The Little Mermaid
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$169 – 205MM V $298MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
4.44 – 5.42%
Script Score
0.16
The Little Mermaid is a 2023 movie directed by Rob Marshall that is loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale. The story is about a mermaid fascinated with the human world making a deal with the sea witch.
1. The invisible plot structure of The Little Mermaid
1A. The script of The Little Mermaid borrows 97% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Ariel’s quest is driven by the desire to explore. The quest borrows events from the tale of Innana in Sumerian mythology. Both Innana and Ariel pay the price for their imprudence of venturing into unknown territory.
Ursula’s quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders. The quest borrows events from the tale of Duryodhan in Hindu mythology. Both Duryodhan & Ursula make a treacherous plan to reclaim the kingdom from their kin.
Eric’s quest is driven by the desire for companionship. The quest borrows events from the tale of Psyche in Greek mythology. Both Psyche and Eric mistrust the “monster” that saved them but later fall in love.
Triton has an under developed quest of nurturing & protecting. His quest borrows a few events from the tale of Demeter in Greek mythology.
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
# 5,668
Tales interweaved
Innana, Duryodhan & Psyche
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 The Little Mermaid's plot structure: $169 – 205MM
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 The Little Mermaid
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. The Little Mermaid has 3 universal quests of Curiosity, Social contact & Vengeance.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Ariel mirrors the universal quest of Curiosity. Eric mirrors the quest of Social contact. Ursula mirrors Vengeance.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Ariel borrows 42% events from the quest of Curiosity. Eric borrows 12% events from the quest of Social contact and Ursula borrows 25% from the quest for Vengeance.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. The Little Mermaid’s quest interweaving score of 0.50 is on par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Ariel & Ursula:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of The Little Mermaid
The plot structure of Little Mermaid uses 4 universal quests but only one character quest is well developed.
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
0.16
Audience appeal
4.44 – 5.42%
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 The Little Mermaid
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: Ariel mirrors the universal quest for Curiosity
Ariel’s desire for Curiosity stems from her need to explore. The tale of Innana from Sumerian mythology is the universal quest for Curiosity.
Quest 2: Eric mirrors the universal quest for Social contact
Eric’s desire for Social contact stems from the need for companionship. The tale of Psyche from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Social contact.
Quest 3: Ursula mirrors 22% the universal quest for Vengeance
Ursula’s desire for Vengeance stems from her need to punish offenders. The tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Vengeance.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The 2nd and the 3rd quests are shallow and not well developed.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
Plot of The Little Mermaid is a subset of Mythosis Plot Structure # 5,668. It interweaves the tales of Innana, Duryodhan & Psyche.
Contact us for Mythosis Plot Structure # 5,668
Tags: Innana, Psyche, Duryodhan, Social contact, Curiosity, Vengeance, Rob Marshall, Walt Disney, 2023