Getting praise from American auteur filmmaker and cinephile Quentin Tarantino is like winning the jackpot. When he likes what you’re doing with a story, he doesn’t shy away from praising it. (If you’re truly blessed, he might even “borrow” it for his next project.) The most recent target of his praise is the three films that make up the Toy Story trilogy: Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and Toy Story 3.
Originally released by Pixar in 1995, Toy Story changed the landscape of animation, proving that animated films could be four quadrant hits if the stories were universal. The first film was a success, leading to a quick sequel. The third film was released 11 years after the second, bringing the story of the beloved toys, who belonged to a now-grown-up Andy, to a close.
Sure, more films in the franchise were released after Toy Story 3, but according to Tarantino, the Andy storyline was the perfect trilogy.
But what makes the “perfect trilogy”? Tarantino lays out a few rules for writers interested in writing sequels.
Why Toy Story Works as a Trilogy
After Bill Maher brought up the strengths of the first two Godfather films and his thoughts on the polarizing third one, noting that there was a dip in quality for stepping outside the established story arc, Tarantino mentioned that the first three Toy Story films were among the best movies he’s ever seen.
“There was a thing where you probably don’t like it, but I’m a big, big fan. I don’t watch all the animated movies and stuff, but I am a big fan of the Toy Story trilogy,” Tarantino admitted. “In the case of Toy Story, the third one is just magnificent. It’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. If you’ve seen the other two, it’s just devastating.”
Tarantino continued: “The first movie is terrific, but the second movie is so great and takes the whole idea to such a bigger canvas that it obliterates the first one. Then the third one does the same to the second one.”
In Toy Story, the world is established while Andy’s favorite toy, Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), deals with his jealousy of feeling replaced by a brand new space ranger action figure, Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen).
The second film deals with another big change as the toys experience a coming-of-age journey, moving into an adolescent phase where their lives are no longer about playing favorites and making friends. At the end of the grand adventure the toys embark on in the film, Buzz asks if Woody is worried about what will happen once Andy outgrows them all. Woody isn’t concerned about the future, saying, “It’ll be fun while it lasts. Besides, when it all ends, I’ll have ol’ Buzz Lightyear to keep me company.”
When the third film arrives, Andy has outgrown his beloved toys. He plans to take only Woody with him to college and put the rest in storage. A mix-up leads the toys to a daycare where they contemplate their futures, ultimately feeling abandoned. But the status quo of their new workplace, overseen by Lotso (voiced by Ned Beatty) and his goons, pushes the toys to plan a prison escape, leading them to a seemingly inescapable inferno. However, this being a family-friendly movie, the ending is bittersweet but the best-case scenario for Andy, the toys, and their new family.
Not only do the adventures and stakes get bigger for the toys, but the emotional through-line continues the screenwriters’ vision established in the first film. This is something the best trilogies do, but Tarantino argues that many trilogies struggle to achieve.
Read More: Quentin Tarantino on Hollywood’s Desire for Spec Scripts
The Tricky Part of Writing a Trilogy
While writing your first screenplay is tough, writing a trilogy can be even tougher. Not only must the themes carry through the rest of the franchise, but the stakes also have to feel bigger.
Part of the reason Toy Story works as a trilogy is that we see Andy grow up through his relationship with his toys, which can be seen as an allegory for the stages of life. We understand the effects that his actions—or lack thereof—have on these sentient objects that love him unconditionally. When we get to the final moments of Toy Story 3, that goodbye is, in the words of Tarantino, “magnificent” and “devastating” because there is no better punctuation mark to this story about childhood.
Another trilogy that hits the mark perfectly is Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy, also known as the Man with No Name trilogy—A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Like Toy Story, each film improves while keeping the story arc relatively the same. In this case, the three films tell the straightforward story of a lone gunman navigating a conflict between rival families.
While many trilogies often see significant improvement from the first to the second film, they often fail to maintain or exceed that improvement with the third. So, how do you keep the momentum you’ve created in the second film going in the next one?
‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (1966)
How To Write a Trilogy
The smartest way to write a trilogy is by focusing on the central idea that grounds its world. There are a few ways to achieve this.
Know the Genre
Genre is everything and can help you set the tone that will carry through the themes, tone, and pacing. Once you know the genre inside and out, you can start to play into or subvert its conventions.
Trilogies are more common in sci-fi, fantasy, and dystopian fiction, but they can appear in any genre, including Westerns or animated films. The genre you choose allows you to play toward the tropes and then subvert them to evolve the story beyond the first film.
If you are writing in a new genre for the first time, ScreenCraft’s genre notes can help you hone what the industry expects from genre pieces. Whether you are intentionally leaning in or subverting, industry professionals can help you craft a strong draft that establishes the foundations of your trilogy.
Read More: 101 Genre-Blend Story Prompts
Pick Your Driving Force
The two main forces that drive a story are characters and plot. Both are important, but which one is driving your story forward across three films?
In the character-based model, the defining feature is, well… the character! There are two ways to approach this model: focusing on the character’s or characters’ growth throughout the story (like Woody and the toys in Toy Story), or on static characters who represent themes through their existence (like Max in the Mad Max films).
The plot-based model, on the other hand, emphasizes the progression of the story. The mission, quest, or overarching theme pushes the narrative forward, with the characters playing a secondary role. The Lord of the Rings is the best example of a plot-driven trilogy. While it does not ignore the characters and their hero’s journey, the quest is what drives the motives and story forward.
Chose a Plot Structure
With any screenplay you’re writing, structuring your trilogy will help you plan how to deliver the story. The best way to approach your sequel is by outlining the overarching structure that connects the stories.
The Hunger Games (which is technically a trilogy, with the last part broken into two movies for logistical reasons) follows a three-act structure, with each film serving as the inciting incident (the Capitol is furious with the winners of the Games), the midpoint (the spark that ignites the revolution), and the climax/resolution (ending the totalitarian dictatorship the country lives under).
You can also make each story in the trilogy its own standalone story that shares connective tissue with the others. Back to the Future is a trilogy that shares the connective tissue of characters and time travel but places the central character at different points in time to play out entirely new stories.
‘Back to the Future’ (1985)
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While screenwriters are not setting out to write trilogies all the time, it could be a rare opportunity that comes up that you should take advantage of. Understanding the formula, what worked, and the overall narrative goals of the first and second films will help you craft a third exceptional film—whether you’re writing an original trilogy, adapting a three-book series, or joining a franchise later in its life. A film so well-crafted could even earn praise from Tarantino, which is the ultimate win for any cinephile or screenwriter.
Read More: How To Write a Successful Sequel Like ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’
Check out our Preparation Notes so you start your story off on the right track!
The post How To Write a Trilogy, According to Quentin Tarantino appeared first on ScreenCraft.
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Author: Alyssa Miller
