The new video-game-turned-movie Five Nights At Freddy’s delves deep into the creepy yet tragic story of the possessed animatronics at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, however, the film isn’t entirely clear on how exactly William Afton, aka Yellow Rabbit, is controlling the animatronics. Five Nights At Freddy’s was first released as a video game in 2014. Players take on the role of night security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s, and must survive five nights of attacks from the haunted animatronic animals. Since then, the franchise has grown to include various Five Nights At Freddy’s sequels and spinoffs, along with a brand new feature film.
One of the biggest twists at the end of Five Nights At Freddy’s is that the man who originally got Mike the job at Freddy’s is also William Afton, the creator of Freddy Fazbear’s, and also the murderer of several children in the 1980s, which led to his animatronics becoming possessed. More than that, William Afton is also the Yellow Rabbit, an animatronic that is essentially the boss of Freddy, Chica, Foxy, and Bonnie. He is the one who influenced Freddy and the animatronics to try and kill Abby and Mike. However, how exactly does Afton control these ghost children?
Yellow Rabbit’s Suit Gives William Afton Supernatural Powers To Influence The Ghost Kids
The missing link between William Afton and the children possessing the animatronics is the Yellow Rabbit suit. When Afton enters the Yellow Rabbit suit, he is given powers that allow him to directly influence the animatronics. This is why the Yellow Rabbit suit is so important, and why the Yellow Rabbit appears in the background of the film. Without the suit, Afton would just be the children’s murderer, but with the suit, he gains an extra ounce of power. In this way, the Yellow Rabbit suit is yet another disguise that William Afton uses to hide his identity, just as he fooled Mike into thinking he was a career coach.
There is also a power imbalance that likely plays a role in the relationship between Afton and the animatronics. Though the children don’t seem to remember Afton/Yellow Rabbit killing them, there is probably an understanding that Yellow Rabbit has power that they do not. Whether they understand it or not, they most likely realize that, somehow, Afton has leverage over them. Furthermore, the Yellow Rabbit suit puts a sheep’s face onto Afton’s wolf identity. Disguised as Yellow Rabbit, the children are likely to feel like they can trust Afton, and that is another reason why they do what he says.
Are The Children’s Drawings Of Yellow Rabbit The Source Of The Power?
Another aspect of Afton’s control over the possessed animatronics is the children’s drawings that hang in Freddy Fazbear’s. These are the main indicators that the Yellow Rabbit exists for most of the movie, as he often appears in them, and ultimately, the drawings become the key to freeing the murdered children. Therefore, the question remains: what kind of power do these drawings have? Though the movie doesn’t give a clear answer to this question, it does seem that the drawings in Freddy’s, and also Abby’s drawings, affect the animatronics’ memories and attitudes.
Because Five Nights At Freddy’s does not explain the origins or powers of the drawings, there can only be theories as to what they mean. Because the animatronics are being haunted by children, it could be that the drawings are made by them, and in turn, are the only means the children having of expressing themselves. The children do not understand what happened to them, so they draw the Yellow Rabbit as a friend. In this way, the drawings have power over the animatronics because they are their only source of information or truth. This would align with how Abby eventually frees the children.
How The Animatronics Break Free Of Yellow Rabbit’s Control
Ultimately, Five Nights At Freddy’s animatronics escape Yellow Rabbit’s control once Abby draws them a picture of the truth. Rather than portraying the Yellow Rabbit as a friend, she depicts him as their murderer. These new pictures jog the childrens’ memories, and therefore, the spell Afton has cast over them breaks. The animatronics turn on him and Afton is brutally wounded inside the Yellow Rabbit suit. Abby’s changing of the narrative via drawings shows that the animatronics were being manipulated by Afton because of his Yellow Rabbit disguise, and by returning their memories to them, they were able to turn their powers back onto their creator.
