In general, cinema is an escapist’s dream. What better way to get away from the world for a moment than to sit in the dark and watch someone else work their way through a world completely separate from this one? What happens on that screen can’t hurt you, it might be able to toy with your emotions a bit, but at the end of the day, moviegoers are attracted to the theater for simple voyeuristic pleasure. What does that mean then when the character whose struggles you’ve been enjoying for the past hour suddenly makes direct eye contact with her audience? We don’t exist in that universe, how is it possible that she knows we’re here? Ah, but this is all the beauty of breaking the fourth wall. In this article, we’re going to take a look at two of the most iconic films that artfully break the fourth wall; playfully letting the audience know that the film is not taking itself too seriously, adding layers to the comedic appeal, and poking fun at our favorite form of entertainment.
In performances, the fourth wall is a convention that represents the invisible or missing wall that is implied to separate a piece and a viewer. It doesn’t just refer to film; it can be in literature, theater, video games, TV, and other forms of visual media. At its base, the fourth wall is the symbolic separation between this world and another universe unaware that their world is being subjected to others’ entertainment. The ensuing meta-commentary has the power to bring audience members into the story with just the right amount of a wink-wink nudge-nudge to let viewers know the character is in on the whole setup while simultaneously wrecking the audience’s suspension of disbelief. Hence, when the fourth wall is broken, the convention is shattered by acknowledging the audience, referencing the fictionality of the characters, recognizing tropes, or being self-aware within the piece of media.
Probably the most well-known example of fourth wall smashing is Deadpool. With the heavily anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine hitting theaters this summer, this filming style has returned to the spotlight. The existing Deadpool films are usually categorized as action-adventure, but the crass humor of the protagonist and his insistence on destroying the fourth wall make it a major contender with other comedy-centered films. Deadpool knows he is in a movie and is constantly commentating, chatting up the audience like an old friend. Not only does he have a direct line of communication with his fans, but he also acts as his editor and seems to be in almost complete control of how he is perceived by the audience even if he can’t control every situation in the world. The beauty of the Deadpool style is that it is just sly and funny enough to take the audience by surprise each time, keeping it fresh throughout his entire series.
While Deadpool might be one of the most popular examples of breaking the fourth wall, Disney’s The Emperor’s New Groove remains a classic example. The Emperor’s New Groove is just such a camp and fun film that it has become one of the most iconic and quotable movies to date. While Deadpool mostly sticks to having a conversation with his audience, The Emperor’s New Groove breaks the fourth wall in two different ways; by speaking directly to the audience and maintaining a self-awareness about the nature of the film itself.
From the very beginning, the protagonist, Kuzco, introduces the story to the audience as if he is the narrator and a character in the world. Within the first half of the movie, the film even stops for a moment as Kuzco enters the frame in front of the initial scene as though he also was just watching his story. He then speaks directly to the audience, drawing on the scene behind him with a marker, then leaves again. It’s almost like Kuzco made a whole extra wall. Rather than jumping out from the original story, he acknowledges the audience and makes a note establishing that he too is on the outside of the fourth wall here, and the wall between this ‘second self’ that is watching with us does not exist.
Kuzco crosses this newly created wall one more notable time; when his offscreen narration is speaking to the audience, his onscreen self butts in and speaks back to the narration. The layers established in this movie going from onscreen Kuzco to the Kuzco watching with us to the audience give this movie so much depth and add significantly to the comedic element.
Besides Kuzco’s narration and in/out of-world conversations, the movie is also hilariously self-aware. Unlike Deadpool where the character himself is in on it, the entirety of The Emperor’s New Groove knows it is a movie and thus parodies the traditional tropes that would be assigned to the genre of an adventure comedy family film. The movie acknowledges how nonsensical the trope of the endless Murphy’s law of a high-speed chase where the protagonists are subjected to ‘huge waterfalls with sharp rocks at the bottom’, or the antagonist popping up out of the shadows right when the heroes think they’re safe, or else the existence of a trampoline at just the right moment because sure why not. All these things are timeless tropes in adventure family films and calling them out as they appear or questioning their impossibility just makes this film that much more camp.
The reason that breaking the fourth wall has such a great effect on viewers is twofold. At its root, breaking the fourth wall deconstructs some of the most basic conventions of film. Movie characters aren’t supposed to be able to see us so by being slyly and sneakily commenting to the audience or looking directly into the camera, it makes the audience feel important to the story. This can add an element of comedy or call the audience out on something. However, the second reason it works so well is that it is rare. The number of mainstream films that break the fourth wall is relatively small, making its use much more shocking and fun.
The art of breaking the fourth wall in cinema serves as a delightful disruption to the traditional viewing experience, inviting audiences into a more intimate and self-aware engagement with the film. As illustrated through iconic films like Deadpool and The Emperor’s New Groove, this technique adds a unique layer of comedy and meta-commentary that enriches the storytelling. By directly addressing the viewer, these films not only highlight the constructed nature of cinema but also celebrate the viewer’s role in the narrative, making the experience both inclusive and entertaining. While the usage of this narrative device is sparing, its impact is profound, offering a refreshing twist on conventional storytelling that captivates and amuses, reminding us of the playful possibilities of film as a medium. As cinema continues to evolve, the clever integration of self-awareness and audience engagement through breaking the fourth wall promises to further enhance the magical escapism that movies provide.
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