Examining Story Structure in Favourite Movies: MATILDA

I’ve been plugging away at my novel for some time, and as I prepare the daunting task of writing yet another draft, I’ve come to a startling realization.

I need to master story structure.

Story structure is what separates the wheat from the chaff. It’s what distinguishes the plotter from a pantser. In its most basic sense, it’s what separates a good idea or a bunch of compelling but incohesive scenes from a great, complete story.

I never considered myself to be a pantser. I’ve written out the skeleton of my novel several times. But time and time again, I’ve found that I’ve had to make sweeping changes to the plot of my novel.

I want to go about it wisely this time. That’s why I’ve been studying the elements of proper story structure.

To accomplish this I’ve examined my top 5 favourite films.

Matilda

Friday

200 lbs Beauty

Goodfellas

Coming to America

I chose these movies because a) I know their plotlines by heart due to multiple viewings, and b) it will provide me with some insight on why I value these stories.

To start, I will first look at the story structure of my favourite childhood/family film, the 1996 Roald Dahl classic Matilda.

Matilda

Here is Matilda as analyzed through the Hero’s Journey:

Matilda — The Hero’s Journey

1. The Ordinary World: Matilda lives with her rotten parents who don’t appreciate her.

2. The Inciting Incident: Matilda punishes her parents for doing a bad thing (selling lemon cars).

3. Refusal of the Call: Matilda conforms to the oppressive rule of the Trunchbull. To her, all that matters is that she gets to go to school.

4. Meeting the Mentor: Matilda meets Miss Honey, a kind teacher who wishes to nurture her potential.

5. Crossing the First Threshold: Matilda discovers and develops her telekinetic powers.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies: Matilda supports Bruce as he eats the giant chocolate cake in front of the entire student body.

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave: Matilda develops a close relationship with Miss Honey.

8. The Ordeal: Matilda learns that the Trunchbull is Miss Honey’s aunt, and that she stole both her house and her favourite doll.

9. Reward (Seizing the Sword): Matilda and Miss Honey sneak into the Trunchbull’s house and steal back the Lissy Doll.

10. The Road Back: The Trunchbull discovers that Matilda broke into her house and terrorizes her class in order to get a confession from her.

11. Resurrection: Matilda devises an elaborate plan to spook the Trunchbull into thinking Miss Honey’s father, Magnus, has returned from the dead and wants revenge. The students turn on the Trunchbull and she leaves, never to be seen again.

12. Return with the Elixir: Matilda’s family run away to Guam while she stays behind to live with Miss Honey.

And here is the plot of Matilda through the Save the Cat beat structure:

Matilda — Save the Cat

Beat #1: Opening Image (0–1%)

Matilda is born to the Wormwoods, a family that doesn’t want her.

Beat #2: Theme Stated (5%)

Story Arc: Rags to Riches. Matilda lives with an unfair family but wants to live in a fair world where bad people are punished and she is with someone who appreciates her.

Beat #3: Setup (1% — 10%)

Matilda starts to go to school and meets Lavender and Miss Honey (friends) but also the Trunchbull (enemy). She also takes active steps to punish her bad parents.

Beat #4: Catalyst (10%)

Matilda’s dad destroys her book and forces her to watch TV, which angers her to the point of destroying the TV with her mind.

Beat #5: Debate (10%-20%)

Matilda goes to school and is subjected to the iron wrath of the Trunchbull, but doesn’t speak up about it because no one would believe her.

Beat #6: Break Into 2 (20%)

Bruce Bogtrotter is forced to eat a giant chocolate cake, and it is Matilda who rallies the school to cheer him on so he can succeed.

Beat #7: B Story (22%)

Matilda befriends Miss Honey, who wishes to nurture her inquisitive mind.

Beat #8: Fun and Games (20% -50%)

Matilda develops her psychic powers and practices them while her parents are out of the house.

Beat #9: Midpoint (50%)

Matilda and Miss Honey sneak into the Trunchbull’s home to retrieve Miss Honey’s childhood Lissy Doll but are unsuccessful.

Beat #10: Bad Guys Close In (50 to 75%)

The FBI/car salesman are closing in on Matilda’s dad and threaten to arrest her parents and send her away to an orphanage with “tiny cockroaches”.

Beat #11: All Is Lost (75%)

The Trunchbull discovers that Matilda was on her property due to the ribbon she left behind. The next day she is on the warpath to punish her and her class. Matilda is confronted with the evil of the Trunchbull who confesses that she broke Jenny/Miss Honey’s arm as a child and likely killed Miss Honey’s father, Magnus.

Beat #12: Dark Night of the Soul (75% — 80%)

Matilda uses her powers to punish the wrongdoings of the Trunchbull (“when a person is bad, that person needs to be taught a lesson”)

Beat #13: The Break Into Three (80%)

Matilda reveals her powers to her friends and uses them to save Lavender and a boy that was thrown out the window.

Beat #14: The Finale (80%-99%)

The Trunchbull leaves forever, and Miss Honey adopts Matilda as her Wormwood family runs from the authorities to Guam.

Beat #15: Final Image (99%-100%)

Matilda receives all that she asks for: a nurturing school, and a loving parent in Miss Honey, and they live happily ever after in the big house that belonged to Jenny/Miss Honey and her father, Magnus.

Matilda Story Structure — Verdict

I assumed Matilda would fit nicely in the structure of both the Hero’s Journey and The Save the Cat beat structure.

But I find out that not all stories follow the formula in perfect order. In the case of Save the Cat, it appears some beats occur earlier in the movie than what the rules would suggest is proper (ie. The discovery of Matilda’s powers feel more like a B story or Midpoint beat than a Catalyst beat.)

And with both story structures, it feels like the entry into Act 3 is very abrupt, with almost no build-up. The Trunchbull finds Matilda’s ribbon, and instantly deduces that Matilda was the culprit who invaded her home in the previous act.

This is not a complaint, merely an observation that story structure does not neatly fill every film.

Do you agree? Or do you believe I’ve misidentified certain scenes / beats within the movie Matilda? I’d love to read your thoughts; leave your comments below!