We all love animals. Our pets, creatures in nature documentaries, and even the critters in our gardens. But when you’re writing them into your movie- most likely an animation, because as the old mantra goes, “never work with children, water, or animals”- it’s important to remember to keep in mind that they aren’t just human. You can write a very different kind of character.
They can be any of the Nine Character Types- no matter the species, the Character Types always apply. But consider the fact that they are animals will affect how they interact with the world. What their physical capabilities are. How they demonstrate the traits of their Character Type.
Animal motivations and behavior adhere to one of the Nine Character Types, but as these examples demonstrate, the animal’s natural instincts present them with a variety of challenges.e.
Power of Love
Lady (Barbara Luddy), Lady and the Tramp
Power of Love characters are often mentors, caregivers or parents at their best. They are stalkers and needy codependents at their worst. They see their value in how others love them, and they believe that those they show affection to owe them love in return.
Lady and the Tramp is a classic romantic comedy, and Cocker Spaniel Lady falls for the charming, rough-around-the-edges Tramp (Larry Roberts). Lady is protective of both friends and family alike.
Dogs are incredibly affectionate pets. They are willing to protect those they love no matter the cost. Lady is no exception. She is one of the best examples of a Power of Love animal. Throughout the film, every action she takes is to preserve and to protect her loved ones. Lady demonstrates the positive side of Power of Love.
Power of Imagination
Po (Jack Black), Kung Fu Panda
Power of Imagination characters are those who are reluctantly called upon to embark on an epic quest or fulfill a destiny thrust upon them. Po is a classic example of an unwitting hero when he is unexpectedly declared the true “Dragon Warrior” of his realm by Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman).
In contrast to the other Kung Fu warriors, Po is an overweight, food-obsessed Panda whose adoptive father runs a noodle shop. Nothing about him suggests he could be a savior or a warrior. But he brings his fellow Kung Fu masters together and embraces his destiny.
Po headlines a classic Power of Imagination tale, Kung Fu Panda. This is unlikely hero judged for his appearance and his species. He defies the “just a cuddly and peaceful Panda” cliche. Po gives his all as a Power of Imagination character, as he unites his fellow kung fu masters.
Power of Will
Tai Lung (Ian McShane), Kung Fu Panda
On the flipside of Po is Tai Lung, who was also a protege of Master Shifu. He turned to the Dark Side and his powers for evil. As a Power of Will Character, Tai Lung is interested in control and domination.
Power of Will characters desire is to subjugate and conquer. Tai Lung’s wants to become the Dragon Warrior, for his own selfish reasons.
Unlike Po, Tai Lung is a cat, a snow leopard. His feline tendencies lead to some humorous moments. Power of Will Characters conquer because they fear being vulnerable. We learn that Tai Lung felt abandoned, one of the reasons for his tyrannical tendencies.
Power of Will characters can either be one-dimensional or richly detailed. Tai Lung falls into the latter category. Tai Lung is the perfect foil for Power of Imagination, Po. He mistakes kindness and caring for weakness and assumes an overweight, bumbling Panda could be the Dragon Warrior and defeat him.
Power of Excitement
Dodger (Billy Joel), Oliver and Company
Power of Excitement Characters are charming thrillseekers who are the life of the party and never think of the consequences of their endless pursuit of pleasure.
In Disney’s animated adaptation of Oliver Twist, streetwise mutt Dodger takes displaced orphan kitten Oliver under his wing. Oliver learns bad habits under Dodger, a dog who shirks responsibility and lives only for his enjoyment. Life is a game to Dodger, and New York City is his playground.
Dodger’s opening musical number “Why Should I Worry? Why Should I Care?” defines his carefree character, and demonstrates the other side to dogs as pets. They are Power of Excitement characters because they live only for what gives them joy.
Power of Ambition
Nick (Jason Bateman), Zootopia/Zootropolis
Zootopia is, if you’ll pardon the pun, a very different beast to the other movies featured on this list. The film takes place in a world of animals, as opposed the human world which features animals interacting with humans.
Power of Ambition characters are eager to gain approval or impress others with a false front. They can never be themselves because they are constantly trying to be something else. These Characters can be Salesmen or Con Artists, like Sly Fox Nick.
Foxes are cunning animals that slink away from trouble, and Nick is very much of that mind. When he is caught up in a conspiracy that threatens the whole of Zootopia, he is still only interested in escaping police custody, making a quick buck, and going back to his old ways.
Power of Conscience
Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), Zootopia/Zootropolis
Power of Conscience Characters believe that they know exactly what is right and what is wrong. They operate by their own moral compass and think others should live up to a similar high moral standard. These characters will do anything to expose injustice or corruption
Rabbit Judy Hopps is the driving force behind Zootopia. She uncovers the problem at the heart of the movie and sets most of the major events of the plot in gear. She has always had to fight for what she believes in. Everyone else in the police force underestimates her due to her size and her species.
Judy has no personal life because she is dedicated to upholding the law, even when everyone tells her she isn’t good enough to do so. She is undoubtedly a force for good in the film, but skewers on the more neurotic side of the spectrum. She is uptight, critical, and immediately bristles at her unwilling partner, Nick.
Power of Idealism
Remy (Patton Oswalt), Ratatouille
Power of Idealism characters are never satisfied. They are forever reaching for perfection, even though they can never achieve it. They want to indulge in life’s luxuries because everything else is below them. They see life as one big drama, full of highs and lows, with nothing in between.
Remy is introduced to the audience as a character unhappy with his lot, who wants to reach far beyond his station. He is fed up with living and eating like the rest of his rodent brethren.
