Family films are something that have been enjoyed for many decades. They often create a fantastic world that will enchant audiences and eventually become beloved stories. A big aspect often seen in these films is a protagonist that possesses some kind of gift. Where does this gift come from? How does it grow? Most importantly, how do the screenwriters who are responsible for bringing these gifted heroes to life go about it?
Using the screenplays of Kubo and the Two Strings, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Encanto, and Coraline, I take a deep dive into the portrayal of gifted children. The gifts that these protagonists have range from inherited magic to psychological ones focusing on curiosity and being able to appreciate the oddities of life. Analyzing a screenplay allows an audience to learn more about the inner workings of the story and provides glimpses into the thoughts of the screenwriters. For instance, some of the lines of character description and certain wording in the action can allude to why a character behaves a certain way. By analyzing screenplays to better understand the gifted hero, it helps bring a portion of the population to light, a population that many look over. What can the screenplay do that, when the film is fully produced, can make an audience member look at the hero and go “I see myself in them.” That is why it is important to study screenplays. Despite not being a traditional medium, screenplays are a form of literature. There is much more beyond the finished product that a film can offer. Family film screenplays can showcase their journey to strengthen their give through intense emotion and a gendered lens to show how extraordinary these children are. Utilizing shooting scripts and final drafts, the powerful lines of action, and what was cut can help bring these protagonists to life.
","abstract_html":"<p>Family films are something that have been enjoyed for many decades. They often create a fantastic world that will enchant audiences and eventually become beloved stories. A big aspect often seen in these films is a protagonist that possesses some kind of gift. Where does this gift come from? How does it grow? Most importantly, how do the screenwriters who are responsible for bringing these gifted heroes to life go about it?</p> <p>Using the screenplays of <em>Kubo and the Two Strings, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Encanto, </em>and<em> Coraline</em>, I take a deep dive into the portrayal of gifted children. The gifts that these protagonists have range from inherited magic to psychological ones focusing on curiosity and being able to appreciate the oddities of life. Analyzing a screenplay allows an audience to learn more about the inner workings of the story and provides glimpses into the thoughts of the screenwriters. For instance, some of the lines of character description and certain wording in the action can allude to why a character behaves a certain way. By analyzing screenplays to better understand the gifted hero, it helps bring a portion of the population to light, a population that many look over. What can the screenplay do that, when the film is fully produced, can make an audience member look at the hero and go “I see myself in them.” That is why it is important to study screenplays. Despite not being a traditional medium, screenplays are a form of literature. There is much more beyond the finished product that a film can offer. Family film screenplays can showcase their journey to strengthen their give through intense emotion and a gendered lens to show how extraordinary these children are. Utilizing shooting scripts and final drafts, the powerful lines of action, and what was cut can help bring these protagonists to life.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Williams, Sarah"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)","degree_level":"Capstone","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Anna Weinstein","Chris Palmer"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-12-14T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2022-12-14T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:58Z","subjects":["Screenwriting","Gifted Children","Representation","Film","Family Film","Animation","Live Action","Creative Writing"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mapw_etd/130","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Anna Weinstein","Chris Palmer"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Williams, Sarah"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2022-12-09T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Capstone"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Screenwriting","Gifted Children","Representation","Film","Family Film","Animation","Live Action","Creative Writing"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mapw_etd/130"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Family films are something that have been enjoyed for many decades. They often create a fantastic world that will enchant audiences and eventually become beloved stories. A big aspect often seen in these films is a protagonist that possesses some kind of gift. Where does this gift come from? How does it grow? Most importantly, how do the screenwriters who are responsible for bringing these gifted heroes to life go about it?
Using the screenplays of Kubo and the Two Strings, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Encanto, and Coraline, I take a deep dive into the portrayal of gifted children. The gifts that these protagonists have range from inherited magic to psychological ones focusing on curiosity and being able to appreciate the oddities of life. Analyzing a screenplay allows an audience to learn more about the inner workings of the story and provides glimpses into the thoughts of the screenwriters. For instance, some of the lines of character description and certain wording in the action can allude to why a character behaves a certain way. By analyzing screenplays to better understand the gifted hero, it helps bring a portion of the population to light, a population that many look over. What can the screenplay do that, when the film is fully produced, can make an audience member look at the hero and go “I see myself in them.” That is why it is important to study screenplays. Despite not being a traditional medium, screenplays are a form of literature. There is much more beyond the finished product that a film can offer. Family film screenplays can showcase their journey to strengthen their give through intense emotion and a gendered lens to show how extraordinary these children are. Utilizing shooting scripts and final drafts, the powerful lines of action, and what was cut can help bring these protagonists to life.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["With the Screenwriter's Pen: An Analysis of the Representation of Gifted Children in the Family Film"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Anna Weinstein","Chris Palmer"],"dc:creator":["Williams, Sarah"],"dc:date.available":["2022-12-09T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Family films are something that have been enjoyed for many decades. They often create a fantastic world that will enchant audiences and eventually become beloved stories. A big aspect often seen in these films is a protagonist that possesses some kind of gift. Where does this gift come from? How does it grow? Most importantly, how do the screenwriters who are responsible for bringing these gifted heroes to life go about it?
Using the screenplays of Kubo and the Two Strings, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Encanto, and Coraline, I take a deep dive into the portrayal of gifted children. The gifts that these protagonists have range from inherited magic to psychological ones focusing on curiosity and being able to appreciate the oddities of life. Analyzing a screenplay allows an audience to learn more about the inner workings of the story and provides glimpses into the thoughts of the screenwriters. For instance, some of the lines of character description and certain wording in the action can allude to why a character behaves a certain way. By analyzing screenplays to better understand the gifted hero, it helps bring a portion of the population to light, a population that many look over. What can the screenplay do that, when the film is fully produced, can make an audience member look at the hero and go “I see myself in them.” That is why it is important to study screenplays. Despite not being a traditional medium, screenplays are a form of literature. There is much more beyond the finished product that a film can offer. Family film screenplays can showcase their journey to strengthen their give through intense emotion and a gendered lens to show how extraordinary these children are. Utilizing shooting scripts and final drafts, the powerful lines of action, and what was cut can help bring these protagonists to life.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mapw_etd/130"],"dc:subject":["Screenwriting","Gifted Children","Representation","Film","Family Film","Animation","Live Action","Creative Writing"],"dc:title":["With the Screenwriter's Pen: An Analysis of the Representation of Gifted Children in the Family Film"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Capstone"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:58Z"}