Genre
Adventure/Comedy
Written By
Terry Rossio, Ted Elliott
Logline
Two smooth-talking con artists are sent on the journey of a lifetime when they get their hands on a map to the fabled city of El Dorado.
Why break it down?
Let's get something straight: I loved the movie
Avatar. That being said, I have come to terms with the fact that it's pretty much a
beat-for-beat replica of Pocahontas. And as much as I like the movie, I'll admit it makes me sad that I can't defend it when people liken Jake Sully to John Smith. I still think, however, that
Avatar can teach us some important lessons about writing. The first is to find an original way to tell your story; the movie may have made some cash (understatement?), but I've heard Jim Cameron get slammed too many times for being a plagiarist, which I'm sure would break any writer's heart if he had to hear it to his face. But in my opinion, the second lesson is way more important: Simply said,
WE CAN LEARN A LOT ABOUT STORYTELLING FROM WATCHING CHILDREN'S MOVIES. Take any animated classic and break it down scene-by-scene...what will you find? Three-act structure, son! And since that's what ClassAct is all about, today we're going to take a look at one of my many childhood treasures,
'The Road To El Dorado.'
'THE ROAD TO EL DORADO' IS AN EXAMPLE OF A FAST-PACED THREE-ACT SCRIPT, which can teach us how to use the acts to our advantage and give our stories momentum (so that nobody ever calls them my least favorite word…boring). And as an added bonus,
THE FILM CAN SHOW US HOW TO WRITE EXCITING EXPOSITION (especially in the first fifteen pages),
AND IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF PURPOSEFUL ACTION (which we talked about in
last week's post).
So read up, keep an eye out for the beats, and we'll look at the film's structure after the jump. (Click the
[+] button for a summary of each scene.)
ACT I
00:00 - 01:30 (1.50 pages) [+]MONTAGE
A fancy animation sequence plays over the opening song, showcasing the city of El Dorado.
01:30 - 02:00 (0.50 pages) [+]EXT. HARBOR, SPAIN - 1519 - DAY
The townsfolk gather around, cheering for the great conquistador HERNÁN CORTÉS (Jim Cummings) as he gets ready to set off on a journey.
Cortés' horse, ALTIVO, gets scared by the commotion because he's clumsy and lovable. Angry, Cortés throws his chalice at a wall, and it smashes onto a wanted poster for these two guys:
We move in on the wanted sign, fading to…
02:00 - 07:30 (5.50 pages) [+]EXT. ALLEY - DAY
A dice game. MIGUEL (Kenneth Branagh) and TULIO (Kevin Kline) - the two guys on the wanted poster - roll a 7, winning yet another round with their loaded dice. But the THUGS they're playing against aren't quite finished:
The thugs, however, demand to use their own dice, which doesn't end up mattering because Miguel and Tulio roll a 7 anyway (winning the map). But when the thugs realize they were being swindled, Miguel and Tulio run for their lives.
Action sequence as they're chased through the town, followed closely behind by armed guards and angry townsfolk. Hiding in two giant barrels of water, they're lifted out of the harbor and onto a boat, which we'll soon find out belongs to Cortés (01:30 - 2:00). The ship sets sail and they have no idea where they actually are.
07:30 - 08:30 (1.00 pages) [+]INT. CORTÉS' SHIP - NIGHT
Miguel and Tulio pop out of the water barrels, only to realize they're on Cortés' ship. They're taken prisoner and locked away, but not before Cortés tells them their fate:
The boys are handcuffed and thrown down into the brig of the ship.
⇡⇣ OPENING EXPOSITION
08:30 - 10:30 (2.00 pages) [+]INT. CORTÉS' SHIP - DAY
The next day, Miguel and Tulio sit in the brig plotting their escape. Altivo (the horse, from 01:30 - 02:00) drops an apple into the brig, and suddenly, Miguel gets an idea.
Talking to Altivo (the horse), Miguel offers back the apple in exchange for the keys to the brig. Altivo, who understands English, gets them the keys.
10:30 - 13:00 (2.50 pages) [+]INT. CORTÉS' SHIP - NIGHT
Miguel and Tulio steal a rowboat, sneaking quietly into the water. But Altivo stops them, whinnying loudly because he wants his apple. Miguel throws the apple to him, but it drops into the ocean. So Altivo, being dumb and lovable like he always is, jumps into the water to get it.
Of course, Altivo can't swim, so now he's in danger. Miguel and Tulio scramble to save him (small action beat) and end up getting him into the rowboat. The only problem is…now they're in a rowboat with a horse.
