Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver: Difference between revisions

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{{Use dmy dates|date=MarchJune 20212024}}

{{short description|Children's novel by Michael Ende}}

{{Infobox book

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| author = [[Michael Ende]]

| title_orig = Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer

| translator =

| illustrator = Franz Josef Tripp

| cover_artist =

| country = Germany

| language = German

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| pub_date = 1960

| english_pub_date = 1963

| media_type =

| pages =

| isbn =

| oclc =

| dewey =

| congress =

| followed_by = Jim Button and the Wild 13

}}

'''''Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver''''' ({{lang-langx|de|Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer|italics=yes|link=no}}) is a children's novel written by [[Michael Ende]]. The main characters are Emma the steam locomotive, herLuke ({{lang|de|Lukas}})[[driver (locomotive)|driver]] Lukeof ({{lang|de|Lukas}})Emma the steam locomotive, and thehis young accomplicefriend/apprentice Jim Button ({{lang|de|Jim Knopf}}) who together go on an adventure together. The story begins and ends on the small fictional island of '''Morrowland''' ({{lang|de|Lummerland}}).

The book was published in 1960, and received the [[Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis|German Young Literature Prize]] in 1961. It is one of the most successful [[German language]] children's books of the postwar era.<ref name="faz">Julia Voss, [https://archive.today/20130221155527/http://www.faz.net/artikel/C30351/jim-knopf-wird-50-lang-lebe-der-koenig-von-jimballa-30296501.html "Lang lebe der König von Jimballa"] Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved 31 July 2011 {{in lang|de}}</ref> The success led to thirty-four translations into other languages<ref name="goethe" /> and the sequel ''Jim Button and the {{nowrap|Wild 13}}'' (''{{lang|de|Jim Knopf und die {{nowrap|Wilde 13}}|italics=unset}}'').

Ende did not see his book as a children's book,<ref name="fokus">Martin Wittmann, [http://www.focus.de/kultur/buecher/jim-knopf-wird-50-nazis-raus-aus-lummerland_aid_539421.html "Nazis raus aus Lummerland"] ''Fokus'' magazine (9 August 2010). Retrieved 31 July 2011 {{in lang|de}}</ref> but just wrote it for himself.<ref name="fokus-dpa">[http://www.focus.de/kultur/buecher/jim-knopf-wird-50-auf-der-insel-mit-zwei-bergen_aid_537852.html "Auf der Insel mit zwei Bergen"] ''Fokus'' magazine (4 August 2010). Retrieved 31 July 2011 {{in lang|de}}</ref> Initially, overOver a dozen publishers had rejected the book prior to publication.<ref name="goethe">{{cite web|url=http://www.goethe.de/kue/lit/slt/en6755922.htm|title=All the Best, Jim Button! The "fine little chap" turns 50|last1=Hütter|first1=Verena|last2=Jonathan|first2=Uhlaner|date=November 2010|publisher=[[Goethe Institut]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005082852/http://www.goethe.de/kue/lit/slt/en6755922.htm|archive-date=5 October 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=2 August 2019}}</ref>

== Plot ==

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;King Alfred the Quarter-to-Twelfth {{nobold|(''König Alfons der Viertel-vor-Zwölfte'')}}: The king of Morrowland, who is named after the stroke of the clock at the time of his birth and at which he shows himself to his subjects on holidays. He is extremely well-meaning and benevolent, but can get overly nervous under stress and is very inattentive and forgetful.

;Mr. Sleeve {{nobold|({{lang|de|Herr Ärmel}})}}: A citizen of Morrowland and a subject of King Alfred. He is portrayed as a stereotypical Englishman and is most often seen taking a stroll, wearing a [[bowler hat]] and carrying an umbrella. He is very polite, educated, and intellectual, and he is well liked by the island's other inhabitants. Initially he has no job in the book (he "is just there and is being ruled"), though eventually he makes use of his magnificent education in becoming Jim Button's teacher. In the Augsburger Puppenkiste version he works as a photographer.

;Mr. Tur Tur: This {{lang|de|Scheinriese}} ("illusory pseudo-giant" or "mock giant") is a gentle and modest person and a [[vegetarian]], but a tragic recluse due to his unusual nature: When seen from a distance, he appears to be a giant, inadvertently frightening everyone who beholds him; when approached, it turns out he is actually of normal height. Consequently, he lives at an [[oasis]] in the desert, "The End of the World".

;Nepomuk: A half-dragon by birth, because his mother was a [[hippopotamus]], and still has some resemblance to his mother. Like his fellow [[mixed-race]] dragons, he is not accepted by the pure-blood dragons in Sorrowland. He tries to behave like a "real" dragon by being scary and mean, while he is actually neither. (A certain naughtiness, which he later promises to overcome, does seem to belong to his actual traits, though.) However, he is able to help Ushaurishuum create the Crystal of Eternity, and becomes the keeper of the Magnetic Cliffs.

;Pung Ging: The Emperor of China and Li Si's father. A kind and just ruler who befriends Jim and Luke after they offer to free his daughter from Mrs. Grindtooth's clutches.

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In 1974, the story was turned into a Japanese animation.<ref>[http://www.michaelende.de/en/book/jim-button-and-luke-the-engine-driver "Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727061317/http://www.michaelende.de/en/book/jim-button-and-luke-the-engine-driver |date=27 July 2011 }} Retrieved 3 August 2011</ref> A [[audio theatre|dramatized audio book]], ''Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer'' ([[Fontana Records|Fontana]]/[[Deutsche Grammophon]]) was narrated and directed by Ende himself. In 1998, a 52-episode cartoon series titled ''Jim Button'' was produced by [[Flying Bark Productions|Yoram Gross-Village Roadshow]], [[Saban Entertainment]], [[Saban International Paris]], and [[CinéGroupe]].<ref name="goethe" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvsi.de/zeichentrickserien/jim_Knopf.php|title=Cartoon series, episode descriptions|language=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070611214653/http://www.tvsi.de/zeichentrickserien/jim_Knopf.php|archive-date=11 June 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=2 August 2019}}</ref> The storyline diverged from the original novels with the introduction of new characters and settings.

A German-language feature film adaptation, ''[[Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver (film)|Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver]]'', was directed by [[Dennis Gansel]], produced by [[Rat Pack Filmproduktion]] and Malao Film, and released by [[Warner Bros. Pictures]] on 29 March 2018 in German cinemas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7302634/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_ov_inf#releases|title=Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver (2018) – IMDb}}</ref><ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/custom/Festival_Dailies/Berlin%202014/day7_berlin2014.pdf] Interview with Christian Becker, producer of Jim Button (2017)</ref> It stars [[Michael Herbig]] as the German voice of Nepomuk, and [[Rick Kavanian]] as the Wild 13, and [[Judy Winter]] as the voice of the villainous dragon Mrs. Grindtooth. The soundtrack also features a cover version of the Augsburger Puppenkiste's "Lummerlandlied", as a homage to this early adaptation.

A cinematic adaptation of the second book, ''Jim Button and the Wild 13'', was announced in late March 2018. Filming began in January 2019, and the film, initially planned for Easter 2020, but slightly delayed due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], was eventually released on 1 October 2020.<ref>{{cite news |title = Christian Becker: "Der allergrößte Film" |url = http://www.mediabiz.de/film/news/christian-becker-der-allergroesste-film/428297/ |publisher= Blickpunkt:Film| accessdate = 29 March 2018}}</ref>

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[[Category:Children's books about rail transport]]

[[Category:Television series by Saban Entertainment]]

[[Category:Novels set on fictional islands]]

[[Category:Novels about kidnapping]]

[[Category:Novels about princesses]]