷酷無情的”(如:His father was a hard man.)、“艱苦的”(如hard life)、“寒冷的”(如a long, hard winter)等含義;作副詞時通常表示“努力地”“使勁地”??梢钥闯?,hard作形容詞時,其意思大多含貶義。
2
“He doesn't get me.”的意思可不是“他沒有得到我”,get在這里的含義是“理解;明白”。在口語中,我們經(jīng)??梢钥吹筋愃频木渥?,比如:You don't seem to get the point. (你似乎沒有弄明白。)我們也常聽到有人說“你沒有g(shù)et到我的意思”,其中g(shù)et就意為“理解”。所以,下次你想表達自己沒弄明白的時候,就別再用“I don't understand.”了,用“I don't get it.”更地道哦。
3
Mean作動詞時除了“意指”和“對某人有重要意義”(如:mean a lot to sb.)等含義外,還可以指“注定(或肯定)要……”,通常用法為be meant to be,如:Jane was meant to be a chemist. (簡注定要成為一名化學家。)此外,mean還可以指“對……當真”,比如在美劇中我們常會聽到:I mean it. (我是認真的。)
在這段臺詞中,媽媽告訴Moana:有時候你想成為某個人,想做成某件事,可命中注定你不會成功。在現(xiàn)實生活中,會有很多人告訴你你無法做成想做的事,有時候說這些話的人是你最親近的人。但是,他們說的大都是錯的。正如電影《當幸福來敲門》(The Pursuit of Happyness)中所說:Don't ever let somebody tell you you can't do something ... You got a dream. You gotta protect it.
盡管媽媽說礁石那邊很危險,可Moana抑制不住內(nèi)心對大海的渴望,決定一試。她獨自乘著小船出海,卻受傷而歸。就在她認為自己也許真的錯了時,奶奶給她講了一個故事。原來她的祖先都曾是航海者,他們征服了一片又一片海洋。但是由于半神Maui偷了“海洋之心”,黑暗將船只吞噬,她的祖先才將帆船封在山洞中,從此禁止部落的人出海。奶奶曾看到過大海與Moana互動的過程,她知道Moana是被大海選中的人,并始終堅信Moana一定能夠穿越海洋,讓Maui歸還“海洋之心”。
Moana: We were voyagers! Why did we stop?
Grandma: Maui. When he stole from the mother island, darkness fell. Te K
1 awoke. Monsters lurked (埋伏) and boats stopped coming back. To protect our people, the ancient chiefs forbid voyaging. And now we have forgotten who we are. And the darkness has continued to spread, chasing away our fish, draining (使流失) the life from island after island. But one day, someone would journey beyond our reef, find Maui, deliver him across the great ocean to restore2 the Heart of Te Fiti. I was there that day. The ocean chose you3.
Moana: I thought it was a dream.
Grandma: Nope! Our ancestors believed Maui lies there—at the bottom4 of his hook. Follow it, and you will find him.
Tips for Learning
Moana獨自出海
在大海的幫助下,Moana照著夜空中魚鉤形狀星座的指引,終于找到了Maui。她利用Maui喜歡做英雄的心理,說服Maui陪她一起上路。他們一起打敗椰子海盜、海底巨蟹,找回了Maui的魚鉤法杖。然而Maui卻發(fā)現(xiàn)自己失去了神力,無法成功變形。Maui徹底失去了自信,以為自己不可能再成為英雄。后來在Moana的一再追問下,Maui才吐露了自己的身世。
Moana: You don't wanna talk? Don't talk. You wanna throw me off the boat? Throw me off. You wanna tell me, I don't know what I'm doing? I know I don't. I have no idea why the ocean chose me. You're right. But my island is dying. So I am here. It's just me and you. And I want to help. But I can't if you don't let me.
Maui: I wasn't born a demigod. I had human parents. They er ... They took one look and ... and decided they did not want me. They threw me into the sea, like I was nothing. Somehow I was found by the Gods. They gave me the hook. They made me ... Maui. And back to the humans I went. I gave them islands, fire, coconuts! Anything they could ever want.