Living in Paris, Remy wants to be a gourmet chef in the culinary capital of the world. His species is a terrible setback. If he were any other animal, it might just be feasible to be a chef. The stigma of being an “dirty rat” propels him onward to achieve his dream.
Remy finds a vessel for his craft in bumbling human kitchen boy Linguine (Lou Romano). Remy manipulates the boy to set the restaurants of Paris alight with talent and creativity. Ratatouille is a great animal Power of Idealism story.
Power of Reason
Rabbit (various), Winnie the Pooh
Power of Reason characters value logic above all else. The world is a series of puzzles that must be solved, and everything must have a rational answer. Any deviation from order and fact will result in chaos.
The fun-loving inhabitants of the Hundred-Acre Wood, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet, upend Rabbit’s need for peace and sanity with their anarchy and disorder. Their antics are a burden on Rabbit’s life. In his ideal world, he would be left alone to farm his carrots and live the quiet life. His neighbor’s problems and turmoil will never allow this.
Rabbit is similar to his real-life animal counterparts. He is twitchy and forever on guard. Rather than this being a survival instinct, it is because he is forever aware that his friends will disrupt his peace and orderly approach to life.
Power of Truth
Gill (Willem Dafoe), Finding Nemo
Power of Truth characters are paranoid, forever on the lookout for enemies and traps that might betray them. They are distrustful and uneasy about everything. They occupy themselves with trying to uncover slights and solve mysteries. These characters are often Detectives or Neurotics.
Gill is a fish who has been through a lot- his scars tell a story about why he distrusts humans and believes that there is a conspiracy surrounding the fish tank he is stuck in. He is acutely aware his life is under threat by the dentist who imprisoned him.
It’s amusing to see such a bitter, jaded character in a children’s film. Perfectly by Willem Dafoe, Gill seems more like a grizzled Private Eye or conspiracy theorist than an Angelfish in a Fish Tank. Gill’s paranoia is justified. He knows every inch of the tank in which he is trapped, and uses it to his advantage to escape.
For more examples of all the character types, you can purchase my in-depth e-books at the ETB shop, or you can read more articles on all the “Power Of…” types including James Bond, Doctor Who, Batman and Sherlock Holmes, every Tuesday. There are also 9 pinterest boards full of character examples online. Check them out and let us know at [email protected] if you have any other suggestions.
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If anyone knows how to make a story relatable, it’s the masterminds at Pixar Animation Studios. KaptainKristian’s wonderful video essay explains his take on their methods.
I don’t agree that Cars, Brave, or Frozen rises to the Pixar stellar quality level My essay on Brave: How Good is Good Enough is here. My essay on Frozen is here. My opinions are controversial and in the distinct minority. Remember, it is possible to love something that is deeply flawed and sub-par. Don’t confuse loving something as a fan with the clarity of thinking needed to be a professional. But lots in this video essay ring absolutely true.
If you’re on Pinterest, why not follow my Pinterest board full of Writing Advice? It will be updated weekly, so you can keep track if you ever need an excellent video essay suggested solutions to whatever problems you are facing. You can always drop me a line at [email protected] with the subject “Ask Laurie” and I will do my best to answer it. I might even include it in an upcoming edition of Writing Advice Wednesday!
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In Lincoln, written by Tony Kushner and directed by Steven Spielberg, President Lincoln so firmly believes in the necessity of Emancipation that he is willing to authorize all manner of arm-twising, dirty deals, and political bribery to get the bill passed. At the time, Thaddeus Stevens, played in the movie by Tommy Lee Jones, said, “”The greatest measure in the nineteenth century was passed by corruption, aided and abetted by the purest man in America.”
In Zero Dark Thirty, written by Mark Boal and directed by Katherine Bigelow, a young CIA operative called Maya, played by Jessica Chastain, is obsessed with finding and killing Osama Bin Ladin. She is involved in morally reprehensible torture in order to help track down her quarry. She is driven and relentless, so much so that when she is successful she has no idea what to do next.
Bigelow explains in an interview, “I think what’s so interesting and so poignant for Jessica, myself, for all of us, is this idea that this woman (Maya) has spent the last ten years exclusively in the pursuit of one man and yes, at the end of the day, she triumphed, but it’s not a victory because finally, at the end of the day, you’re left with much larger questions like, where does she go from here? Where do we go from here? Now what?” Chastain adds, “I find that to end the film on that question is far more interesting than providing an answer.”
Can I find the flexibility, the forgiveness, or the mercy to make reasonable compromises?
In Lincoln, the person that has a real protagonist’s journey is Tommy Lee Jones in the role of Thaddeus Stevens. Stevens spent his political life advocating for total Negro emancipation, including the right to vote and own property. He was adamant and uncompromising. In the final, down-to-the-wire vote-taking, Stevens must turn his back on everything he has always stood for in order to assure that Lincoln’s lesser bill passes. Steven’s struggles mightily with his conscience but finally allows practicality to win.
At the time Stevens said: “Believing then, that this is the best proposition that can be made effectual, I accept it. I shall not be driven by clamor or denunciation to throw away a great good because it is not perfect. I will take all I can get in the cause of humanity and leave it to be perfected by better men in better times.”
Steven’s leap of faith was being flexible enough to allow an imperfect bill to pass because that served the greater good.
In the film, Les Miserables, written by William Nicholson and directed by Tom Hopper, prison guard Javert, played by Russell Crowe, cannot compromise his strict moral standards. He finds it impossible to have mercy and not enforce the strict letter of the law. What is legal is not always just. And what is just is not always legal. This is a great dilemma for Power of Conscience characters. Javert is in such conflict that he would rather kill himself rather than compromise his precise and rigid sense of duty in favor of what is just and merciful.
