Estimated vs Actual box office revenue: $219 – 267MM vs $293MM
91% of the events are borrowed from 4 mythological tales
Directed by Pete Docter, the movie follows the adventures of a 78-year-old who ties thousands of balloons to his house to fulfil his dream of travelling to South America. It explores basic human quests of ambition, honour, power and vengeance. Mythosis uses 4 mythological tales to extract the plot structure of the movie.
1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story
1A. 91% of the events are borrowed from 4 mythological tales
Carl’s quest is driven by the desire to collect & own and mirrors the tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology. Valmiki and Carl both forge new relationships when they shift their focus away from themselves.
Russell's quest is driven by the desire to serve their clan/order and mirrors the tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology. Hanuman & Russell demonstrate loyalty, showing a willingness to sacrifice themselves.
Muntz's quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders and mirrors the tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology. Both Duryodhan and Muntz become ruthless after repeated failures.
Alpha’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others and mirrors the tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology. Both Ravan and Alpha take whatever they want without any concern for the consequences.
There are 3 underdeveloped quests. Ellie’s quest for Independence, Kevin’s quest for Tranquillity & Dug’s quest for Idealism.
Detailed mirroring of each character 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 ideal plot structure of Up is # 869,994 that emerges from interweaving the universal quests of Vengeance, Accumulation Power & Honour.
2. Plot structure potential of Up: $219-267MM
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Up
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. Up uses 4 universal quests of Vengeance, Accumulation, Honour & Power.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Alpha mirrors the universal quest of Power. Carl mirrors the quest of Accumulation. Muntz mirrors the quest of Vengeance. Russell mirrors the quest of Honour.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Carl borrows 56% events from the universal quest of Accumulation. Russell borrows 16% from the quest of Honour. Both Muntz & Alpha borrows 19% from their respective quests.
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.Up has a quest interweaving score of 0.50 and is at par. An example of interweaving the quests of Russell & Carl:
2B. Plot structure is the most important but least understood element of storytelling
Any plot structure that borrows events from at least 3 mythological tales has high resonance. In our own lives, each one of us identifies with at least one quest to fulfil a basic human desire. Hence, when more quests are woven into a story, its starts appealing to a wider audience.
The nature of mythological tales used, makes the plot structure fresh & unique. Besides, appealing to a larger audience size, the choice of various human desires creates a unique and original story.
Interweaving mythological tales makes the plot structure cohesive. Stories become seamless when characters are woven with each other through their quests and not merely by relationships.
Characters are consistent when they mirror a single mythological tale. Characters pursuing more than one quest appear confusing due to their divergent desires.
Borrowing 35% or more events from each mythological tale strengthens both the plot structure & character. The plot structure becomes flat when characters borrow less than the threshold. Each mythological tale has multiple twists & turns hence no forced injection is required. Additionally, characters become layered & complex when their journey is deep.
2C. Measuring the revenue potential of Up
The plot structure of Up borrows from 4 mythological tales, its character quests are unique and their interweaving is also at par. The only drawback is that the remaining 3 quests besides Carl's quest are shallow.
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.
Up has a script potential score is 0.33 and the movie will appeal to 9.49 – 11.60% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $219 – 267MM in the domestic market. The movie’s actual revenue was $293MM.
3. The ideal plot structure of Up
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: Carl mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation
Carl’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect & 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: Russell mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Russell’s desire for Honour stems from the need to serve one’s clan/order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
Quest 3: Muntz mirrors the universal quest for Vengeance
Muntz’s desire for Vengeance stems from the need to confront & punish offenders. The tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Vengeance.
Quest 4: Alpha mirrors the universal quest for Power
Alpha’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Tags:2009, Accumulation, Blockbuster movies, Bob Peterson, Duryodhan, Hanuman, Honour, Mythology, Pete Docter, Pixar Animation Studios, Plot Structure, Power, Prediction, Ravan, storytelling, Valmiki, Vengeance, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
