The Wild Robot
Fails to make the script fly
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$69 – 99MM/ $143MM
Mythosis universal quests used
5
Audience appeal
1.63% – 1.99%
Hidden Potential
$510 – 560MM
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. The invisible plot structure of The Wild Robot
1A. The Wild Robot's script borrows 94% of its events 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.
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
#1733
Tales interweaved
Theseus, Psyche & Ravan
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 Wild Robot’s plot structure: $69 – 99MM
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 Wild Robot
- 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 have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. The Wild Robot quest interweaving score of 0.5 is at par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Roz & Brightbill:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of The Wild Robot
The two lead characters of The Wild Robot, Roz & Brightbill are inconsistent since both of them mirror multiple quests. Moreover, Brightbill’s primary quest is also erroneous that results in a broken plot structure.
Additionally, none of the character quests have the requisite depth. As a result, they aren’t layered or complex.
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
0.06
Audience appeal
1.63% – 1.99%
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 Wild Robot
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: 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:
- Dual quests for both Roz & Brightbill
- Erroneous representation of Brightbill’s primary quest
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
Mythosis has found The Wild Robot’s unique plot structure. 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.
- The plot structure is a causal arrangement of events from the 3 universal quests that makes the story cohesive.
- 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.
- It amends the events in Brightbill’s primary quest.
Enhance current revenues by 7x with Mythosis plot structure #1,733!
Tags: Psyche, Theseus, Ravan, Social Contact, Power, Acceptance, Chris Sanders, Peter Brown, DreamWorks Animation, Universal Pictures, 2024