In the animated film, Brave, written by Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, and Irene Mecchi, and directed by Andrews and Chapman and co-directed by Purcell, Queen Elinor is a Power of Conscience character. She is a strict and demanding taskmaster, a perfectionist, and is driven by a strong sense of tradition and royal responsibility. Over the course of the story she finds the flexibility to recognize her daughter’s uniqueness and she learns to fully appreciate Merida for who she is.
What is the higher duty?
Power of Conscience character universally wrestle with the question of what their inherent morality and sense of duty asks of them. These characters fear not living up to their own internal standards or sense of propriety and decency. They are afraid of being or becoming unworthy and must continually prove their own “goodness” or “righteousness”. These characters don’t fear failure in the eyes of the world; they fear not living up to their own (often impossibly high) moral or ethical standards.
As I said before: What is just is not always legal or proper. And what is legal or proper is not always just. What is more important? Is the spirit of the law or the letter of the law more important? When is it right to be pragmatic and flexible rather than unbending and unyielding in your standards? When is being flexible and pragmatic being lax and immoral? Power of Conscience characters provide a fascinating glimpse into one set of humanity’s great dilemmas.
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I saw Brave this weekend along with a surging box office crowd. It’s Pixar after all and their first film with a female protagonist in the studio’s 17 year history.
Settling down in the theater seat I saw what seemed like a dozen trailers for upcoming animated films. There is a lot of competition out there!
All of the visuals for the coming attractions looked great, and so does Brave. Every review of Brave (even the bad ones) wax poetic about the lush scenery, the gorgeous colors, the spectacular hair, the realistic fur, and the impressive claws!
Folks, I’m here to tell you– The technology war is OVER. How much more realistic can you make rippling water, wind-whipped tresses, galloping horses, and sleek bear pelts? Great visuals are now the norm. Every animated studio film has them and the incremental improvements, unless they are game-changing, don’t add up to very much in my book. Are technological advances in fur, hair, and water really the reason why we go to movies? Is it to watch a fabulous moving painting?
We go to movies for the same reason people sat around the castle hearth in 10th century Scotland– for a great story filled with memorable characters! Brave, set in that very time and place, repeats over and over “Legends are lessons.” That is true of the best stories. They tell us what it is to be human in all our fragility and strength, blindness and insight, and selfishness and transcendence.
What story exactly is Brave telling? What is the lesson in this legend? The film’s very muddled narrative adds up to a lack of complexity and not enough heart. If the film’s visuals were on a par with the story we’d be watching stick figures.
I knew Brave was in trouble from the first few words spoken in voice over as the film began. Merida (Kelly Macdonald) uses the words “fate” and “destiny” interchangeably. This muddle-headedness is at the heart of the film’s problem.
What’s the difference between fate and destiny? Philosophers through the ages have distinguished the two based on choice. Fate is something that happens TO you. Destiny is something that happens BECAUSE of you.
Fate is at the root of such words as “fatal” and “fatalistic.” It implies LACK of choice. Philosopher Rollo May says fate is what we are born into, something that cannot be changed and that we have no control over, such as race.
May says destiny is what we create based on what we were given. Destiny is all about CHOICE. It’s what we choose to do with what we have.
Merida is born a princess. She can’t change that. Her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), is grooming Merida for a role as future queen. After a long series of wars King Fergus (Billy Connolly) has united the four clans. Merida’s duty is to help keep the clans unified though a judicious marriage.
Merida is a wild rebellious child with special talent as a rider and archer. The demonstrations of her skills are absolutely breath-taking. She is unique and extraordinary and initially looks very much like a Power of Idealism character.
These kinds of characters are driven by their passion. They abhor what they consider to be a mundane, boring, or mediocre life. They want to seize some grand destiny that is uniquely theirs.
The film starts out like a Power of Idealism Coming of Age story. The deeper human questions at the heart of these stories are: How can I be true to myself and find my rightful place in the world? What is my own special destiny?
Well drawn female protagonists in this vein are:
Paikea (Keisha Castle-Hughes) in Whale Rider. This film, for those who haven’t seen it is described on IMDB as “A contemporary story of (family) love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.”
Jess Kaur Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) in Bend it Like Beckham is another example. IMDB states the film’s log line as “The (talented) daughter of an orthodox Sikh rebels against her parents’ traditionalism by running off to Germany to play with a girl’s football team (soccer in America).”
Unlike Paikea or Jess, Merida doesn’t fight for what she believes is HER destiny. Merida, instead, decides to change her mother! Perhaps this is because Merida has no clue about what she is really called to do.
Now the story gets even muddier. With the help of an old witch’s spell Merida does indeed change her mother — into a bear.
Instead of figuring out who she is and what she uniquely is called to do, Merida must again deal with who her mother is. In the struggle over the middle part of Brave, Queen Elinor becomes the protagonist.
The definition of a protagonist, in my book, is the person who makes the biggest emotional sacrifice in the story. It is the person who undergoes the most profound transformation. This is clearly Elinor on every front.
Queen Elinor is a Power of Conscience character. She is a strict and demanding taskmaster, a perfectionist, and is driven by a strong sense of tradition and duty. Over the course of the story she recognizes her daughter’s uniqueness and fully appreciates Merida for who she is.
The first important glimpse of Elinor’s change of heart is the brawl in the great hall after Merida has disappeared. When Merida strides back into the hall it is Elinor who puts words in Merida’s mouth. Elinor speaks through her surrogate about going against tradition and marrying for love. It is Elinor who makes an eloquent plea for choice and following one’s heart. Merida is just her passive interpreter. At the end of the film Elinor is willing to sacrifice her own life in a battle with the ancient cursed bear, who one would assume, was the monster who took off her husband’s leg. Or not? Who knows?