13:00 - 14:00 (1.00 pages) [+]MONTAGE
Miguel, Tulio, and Altivo float on the ocean. A storm hits. A shark eats their food. The current keeps them from paddling anywhere.
14:00 - 17:30 (3.50 pages) [+]EXT. OCEAN - DAY / EXT. ISLAND - DAY
The Gang sits in the rowboat, dying of starvation in the sweltering heat.
They cry and talk about their friendship. But all of a sudden, they realize they're not floating in the ocean anymore…they've washed up on an island!
Human skulls line the shore. Tulio gets scared and tries to run away, but Miguel looks at the map (which they won in 02:00 - 07:30) and realizes they've found the island where El Dorado is hiding.
They set off to find El Dorado.
INCITING INCIDENT
17:30 - 20:15 (2.75 pages) [+]MUSICAL NUMBER
Montage: The Gang follows the map to El Dorado, getting into all kinds of shenanigans while Elton John music plays.
20:15 - 23:30 (3.25 pages) [+]EXT. WATERFALL - DAY
At a beautiful waterfall, the Gang stumbles upon a giant stone, which Tulio thinks is the map's stopping point.
But what they don't see is the inscription on the rock, which is a picture of two men riding a horse.
Disappointed, they get on their horse and prepare to ride off. But before they can, CHEL (Rosie Perez) - a native girl, runs right into them, chased by a gang of WARRIORS. Apparently, she stole something and they were chasing her. But now, they have bigger fish to fry; Dragging Miguel, Tulio, and Altivo along, they march right through the waterfall into…
23:30 - 25:15 (1.75 pages) [+]INT. ENTRYWAY TO EL DORADO - DAY
The Gang quietly floats on a little boat through a hollowed-out mountain. Chel (the girl who just ran into them) hides a golden statue in her arms, which she seems to have stolen. They come to the end of the mountain, floating out into the light.
And right they are. The legendary city is right in front of them, and it's beautiful. Natives walk around, stopping to stare in amazement at Miguel and Tulio (they all think they're the same people from that image on the giant rock, which we saw in the previous scene).
PLOT POINT #1
ACT II
25:15 - 29:15 (4.00 pages) [+]EXT. EL DORADO - MOMENTS LATER
Miguel and Tulio glance around, thinking they're going to be killed. But they're caught off guard when TZEKEL-KHAN (Armand Assante) - the evil medicine man - stands up and announces something completely unexpected:
Miguel and Tulio meet THE CHIEF (Edward James Olmos), who asks how he should punish Chel (the girl who stole the golden statue). Miguel and Tulio say to let her go.
A volcano starts to erupt and then suddenly stops, causing everyone to think Miguel and Tulio made it happen with their god powers. The city bows down, and the guys decide to accept their roles as gods of El Dorado. They throw their hands up in the air as everyone cheers / chants their names.
Tzekel-Khan (the evil medicine man) tells Miguel and Tulio to come with him:
29:15 - 30:15 (1.00 pages) [+]INT. / EXT. TEMPLE OF THE GODS - DAY
Miguel and Tulio follow the native leaders to their temple, which is gorgeous.
Tzekel-Khan and the Chief leave them in their temple.
30:15 - 34:45 (4.50 pages) [+]INT. TEMPLE OF THE GODS - MOMENTS LATER
Miguel and Tulio laugh and celebrate their luck.
Chel (the girl from earlier) catches them laughing. She pops out and tells them they've been caught.
They agree to her proposal and she leaves. They both watch her off, attracted to her. But Tulio senses danger, and turns to Miguel:
Miguel and Tulio get dressed and walk outside, where a great celebration awaits…
34:45 - 37:30 (2.75 pages) [+]MUSICAL NUMBER
At the celebration, Miguel and Tulio sing a song about their scheme: Pretend to be gods, and steal the lost treasure of El Dorado!
37:30 - 41:30 (4.00 pages) [+]INT. / EXT. TEMPLE OF THE GODS - MORNING
Miguel and Tulio wake up to find a massive crowd of people gathered outside their door. They're excited at first, but quickly realize something bad is about to happen:
He gets ready to kill a slave, but they stop him at the last second. Seeing they're kind of upset, the Chief (25:15 - 29:15) offers them a different tribute, which they like a whole lot better: A GIANT COLLECTION OF TREASURE. The treasure is put in Miguel and Tulio's temple for them to "bask" in.
