How I was deceived. The Thor we meet is a godling teenager with a big head and all too ready fall into a lapse of angst if things don't go his way. He spends his days in the battle ring fighting Asgard's most fearsome band of warriors to the cheers of his people. Any warrior he fights acquiesces the brawl, a privilege due to him as son of the All-Father, Odin. Thor believes his flawless record is due to his keen swordsmanship and not his princely status. Sif, Thor's obvious romantic interest, is the only one who challenges his inflated ego. She berates him for his pride and never seeing the world outside of Asgard. After dispatching him in one move with a hoe, she flies off to join the valkyries to rid herself of her frustration. Thor's brother Loki also encourages the illusion and scoffs at Sif.
Disheartened and furious, Thor heads to Odin's throne room demanding that his father let him test his skills outside the kingdom. Odin refuses, stating that since Thor turned his training into a public spectacle he is not worthy and that he also fixes all of Thor's fights to ensure his victory to keep the people's faith in the royal family. Enraged, Thor decides to leave Asgard and seek adventure. Algrim, a dark elf and the last survivor of his people, is Odin's advisor and also confidant to the young prince. He usually tries to discourage Thor, but upon viewing the current situation between father and son he supports the journey, promising to delay Odin from discovering his plans.
Thor enlists Loki as his hesitant, yet eager accomplice for his magic prowess and genuine mischief. What's an adventure without the trickster archetype? The brothers stowaway on the ship of the Warriors Three-self-proclaimed heroes who encounter ice giants, dragons, rescue damsels, and anything else that makes a good story. They quickly discover that the trio's adventures are hogwash, but Thor and Loki still require their help. Thor and his band of loyal companions venture to Yodenheim, the land of the ice giants, in search of the Lost Sword of Surtur. The sword is the most powerful weapon in existence, capable of wiping out ice giants or armies in a single swing. Thor seeks the sword to bring glory to himself and Asgard.
Once Thor retrieves the Sword of Surtur, he causes the ice giants and Asgard to nearly annihilate one another in a war as a consequence of his pride. He also stumbles into the valkyries' training camp, bringing Sif back into the story with clichéd jokes about women warriors and their prevailing attitudes toward men.
Thor: Tales of Asgard follows Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey formula with slight modifications to the monomyth path. While there is nothing wrong with plotting stories around this time tested outline that continues to inspire writers and artists, problems arise when nothing new is added to the journey. The end result is an adventure story littered with stereotypes, static characters, and fruitless morals meant to motivate youngsters about honor, courage, horrors of war, and finding your purpose.
While watching the direct-to-video movie, I mentally checked off the necessary elements for a hero's journey: a hero character, a call to adventure, fighting through trials and tribulations, getting the sought item, and returning home a better person. Thor: Tales of Asgard has other typical plot devices associated with Campbell's idea that have been added by creative minds over the years: assembling a group, igniting a war between two races, averting said war, betrayal of a mentor, and romance. The Hero's Journey is an easy trap to fall into as it presents an easy guide, especially for a cartoon aimed at children. Marvel Animation didn't try very hard to get out of it, though.
Norse mythology actually plays a larger role in the plot than I thought. Legendary myths such as the origin of Odin's one eye and Loki's trickster nature are interwoven into the story as plot elements. The nine realms are touched upon to create the scope of Thor's world (perhaps there are more future animated movies for young prince). What really impressed me were the inclusion of dark elves and frost giants, pulling ancient rivalries and characters from the actual myths instead of introducing one-shot villains that never appeared in the comic books or mythology. Brunnhilde was depicted as a man-hating Amazon warrior, while in legend she is a valkyries loyal to Odin. Fenris the Wolf also appears in a pub, which is ironic, since he is the son of Loki and by this timeline should not be born yet.
Disheartened and furious, Thor heads to Odin's throne room demanding that his father let him test his skills outside the kingdom. Odin refuses, stating that since Thor turned his training into a public spectacle he is not worthy and that he also fixes all of Thor's fights to ensure his victory to keep the people's faith in the royal family. Enraged, Thor decides to leave Asgard and seek adventure. Algrim, a dark elf and the last survivor of his people, is Odin's advisor and also confidant to the young prince. He usually tries to discourage Thor, but upon viewing the current situation between father and son he supports the journey, promising to delay Odin from discovering his plans.
Thor enlists Loki as his hesitant, yet eager accomplice for his magic prowess and genuine mischief. What's an adventure without the trickster archetype? The brothers stowaway on the ship of the Warriors Three-self-proclaimed heroes who encounter ice giants, dragons, rescue damsels, and anything else that makes a good story. They quickly discover that the trio's adventures are hogwash, but Thor and Loki still require their help. Thor and his band of loyal companions venture to Yodenheim, the land of the ice giants, in search of the Lost Sword of Surtur. The sword is the most powerful weapon in existence, capable of wiping out ice giants or armies in a single swing. Thor seeks the sword to bring glory to himself and Asgard.
Once Thor retrieves the Sword of Surtur, he causes the ice giants and Asgard to nearly annihilate one another in a war as a consequence of his pride. He also stumbles into the valkyries' training camp, bringing Sif back into the story with clichéd jokes about women warriors and their prevailing attitudes toward men.
Thor: Tales of Asgard follows Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey formula with slight modifications to the monomyth path. While there is nothing wrong with plotting stories around this time tested outline that continues to inspire writers and artists, problems arise when nothing new is added to the journey. The end result is an adventure story littered with stereotypes, static characters, and fruitless morals meant to motivate youngsters about honor, courage, horrors of war, and finding your purpose.
While watching the direct-to-video movie, I mentally checked off the necessary elements for a hero's journey: a hero character, a call to adventure, fighting through trials and tribulations, getting the sought item, and returning home a better person. Thor: Tales of Asgard has other typical plot devices associated with Campbell's idea that have been added by creative minds over the years: assembling a group, igniting a war between two races, averting said war, betrayal of a mentor, and romance. The Hero's Journey is an easy trap to fall into as it presents an easy guide, especially for a cartoon aimed at children. Marvel Animation didn't try very hard to get out of it, though.
Norse mythology actually plays a larger role in the plot than I thought. Legendary myths such as the origin of Odin's one eye and Loki's trickster nature are interwoven into the story as plot elements. The nine realms are touched upon to create the scope of Thor's world (perhaps there are more future animated movies for young prince). What really impressed me were the inclusion of dark elves and frost giants, pulling ancient rivalries and characters from the actual myths instead of introducing one-shot villains that never appeared in the comic books or mythology. Brunnhilde was depicted as a man-hating Amazon warrior, while in legend she is a valkyries loyal to Odin. Fenris the Wolf also appears in a pub, which is ironic, since he is the son of Loki and by this timeline should not be born yet.