Jump - Big Fish

Edward Bloom describes himself in his stories to be a very well liked individual who seems to succeed in everything he attempts. He eventually leaves his hometown because he believes he is capable of much more than what that small town has to offer. Will, his son, also describes his father to be quite charming with others as well as the life of the party. Throughout Edward’s life, however, he befriends some interesting characters, characters you may not think someone as captivating as Edward Bloom to associate himself with. As a child, he supposedly befriends a witch with a glass eye that if you look into it shows you how you die. When he is 18, he also befriends a giant named Carl who has been eating the town’s sheep. First of all, this reminds me of Ed Wood and Tim Burton himself. Both directors found themselves as outcasts and so they created a family of “misfits.” Burton uses the same actors and crew over and over again to replace the lack of family he had as a child. While Edward Bloom is in no way an outcast, he always seems to believe he is meant for more. That is one of the reasons he fabricates so many of his stories; he has so much ambition and passion, and so he uses his stories to fill his life with magic for reality lacks it. He is intrigued by characters like the witch and Carl because even though they are outcasts, they have something different to offer. When Edward leaves his hometown, he says he values most the opinion of the witch. She has insight into things no one else does, and he does not think it is something that should be taken for granted. He then leaves the town with Carl because he believes they are both too big for that small town. When he is convincing Carl to leave town, he tells him he needs to leave because he belongs in a bigger city. While it seems he is just saying that Carl is literally too big for the town, he also means he is mentally too big. He thinks there is more out there for Carl to accomplish for he was gifted with something different. Edward feels the same way about himself; he knows he has a lot more to offer the world than what is in his small town. He is “a big fish in a little pond.” Edward connects easily with characters who may be seen as different because he values the different things they have to offer the world. He is like Tim Burton in the way that he created a family of people who's talents are looked over, so he can give them a chance to shine.