41:30 - 41:45 (0.25 pages) [+]EXT. ISLAND - MORNING
Cortés (the mean conquistador, from 01:30 - 02:00) arrives at the island with a giant crew of warriors. He sees footsteps leading toward the jungle, and decides to follow them...
41:45 - 42:30 (0.75 pages) [+]EXT. EL DORADO - DAY
Miguel and Tulio are carried around in a man-powered chariot thing. They talk about the treasure they just got.
And on that, we CUT TO:
42:30 - 43:30 (1.00 pages) [+]INT. THE CHIEF'S PALACE - DAY
⇡⇣ FUN AND GAMES
43:30 - 46:30 (3.00 pages) [+]INT. TEMPLE OF THE GODS - DAY
Miguel and Tulio walk around, nervous.
But Chel (the pretty girl) senses romance with Tulio, so she convinces Miguel to go explore the city.
Naturally, Tulio freaks out when he realizes Miguel is gone. But Chel starts massaging his shoulders and he calms down. They have a sexually charged moment.
46:30 - 48:00 (1.50 pages) [+]EXT. EL DORADO - DAY
Miguel walks around, exploring the city. He notices there are no people around, and asks a warrior where everybody went.
Miguel sees a bunch of warriors trying to kill a slave and stops them. The slave runs away, but leaves a bunch of stuff behind. Miguel picks up the stuff and builds a guitar out of it.
48:00 - 50:15 (1.25 pages) [+]MUSICAL NUMBER
Miguel plays guitar while a bunch of people watch. Montage: He walks around El Dorado getting to know people and falling in love with the city while Elton John music plays.
50:15 - 52:45 (2.50 pages) [+]EXT. EL DORADO / INT. TEMPLE OF THE GODS - DAY
Tzekel-Khan (the evil medicine man) watches Miguel play ball with a bunch of kids. He's pissed.
He goes to the Temple of the Gods, where Tulio and Chel are hooking up (it's rated PG, so apparently they can do that). Chel hides behind a wall while Tulio and Tzekel-Khan talk.
Tulio grabs Chel and leaves the temple.
52:45 - 53:00 (0.25 pages) [+]EXT. ISLAND - DAY
Cortés (the mean conquistador) and his men walk through the jungle, getting closer and closer to El Dorado…
53:00 - 53:30 (0.50 pages) [+]EXT. EL DORADO - DAY
Tulio finds Miguel playing ball with a bunch of kids. He interrupts the game and pulls Miguel to the side:
But before they can talk about it, Tzekel-Khan shows up and demands they stop playing ball in the streets.
On this, we CUT TO:
53:30 - 59:30 (6.00 pages) [+]INT. STADIUM - DAY
Miguel and Tulio stand in the stadium, where Tzekel-Khan has set up a game of EL DORADO SOCCER. The guys have no idea how to play it. They get their asses kicked by a big, burly team of warriors.
But like always, Miguel and Tulio find a way to cheat. They win, making everyone believe they're gods yet again. Tzekel-Khan is pleased.
They fire Tzekel-Khan. But as he's walking away, he notices something: Miguel is bleeding.
Knowing a god would never bleed, Tzekel-Khan realizes that Miguel and Tulio are actually regular humans. He slips away, ready to start scheming.
MIDPOINT REVERSAL
Midpoint
59:30 - 60:15 (0.75 pages) [+]INT. TZEKEL-KHAN'S TEMPLE - DAY
Tzekel-Khan stands in his temple, plotting to kill Miguel and Tulio.
60:15 - 60:45 (0.75 pages) [+]MONTAGE
Two different things happen in a short montage:
- The natives build Miguel and Tulio's boat (which they asked for in 42:30 - 43:30).
- Tulio and Chel walk around, kissing and being romantic.
60:45 - 62:30 (1.75 pages) [+]EXT. EL DORADO - DAY
Miguel and the Chief stand by the finished boat. It's gorgeous, but Miguel doesn't want to leave El Dorado. He makes up a bullshit reason why the boat isn't good enough, and the Chief catches onto what he's doing:
⇡⇣ ROLL DOWNHILL
62:30 - 64:00 (1.50 pages) [+]INT. TEMPLE OF THE GODS - DAY
Tulio and Chel kiss in the temple.
Miguel stands in the doorway, watching the whole thing. He walks away, pissed at Tulio for abandoning him.
64:00 - 65:15 (1.25 pages) [+]INT. TZEKEL-KHAN'S TEMPLE - NIGHT
Tzekel-Khan finishes mixing a potion, which brings a GIANT EVIL JAGUAR to life.