Even more confusingly this monster turns out to be the legendary brother, it would seem, who destroyed the ancient kingdom so long ago because of his pride and selfishness. How did he turn into a bear? Was it mother love or something else that breaks his curse?
When a legend and curse is set up so carefully it should have a pay-off having to do with Merida or her destiny– if the film is really about Merida.
And what does Merida do that is so brave? She scurries around looking for the witch’s house after her mother turns into a bear. She stitches up (with big clumsy childish stitches) the tapestry she slashed separating her from her mother. She does a lot of running away and running around. She is ineffective in battling the monstrous cursed bear. And she collapses in tears remembering her mother’s loving kindness as the second sunrise threatens to make her mother’s bear curse permanent. In other words, she acts like a child– or worse a girl.
At the end of the film, Elinor has changed but not Merida. Merida is the same galloping wild child as she was in the beginning. This refusal to accept restrictions, grow up, or take responsibility is Power of Excitement territory. It is a sinking back into childhood rather than striding toward an adulthood based both on duty and and an individualistic sense of self. If you are a young woman, what is the lesson here?
Brave offers no alternative vision of how Merida might help unify the clan in some way that is uniquely hers. It provides a very unsatisfying resolution. How has Merida changed or grown? What happens when King Fergus and Queen Elinor are too old to rule? What is Merida’s role going forward?
There is so much missed opportunity in Brave. Manohla Dargis writing in The New York Times laments: “The association of Merida with the natural world accounts for some of the movie’s most beautifully animated sequences, and in other, smarter or maybe just braver, hands it might have also inspired new thinking about women, men, nature and culture.”
The story thuds along on the surface. None of the characters in Brave is particularly complex or have much emotional depth. Although Elinor and King Fergus are a love match now, theirs was an arranged marriage. Did either ever love another? How does either feel about the fact neither might have chosen the other if it was up to choice? How did they eventually find love together? That is rich emotional territory that never factors into the story– or in Elinor’s advice or lessons to Merida. It seems incredible that a loving mother wouldn’t speak of her own experience on the eve of arranged betrothal, especially if it was a struggle that ultimately lead to happiness.
King Fergus himself, is a simple lovable loud-mouth lout. He is the very broadest brush-stroke Power of Will character. He’s a big, larger than life presence. He is a man of lusty appetite– for food, wine, and brawling.
Merida’s three suitors are a joke. None of them is remotely appealing. This is a huge mistake and gives Merida no pause for thought nor any temptation to chose a different path. It removes essential inner conflict for her. All the conflict in the story is the simplest external conflict. No one has self-doubts. No one struggles within themselves.
How did the film go so wrong, except for the visuals? Joe Morgenstern writing in The Wall Street Journal reports: “Brave was a notoriously troubled production, with a change of directors that clearly led to a change of narrative direction. (The complexity of the final credits reflects the tortuous history: directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman and co-directed by Steve Purcell, from a script written by Messrs. Andrews and Purcell, Ms. Chapman and Irene Mecchi.)
Colin Covert writing for The Minneapolis Star Tribune pretty much sums it up: “The standout characters, exciting set pieces and memorable songs that we’ve come to expect are absent. The truest advertising tagline would be, “From the studio that brought you ‘Cars 2.’“
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Pixar story artist Emma Coats has tweeted a series of “story basics” over the past month and a half — guidelines that she learned from her more senior colleagues on how to create appealing stories. My thoughts are in parenthesis:
#1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes. (Trying, failing, and getting up again is what gives a character heart. Characters are vulnerable when they are trying and strong when they are successful. Vulnerability is key to audience bonding).
#2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different. (It’s the emotional component that endears a character to the audience. Don’t get too clever with other elements– trying to be hip, smart, or cool).
#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite. (We rarely know what we are writing until after we’ve written it. Once you have a first draft you may be surprised by what the story is really about. Take out everything that doesn’t enhance or support what is really going on at the heart of the story).
#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___. (Simple simple simple. If you can’t tell the story using these beats and described in one or two sentences go back to the drawing board).
#5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free. (What an audience wants is a simple story filled with complex emotions NOT a complex story filled with simple emotions).
#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal? (This goes back to vulnerability. Adversity doesn’t build character it reveals it).
#7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front. (If you know you are going to Boston from LA there are lots of ways you can get there. But you don’t get anywhere if you don’t know exactly where you are headed).
#8: Finish your story, let go, even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time. (If you write one script you have a project. If you write lots of scripts you have a career. Keep writing. Keep moving forward in your career rather than continually reworking a single project).
#9: When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up. (When you are stuck write what you can write. Write what you know about the story even if it is based on a list of “my character would never do THIS.” After you’ve written the list ask yourself what would it take to get your character to do each of the things you believe the character would never do? As long as you are writing something you are moving forward).
#10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it. (What moves your heart? Work on stories that profoundly speak to you).
#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone. (Incremental progress is key here. You’ll never know what you have if you don’t write it down. Be content to write a crappy first draft. Then at least you have something to work with).
#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself. (Keep pushing your story and character to extremes. What is the most unlikely thing that could happen? What would make your character completely unlikeable? Then how would you turn that around?)
#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience. (Specifics make great characters. A character’s specific world view colors everything he or she says or does. Look at the Nine Character Types on the navigation bar above and then ask yourself “Is this how my character sees the world?”)
#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it. (Never write anything that bores you or in a genre you don’t respect. Both approaches are death to the finished story).
#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations. (I disagree PROFOUNDLY with this advice. I don’t think you should ask “what would I do in this situation” unless you share the character’s specific world view. See the Nine Character Types on the navigation bar above. You should, instead, ask what would some do who believes THIS is true about the world, about love, and about life).
