Summary
TheFive Nights at Freddy’sfilm was released last month and made good on its promise to deliver an experience tailored toward the series' biggest fans. While its overall narrative was an amalgamation of variousearlyFNAFtitles, namelyFive Nights at Freddy’s 1andFNAF 3, some of its most crucial elements were taken from the extensive lore beyond those titles. One such element, a doll-like animatronic that appears throughout the film, may have appeared as a generic robot to general audiences. However, fans know that this animatronic, and the doll on which it is based, are among the most important figures inFNAF’s entire lore. By looking at theFive Nights at Freddy’sseries' various novelizations, fans and newcomers alike can better understand who the film’s doll-like animatronic is, and how its presence may shape the future of the series on-screen.
TheFive Nights at Freddy’sfilm follows Security Guard Mike Schmidt and his sister Abby as they uncover the secrets of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Place. Near the middle of the film, Mike is introduced to an inactive doll-like animatronic, through which Vanessa, a visiting Police Officer, explains the concept of spring traps. Spring traps were used to allow humans to don animatronic suits. However, they were highly sensitive, with the smallest bit of moisture or jarring movement springing them back into place, killing their wearer. Near the film’s climax, Abby is nearly stuffed into the doll-like animatronic, as Golden Freddy and Afton’s influenced animatronics enact a plan to make her the next victim.
RELATED:Five Nights at Freddy’s: Movie and Game Story Comparison
Who is FNAF’s Doll-like Animatronic?
While some moviegoers suspectedFNAF’s doll-like animatronic to be a stand-in for Circus Baby, the truth is that the doll is a critically important figure from the books, named Ella. Ella is a creation of Henry Emily, the co-founder ofFreddy Fazbear’sand the genius behind the series' animatronic technology. Ella was a doll created for his young daughter Charlie. After Charlie’s death at the hands of William Afton, Henry poured his grief, tears, blood, and agony into Ella, with the latter bringing the doll to life. Believing the doll to possess Charlie’s soul, Henry created four robot bodies, through which the animatronic Charlie could grow and experience four main life stages: toddler, child, teen, and adult.
Each animatronic was filled with a different emotion pertaining to Charlie’s death. Ella/Toddler-Charlie was built with sadness. Child-Charlie was built with madness. Teen-Charlie was built with regret and confusion. Lastly, adult-Charlie was left unfinished, as Henry dies before her completion, having created a final animatronic to put himself out of his misery.TheSilver Eyes Trilogyof novels follows teen Charlie as she uncovers her family’s history and eventually discovers the truth of her existence.
After Henry’s death, his business partner, William Afton, stole the adult-stage Charlie animatronic, which had the unique ability to change its appearance using pins and hallucinogenic sound waves. Afton repurposes this body into Circus Baby, whom he hopes to be his main attraction. However, one night Circus Baby kills Afton’s youngest daughter, Elizabeth, whose soul then inhabits the robot’s body. InFive Nights at Freddy’s: The Fourth Closet, a teenage Charlie is confronted by Circus Baby, who reveals the truths behind their shared existence. In the end, teen-Charlie uses her father’s murder animatronic to, in an instant, destroy herself, Ella, and Circus Baby, seemingly bringing the saga to an end.
RELATED:Five Nights At Freddy’s Director Reveals If There Will Be An R-Rated Cut
FNAF’s Ella and Circus Baby Have Resurfaced in Recent Literature
Five Nights at Freddy’slore is a complicated matter, as it bends and refines itself with nearly every multimedia entry. Books have become an important part of the lore, with their role as “parallel truths” giving way to canonical in-game appearances, such asFNAF: Security Breach RUIN’S The Mimic. Recently theFazbear’s FrightsandTales of the Pizzaplexnovel series have shifted the focus away from Afton as the series' big bad, withFrightsin particular pointing towards the return of Circus Baby. Throughout the series, both Ella and Circus Baby, specifically the one described inThe Silver Eyes Trilogy, appear. In fact, Circus Baby is explicitly revealed as the series' major villain and William Afton’s successor.
Prior to the release ofSecurity Breach, many fans suspected Circus Baby to be revealed as the title’s main villain, with Afton being a manipulation of the character’s overarching plan. This would align with the narrative ofFazbear’s Fright’s Epilogue narrative, which played out across each entry in the series. When the game went a different direction, fans were left questioning what Circus Baby’s prominence in the novel series meant. WhenRUINwas released in July 2023, the questions continued, as its main villain was revealed to beThe Mimic, a central figure inFright’s follow-up seriesTales from the Pizzaplex. However, the DLC did include quite a few references to Circus Baby, including several hidden rooms and collectibles that paid tribute to her appearances across other media. These references have led to a resurgence in theories around the character.
Ella’s appearance in theFive Nights at Freddy’sfilm is a critical plot thread, as creator Scott Cawthon is quite purposeful in what is presented outright to fans. It also makes the film the latest in a recent stream of releases that hint towards Circus Baby’s potential return.FNAF: Security Breach RUIN, theFazbear’s Frightsseries, theTales from the Pizzaplexseries, various forms of merchandise, and last month’s surprise release ofChica in Space, from Cawthon himself, have all includedreferences to Circus Babyor a Carnival setting. While the film’s canon may be separate from that of other sources, Ella’s appearance still has major ramifications, as it opens the door for deeper lore to make its way to the big screen. Those who stayed late into the film’s credits were given a brief glimpse of where the films may take Ella’s story, as the cryptic playing ofMy Grandfather’s Clockhints at an appearance from Charlie’s in-game parallel, the Puppet.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Five Nights at Freddy’s is a first-person survival horror and resource management game from Scott Cawthorn that raced to popularity thanks to its creepy animatronic enemies and its array of panic-inducing jumpscares. Bringing life to a cavalcade of well-known characters like Freddy Fazbear, Chica, Foxy, Bonnie, and more, Five Nights at Freddy’s has seen immense success, spinoffs, and fan games.
