Sometimes, works of cinema may ignore certain aspects of physics. One aspect of physics that is sometimes ignored in the world of cinema is alpine climate. Alpine climate is the phenomenon of reaching such a high altitude on Earth - above the edge of the habitat at which trees stop growing - that mean temperatures can be no higher than 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Although the specifics of this phenomenon are not known by the general populace, it is nevertheless pretty well known that temperatures decrease with higher elevation. My Neighbor Totoro, Kung Fu Panda, and Big Hero 6 are three films from three different studios that all ignore the physics phenomenon known as alpine climate, but there is a reason that each film does so.
In My Neighbor Totoro, alpine climate is ignored when Satsuki and May are flying in the air with Totoro, since neither of them express any sense of cold despite being warmed with merely their pajamas. Although Totoro is explicitly stated to be a forest spirit in the lyrics of the movie’s ending song, nowhere in the film is he shown to have the powers of controlling alpine climate. His powers consist of summoning a giant cat bus, flying, making it rain harder if he hits the ground with enough pressure, and being invisible to adults. Although the fly segment seems to occur in a dream, the fact that Satsuki and May both dream it, the fact that the tree Totoro planted in the girls’ backyard within this sequence actually grows after the girls “wake up”, and the fact that Totoro is a real person - as shown by how he helps Satsuki find May when the latter gets lost during the film’s climax - leads to the logical conclusion that Totoro did actually fly the two girls into the air. Despite the climate discrepancy, one can justify this scene because most - if not all - of the Studio Ghibli films contain a flying scene, either to further the plot or develop the characters. Here, having Satsuki and May fly with Totoro establishes the sense of fantasy and wonder that the two girls feel in Totoro’s presence, since flight is not an ability that human beings normally experience, especially out in the open air without machinery. As with most - if not all - Ghibli flying scenes, the sky in My Neighbor Totoro is painted in a similar fashion, much like an artistic signature for the studio. Thus, My Neighbor Totoro can justify having two children fly in the air wearing pajamas without either of the children feeling extremely cold. My Neighbor Totoro ignores Alpine climate in order to provide a scene expected from the work of its studio, as well as to create an innocent atmosphere of fantasy and wonder fitting of the film’s universe.
Kung Fu Panda ignores alpine climate near the beginning of the film, when Po launches himself in the air with a chair that has fireworks attached to it. In this scene, Po does not express any sense of cold despite being over 11,800 feet in the air and only wearing pants. We know he is over 11,800 feet in the air because 11,800 feet is the approximate height at which trees stop growing in China, and no trees are visible when Po reaches the apex of his lift. However, this lack of response to an extreme change in temperature is consistent in the film. When Po’s entire body is scorched with flames during his first training sequence with Master Shifu and the Furious Five. After being burned, Po reacts as though he merely ran a few miles, which is an underreaction to receiving third degree burns. Master Shifu and the Furious Five’s deadpan reaction to this confirms that such a resilience to an extreme change in temperature is not unusual in their world of Kung Fu Panda. To justify the film’s deliberate ignorance of alpine climate - and ignorance to some comical changes of heat in-general - one must consider the Wile E Coyote/Roadrunner cartoons. There, the focus of any sequence where a character is comically lifted up high into the air is their reaction to the pain they will feel when the fall down and hit the ground. Taking alpine climate into account would take away from this comedic focus and make the end result of the character hitting the ground much less satisfying. Furthermore, seeing Po go through pain and humiliation at the beginning of the film adds more resonance to the audience when Po becomes the kung fu hero he always dreamed about at the end of the film. Conclusively, Kung Fu Panda ignores alpine climate for the sake of a comedic gag as well as for the sake of character development.
In the movie Big Hero 6, alpine climate is ignored in another scenario of flight. Specifically, whenever Hiro is flying in the air with Baymax, his calf/shin is uncovered, but he does not react to the chilling sensation that he should feel in San Fransokyo. San Fransokyo is likely located where the real world’s San Francisco is located considering how several San Francisco landmarks are present in San Fransokyo - such as the Golden Gate Bridge - while Tokyo landmarks are not present (Tokyo architecture and designs are nonetheless still present on San Fransokyo’s San Francisco landmarks. In-fact, The Art of Big Hero 6 establishes that San Fransokyo was formed by Japanese immigrants after a powerful earthquake devastated the area where the real world’s San Francisco is located). The alpine climate discrepancy shown when Hiro flies with Baymax is consistent with Hiro entering the void of another dimension to
rescue Abigail Callaghan. The dimension he travels in when this occurs looks like a fantasy rendition of outer space, complete with objects drifting around with very little gravity. In reality, outer space is 2.7 degrees Kelvin, which is only 2.7 degrees above absolute zero. The exposed portion of Hiro’s legs should have been very stiff in that temperature, but the fact that they were not - in addition to the fact that he went into the portal dimension without expressing any wariness of the freezing temperature - shows that this is most likely a regular aspect of physics in the world of Big Hero 6. Additionally, it is interesting to note that Hiro’s supersuit is not the only one with exposed skin: Honey Lemon’s fingers and the lower part of Wasabi’s head from the bottom of his nose to his neck are all exposed. The entire team also spends time flying relatively comfortably with Baymax, so it is likely that - in their world - alpine climate does not affect them the way it would in the real world. As with many decisions in filmmaking, this aspect of physics was likely ignored during Hiro and Baymax’s flight scenes for the sake of character design. A notable aspect of Hiro’s design is that he wears short pants that expose his calf/shin. Thus, his supersuit also exposes his calf/shin to maintain a silhouette that communicates the appearance of Hiro. Hiro’s older brother Tadashi similarly has some of his calf/shin exposed due to wearing short skinny jeans, which helps communicate that the two boys are brothers. Therefore, Big Hero 6 ignores alpine climate for the sake of aesthetic consistency, which helps make the film feel more unified overall in-regards to the appearance of its lead protagonist.
In the end, the phenomenon of alpine climate is oftentimes not followed in movies that depict fantasy flight, but the audience is willing to suspend their belief strongly enough that this can continue to happen over the course of multiple movies. Some movies, such as My Neighbor Totoro, may ignore alpine climate to induce a feeling of fantasy and wonder. Other movies, such as Kung Fu Panda, may do so for comedy and character development. Lastly, films like Big Hero 6 may ignore alpine climate for the sake of character design fluidity and appeal. The idea of flying - undeterred by climate and other natural forces - is a storytelling element that has existed for several centuries, so it is a storytelling trope that is here to stay.
