Hero Themes In Holiday Movies

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Do you ever notice heroes around the holidays? Most people see the holidays as a stressful time of the year; is it possible that heroes appear to make it less stressful? Around the holidays heroes appear everywhere. We often hear stories about an anonymous person going to Walmart and paying off people 's layaway bills. Many people have been blessed by this random act of kindness. Some people really appreciate the person who did this for them because they are unable to pay their bill but want a nice Christmas for their family. There are many holiday movies that depict heroes around this time of year. Several movies are The Santa Claus, The Polar Express and Jingle All the Way. All of these wonderful movies revolve around a central hero theme. …show more content…

In The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell examines this stage as a part of the hero 's journey when he or she must establish a connection or reconnection with a father figure. This is an important stage because the hero needs the connection to understand who they are. Once Buddy arrives in New York, heads for the Empire State Building where his father works to meet him for the first time. Arriving there he meets his father and his dad denies that Buddy is his son. Buddy 's dad seems upset and frustrated that Buddy is, in fact, his son. While Walter is upset, his wife and younger son Michael develop a love for Buddy and are so glad to meet him. Walter does not really develop a love for Buddy until the end of the movie when Buddy has finally run away because he feels that he does not belong with the family. Once Walter hears that Buddy has run away he is upset by his actions and how he made Buddy feel. In turn, when he and Michael locate Buddy with Santa in Central Park, they help Buddy to make people believe in the magic of Christmas. Walter puts on Santa 's outfit, and Michael takes his list to prove Santa is real in order to help bring back the spirit of Christmas to people. This stage plays the biggest role in Buddy becoming a hero because he is finally getting the love and support from his father that he needs. Buddy was sad that he had never really known his father or had a family. Making a connection with his father helps Buddy to grow and helped give him the drive to achieve his mission to bring back the spirit of