65:15 - 70:00 (4.75 pages) [+]EXT. EL DORADO - NIGHT
Miguel and Tulio watch a big celebration in their honor. Miguel tells Tulio he doesn't want to go back to Spain. But before Tulio can say anything, the giant evil jaguar bursts out of a building, controlled by Tzekel-Khan. Miguel and Tulio run for their lives.
Big action scene, as they're chased by the giant jaguar. It gets close to eating them, but they escape with their lives, killing the jaguar and Tzekel-Khan (so they think).
70:00 - 70:30 (0.50 pages) [+]EXT. WATERFALL - MOMENTS LATER
Tzekel-Khan resurfaces at the waterfall (from 20:15 - 23:30), where he sees Cortés (the evil conquistador). He bows down to Cortés, promising to help him get to El Dorado.
PLOT POINT #2
70:30 - 71:30 (1.00 pages) [+]EXT. EL DORADO - SAME TIME
Miguel and Tulio return to El Dorado, where everyone cheers for them. Miguel tells the Chief he wants to stay in El Dorado permanently, while Tulio watches sadly.
71:30 - 74:45 (3.25 pages) [+]MUSICAL NUMBER
A montage of Miguel and Tulio splitting apart while Elton John music plays. Tulio packs up his boat, takes Chel, and gets ready to leave El Dorado.
ACT III
74:45 - 80:00 (5.25 pages) [+]EXT. EL DORADO - DAY
Tulio prepares to set sail. But suddenly, Altivo (the horse) freaks out. Miguel looks out into the distance and sees what the problem is:
The natives prepare for battle. But Tulio comes up with a plan…
In a last-ditch effort to stop Cortés' army from getting in, Tulio and Miguel help the natives block the entryway to El Dorado. In the process, Miguel saves Tulio's life.
In a big action scene, Miguel, Tulio, and Chel escape from El Dorado just as the entryway closes. But their treasure gets trapped inside, meaning they only escape with their lives.
CLIMAX
80:00 - 82:30 (2.50 pages) [+]EXT. WATERFALL - MOMENTS LATER
Miguel, Tulio, Chel, and Altivo hide behind rocks as Cortés and his men show up.
Tzekel-Khan leads Cortés to El Dorado's entryway, but is shocked to discover…it's no longer there! The plan worked, and El Dorado is safe. Cortés makes Tzekel-Khan a slave and they ride off.
Miguel and Tulio shake hands, friends once again. Chel kisses Tulio. They all get on Altivo's back and ride off into the sunset.
RESOLUTION
Analysis
I think the most impressive thing about
'The Road To El Dorado' is its first act -- specifically, the Opening Exposition. Take a look back at that section. Do you see how many things happen right away?? The first fifteen minutes of this movie are like their own little three-act movie, complete with a beginning (introduce Miguel and Tulio), middle (they set out on a journey / face obstacles / almost die), and end (they make it back to safety on the secret island). But remember…the whole point of the Opening Exposition is to have us
get to know the characters, which means we're forced to learn about Miguel and Tulio
while these crazy things are happening to them. As for the rest of the film, the beats show up exactly where they should, so let's take a look at the plot points and briefly talk about why they are where they are:
Opening Exposition [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 00:00 - 14:00
The Opening Exposition in this film is awesome, because it covers a TON more ground than most openings do. Basically, it consists of every event that happens before Miguel and Tulio discover the island. These events are:
- Miguel and Tulio acquire the map to El Dorado.
- Miguel and Tulio stow away on Cortes' ship.
- Miguel and Tulio get thrown in prison on the ship.
- Miguel and Tulio escape from Cortes and float to the island.
Do you see how even though the movie is just getting started, a ton of stuff is already happening to Miguel and Tulio? This is what makes the First Act of The Road To El Dorado special. It's almost as if the writers knew, "Okay, Miguel and Tulio have to find the island on Page 15 (because that will be the Inciting Incident). So how do we GET them there, while also allowing the audience to learn about them and care for them?" The answer: Create a series of events that lead them to the Inciting Incident, and show off Miguel and Tulio's personalities while they're navigating those events.
