Introduction
In order to develop the main character of my animation, I decided to use the hero’s journey framework developed by Joseph Campbell. In this sense, Mr. Bones’ journey can be divided into the following twelve stages.
The Hero’s Journey (Mr. Bones)
Act 1: The Ordinary World
The hero of the animation, Mr. Bones, is introduced in his ordinary world, Halloween Town. The establishing shot at the beginning of the animation reveals the context and environment in which the story will unfold and the first scene introduces the main character and his occupation as an agent.
Act 2: The Call to Adventure
Mr. Bones receives a message in his office and is given the mission to save the Golden Pumpkin in order to restore peace to Halloween Town. The telephone call reveals what his purpose is throughout the story, what the main conflict is, while introducing the villain character (whose identity will be revealed at the end of the plot).
Act 3: Refusing the Call
Despite the fact that in some stories the hero may be conflicted in accepting the call to adventure, in my animation the main character has the role of an agent, and therefore, it is his duty to accept the missions he gets.
Act 4: The Mentor
The mentor of my animation is the voice that gives Mr. Bones his mission by the telephone. Not only does it present the main conflict of the story, but also the villain of Halloween Town. In addition, it also guides Mr. Bones regarding where he has to go in order to achieve his mission.
Act 5: The First Threshold
The Journey of Mr. Bones starts as soon as receives the Pumpkin Signal, leaves his office and heads towards the forest to find the Golden Pumpkin (which is the moment of no return).
Act 6: The Journey
In this part, the protagonist faces some obstacles and enemies which make his mission more challenging.
Act 7: The Final Dungeon
During the chasing and shooting sequences with the bats, one of Mr. Bones’ guns gets stuck, which builds tension in the scene as his life is in great danger. However, he manages to escape and eliminate all the bats on time and find the Golden Pumpkin.
Act 8: The Great Ordeal (Climax)
Nonetheless, a slight plot twist happens by the end of the animation as Mr. Bones gets tricked and ends up trapped in a cage. The identity of the villain is revealed and the protagonist’s is under threat. However, by the end of this sequence, Mr. Bones finally manages to defeat the villain and has control over the situation.
Act 9: The Prize
The prize of my story is the Golden Pumpkin, which is essential to restore peace to Halloween Town. The protagonist’s mission is successfully completed by the end of the story.
Act 10: The Road Home
The animation ends in the same place where it began, in Mr. Bones’ office, emphasizing on the idea that the character has a non-stop workload.
Bibliography
Klug, C. and Lebowitz, J. (2011) Interactive Storytelling for Videogames. Oxford: Elsevier.