Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver: Difference between revisions

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'''''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 0-4-0 Tank Engine, herLuke ({{lang|de|Lukas}})[[driver (locomotive)|engine 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> Over 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>

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== Plot ==

===Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver===

The story begins on a tiny island called Morrowland (original German: {{lang|de|Lummerland}}, a play on {{ill|Nimmerland|de}}, the German translation of [[Neverland]]), which has just enough space for a small palace, a train station and rails all around the island, a grocery store, a small house, a king, two subjects, a tank enginelocomotive named Emma, and her jovial salt of thea earthlocomotive engineer by the name of Luke (Lukas) (who, as railway [[Beamter|civil servant]], is not a subject). One day, the postman – who has to come by ship – drops off a package with a nearly illegible address for a ''Mrs. Krintuuth'' at ''Zorroulend''. On the back was a large 13. After a futile search for the addressee among Morrowland's few inhabitants, they open the package. To their immense surprise, there's a black baby inside. After the commotion has died down, the baby is adopted by the islanders and is named Jim Button.

As Jim grows up, the King begins to worry that the island is too small and there won't be enough space for Jim to live on once he's an adult. He announces to Luke that Emma has to be removed. Luke, upset about this decision, decides to leave the island with Emma, and Jim (who had accidentally overheard Luke relating his woes to Emma) decides to come along. They convert Emma into a makeshift ship and sail off the island in the night, eventually arriving at the coast of Mandala (a fictional country inspired by China).

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After a long and hazardous journey, they arrive in the Dragon City. Along the way, they make two new friends, Mr. Tur Tur, a "Scheinriese" ("apparent giant", as he appears smaller the closer he gets) and Nepomuk, a half-dragon. Jim and Luke free Princess Li Si<ref name="fokus-dpa" /> and a large number of children, who had all been kidnapped and sold to Mrs. Grindtooth by a gang of pirates (the Wild 13). Mrs. Grindtooth had chained the children to desks at her school, where she had barked lessons to them like a [[Kommandant]].<ref name="fokus" /> Jim and Luke take Mrs. Grindtooth with them as they make their way back on the [[Yellow River]], which begins right at the Dragon City. Arriving back in Mandala, they receive a triumphal welcome and are surprised by some startling news. Mrs. Grindtooth is about to turn into a Golden Dragon of Wisdom, and the other inhabitants of Morrowland want them back on the island!

With parting advice given by the now-reformed Mrs. Grindtooth and generous assistance from the Emperor, Luke and Jim come into possession of a floating island, which is named New-Morrowland, to serve as Jim's future residence. After a cordial welcome back on Morrowland, Jim and Li Si become engaged. Emma gives birth to a baby steam enginelocomotive who will be Jim's. He names her Molly.

=== Jim Button and the Wild 13 ===

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Following the events in ''Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver'', life in Morrowland continues as usual for a year until the postman rams New-Morrowland with his [[mail boat]] in the dark of night. It is decided that the island needs a [[lighthouse]], but the island is too small to support one. Jim remembers {{nowrap|Mr. Tur Tur}} and his ability to appear as a giant when seen from afar, and Jim and Luke decide to invite him to Morrowland to use his unique ability as a living lighthouse.

While sailing the oceans with the two steam engineslocomotives Emma and Molly to the desert where {{nowrap|Mr. Tur Tur}} lives, Jim and Luke stop to help out a [[mermaid]] named Sursulapitschi and her father, Lormoral, the king of the seas. This leads to a precarious encounter with the Magnetic Cliffs, whose magnetic pull can be turned off and on. When on, they activate a phenomenon called the Sea Glow, which illuminates the bottom of the sea, but also activates the magnetic pull, endangering passing ships; so someone must be found to ensure that no ships are endangered while the Sea Glow is switched on. In addition, Sursulapitschi is distressed because her fiancée, a "{{lang|de|Schildnöck|italics=no}}" (turtle merman) named Ushaurischuum, has been assigned by her father to refashion the Crystal of Eternity, a task only possible with the aid of a creature of fire, with whom the merpeople are at war.

Using the special properties of the cliffs' material, Jim and Luke convert Emma into a flying vehicle which they dub the "[[Perpetual motion|Perpetumobile]]" due to its unlimited means of locomotion. With it, they cross the Crown of the World to get {{nowrap|Mr. Tur Tur}}. To their surprise, in the desert they also encounter their half-dragon friend Nepomuk, who had had to flee the Dragon City following the events in the first book, for his help in capturing Mrs. Grindtooth. Jim and Luke persuade Nepomuk to accompany them and take up the post at the Magnetic Cliffs. Unexpectedly, the four meet Sursulapitschi and Ushaurishuum at the cliffs, and the Schildnöck and Nepomuk quickly become friends, enabling the recreation of the Crystal of Eternity.

