Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 04:51, 24 November 2023

Revision as of 13:09, 25 November 2023

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== Settings ==

"Morrowland", where the story begins, is a microcosm of early modern society, with a king, a [[Citizenship#Medieval and early modern citizenship|burgher]], a merchant, and a worker.<ref name="faz-jv1" /><ref group="note">But not quite. Luke is not actually a worker: he is not even counted among the subjects of Morrowland -– an obvious reference to the fact that he is actually that state's [[civil servant]], as engine drivers used to be in pre-reunification Germany.</ref> The novel and its sequel take place roughly in the 20th century, but have anachronistic elements. China is still an empire, [[Indigenous peoples in the United States|Native American Indians]] and [[Eskimos]] still live in traditional ways, yet there are ocean liners, telephones, a postal service, chewing gum and other modern conveniences. There are many fictional locations, like the "Crown of the World", a vast mountain range coloured in red and white stripes, and the "Magnetic Cliffs". Some locations are based on real places, such as the [[Himalayas]], and legendary ones, such as the magnetic cliffs in the ''Voyages of [[Sinbad the Sailor]]'' and a beautiful abandoned city under the sea, patterned after [[Atlantis]]. China is depicted in a phantasmic way; in later German editions, the country name was changed to ''Mandala''.

In Morrowland, people lead an old-fashioned, idyllic life, albeit with modern conveniences. The rest of the world, however, is full of fantasy. As the [[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]] wrote, children read Jim Button at a time in their lives when "the existence of dragons is as real as dinosaurs and kings [are] closer than the chancellor".<ref name="faz" /> The contrast between reality and fantasy is reflected in several places. In Morrowland, Jim is a normal child. He plays outside and doesn't like to wash; his mother sometimes worries about him. Outside Morrowland, however, he goes on adventures, experiences exotic cultures, fights a dragon and finally, saves a princess.

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;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.

;Ping Pong: A very young and tiny Chinese boy whose head is the size of a [[ping pong]] ball. Hardly more than a year old and no taller than a man's hand, he is already very capable of behaving and thinking like an adult.<ref group=note>This stereotypical depiction of the Chinese is common in the story. The country called China in the first editions of the book was later changed to "Mandala". The 1990 English translation again uses "China", however (Athenea Bell, Overlook Press, Woodstock, NY).</ref> He is one of the numerous descendants of the Emperor's chief cook; after saving Jim and Luke from a treacherous and manipulative minister, he is made Prime Minister of China by the Emperor -– a role which he fulfills surprisingly capably.

;Mrs. Grindtooth {{nobold|({{lang|de|Frau Mahlzahn}})}}: A pure-blood dragon and the main antagonist of the first story. Her name comes from the single fang projecting from her long snout. She is very knowledgeable and intelligent, but like all dragons, likes to torment lesser beings with her power. She runs a school for human children in Sorrowland.

;The Wild 13 {{nobold|({{lang|de|Die Wilde Dreizehn}})}}: A band of pirates completely identical in appearance and ability. Fearsome pirates and seamen, they are not particularly bright and are poorly educated, each of them knowing only one particular letter of the alphabet. First portrayed as antagonists, they evolve into important characters and plot carriers in the sequel.:Even though they are named "The Wild 13", they are actually only 12 men. This mistake happens because of a fault in their logic. Every day they elect one of their own as a new leader, so they reason they are twelve plus the leader, which results in them thinking they are thirteen.

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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'', was directed by [[Dennis Gansel]], produced by [[Rat Pack Filmproduktion]] and Malao Film, and released 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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* ''Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer'' (1977), [[Puppetry|puppet show]] directed by Manfred Jenning, based on children's novel ''Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver''

* ''Jim Knopf und die wilde 13'' (1978), [[Puppetry|puppet show]] directed by Manfred Jenning, based on children's novel ''Jim Button and the Wild 13''

* ''Jim Button'' (1999-20011999–2001), animated series directed by [[Bruno Bianchi (cartoonist)|Bruno Bianchi]], André Leduc, Jan Nonhof and Jean-Michel Spiner, based on series of children's novels ''Jim Button''

* ''[[Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver (film)|Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver]]'' (2018), film directed by [[Dennis Gansel]], based on children's novel ''Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver''

* ''[[Jim Button and the Wild 13 (film)|Jim Button and the Wild 13]]'' (2020), film directed by Dennis Gansel, based on children's novel ''Jim Button and the Wild 13''