#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against them. (The story is in the struggle).
#17: No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later. (Let your character’s lead you. Sometimes you have to write 30 pages of a first act you’ll never use. YOU needed to know this information– the audience doesn’t).
#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining. (Don’t be a sloppy writer. Work hard to get it right. But don’t let the pursuit of the perfect rob your audience of what is wonderful but imperfect).
#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating. (I love this one. Coincidences that lead to problems, danger, challenges, or threats are surprising. Coincidences that lead to escapes, avoiding consequences, or allowing characters to get what they haven’t earned ruin a story).
#20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like? (Ask yourself what is missing here, or out of place, or not the result of cause and effect? It’s often easier to learn from someone else’s mistakes than to recognize your own).
#21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way? (I’ve got to disagree here too. Ask yourself what would a character with a specific world view do in this situation? What would push his or her buttons? What would challenge a character with this world view the most?)
#22: What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there. (What is the single image that defines your story? What’s the poster? As crass as that seems it’s the briefest short hand of the story).
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Monsters Inc. is set in Monsteropolis and in its main energy supply company. An assembly line of closet doors on the company’s “scaring floor” provide entry to the monsters to pop out, scare children and generate the screams that power Monsteropolis.
Protagonist, James P. Sullivan “Sully” (John Goodman) is a genial, lovable and caring big blue furry monster. He is a Power of Love character and the top performer in the company, followed closely by his main rival Randall Boggs (Steve Buscemi). Sully’s manager/trainer is Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal). He is a fast-talking short green cyclops who is a publicity hound Power of Ambition character. Mike basks in Sully’s reflected glory and assists Sully in his duties.
The problem in Monsteropolis is that children are becoming harder and harder to scare. The joke is that the monsters are actually terrified by children. An elaborate containment routine is triggered when so much as a child’s sock enters their world. Complete chaos ensues when a little girl, Boo, accidentally follows Sully back to Monsteropolis. She isn’t afraid of Sully at all and calls him “kitty.”
After the initial shock, Sully immediately protects, hides and cares for the child. Boo falls into the clutches of the Chairman of Monsters Inc., Henry J. Waternoose (James Coburn) and Randall Boggs in a plot to enslave children and forcibly extract their screams. Randall is a chameleon-like Power of Truth character. He possesses the ability to change color in an sneaky stealthy shape-shifting way that truly terrifies Boo.
In uncovering the plot and rescuing Boo, Sully and Mike also discover that more power is generated by laughter than by fear. Randall and Waternoose are exposed and defeated. Monsters Inc. revamps its approach and generates even more power. Mike finally graduates to having his own door and Sully reunites with Boo for a final tender good-bye.
This wonderful Pixar movie made me wonder what in my life is powered by fear. It made me wonder what would happen if I turned off that switch and changed tactics, like Monsters Inc. It’s my belief that any decision generated by fear is the wrong decision. Fear always speaks to the worst in us. What leap of faith would I need to take to generate more power through joy? What would I need to change in my life to do that?
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I watched Pixar’s A Bug’s Life last night and was struck by the similarities in the story to what is happening in Egypt and all around the Middle East. The film is a powerful statement of “there are more of us than there are of them.”
Whenever a ruthless dictator and a few brutal henchmen seize power and squander the resources of the community, they rely on fear, intimidation and violence to keep and maintain the repressive status quo. Once the community wakes up and realizes its own inherent power, it can’t be stopped in its demands for freedom and autonomy. It is usually the young who lead the way.
In the real world, the community may have to take several runs at the oppressive regime over an extended period of time but “you cannot stop an idea whose time has come.” In the Middle East we see a surging hunger for democracy and a desire to end the repressive exploitation that has kept so many people poor, overworked and paralyzed by fear.
Here is my commentary on this wonderful Pixar film released in 1998 and well worth another look today.
In A Bug’s Life, an island colony of hard-working ants is exploited by a dictatorial grasshopper thug, Hopper (voiced by Kevin Spacey). Hopper and his vicious henchmen extort most of the colony’s food each summer. The ants are left with very little time to gather what meager provisions that are left.
Flik (voiced by Dave Foley), is young ant who rebels against the traditional conformity of ant society. He is an individual thinker and an odd-ball eccentric. Flik is a Power of Idealism character. These characters want to find their special place in the world, be extraordinary in what they do and are often called to some great destiny (usually as a freedom-fighting warrior/leader). They are misfits, mavericks and rebels. These characters reject popular opinion or the demands of authority to maintain and assert their own unique individuality and break through the accepted conventions of society.
All the other ants in the film march in lock-step following exactly the ant that went before. They panic when the “line” is broken by a randomly fallen leaf. Flik wants to do things differently. He’s invented a threshing machine to make grain collection faster and easier. He goes off on his own to do his own thing. None of the other ants want anything to do with him. Because he’s young and still learning, Flik’s inventions tend to end in disaster.
When Flik adds his pile of food to the offering for the grasshoppers, he accidentally dumps everything into the stream. The grasshoppers arrive and are furious to find that their tribute booty is gone. They double the extortion price and the colony will most likely have to work themselves to death and starve when their last food reserves are taken.
Flik offers a radical idea. He will leave the colony, find a band of warrior insects and lead a rebellion against the evil grasshopper regime. Everyone thinks he is crazy but they send him off on what they see as a suicide mission, mostly to get rid of him. They don’t want any problems or delays in their desperate attempts to gather more food for the grasshoppers. The only ant who believes in Flik is Dot, a youngster who is the littlest member of the ant royal family.