Meanwhile, Jim's enginelocomotive Molly, whom Jim and Luke had left at the cliffs when getting Mr. Tur Tur and Nepomuk, has been abducted by the band of pirates called the Wild 13. Luckily for Jim and Luke, the former Mrs. Grindtooth awakes as a Golden Dragon of Wisdom in Mandala, helping them out with information and telling Jim how to find out about his origin. With the help of the Emperor, Jim and Luke – and Princess {{nowrap|Li Si}} as a stowaway – start their journey to meet the {{nowrap|Wild 13}} and rescue Molly. They encounter the pirates, who prove too much for them in battle. Molly is lost at sea, and all but Jim are captured and brought to the pirates' base, Castle Stormeye, a pinnacle of rock within the eye of a perpetual hurricane.

Unseen, Jim manages to sneak into the pirates' fortress, overpower them with a trick and some luck, and become their leader. As it turns out, Jim is the last descendant of Caspar, the third of the [[Three Kings]], whose heirs were doomed to remain homeless after Mrs. Grindtooth had sunk their kingdom beneath the ocean millennia ago. Only the sinking of Castle Stormeye will raise it back to the surface. In the end, the {{nowrap|Wild 13}} sacrifice their fortress, Jim's old kingdom reappears – and to everyone's surprise, Morrowland turns out to be located at the top of the realm's highest mountain.

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== List of Jim Button characters ==

;Jim Button {{nobold|({{lang|de|Jim Knopf}})}}: The titular hero, this character shares the "glory" with and is the sidekick of his best friend Luke, the engine driver. He grows up on Morrowland ({{lang|de|Lummerland}}) under the care of Mrs. Whaat. He wants to be an engine driver too. His name is derived from his habit of tearing a hole in his trousers every time he does something wild. After mending the hole many times, Mrs. Whaat added a button so it could be opened, rather than torn up yet again. While he marries the Chinese Emperor's daughter and turns out to be the rightful King of Jamballa, he never gives up driving a steam enginelocomotive.

;Luke {{nobold|({{lang|de|Lukas}})}}: The engine driver on Morrowland is Jim's closest friend. Where Jim represents adventurous youth, Luke is the man of experience and practicality who manages to solve almost every technical problem. He is very strong and is an expert spitter capable of spitting a loop. His trademark is his pipe, which he smokes in emotional situations.

;Princess Li Si: The daughter of the Chinese Emperor is rather headstrong and obstinate, especially when it comes to discipline. She admires Jim for his courage and intelligence, even though for most of the story he refuses to learn how to read and write, skills she has already mastered quite well. Her name is a pun on the German variant of ''Lizzy''.

;Emma {{nobold|and}} Molly: Luke and Jim's [[tank locomotives|tank engines]]. Emma is quite sensitive, expressing her feelings about Luke's mood by whistling and huffing, despite the fact she often does not quite understand the reason for her owner's mood. Molly is her daughter, thus smaller and younger.

;Mrs. Whaat {{nobold|({{lang|de|Frau Waas}})}}: The proprietor of a grocery store on Morrowland, and Jim's surrogate mother. She loves Jim dearly and worries about him constantly when he is on an adventure. Her special skill is making sweets, particularly ice cream and ''[[Gugelhupf]]''. One of Mrs. Whaat's ancestors was hearing impaired, saying "whaaaaat?" whenever he didn't understand properly, eventually earning her family its name.

;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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The myth of Atlantis had a special meaning to the Nazis, who held that Atlantis was the ancient homeland of the [[Aryan]] race. Children's books were imbued with Nazi racial policies and Atlantis was mentioned in many.<ref name="faz-jv1" /> [[Sun Koh]], the hero of a [[science fiction]] series, complains in a story from 1935 that the races were not kept pure, except in Germany, where a methodical racial policy was breeding the Nordic roots again.<ref name="faz-jv1" /> Koh says, "If our Atlantis once again rises out of the sea, then we will get from there the blond, steel-hard [[Man (word)|men]] with the pure blood and will create with them the [[master race]], which will finally rule the earth."<ref name="faz-jv1" /> Ende brings this scenario about, only with the decidedly non-blond Jim Button as king and Ende creates a multi-ethnic and -cultural paradise, a [[utopia]] where people from every corner of the earth, and even birds, flock to it because there is no fear there.<ref name="faz-jv1" />

While the world associates the word ''[[Führer]]'' with Hitler, in German, the word is in everyday parlance as "driver", "conductor" or "leader". Early in his first book, Ende writes, "Lokomotiven haben zwar keinen großen Verstand – deshalb brauchen sie ja auch immer einen Führer".<ref>Michael Ende, ''Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer''. Thienemann Verlag GmbH (2004), p. 22. Special edition. {{ISBN|3-522-17650-2}}</ref> In English, the sentence has only its superficial meaning, "EnginesLocomotives actually have no great understanding – which is why they always need a conductor". Not so in German, where it has a double entendre.

== Adaptations ==

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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]]