A Study Of Cultural Metaphor In The Film The Zootopia

The Zootopia is one of Disney's best films with image and connotation in recent years.It also won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2017.The film has a strong comedy effect,dream-chasing theme,whether its large frame or small details,the value of cultural metaphor in the film can arouse the audience's deep thinking.In the thesis,The Zootopia is chosen as a sample.Lakoff and Johnson's Conceptual Metaphor Theory,Gannon's Cultural Metaphor Theory,and Hall's Cultural Metaphor Theory are applied as theoretical frameworks to study cultural metaphor in The Zootopia.In the thesis,the research questions are mainly listed as the following:(1)How are different types of cultural metaphor distributed in The Zootopia?(2)What are the characteristics of cultural metaphor in The Zootopia?(3)What are functions of cultural metaphor in The Zootopia?In the thesis,the author applies Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Cultural Metaphor Theory to the study of cultural metaphor in The Zootopia.Conceptual metaphor first appeared in the Metaphors We Live By in 1980 by Lakoff and Johnson,which marked the study of metaphor into a new era and made more people pay attention to the research of conceptual metaphor.The term “cultural metaphor” is firstly put forward by Gannon in Cultural Metaphor: Readings,Research Translations,and Commentary.Gannon(1998)deem that cultural metaphor is conceptual metaphor in a culture.Between conceptual metaphor and cultural metaphor,there is a dispensable relationship.Therefore,the study of cultural metaphor on the basis of conceptual metaphor is reasonable and scientific in accordance with cognitive rules.However,cultural metaphor has its own features that conceptual metaphor does not totally equal to cultural metaphor.Applying Cultural Metaphor Theory to study unique functions and characteristics has significant importance in making a systematic study of cultural metaphor.Based on similarities between conceptual metaphor and cultural metaphor,a research is concluded on cultural metaphor systematically,which can facilitate to provide a new idea or perspective for studying cultural metaphor.Although the thesis is the study of cultural metaphor in The Zootopia,it is not confined to textual interpretation.The thesis is to get general and universal regularities by the means of conducting a study of cultural metaphor in The Zootopia.The thesis is a study of The Zootopia by using both methods of literature and qualitative research.The literature research is applied to study how different types of cultural metaphor are distributed in The Zootopia.The qualitative research is a main research method,and it is applied in the thesis to analyze metaphorical expressions and to illustrate the unique functions,characteristics of cultural metaphor.Taking the film The Zootopia as a sample and the author studies cultural metaphor.Some conclusions can be made clear.In the distribution of types of cultural metaphor in a film,political metaphor is used most frequently.The second is value metaphors and consumption culture metaphors.Cultural metaphor has many functions,including extending,elaborating and communication.The characteristic of cultural metaphor can be divided into subtle transmission of cultural value characteristics and develop core value characteristics of products.Through the analysis of metaphor,the audience can appreciate the film more deeply,so as to better understand the relevant culture.