Dot (voiced by Hayden Panettiere) is a Power of Imagination character. Like all of these kinds of characters, she is innocent and naive. Power of Imagination characters are childlike in their beliefs. They are often overlooked small and gentle souls who believe against all odds, trust against all conventional wisdom and have faith against all experience or reason. Dot has absolute unwavering conviction in Flik’s abilities. She watches for him and when he returns she says: “Flik you came back. I knew you could do it!”
Any rebellion against the status quo requires true believers in the impossible. In the recent rebellions, it has been the women (the mothers, grandmothers and daughters) who have quietly been providing food, water and medical attention to the protesters, believing with simple unwavering conviction in what here-to-fore has seemed impossible to achieve. I am sure some women probably fought but the pictures mostly have demonstrated the quiet resistance of the women who believe in the fight their sons, brothers and fathers are waging.
Princess Atta (voiced by Julia Louis-Drefuss) is a Power of Truth character. She is nervous and slightly neurotic, always doubting and second-guessing herself. She hems and haws until Flik is beaten badly by the grasshopper overlord, Hopper. When Flik refuses to back down, even in the face of certain death, she finally finds her courage and helps rally the ants. The community’s powerfully linked arms, realization of their own inherent power and superior numbers overwhelms the grasshoppers.
As we are seeing in the rebellions unfolding in the Middle East, you can’t stop the power of a united community. When people link arms and keep coming, eventually, and often at great cost, a repressive regime topples. The simple truth is always: “There are more of us than there are of them.” The following clips expresses the philosophy of despotic thug regimes everywhere and how the community, when powerfully called to action, eventually triumphs.
Enjoy and watch some simple entertainment that contains a potent message and lesson we all need to learn over and over again. Find the clips here:
I spent an amazing day at Pixar on Tuesday. I was doing a Character Map session with some of their writers, artists, directors and others. What an interesting creative bunch of people and what a tremendous corporate culture of openness, willingness to try new things, desire to always improve and be challenged.
It’s easy to spot people coming to Pixar for the first time. They’re the ones, like me, walking around trying to soak in all the wonderful visuals in the building and snapping pictures like mad. Here are some of mine–
As you walk toward the main building on the open green Pixar campus the first thing you notice is a giant Luxo Lamp standing at attention to welcome you.
Loxo is an Anglepoise desk lamp. The character was inspired by one of the lamps on John Lasseter’s desk. The lamp and a smaller version, Luxo Jr, starred in the first film produced by Pixar in 1986.
In the film, Luxo Jr. plays with a small red, yellow and blue rubber ball. The smaller lamp chases and jumps on it. The larger lamp watches and reacts to the playful antics. After the colorful ball deflates, because of exhaustion, Luxo scolds his younger companion. Luxo Jr. then finds and plays with an even larger ball to Luxo’s head-shaking amazement.
“Luxo Jr. sent shock waves through the entire industry – to all corners of computer and traditional animation. At that time, most traditional artists were afraid of the computer. They did not realize that the computer was merely a different tool in the artist’s kit but instead perceived it as a type of automation that might endanger their jobs. Luckily, this attitude changed dramatically in the early ’80s with the use of personal computers in the home. The release of our Luxo Jr. … reinforced this opinion turnaround within the professional community.” –Edwin Catmull, Computer Animation: A Whole New World, 1998.
Luxo has become a “good luck charm” and an iconic symbol for the company much like Mickey is for Disney.
As you walk past Luxo and in the door at Pixar, a giant atrium “town square” spreads out before you inside the building. The Pixar Cafe is located here in the open with tables, chairs and benches all over. My terrific tour guide and the person who invited me to Pixar, Adrienne Ranft, explained that this area of the building was designed to provide opportunities for everyone in the company to meet causually, have a chat on the go and generally mingle and cross-pollinate ideas.
The whole collection of Oscars and other Awards are on display here as well. A reminder of the level of excellence expected of everyone. And everyone’s “ownership” of the awards.
This open area is filled with visual fun. When I visited there were larger-than-life Lego versions of Woody and Buzz Lightyear standing in immediate greeting to all who enter. Woody and Buzz continue to have adventures in Lego toys. These were really beautiful versions of the characters. The reception desk had a statue of Ratatouille munching on gourmet cheese, as I signed in.
Behind me as I walked in were life-sized replicas of Luigi and Guido from Cars. Luigi is a proud 1959 Fiat 500. He is a big Ferrari fan, and has followed European Grand Prix racing his entire life. His license plate reads 445-108, which is the latitude and longitude for the main Ferrari factory in Modena, Italy.
In Cars, Luigi owns a tire shop, Casa Della Tires in Radiator Springs, which is famous for its “Leaning Tower of Tires.” This advertising sign is a stack of tires modeled on the Leaning Tower of Pisa. His assistant is an Italian forklift named Guido. Guido only fully understands Italian and is Luigi’s best friend. His name is a homonym for the Italian verb “I drive.” His dream is be on a pit crew for a real racing car, which Lightening McQueen helps him realize in Cars.
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And further back, in the corner, were the group of green, three-eyed rubber aliens. They figure in all three Toy Story movies. They first appear in Toy Story when Buzz discovers a giant claw game in Pizza Planet. Mr. Potato Head saves them from flying out a Pizza Planet delivery truck in Toy Story 2. The aliens are eternally grateful, to Mr. Potato Head’s unending dismay. They figure in the toys’ salvation in Toy Story 3 due to their karmic relationship with “The Claw.”
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Nearer the door was a life-sized Sulley and Mike from Monsters, Inc. The mild-mannered , Sulley, is the best monster in Monsteroplis at scaring kids. Monster’s Inc., the company Sulley works for, extracts energy from children’s screams. Mike is his faithful sidekick and publicity hound. The two foil an evil plot against children to “extract” their screams with a machine, as a more efficient way to power Monsteropolis. Sulley takes over Monsters, Inc. and changes the monsters’ task to make children scream with laughter and delight instead of scream with fear.
