![]() Although we depart from a structuralist premise, to understand the archetype as a sign, we also argue that such formal structures do not allow an articulation of the literary object and its location per se. Footnote 1 We use the framework of archetype and displacement by drawing on Frye, but with a more pluralistic myth analysis extension found in the myth critique of Gilbert Durand ( 1979) to dissect the multi-layered mythical mini structures (themes, images, and archetype) found in the most celebrated Nezha animated films: Nezha Naohai (1979), Nezha: Birth of the Devil (2019) and New Gods: Nezha Reborn (2021). ![]() This article takes Northrop Frye’s ( 1971) principle of ‘displacement’ at its center, which simply put, is a vital and powerful conception, showing how mythical formulas are adapted and reappear in realist texts, but in displaced form, in other words a reiteration of preceding situations that lead to an ‘archetype.’ Frye defines an archetype as: ‘A symbol, usually an image, which recurs often enough in literature to be recognized as an element of one’s literary experience as a whole’ (Frye 1971, 365). Although there are differences between the media and the artistic expression methods formed by these differences, the fundamental narrative structure, spiritual connotation, and character images present in cinematic broadcasting, albeit different, has not changed dramatically. ![]() From text to image text, it is undoubtedly a conversion process completed with the help of a series of conversions and extensions of artistic codes that reinforce and defy the development of such past imagery in the particular times that it was created (Chengcheng 20). Nowadays, the dissemination of literary images on screen has become a major trend. These evolutionary clues and processes provide a powerful starting point for us to truly delve inside Nezha’s archetype and explore his image in contemporary Chinese animated films, while also providing a powerful grip on his actual position in Chinese history and culture. From Journey to the West to the Investiture of the Gods, from China's first color animation The Monkey King to the most recent animated films Nezha: Birth of the Devil and New Gods: Nezha Reborn, the image, narrative, and value of Nezha presented in animation has not only undergone many changes but also unprecedented innovations. Nezha, as a traditional cultural symbol, has a long recollection of the cultural call of the times in Chinese history. As such, Nezha’s intertextuality exposes the profound inner patterns that form and refashion the Chinese collective unconscious, performing as a recurring mirror that symbolically inform and transform human experiences in China. We argue that Nezha’s displacement and return in Chinese animation expresses the need and call for a traditional heroic image in a particular era. Using the framework of archetype and displacement as advanced by Northrop Frye, with a more pluralistic myth analysis extension found in the myth critique of Gilbert Durand, this article examines the multi-layered mythical mini structures within Nezha’s displacement and return in Chinese animation, to explore the themes, images, and archetype represented by the character from the perspective of Chinese history and culture. Examining the portrayals of Nezha, namely in those most celebrated animated films, we argue that his role as the epitome of a ‘god like figure’ is in constant displacement and return. From the classical Chinese literary masterpiece Investiture of the Gods to contemporary film animation, Nezha’s image is profound.
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