Moana: You took the heart for them. You did everything for them. So they'd love you.
Maui: It was never enough.
Moana: Maybe the Gods found you for a reason. Maybe the ocean brought you to them, because it saw someone who is worthy1 of being saved. But the Gods aren't the ones who make you Maui. You are.
Tip for Learning
1
Worthy是worth的形容詞形式,可以表示“值得的;應該獲得……的”,其用法常為be worthy of。它還可以表示“值得尊敬的;令人稱許的”,如worthy members of the community (團體中的德高望重者)。從這段臺詞中可以看出,Maui在嬰兒時被父母拋棄,后來被神所救,因神賜予的魚鉤法杖而成為半神。盡管是半神,但他從內(nèi)心深處認定自己是被遺棄的,所以才不斷討好貪婪的人類,最終釀下大禍。Moana幫Maui找回了真正的自己,她告訴Maui:“讓你成為你的不是天神,而是你自己?!?/p>
人們總會忘記,什么才是真正的自己的正面一擊,致使魚鉤遍布裂痕。氣急敗壞的Maui與Moana大吵一架,揚長而去。Moana心灰意冷,請求海洋收回了“海洋之心”。就在她傷心難過之時,她恍惚看到了已經(jīng)過世的奶奶的靈魂。在奶奶的指引下,Moana明白了自己真實的內(nèi)心。她知道自己不會放棄,即使沒有Maui,她也要繼續(xù)前行。
Moana: Grandma! I tried, grandma. I ... I couldn't do it.
Grandma: It's not your fault. I never should've put so much on your shoulders. If you are ready to go home, I will be with you ... Why do you hesitate?
Moana: I don't know.
Grandma: [唱] I know a girl from an island. She stands apart from1 the crowd. She loves the sea and her people. She makes her whole family proud. Sometimes the world seems against you. The journey may leave a scar. But scars can heal and reveal just where you are. The people you love will change you. The things you have learned will guide you. And nothing on earth can silence the quiet voice still inside you. And when that voice starts to whisper: "Moana you've come so far. Moana, listen, do you know who you are?"
Moana: Who am I? [唱] I am a girl who loves my island. I'm the girl who loves the sea. It calls me ... I am the daughter of the village chief. We are descended from voyagers who found their way across the world. They call me ... I've delivered us to where we are. I have journeyed farther. I am everything I've learned and more. Still it calls me. And the call isn't out there at all; it's inside me. It's like the tide always falling and rising.2 I will carry you here in my heart. You remind me that come what may, I know the way! I am Moana!
Tips for Learning
1
Stand apart from是一個短語,表示“明顯與……不同”,而stand apart from the crowd就是指“明顯與眾不同”。而apart from單獨使用時也是一個短語,意為“除……以外”。
2
這句話意為:“它就像潮水時漲時落?!盩ide意為“潮水”,英語中有一句諺語用tide來形容光陰——Time and tide wait for no man. (時不我待。) 而Turn the tide意為“扭轉(zhuǎn)形勢;轉(zhuǎn)敗為勝”,如:At first, people were opposed to our plan. After a lot of discussion, we were able to turn the tide. (一開始,人們反對我們的計劃。經(jīng)過多次討論后,我們才得以扭轉(zhuǎn)形勢。)
盡管前路難行,可我知道我不能放棄
最終,Moana將“海洋之心”歸還給女神,萬物重煥生機,Moana生活的小島得救了。在揚帆起航的旅程中,她不僅完成了使命,也找到了最真實的自己。然而,對于現(xiàn)實生活中的大多數(shù)人來說,“揚帆起航”仍舊只是一種譬喻。面對如海洋般神秘的世界,我們需要做的就是像Moana一樣,聽從內(nèi)心的聲音,無所畏懼地走向?qū)儆谧约旱倪h方,去領(lǐng)略世界最深處的奇跡。誰說平凡的人生不可以有英雄的夢想呢?