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Huge murals adorn the walls of the “village square” and upstairs is a art gallery for visiting collections and art created by Pixar employees. The exhibition up during my visit was of show of Chuck Jones’ artwork.
I happened to have the privilege of interviewing Chuck before he died. I talked to him and a number of surviving members of “Termite Terrace” during a job for Warner Bros. to codify and establish style and character guides for all the classic Warner Bros cartoon characters. Over the years and through all the licensing deals, relaunches and ancillary uses of the character a wide variety of inconsistencies threatened to blur their personality and uniqueness. I helped work out what the key characteristics needed to be and how to communicate that clearly across multiple platforms and uses.
In the upper gallery, there was also a huge exhibition of Toy Story 3 artwork, models, story boards and boards that help create mood and tone solely through shape and color. The exhibition will be traveling to several places to showcase the work in this wonderful film. The attention to detail is amazing.
For example, I never realized that in Toy Story 3 blue is a “safe” color indicating security or possible salvation. I am taking another look at the movie to see all the ways in which the color blue is used in that way.
Adrienne said that EVERYTHING used in the visuals, the music, the modeling is designed to support the story and clarify the characters. If something doesn’t do that it is dumped– no matter how clever or inventive or interesting it is. That’s a great note to end on. Everything in a script you write should be subject to that same rigor.
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In the Toy Story Movie Trilogy, Cowboy Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) undergoes the rich complex emotional journey of an exceptionally well-drawn Power of Love character. In Toy Story 3, Woody completes that journey with his beloved Andy. Toy Story 3 is as powerful, heartfelt, thrilling and funny as any film deserving of a “Best Picture” nomination. It has my personal vote to take home the 2011 Oscar in that category.
Power of Love characters see their own value only as it is reflected in the eyes of their love object. Woody’s relationship with Andy defines who Woody is and why he feels important. His “special place” in Andy’s heart and on Andy’s pillow is put at risk in the first Toy Story film. A new toy, Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen), has captured Andy’s attention and interest. When Buzz appears on Andy’s bed Woody approaches the interloper to set things straight.
Woody says: “Hey hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Did I frighten you? Didn’t mean to. Sorry. Howdy. My name… is Woody… and this… is Andy’s room. That’s all I wanted to say. And also, there has been a bit of a mix-up. This is my spot, see… the bed here.”
When Buzz won’t cooperate Woody’s reaction is mounting fury and intense jealousy. Woody says: “Listen, Lightsnack, you stay away from Andy. He’s mine, and no one is taking him away from me.”
Over the course of Toy Story, Woody learns to share Andy’s love. Woody and Buzz become friends. It is a hard won step in Woody’s emotional journey. Power of Love characters fear becoming useless, unnecessary, unwanted or unappreciated.
These characters define their own self-worth by how much others need or are dependent on them. Jealousy and resentment are the immediate reactions when a Power of Love character feels displaced or rejected. Woody must put these selfish feelings aside and learn that love is expansive. If you are open and generous you will find that there is enough to go around.
Power of Love characters are usually the caretakers in an ensemble and Woody relishes filling that role with the other toys. In Toy Story 2 Woody prepares to go away with Andy to Cowboy Camp. Woody is concerned that everyone is well cared for during his absence. He says: “Here’s your list of things to do while I’m gone: batteries need to be changed. Toys at the bottom of the chest need to be rotated. Oh, and make sure everyone attends Mr. Spell’s seminar on what to do if you or part of you is swallowed. Okay? Okay, good, okay.”
But Woody’s arm gets ripped and Andy leaves him behind. Andy goes to Cowboy Camp without his friend. Through a series of unfortunate events, Woody ends up in a yard sale and is stolen by a vintage toy collector. Buzz, leading the other toys, comes after Woody to return him to Andy and the toy chest.
Initially, Woody is tempted to stay with his new friends. What he is offered is immortality– to be enshrined in a museum, admired and adored forever by endless generations of children. Buzz tries to talk some sense into Woody.
Buzz Lightyear: “Woody, stop this nonsense and let’s go.”
Woody: “Nah, Buzz.” (Woody sighs) I can’t go. I can’t abandon these guys. They need me to get into this museum. Without me, they’ll go back into storage. Maybe forever.”
Buzz Lightyear: “Woody, you’re not a collector’s item, you’re a child’s plaything. You are a toy!”
Woody: “For how much longer? One more rip, and Andy’s done with me. And what do I do then, Buzz? Huh? You tell me.”
Buzz Lightyear: “Somewhere in that pad of stuffing is a toy who taught me that life’s only worth living if you’re being loved by a kid. And I traveled all this way to rescue that toy because I believed him.”
Stinky Pete the Prospector tries to warn Woody that Andy is growing up and will eventually abandon him and break his heart. Woody tells Pete: “Your’e right, Prospector. I can’t stop Andy from growing up… but I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Woody realizes love is worth the pain. He explains his attachment to Andy to his new friend Jessie the Cowgirl.
Woody: “Look Jessie, I know you hate me for leaving, but I have to go back. I’m still Andy’s toy. Well, if you knew him, you’d understand. See, Andy’s… ”
Jessie: “Let me guess. Andy’s a real special kid, and to him, you’re his buddy, his best friend, and when Andy plays with you it’s like… even though you’re not moving, you feel like you’re alive, because that’s how he sees you.”
Woody: “How did you know that?”
Jessie: “Because Emily was just the same. She was my whole world.”
