Short Round
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Indiana Jones character | |
 |
|
| Wan Li (Short Round) | |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | None |
| Portrayed by | Jonathan Ke Quan |
| First appearance | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom |
Short Round is a friend and companion to Indiana Jones, seen in the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The character is often seen wearing a New York Giants baseball cap. The character was played by Jonathan Ke Quan (credited at the time as Ke Huy Quan), his first appearance in a movie.
The name Short Round is a nickname - though it is not mentioned in the film, the official Indiana Jones website lists his real name as "Wan Li". [1]
Contents |
[edit] Background
Short Round is an orphan whose family was killed when the Japanese bombed Shanghai on January 28, 1932. During a visit to Shanghai, Indiana Jones caught him trying to pick his pocket, and took it upon himself to help the boy. While the official site gives his age as eleven (the age of the actor and therefore apparent age of the character), adding the age given for his parents' death (Jones claims that he has been on the street since he was four) to the amount of time which has passed since the bombing, he would be seven.
Short Round became close to Jones, and fiercely loyal to him, attempting to protect him from anyone who threatened him. A tough streetwise child, he was able to keep up with Jones when they found themselves in the midst of a dangerous adventure.
[edit] Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
When Indy and Willie Scott tumble out of the Club Obi-Wan, it is Short Round who is waiting as the driver of their getaway car. The three leave China together, and soon arrive in India. When they arrive at a poor Indian village, Short Round is the only child present. Jones quickly learns that the village's children were spirited away to the evil Pankot Palace (which has also stolen the village's sacred stone) and the trio of adventurers set off. Short Round is at first delighted to see that the Maharaja of Pankot is close to his own age, but the royal boy is distant and haughty.
Jones, Scott, and Short Round are drawn to an underground temple which practices human sacrifice. Willie and Short Round are captured while Jones is drugged with "the blood of Kali". Short Round, who was forced into slavery in the mines, learns that the drug-induced spell can be broken by burning. He escapes on his own and releases Jones from the "sleep of Kali-ma", and together they rescue Willie Scott. In the ensuing fight, Short Round and Jones free the other children, and Short Round realizes that the young Maharaja, with whom he has been fighting, has also been drugged. He releases the other boy, who gives them the information they need to escape from the catacombs.
Following the events of the film, Short Round settled in America. [1] Various sources state that in America, Short Round found a new home and family, remaining in regular contact with Jones.[citation needed]
[edit] Trivia
- Short Round made a cameo as an NPC in the computer role-playing game Ultima IV (1985). [2]
- A Basic-sized Decepticon Transformer in the Transformers: Cybertron line released in 2006 was also named Shortround. Characterized as a "destructive nerd", the robot bore no outward resemblance to the Indiana Jones character, but the name and bio note made him popular with fans.
- Short Round was parodied on the Family Guy special Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story when Stewie says that something was worse than that summer he spent in India the movie cuts to a clip where Indy, Willie, and Short Round are in the spike room. He says "Lady only here cause she humping director."
[edit] References
[edit] External links
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Films | Raiders of the Lost Ark • The Temple of Doom • The Last Crusade • Indiana Jones 4 |
| Television | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles |
| Characters | Indiana Jones • Willie Scott • Marion Ravenwood • Elsa Schneider Marcus Brody • Sallah • Short Round • Henry Jones, Sr. • Walter Donovan • Rene Belloq • Colonel Dietrich • Arnold Toht • Colonel Vogel • Mola Ram • Club Obi-Wan Triad |
| Cast | Harrison Ford • Sean Connery • Corey Carrier • Sean Patrick Flanery George Hall • River Phoenix • John Rhys-Davies • Denholm Elliott • Julian Glover • Wolf Kahler • Ronald Lacey • Paul Freeman • Amrish Puri • Michael Byrne |
| Crew | George Lucas • Steven Spielberg • Frank Marshall • John Williams |
