Zootopia’s script potential extracted from its plot structure is $319-389MM

Zootopia, a 2016 animated film, is a place where all animals exist harmoniously till the sheep threaten its tranquillity. A bunny seeking acceptance teams up with a fox seeking honour to restore peace.

Mythological tales reveal the invisible Plot Structure of Zootopia

Stories are an interweaving of quests, each representing a fundamental human desire. These desires echo across time and cultures, finding their universal counterparts in mythological tales.

95% of the events in the story is borrowed from four mythological tales. There are 3 prominent characters in the movie.

Judy’s quest mirrors the tale of Theseus from Greek mythology, where both are driven by the desire to seek approval from others. Theseus undertakes multiple challenges to get accepted by his father. Judy is determined to be accepted as an equal in the ZPD.

Judy’s quest also mirrors the tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology where both are driven by the desire to collect & own. Valmiki inadvertently betrays his family. At the press conference, Judy also inadvertently betrays Nick.

Nick’s quest mirrors the tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology, where both are driven by the desire for Honour. Hanuman doesn’t trust Ram initially but later becomes loyal. Nick dupes Judy but later stands up for her.

Bellweather’s quest mirrors the tale of Circe from Greek mythology, where both are driven by the desire to dominate others. Circe’s façade of godliness fails to entice Odysseus. Bellweather attempts to entice Judy but fails.

Chief Bogo’s quest is subsumed in Judy’s first quest of seeking approval from others.

Detailed mirroring of each character to their respective mythological tales is in section “Unlocking the Ideal Plot Structure”

Blockbusters differ from Flops in the way they borrow from mythological tales

Blockbuster stories consistently defy the norms of conventional plot structures. The analysis of Blockbuster, Hit & Flop plot structures across decades and genres has uncovered an optimal method for incorporating mythological tales into storytelling. The Mythosis Code for creating blockbuster plot structures has the following principles -

Every blockbuster plot structure borrows events from at least three mythological tales.
Blockbuster characters are consistent and complex. Each character in the story reflects events from a single mythological tale, and the degree of mirroring is approximately 35%.
Blockbusters create a cohesive plot structure by intricately weaving the multiple tales. Characters are woven with each other through their quests and not merely by relationships. Quests become interconnected when events from two mythological tales occur simultaneously within the story.

Mythosis Code evaluation of Zootopia’s Plot structure

Zootopia’s plot structure borrows from four mythological tales.

Judy’s character mirrors events from two tales making her inconsistent. Nick & Bellweather uniquely mirror a single tale.

Both the quests of Nick & Bellweather are below threshold. Judy borrows 68% of the events from Theseus’ quest. Judy also borrows 24% of the events from Valmiki’s quest. Nick’s character borrows 31% of the events from Hanuman’s quest. Bellweather borrows only 14% of the events from Circe’s quest.

Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.50. Nick’s quest is interwoven with the quests of Judy & Bellweather. The quests of Judy & Bellweather aren’t interwoven. Zootopias’ quest interweaving score of 0.67 is above par. Here is an example of interweaving the quests of Nick & Bellweather:

Estimated potential of Zootopia’s Plot Structure

Each one of us is driven by at least one desire, which is why specific mythological tales resonate with us. When a story interweaves more tales, it broadens the story’s appeal to a wider audience. However, to realize the power of multiple quests, the quests must have sufficient depth and they should be interwoven.

The plot structure of Zootopia draws its strength from extremely powerful quest of Judy and Nick’s quest which is marginally below threshold. The continuity of the plot structure breaks down with the introduction of Judy’s 2nd quest.

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.

Zootopia’s plot structure has a score of 0.40. Zootopia will appeal to 11.41 – 13.95% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $319 – 389MM in the domestic market. The movie grossed $354MM.

Unlocking the Ideal Plot Structure of Zootopia

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 each character’s journey and weaving of quests without altering the story.

Extraction of each character quest

Quest 1: Judy mirrors the universal quest for Acceptance

Judy’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 2: Judy mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation

Judy’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 3: Nick mirrors the universal quest for Honour

Nick’s desire for Honour stems from the need to be loyal to a clan or order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.

Quest 4: Bellweather mirrors the universal quest for Power

Bellweather’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Power.

Ideal Plot structure reconstruction

The ideal plot structure of Zootopia has the potential to appeal to a fifth of the population. In Hollywood, less than 1% of the movies achieve 20%+ audience appeal.

• 1st intervention:
Reassigning the events of the “Accumulation quest” of Judy to Bellweather. The change makes Judy’s character consistent as well as deepens Bellweather’s quest. Moreover, the change doesn’t reveal Bellweather’s sinister plan. This change alone unlocks the potential of the plot structure resulting in a revenue upside of $125MM in the domestic market.

• 2nd intervention:
“Escape from Cliffside Asylum”: The escape plan currently attributed to Judy is part of Nick’s quest. The change deepens Nick’s quest.

Tags: 2016, Acceptance, Accumulation, Byron Howard, Character Arcs, Circe, Hanuman, Honour, Jared Bush, Mythology, Phil Johnston, Power, Rich Moore, Screenwriting, Story plot, storytelling, Theseus, Valmiki, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures