Why This is Good

Just as I suspected, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs has maintained its popularity since it debuted.

Read the Variety article here.

Popularity is often, though certainly not always, a good measure of how well a story is told. Movies are meant to speak to us, to say something about the human condition, and life, in a way that we can all relate to. That is why it is important to get your audience to identify with your hero, so that they will relate to him or her and go through the journey together with the hero. A popular film, gauged by box office success, is one the speaks to the largest number of people, meaning it successfully utilized the elements of storytelling in a way that allowed viewers to simultaneously experience emotion while going through the hero’s journey. An unsuccessful film often fails to build empathy with the hero, or lacks a theme or a universal truth about life that everyone can relate to and accept as true, whether or not they have personally been through the experience the hero has been through.

If you’re a fellow child of the 80’s or younger, you were no doubt reminded of the fun children’s book of the same name as this new movie. But this movie has greatly improved upon what was just a cute, simple children’s book based on a funny and innovative premise. The movie is hilarious and uses many of the screenwriting principles I’ve been discussing. It’s a great example of how much poetic license you can and must take when adapting a book into a movie. Most books, even the ones more complicated than a children’s picture book, don’t translate easily into good films.

What stood out most to me about what made this film good was how intensely visual it was. Of course, it’s yet another computer animated wonder that takes advantage of the stunning images you can create using this awesome new medium. And since it’s also playing in 3D, there are plenty of gags and stunts intended to take advantage of this unique tool. But even if this had been a live action film, the visuals would have been impressive, and you can learn a lot about how to tell a story visually by watching this film. It’s not based on dialogue and discussion, but, as all films should, relies primarily on images and action to tell the story.  And while I don’t want to give away all of the fun details, I will say this movie features a ghetto blaster made of Jell-O. What more could you want?

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is also dynamic. Every scene involves change and moves the story forward. It features an active hero with a goal that he pursues until the very end. The writers employ the techniques I discussed here to make us like the hero and relate to him from the very beginning. As the story progresses, they continually challenge the hero, making things more and more difficult, forcing him to work hard for every accomplishment, and most importantly, it is always the hero who is in charge, forced to save the day, and rely on his intellect and wit. No one helps him and nothing comes easy. This is an adorable, well done film that adults and kids will enjoy. I highly recommend you go see it, and pay attention to all of the elements discussed above, think about how you can use them in your own screenplay, even if your story doesn’t involve a monkey battling live gummy bears to the death.