Ferris Bueller is another Eternal Hero. It's always nice to see one in a non-action genre. It has an interesting effect on the Herald's Call because it is the protagonist issuing it. And I probably just re-spurred debate on who the protagonist of this movie is. I don't remember the outcome of the last time this was discussed. Seems to be clearly Ferris Bueller to me :).

Lol, never even crossed my mind I could be opening that can of worms suggesting this one. I'm of Camp Cameron, myself. He's a reluctant protagonist for sure, but still the one with the story. I suppose whatever your viewpoint on that, it's still a call to action. :)

Ah, the never ending Ferris Bueller Protagonist discussion :) There was a post last year where Scott offered his analysis: http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2011/04/question-who-is-protagonist-in-ferris.html I think it comes down to what one's definition of a protagonist is. People seem to define that term differently depending on what school of thought they come from. To me, the protagonist is the pursuer of the overall story goal. The antagonist is the character who is trying to prevent the protagonist from achieving that goal. The main character is the one we experience the story through. With that said, I have to put myself in the Ferris camp for both protagonist and main character. Yes, Cameron goes through a transformation, but he's not the driving force behind the story. He comes to a realization at the end of the story that he must change but that is only because he has passively and somewhat reluctantly gone through an experience that made him come to this realization, not because he pursued that goal consciously. To Cameron, Ferris is the impact character that inspired him to stand up against his father which is exactly what Cameron needed whether he knew it or not. In some people's view that makes Cameron the protagonist, but I think that his arc and the fact that he changes is secondary. But again, that depends on what your definition of is is.

Always fun to have this debate because there is a set of expectations about a 'typical' Protagonist: They are the central character, the story is told through their perspective, all the other characters are tied to them, their goal defines the Plotline, they go through the biggest metamorphosis. If you go by that list, Ferris fits the bill for four out of five. But he doesn't change. Cameron does. And since metamorphosis is such an default dynamic for a Protagonist figure, that is probably why some people think of Cameron as the Protagonist. This is a great example where the organic nature of story trumps whatever terms of analysis we use for interpretation and analysis. No matter what we say or which side we come down on, the story works. From two previous discussions which you can read about here, I suggested that Ferris is the Protagonist for the Plotline and Cameron is the Protagonist for the Themeline. Another way of articulating that: What if Ferris is the Central Character and Cameron is the Protagonist? Again at the end of the day, it doesn't matter because the story works. A good cautionary tale about applying artificial categories and constructs onto an organic entity like a story. They can be valuable for analysis and crafting a story, but never to the point of constricting the soul of the narrative.

Ha! Teddy, you beat me to it. Should have read the whole thread before posting my other comment.

There it is! I knew this seemed familiar. Yup, still stand by my comment there. And even some insightful stuff I forgot about. The antagonist(s) in the film are directed toward Ferris (Ed Rooney and Ferris's sister). I love examples that show the fluidity of story, as this DD does.