The Hero’s Journey

Did you experience a deja vu while watching a movie you never saw before? Did you see a vague pattern that you could intuitively sense, but couldn’t really put a finger on?

Did you feel there’s a method to the madness that surrounds movies?

If you did, it’s because there really IS a *Formula* at work.

During the late 1970s and much of the 80s, many of Disney’s movies failed at the box office.

It took a 7-page memo from Chris Vogler, a story analyst in their employ to turn things around. Vogler, as a student at University of Southern California, discovered “The Hero With A Thousand Faces” by the mythologist Joseph Campbell. Sensing the use of Campbell’s ideas in the Star Wars movies, he wrote a term paper that attempted to map Campbell’s framework with the Star Wars storyline.

At Disney years later, he adapted this paper to create the now legendary “THE 12 STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY”. 

Summary of “THE 12 STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY”

1 ) The hero is introduced in his ORDINARY WORLD.
2 ) He receives the CALL TO ADVENTURE. 
3) The hero is RELUCTANT at first.
4) The hero is encouraged by a MENTOR  
5) … to CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD 
6) The hero encounters TESTS, ALLIES and ENEMIES
7) He reaches the INNERMOST CAVE 
8)…where he endures the SUPREME ORDEAL.
9) He SEIZES THE SWORD or the treasure 
10) … then he is pursued on the ROAD BACK to his world. 
11) He is RESURRECTED and transformed by his experience. 
12) He RETURNS to his ordinary world with a treasure, boon, or ELIXIR to benefit his world.

Vogler was given the opportunity to work on “The Lion King” that went on to become one of most successful animated movie ever! With hindsight, it’s clear that the movie did indeed follow the 12 steps of the hero’s journey.
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I thoroughly enjoyed Chris Vogler’s workshop (available as a course on Udemy). His funny banter with Michael Hauge, his long-time collaborator, spruces up the subject material.

The workshop also explains how the hero’s outer journey (outlined above) must sync with his inner journey for best storytelling results.