Forceville illustrates this term with the example of the metaphor “cat is elephant” cued in an animation movie. Furthermore, Forceville introduces the term “multimodal metaphor”, which entails the types of “metaphors whose target and source are each represented exclusively or predominantly in different modes” (ibid. In contrast to conventional literary metaphors which usually only manifest themselves as “written signs” to the perceiver, the metaphor in film can appear in pictorial sign, spoken sign, written sign, gesture, sound, and music (ibid. These different modes emphasize how multifarious a metaphor in film can be. Thereupon, Forceville differentiates nine different modes of depiction which shall display how the metaphor appears to the human senses. This claim suggests that metaphor can also be displayed trough an unconventional medium, such as image or film. He points out that metaphor can be expressed non-verbally and has multimodal appearances (ibid. With reference to the CMT, the theorist Charles Forceville goes even further and suggests that conceptual metaphor is neither restricted to the field of language, nor to thought or action (Forceville 22). How and Why the Linguistic Device is Used in Movies 3.1 The Concept of Metaphor Applied to Motion Pictures This target domain is mapped onto a less-abstract issue, the so-called “source domain” (ibid. Consequently, the CMT is used to make sense of an abstract, conceptual domain, which is called the “target domain” (Grady 190). This theory is based on the assumption that humans try to understand abstract issues, like an argument, through a less abstract domain, like war (ibid. In their book Metaphors we live by (1980) Lakoff and Johnson introduce the “conceptual metaphor theory” (CMT). Hereupon, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson suggest the idea that the device of a metaphor is not restricted to the medium of language, but is indeed omnipresent in everyday life through thought and action (ibid.
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An Overview on Metaphor in Generalįirst and foremost, the substance of every metaphor is “understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another” (Lakoff and Johnson 5). Furthermore, the metaphorical visualisation of growing up will be addressed. With the focus on the following emotions: joy, sadness, and anger, I will demonstrate how the metaphor of emotion and brain function is displayed in the movie. Pixar’s use of metaphor in the comedy-drama will be analysed in detail.
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Subsequently, I will apply the theoretical basis to the movie Inside Out.
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The concept of metaphor will then be elaborated in reference to film metaphor. On this occasion, I will present a rough overview of the conceptual metaphor theory.
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Prior to the investigation of the device in the computer-animated movie, a theoretical view on metaphor in general will be provided. In the following paper I will analyse the movie Inside Out as an example of how metaphor in film is used to communicate and clarify human emotions. The comedy-drama introduces five little figures who are embodiments of the five basic human emotions, and live in a young girls head. Pixar’s Inside Out is a valuable example of how metaphor in film is used.
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In all these different instances the omnipresent device allows us to understand and grasp abstract concepts by mapping them to another domain. Even in the medium of film people make use of the device in the form of filmic metaphor. Metaphor however, is not just a linguistic device, it is indeed fundamental in everyday life (Lakoff and Johnson 3). The example of the common metaphor “life is a rollercoaster” portrays how even such a simple form of the versatile device communicates a profound message, and helps us, language users, to grasp an abstract concept. Emotions and Brain Function as a Metaphor in Pixar’s Inside OutĤ.1 The Visual Representation of MetaphorĤ.2 How Coming of Age is Illustrated through Metaphor How and Why the Linguistic Device is Used in Moviesģ.1 The Concept of Metaphor Applied to Motion PicturesĤ.