Tokens are for Games

When I learned about story maps, I thought the best application for them would be to create the evolution of a character. They map out the beginning, end and transformation a character goes through during the course of a story. I think this application would have worked out best for many of the Token Characters in history.

Token characters are the bane of many media consumers and tend to be the minority character in movies and TV shows. Usually they are one dimensional and have very little redeeming qualities. Recently, I went to see a movie called Rise of the Guardians where one of the characters happened to be a Token Character.

This is the Tooth Fairy. She is the only female in the main cast of characters and the only one who happened to be under developed. Seriously. She is the only underdeveloped character in the movie. Even a little girl named Sophie had more character development despite having only four very short lines.

It would have been better to focus their writing time of the Tooth Fairy than trying to cram smaller details here and there. This movie is so highly dependent on the actions of the Guardians that having one of them, especially the one who represents memories, being flat and just dragged along leaves a sour taste on the movie.