簡單就是成功 解讀小黃人大火的奧祕
When it comes to film, people usually favor good over evil, focus on the protagonist and ignore the supporting characters. But when it comes to the Minions, these conventions go right out the window.
電影觀衆一般都會喜歡好人，厭惡壞人；關注主角，忽視配角。但是小黃人的出現，把這一定律拋到了九霄雲外。
Originally comedic background characters in the Despicable Me franchise, these yellow pill-shaped screwballs, including Stuart, Kevin, and Bob among others, have totally stolen the show and turned into a pervasive meme.
小黃人原本只是系列電影《卑鄙的我》中的背景人物，然而這些外形酷似黃色膠囊狀的怪人們卻搶盡了主角的風頭，並且已經成爲了流行文化元素。
This summer the characters debuted in their own self-titled movie in theaters abroad, having the second biggest opening weekend of all time for an animated film, according to USA Today. Recently, McDonald’s has been including Minion toys with kids’ meals in some regions, causing loyal fans to flock to the restaurant to collect them all. Related video games, apparel, toys and other merchandise are sweeping the world.
今年夏天，小黃人在大銀幕逆襲成爲主角。根據USA Today的報道，電影《小黃人》首映週末取得的票房成績，在所有動畫電影中高居第二。最近，很多地區的麥當勞也在兒童套餐中加入了小黃人玩偶，鐵桿粉絲們蜂擁而至，希望收集到所有的玩偶。其他周邊產品電子遊戲、衣服、玩具等也風靡全球。
The movie’s huge popularity even surprised its writers. “We never knew the Minions were going to be so popular. It just became a force of nature,” the film’s co-writer Cinco Paul told the Los Angeles Times.
電影的受歡迎程度甚至讓編劇都吃了一驚。“我們從來沒想到，小黃人會這麼受歡迎。已經成爲一股自然之力，”影片的聯合編劇Cinco Paul在接受《洛杉磯時報》採訪時表示。
So, what makes the banana-loving Minions a big hit? For many, the appeal is obviously their cuteness. Their simple, graphic nature can easily transcend cultures and age groups. “Even children can draw them,” Los Angeles Times reporter Rebecca Keegan wrote. Thousands of examples of fan-made Minion art, from fingernails to Halloween costumes, are visible on global social media platforms.
那麼，是什麼讓這些熱愛香蕉的小黃人們成爲大明星呢？對於很多人來說，“萌”是小黃人最顯著的吸引力。他們簡單的圖形屬性的外表，輕易地跨越了文化和年齡族羣間的障礙。“孩子們都可以把他們畫出來，”《洛杉磯時報》的記者Rebecca Keegan寫道。全球的社交媒體平臺上，充斥着成千上萬的粉絲自制小黃人周邊，從美甲到萬聖節服飾，無一不有。
But there’s more to the phenomenon than just cuteness. US entertainment website HitFix explains that their way of communicating makes the creatures infectious as well. They largely speak in nonsense words peppered with the occasional recognizable terms like “potato”. But it seems everyone can understand them through their exaggerated movements and expressions.
然而，小黃人的成功背後絕不僅僅只有賣萌。美國娛樂網站HitFix解釋道，小黃人的溝通方式同樣讓他們具有感染力。他們通常講得都是一些沒有意義的詞彙，偶爾可以識別出“potato”這樣的字眼。但是，通過他們誇張的動作和表情，幾乎每個人都可以理解他們的意思。
More importantly, their childlike mannerisms and brazen stupidity is a brand of humor that wins hearts. “Clumsy, foolish and helplessly herd-oriented, the Minions are the ultimate beta personalities,” wrote Peter Debruge of US entertainment magazine Variety.
更重要的是，小黃人孩童般的舉止以及蠢萌的行事風格，形成了他們獨有的幽默品牌，從而贏得了觀衆的心。“笨拙、愚蠢、無可抗拒的羣居傾向，小黃人代表着一種終極的懶散性格，”美國娛樂雜誌Varity的記者Peter Debruge寫道。（a beta personality (或者 type B) 是指那種喜歡無壓力自由自在生活的人，而alpha personalities (type A) 人羣則通常從成功和被認可中得到快樂。）
They desire nothing more than to serve their most despicable master, Felonious Gru. And this evil characteristic strikes a chord with humans.
小黃人們別無他求，只是爲了服務於他們最卑鄙的主人格魯。而這個反面角色卻引人共鳴。
“Perhaps we love Minions because they remind us of ourselves,” Huffington Post associate Web editor Sara Boboltz wrote. “Or an evil-henchman version of ourselves.”
“我們喜愛小黃人，也許是因爲在他們身上，我們看到了自己，”《赫芬頓郵報》的網頁副主編Sara Boboltz寫道，“或者看到了自己屈從惡勢力的一面。”
