Ideal Plot structure reconstructed with 3 mythological tales increase revenues by ~7X
Directed by Chris Sanders, the movie boasts of stunning animation and a star-studded cast. However, despite being based on Peter Brown’s heartwarming story, the script falls short and doesn’t evoke the same emotional response. Mythosis, with the help of mythological tales, has extracted the plot structure of the movie to estimate and unlock its potential.
1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story
1A. 94% of the events are borrowed from 5 mythological tales
Roz's quest is driven by the desire for approval by others and mirrors the tale of Theseus from Greek mythology. Both Theseus and Roz strive to get accepted by those who rejected them.
Roz's quest is also driven by the desire to prepare for future and mirrors the tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki and Roz work towards securing their family’s well-being.
Brightbill’s quest is driven by the desire for companionship and mirrors the tale of Psyche from Greek mythology. Both Psyche and Brightbill mistrust the “monster” that saved them but later fall in love.
Brightbill’s quest is also driven by the desire of independence and mirrors the tale of David from Abrahamic mythology. Both David and Brightbill prove their worth when they finally get an opportunity.
Vontra’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others and mirrors the tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology. Both Ravan and Vontra downfall is the result of an unscrupulous abduction.
Fink’s quest is both underdeveloped and inconsistent. His character vacillates between the universal quests of selfishness and loyalty.
Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
1B. 32 mythological tales are the source of all stories, even the untold ones
Human beings are driven by 16 fundamental desires. Every desire, whether encountering fulfilment or unfulfillment, gives rise to two distinct quests. Thus, a spectrum of 32 unique quests mirrors every human desire.
We have discovered mythological tales from across civilizations that uniquely portray each one of these 32 human quests. While each mythological tale stands as a distinct quest, the true magic unfolds when these tales are combined. This synergy is evident in the epics of Odyssey and Ramayan, where various universal quests seamlessly intertwine.
Combining any five tales from the 32, generates a staggering 24 million unique story plots. Take it a step further, by combining six tales the possibilities explode to an astounding 600 million!
The Wild Robot’s primary plot structure is #1733 that interweaves the tales of Theseus, Psyche & Ravan.
2. Plot structure potential of The Wild Robot: $69-99MM
2A. Plot structure evaluation
An analysis of Blockbuster, Hit & Flop plots has led to the discovery of Mythosis Code. The Code reveals the story principles shared by all Blockbusters. We use the Code to estimate a story’s potential.
All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. The Wild Robot uses 5 universal quests of Acceptance, Accumulation, Social Contact, Independence and Power.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Roz mirrors the universal quests of Acceptance & Accumulation. Brightbill mirrors the quests of Social Contact & Independence. Vontra mirrors the universal quest of Power.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Roz borrows 29% of events from the quest of Acceptance & 8% of events from the quest of Accumulation. Brightbill borrows 21% from the quest of Social Contact & 5% of events from the quest of Independence. Vontra borrows 7% from the quest of Power.
Blockbusters interweave different quests to create a tight plot structure. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. The Wild Robot quest interweaving score of 0.5 is at par. An example of interweaving the quests of Roz & Brightbill:
2B. Estimating revenue potential from the plot structure
The two lead characters of The Wild Robot, Roz & Brightbill are inconsistent since both of them mirror multiple quests. Moreover, none of the character are layered since the quests don't have the requisite depth. Inconsistent & shallow quests adversely impact the cohesiveness of the plot structure.
We have created an algorithm by assigning weights to the principles of The Mythosis Code. The algorithm calculates the potency of a story’s plot structure and estimates its corresponding audience appeal. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
The Wild Robot has a script potential score is 0.06 and the movie will appeal to 1.63 – 1.99% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $69 – 99MM in the domestic market.
3. The ideal plot structure of The Wild Robot
We have identified 32 universal quests that represent every human desire. These quests are the superset of thousands of stories across cultures that reflect our collective subconscious. Each quest has a structured sequence of events divided into 5 major arcs.
We map a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale (universal quest) which reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. The ideal Plot Structure is constructed by plugging these gaps with the missing events from the tale. These events strengthen both the journey of characters as well as the weaving of quests without altering the story.
3A. Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Roz mirrors the universal quest for Acceptance
Roz’s desire for Acceptance stems from the need to get approval of others. The tale of Theseus from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Acceptance.
Quest 2: Brightbill mirrors the universal quest for Social Contact
Brightbill’s desire for Social Contact stems from the need to find companionship. The tale of Psyche from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Social Contact.
Quest 3: Vontra mirrors the universal quest for Power
Vontra’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Power.
3B. Gaps in the current plot structure
The Wild Robot’s plot structure is disjointed mainly due to
1. Dual quests for both Roz & Brightbill. Roz's primary quest of Acceptance envelopes her secondary quest of Accumulation. Similarly, Brightbill mirrors Psyche's quest and in between mirros David's quest. 2. Erroneous representation of Brightbill’s primary quest. The impact of his quest has been compromised by altering the events from Psyche's quest,
3C. Unlocking the hidden potential
Mythosis has found The Wild Robot’s unique plot structure from the events in the existing script. Mythosis Plot structure #1733 interweaves the universal quests of Acceptance, Social Contact & Power. It is a blockbuster plot structure that can enhance current revenues by ~7X.
1. The plot structure is a causal arrangement of events from the 3 universal quests that makes the story cohesive.
2. It incorporates the missing events from the tales of Theseus, Psyche and Ravan to deepen the primary quests of Roz, Brightbill & Vontra. Thereby ensuring that the characters are consistent as well as layered. It avoids the common mistake of creating layered characters by borrowing from multiple tales that makes them inconsistent.
3. It amends the events in Brightbill's primary quest.
Tags:2024, Acceptance, Blockbuster movies, Chris Sanders, DreamWorks Animation, Mythology, Peter Brown, Plot Structure, Power, Prediction, Psyche, Ravan, Social Contact, storytelling, Theseus, Universal Pictures
