Acknowledging plot similarities?

[Ireth]

In the course of writing my main WIP, I've noticed that the base plot is almost identical to a certain Disney/Pixar movie. Given that the book is very close to being finished and I have no intention of rewriting it from scratch, plus I think the differences in the way the story is packaged are enough to carry it in its own right, would it be okay if I nodded to the similarities within the plot itself as a sort of homage? Something like this:

(Context: Vincent and Dom, middle-aged brothers, are searching through Faerie for Vincent's teenaged daughter Ariel, who has been kidnapped by Prince Fiachra, the villain. Helping the brothers is Fiachra's sister Princess Meabh.)

Vincent: "Are you sure we're going to get there soon? The prince could be doing anything to Ariel right about now."
Dom: "Her Highness knows where she's going and what she's doing. Calm down, Marlin."
Vincent: *raises a brow* "Pardon?"
Dom: "Come on, don't tell me you aren't Marlin with legs. Paranoid, overprotective widowed father of one child, on an epic quest across uncharted territory to rescue said child from a kidnapper who wants to keep her forever... We even have Her Highness as our Nigel, the helper who knows the people Ariel is held with and can get us in to rescue her."
Vincent: *smirking* "So if I'm Marlin, does that make you Dory?"
Dom: "Just keep riding, brother."

 

[Netardapope]

In the course of writing my main WIP, I've noticed that the base plot is almost identical to a certain Disney/Pixar movie. Given that the book is very close to being finished and I have no intention of rewriting it from scratch, plus I think the differences in the way the story is packaged are enough to carry it in its own right, would it be okay if I nodded to the similarities within the plot itself as a sort of homage? Something like this:

(Context: Vincent and Dom, middle-aged brothers, are searching through Faerie for Vincent's teenaged daughter Ariel, who has been kidnapped by Prince Fiachra, the villain. Helping the brothers is Fiachra's sister Princess Meabh.)

Vincent: "Are you sure we're going to get there soon? The prince could be doing anything to Ariel right about now."
Dom: "Her Highness knows where she's going and what she's doing. Calm down, Marlin."
Vincent: *raises a brow* "Pardon?"
Dom: "Come on, don't tell me you aren't Marlin with legs. Paranoid, overprotective widowed father of one child, on an epic quest across uncharted territory to rescue said child from a kidnapper who wants to keep her forever... We even have Her Highness as our Nigel, the helper who knows the people Ariel is held with and can get us in to rescue her."
Vincent: *smirking* "So if I'm Marlin, does that make you Dory?"
Dom: "Just keep riding, brother."

In my opinion it's all good so long as it doesn't break the readers immersion. You should feel comfortable telling the story the way that you want to tell it, if you think doing this will add flavor to the story then by all means do it [emoji1]

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[arboriad]

Another approach that might a little more humorous in hanging that lantern without breaking the consistency of your story would be reference a myth of a fish searching for another fish. So don't use the names, but say something like,

"This reminds me of that story of a fish hunting for his son."

"So, that makes your the forgetful fish? "

"What?"

"Forget it. You never listened to the stories long enough. "

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[Ireth]

The characters having the conversation are from twenty-first century Earth, so it would make more sense for them to directly reference Finding Nemo rather than have me inventing a myth.

 

[bgmyhan]

It could work. The key here is shortness, if the reader doesn't quite get it the first read through all the better. It's more of an easter egg for the readers. Too closely and you're going to have to start referencing things and breaking your story to support another story. netardapose wrote that as long as it doesn't break the readers immersion and I agree with that.

 

[Caged Maiden]

I'm familiar with this story, and I know the daughter was dressed as Rapunzel when she was kidnapped, so I understand how you've already got Disney themes going on (and her name). To me, the story didn't ring any bells, and I was racking my brain to come up with which movie you felt the story emulated. But then when you wrote it into the post, I saw the connection.

This is only my opinion, but I think it feels too "cute" to me. Two middle-aged men are going to start talking about a cartoon movie? I'd expect they might be more likely to compare something in their quest to Die Hard or Saving Private Ryan, or something that might befit their own personal passions more. If one guy loves war movies, have him reference a popular war movie. Or if one of them is a gambler, compare something they encounter to how it feels to get knocked out of the final table just shy of the money placement.