In Toy Story 2 Woody learns to love Andy even though he knows Andy will eventually outgrow him. Woody has moved from loving Andy because it makes Woody feel needed and important, to loving Andy unconditionally. Even if love may eventually break Woody’s heart, it’s the only thing that matters. The end is already in sight in Toy Story 2.
In Toy Story 3 Woody learns that loving is letting go. Woody has the opportunity to go to college with Andy. But he will sit on shelf, gathering dust. Andy has moved past needing Woody and the cowboy knows it. Instead, Woody chooses to join his friends and be donated to Bonnie, a much younger girl.
When Andy delivers the box, he is surprised to see Woody inside. Andy hesitates and then lets go too. He plays with Woody and the gang one last time and tells Bonnie: “Now Woody, he’s been my pal for as long as I can remember. He’s brave, like a cowboy should be. And kind, and smart. But the thing that makes Woody special, is he’ll never give up on you… ever. He’ll be there for you, no matter what.”
Both Woody and Andy are ready to move on because that’s what you have to do in life. The people you love eventually all will leave you– because of circumstances, age or death. They go off to college. They move away. They come to the end of their lifespan. We can choose to be embittered, resentful and closed off by our loss or we can chose to love expansively and let go like Woody.
This movie was particularly poignant to me because my family has learned all too clearly that loving is letting go. Eleven years ago, on a Good Friday, my father died of lung cancer. He was a long-time smoker and an “Ad Man” in the era of Mad Men. I can still see him light up a Pall Mall and sip his Tanqueray Martini. He always had a crisp white handkerchief in his pocket, a shine on his shoes and the faint scent of Brylcreem and British Sterling. If I had one word to describe him it would be “dapper.” He was a showman and a professional hypnotist. Everyone in town knew him and he was genuinely interested in and curious about everyone he met.
At the end of his life, my dad was in hospice care at home. We were all fortunate to be with him and in the house when he died. In his last days, it was clear he was ready– more than ready– to go. As much as we wanted to keep him with us for just a little longer, it was time to say goodbye.
The biggest thing I’ve learned about love is that it is not diminished by distance. It is not diminished by time. It is not diminished by death. Those we we have loved live forever in our hearts. It hurts to love and let go. But it hurts even more to close ourselves off from love.
I have learned we must allow our hearts to be cracked open by love and even be broken. Those we love will disappoint us. They will often fail us. They will leave us. But that is part of being human. It’s a fragile, frail and imperfect existence. And in the end, love is the only thing that makes life matter– even when it means saying goodbye. There is no movie I can think of that expresses that sentiment better or with more elegance, grace and humor than Toy Story 3.
I’d love to hear your experience of the movie and how you have experienced and written about loss and love in your own life and work. Please comment below or post on our new ETB FaceBook Page. And if you are feeling generous and expansive today please “like” us.
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There is an old joke that has all the Studios bringing an Anti-Trust lawsuit against Pixar for Unfair Competition— because all Pixar’s movies are so good!
Pixar won the 2009 Oscar for Best Animated Feature with Up. All seven Pixar films released since the creation of the category have been nominated. Five have taken home the Oscar: Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, and Up. Three of those five Oscar winners— Up, The Incredibles and Ratatouille— are Power of Idealism films.
The protagonist in Power of Idealism film wants to stand out from the crowd, to be unique or special or to live an extraordinary life. These characters often play the role of the rebel, the romantic, the outsider, the iconoclast, the artist, or the maverick. Power of Idealism stories are about rebellion, loss, longing and transcendent love.
The protagonist in Up is curmudgeonly Carl (Ed Asner), the last stubborn holdout in a large urban renewal scheme. His beloved wife is dead and he seemingly has nothing to live for. When he defends his home with his cane, actually drawing blood from a construction worker, Carl is legally ordered into a retirement home. Instead, he makes an extraordinary and dramatic escape. But let’s back up a little.
The film begins in the era of newsreels and the amazing derring-do of movie serials. These 1930’s stories are filled with exotic adventures and handsome heroes who conquer far-off lands to bring back strange and exciting discoveries.
As a little boy, Carl is mesmerized by fantastic tales about the famous explorer, Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer). The newsreels show Muuntz celebrated and lionized and then humiliated. The skeleton of Muntz’s greatest discovery, a large flightless bird from the wilds of South America, is denounced as a fake. As Carl walks home from the movies, he longs to be a legendary explorer. He imagines a crack in the sidewalk to be a yawning canyon and leaps it in a single bound while an imaginary newsreel breathlessly narrates his “great adventure.”
Pixar’s The Incredibles tackles some of the same themes about what it is to be ordinary and what it is to be extraordinary. Stripped of his status, Mr Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), is in the government equivalent of the witness protection program for decommissioned superheroes. He is stuck in a boring, dead-end desk job.
Ratatouille is about an adventurer of a different kind— a rebellious and artistic mouse gourmet. “There’s something about humans, they taste. . . . They discover!” realizes Remy (Patton Oswalt). Rejecting the usual diet of garbage, French country rat Remy decides that in order to eat as well as humans he needs to learn to cook.Gusteau: (appearing as illustration in a cookbook) If you are hungry, go up and look around, Remy. Why do you wait and mope?Remy: Well, I just lost my family. All my friends. Probably forever.Gusteau: How do you know?Remy: Well, I… You are an illustration. Why am I talking to you?Gusteau: You just lost your family. All your friends. You are lonely.Remy: (sarcastically) Yeah, well you’re dead.Gusteau: Ah, but that is no match for wishful thinking. If you focus on what you left behind. You will never be able to see what lies ahead. Now go, get up and look around.
… (T)here are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, and the new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto: “Anyone can cook.” But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau’s, who is, in this critic’s opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau’s soon, hungry for more.