Elemental
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$121 – 147MM V $154MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
3.11 – 3.80%
Script Score
0.11
Elemental is a movie from Pixar released in 2023 and is directed by Peter Sohn. A world where elements of nature – fire, water, earth, and air live in their own ghettos, a fire element forms an unexpected bond with a water element while trying to save her father’s convenience store.
1. The invisible plot structure of Elemental
1A. The script of Elemental borrows 91% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Ember’s quest is driven by selfish ambition. The quest borrows events from the tale of Valmiki in Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki & Ember lie to their families about their unscrupulous ways.
Ember’s quest is also driven by the desire for approval from others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Theseus in Greek mythology. Both Theseus and Ember overcome challenges to get recognized by those who rejected them.
Wade’s quest is driven by the desire for companionship. The quest borrows events from the tale of Psyche in Greek mythology. Both Psyche and Wade win back their loved ones after getting deserted.
Bernie’s quest mirrors the tale of Kaikeyi from Hindu mythology. The quest is driven by the desire for social standing & respect. Kaikeyi forces her step son into exile to protect her position. Similarly, Bernie refuses Amber the ownership of the fireplace for being friendly with Wade.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
# 26,855
Tales interweaved
Kaikeyi, Psyche & Theseus
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. The potential of Elemental plot structure: $121–147MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code, a set of principles for creating compelling stories. The plot structure of a story is analyzed to see how well it adheres to these storytelling principles.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Elemental
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Elemental has 4 universal quests of Acceptance, Social Contact, Accumulation & Status.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Ember mirrors the universal quests of Accumulation & Acceptance. Wade mirrors Social Contact & Bernie mirrors Status.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Ember borrows 16% events from the universal quest of Accumulation & 21% from Acceptance. Wade borrows 30% events from the quest for Social Contact. Bernie borrows 11% from the quest for Status.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Elemental’s quest interweaving score of 0.67 is above par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Ember & Bernie:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Elemental
The plot structure of Elemental reveals that besides none of the characters being well-developed, Ember’s character quest is inconsistent.
The Script Score measures a plot structure’s adherence to the four principles of Mythosis Code. We use the Script Score to estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.11
Audience appeal
3.11 – 3.80%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. The ideal plot structure of Elemental
We have identified 32 mythological tales, the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have also recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours that are deeply embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
Mapping a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Plugging these gaps with the missing events deepens the character quest. The missing events also provide an opportunity for interweaving the various quests. These events strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential.
3A.Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Ember mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation
Ember’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect and own. The tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology has a robust expression in Dicken’s character of Scrooge which is the universal quest for Accumulation.
Quest 2: Ember also mirrors the universal quest for Acceptance
Ember’s desire for Acceptance stems from the need to seek approval from others. The tale of Theseus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Acceptance.
Quest 3: Wade mirrors the universal quest for Social Contact
Wade’s desire for Social Contact stems from the need to seek companionship. The tale of Psyche from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Social Contact.
Quest 4: Bernie mirrors the universal quest for Status
Bernie’s desire for Status stems from the need for social standing & respect. The tale of Kaikeyi from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Status.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The plot structure is weakened by the inconsistent quest of the lead character and every other quest is either shallow or not well-developed.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot of Elemental is a sub set of Mythosis Plot Structure # 26,855. It interweaves the tales of Kaikeyi, Psyche & Theseus.
Unlock the potential with Mythosis Plot Structure # 26,855
Tags: Theseus, Kaikeyi, Psyche, Valmiki, Acceptance, Status, Accumulation, Social Contact, Peter Sohn, Disney, Pixar, 2023