I've just watched Wreck It Ralph. Even though I know the plot line is corny, but enjoyful, and I expect things to happen as the same outline of all there other movies. I'm in tears every time near the ending. (lose-lose situation, sacrifice, miraculous save, characters win something, everything's better than before, all loose ends are tied, happy end or something of that nature). I know I'm not the only one. What does these movies make me, and maybe you, cry? What is the complete Disney/Pixar formula for screenwriting?
That pretty much hits the nail on the head. You've answered your own question. It comes down to having a likable main character, put him in a tough situation, have him struggle, make it look like he's about to lose everything (self-sacrifice is a great touch here), then have him win in the end. If he's likable, the audience is with him, on his side, all the way through the adventure, and their emotions will mirror his. It's best if what he winds up winning is actually better than what he originally set out to win. Wreck-It Ralph wanted a medal and wound up with a great new friend and a better life. We can all cheer for that (and cry happily, too).
The main character always believes in himself and knows he has to keep moving forward, no matter what. That's about it. We see in his films what we want to see in us.
I don't know Disney/Pixar's formula for writing so I can't answer that. And I don't cry at their movies or any other movie for that matter. But when I watched The Dark Knight Rises at the cinema, I cried during a few scenes. In public! Most embarrassing. I tried my best not to cry loudly. I think it was because of raw emotion. Almost as if the writer poured his heart into the words and had fantastic actors bring the words to life. Your audience can sniff falseness or a cheap trick to elicit emotion a mile away so I think it's important to write from the heart.
I attempted now to create a "formula" I feel all the Disney and Pixar movies fall into. Still there is much room for interpretation, especially about minor characters. Act I 1. Introducing the character and settings, the character is relatable by being in a diminutive situation 2. Protagonist hesitates for a change (planting punch line I) 3. Protagonist goes through a breakdown 4. Protagonist is off on a quest to redeem himself 5. Protagonist reaches his goal 6. Protagonist loses the goal and creates a bad mistake from it 7. Protagonists doesn't regain the goal in the blame of the foil 8. The protagonist is pursued by others wanting to fix his mistake (punch line II) Act II 9. Protagonist has to go on a journey he didn't want to for that goal forced by foil 10. Protagonist is attempted to be stopped by the yet to be reveled antagonist under seems to be lawful claims 11. Pursuers may run into the antagonist, hindering them from fixing that mistake 12. Protagonist begins to attach to the new foil when realizing more about it 13. Protagonist helps the foil reach his goal 14. Protagonist is conceived somehow to stop the foil's journey, usually by the unknown antagonist Act III 15. Protagonist returns from original quest victorious 16. Protagonist realizes the foil's goal is the one that mattered 17. Protagonist also realizes about the nature of the antagonist (punch line IV) 18. The pursuers of the protagonist come to help him 19. The antagonist reveals himself; it is the punch line 20. The original mistake made by the protagonist has sprouted 21. Protagonist is in a lose-lose situation 22. Protagonist sacrifices himself 23. Protagonist is miraculously saved by the foil 24. The protagonist and the foil win something 25. In the epilogue, everything is better than before, the protagonist and the foil gained what they were looking and each other and all loose ends are tied with a happy ever after ending Is it on the money, or requires a few changes?
I found this on the web awhile back. Twenty-two tips for story telling from the folks at Pixar. Good advice. http://nofilmschool.com/2012/06/22-rules-storytelling-pixar/