If you think it fits, I believe the passage you wrote is fine, but to me, the context just feels odd. But maybe the characters are the kind of guys who watch Disney Channel instead of History Channel. It's up to you and your vision, really. Anyways, I think the dialogue is cute and works, and the point is well made in it. But I couldn't tell whether it was meant as a joke, or whether it was meant to be serious. If it's a joke, it worked and was amusing and silly. If it was meant seriously, it lacked drama and felt sort of random.

 

[Heliotrope]

I agree that it is not totally necessary. Same as Caged Maiden, I had no clue what you were referencing until I read the dialogue. Unless it was super obvious that the dad is very afraid of everything, risk-averse, and his buddy actually is super forgetful and suffers from short term memory loss, and the kid that this missing is kept in a fish tank I think most people would not make the connection.

 

[CupofJoe]

My only worry [and probably unfounded] is that you are referencing Disney. The famously litigious and pro-active in defending their IP Disney.

 

[Ireth]

My only worry [and probably unfounded] is that you are referencing Disney. The famously litigious and pro-active in defending their IP Disney.

*nod* I've decided to leave out the Finding Nemo reference, but I do mention Tangled early on in the story, with a lot of plot significance -- the MC dresses up as Rapunzel on Halloween, and uses a cast-iron frying pan to defend herself against the villain, who is a Fae and thus vulnerable to it. The MC is a huge Disney fan, so it's perfectly in character for her to dress up as a badass princess. As for why she uses a pan and not a knife, I needed her to wound the villain enough to (temporarily) get away from him without killing him. Stabbing him with a steel knife would have been a death sentence to him, since iron and its alloys are toxic to Fae when it gets into their blood. That would be a much shorter and less interesting story. XD

 

[Nimue]

To offer an alternative (I'm can't say one way or another whether it's a bad idea to reference Disney, but I prefer my fantasy fic without pop culture references) why not just have the MC cooking with a cast iron skillet? If it's important that she be outside, maybe she's burnt something and she's scraping it into the outdoor rubbish tip because it smells awful and her smoke detector is going off?

/random ideas

 

[Ireth]

To offer an alternative (I'm can't say one way or another whether it's a bad idea to reference Disney, but I prefer my fantasy fic without pop culture references) why not just have the MC cooking with a cast iron skillet? If it's important that she be outside, maybe she's burnt something and she's scraping it into the outdoor rubbish tip because it smells awful and her smoke detector is going off?

/random ideas

I'm not sure that would be sufficient. There are a lot of factors in the scene which lead into her interaction with the villain and subsequent kidnapping by him.

a) it's Halloween, which is the night winter begins on the Celtic calendar, thus the night the Fair Folk (including the villain) traditionally roam the mortal world to cause havoc
b) the MC is a fair ways from home after leaving a Halloween party, meaning her dad can't get to her in time to keep her from being kidnapped
c) the MC is arguing with her friends about the aforesaid Fae, which ultimately draws the villain's attention to her

Not to mention, the whole story is chock-full of literary and movie references by the MC and her family, who are avid readers. If that turns you off, I think maybe this isn't your kind of story.

 

[Nimue]

Well, it likely wouldn't be my cup of tea to begin with--the whole modern day meets magical world genre. Nothing wrong with it, of course, just a personal preference as I've been burned by it a few times. If the story is full of references, it seems like those Disney mentions would fit better than my first impressions. I take it you're going for more of an antidote to all those stories where the characters, say, meet vampires and never refer to classic vampire stories, or time travel and never mention the Terminator or Doctor Who?

 

[Ireth]

Well, it likely wouldn't be my cup of tea to begin with--the whole modern day meets magical world genre. Nothing wrong with it, of course, just a personal preference as I've been burned by it a few times. If the story is full of references, it seems like those Disney mentions would fit better than my first impressions. I take it you're going for more of an antidote to all those stories where the characters, say, meet vampires and never refer to classic vampire stories, or time travel and never mention the Terminator or Doctor Who?

That wasn't my intention, no, but now that you mention it, it does kinda seem like that. XD I just went with what felt right for the characters, analyzing new things they learn about the Fae by comparing it to what they've seen and read before. They're all a bunch of nerds, so they've got a lot of material to work with. I reference everything from LOTR and Narnia to Disney movies to the poetry of Christina Rosetti ("Goblin Market", to be specific).