Compare this to our earlier breakdown of
How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days. In that film, the Opening Exposition is made up of nothing but the characters TALKING to each other, which helps us get to know them (sure), but is way less exciting. And for that reason, it takes
How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days a long time to actually get going, whereas
The Road To El Dorado feels like it's already moving into Act 2 by the time we're six minutes in. But that being said…don't be fooled by the speedy pace! The Opening Exposition in this film takes fourteen minutes just like it should, and the events that occur on Pages 1-14 have only two jobs to do: Get Miguel and Tulio to their Inciting Incident (the discovery of the island), and LET US GET TO KNOW THE CHARACTERS. So really, what we get is a series of introductions:
- Introduce Miguel and Tulio (they're thieves, they have a map, they're silly, they love women).
- Introduce Altivo (he's a horse, he's clumsy, he gets scared easily, he's lovable).
- Introduce Cortes (he's a conquistador, he wants gold, he has no problem killing people).
Flash-Bang Open [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 02:00 - 07:30
We could all take a lesson from the Flash-Bang Open in this movie. It happens at the very beginning, when Miguel and Tulio get caught cheating at dice and have to run away from an entire army of angry townspeople. But what sets it apart from other adventure movies is that it serves as PART of the Opening Exposition; i.e, WE GET TO KNOW MIGUEL AND TULIO BASED ON HOW THEY ACT WHEN THEY'RE GETTING CHASED. This is exactly what a good script should do; give the audience something exciting to watch, but find ways to have them learn about the characters while they're being entertained.
Inciting Incident [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 14:00 - 17:30
In any other movie, the Inciting Incident would happen when the characters find a map. This is because normally, we spend fifteen or so minutes getting to know everybody - learning their personalities, what their goals are, etc. - and THEN they find a map on Page 15 that sets them on their way. But in The Road To El Dorado, things move wayyyyyy faster than that, which is why the Inciting incident is as follows:
The Inciting Incident in The Road To El Dorado happens when Miguel and Tulio discover the island where El Dorado is hidden.
Now, it's true that Miguel and Tulio have a map. But they pretty much already have that map when we first meet them, which means their possession of the map is just another thing we need to know about them before the adventure really gets started. The Inciting Incident, then, will happen (like always) when SOMETHING SETS THE CHARACTERS ON THEIR WAY TOWARD FINDING EL DORADO. And this happens right where it should - roughly 15 pages in - when Miguel and Tulio realize they can actually use the map to find El Dorado on the deserted island.
Plot Point #1 [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 23:30 - 25:15
If the Inciting Incident is Miguel and Tulio's discovery of the island where El Dorado is hidden, what do you think they'll discover at the end of Act 1? If you guessed El Dorado itself, nice work. Act 1 officially comes to an end when Miguel and Tulio discover El Dorado, which means for the next thirty pages (the Fun and Games section) they will explore the city and get to know it better.
NOTE TO REMEMBER: Normally, the characters would set off on their journey to find El Dorado around this time. Let me explain that idea a little further: In any other film, Miguel and Tulio would find the map on Page 15, spend the next few minutes getting ready to embark on their journey, and finally set sail around page 25 or 30. Then, they'd find El Dorado around Page 45 or 50. But in this case, they make it to El Dorado at the end of the first act (Page 25), meaning the Fun and Games section (which comes next) will consist of them walking around the city and getting to know it better for thirty or so pages.
Fun and Games [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 25:15 - 53:30
The Fun and Games section of
The Road To El Dorado seems complicated at first, but if you break it down beat by beat, it's actually not that bad. Basically, this portion of the film has three goals to accomplish:
1. Get Miguel and Tulio settled into their role as gods.
2. Have Tulio fall in love with Chel.
3. Have Miguel fall in love with the city of El Dorado.
So these goals are broken up into scenes, and they pretty much go in order according to the goals mentioned above (page counts are rough, so bear with me):
- 13 pages: Miguel and Tulio realize they're gods / everybody celebrates.
- 7 pages: Miguel and Tulio get the treasure they've been looking for / come up with a plan to escape.
- 7 pages: Tulio and Chel start falling in love / Miguel and the city of El Dorado start falling in love.
Then peppered throughout, we're given little 15-second snippets where Cortés (the evil conquistador) is getting closer and closer to finding El Dorado.
WHERE IT HAPPENS: 53:30 - 59:30
The midpoint in The Road To El Dorado happens when Tzekel-Khan (the evil medicine man) realizes Miguel and Tulio aren't gods.
As in most adventure movies, the Midpoint Reversal is an action scene; basically, the gang has to play a sports game. But there's something important that needs to happen for the midpoint reversal to occur: Miguel has to get cut and start bleeding, which will tip Tzekel-Khan off that he's human. From here on out, things will only get worse for Miguel and Tulio.
Roll Downhill [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 59:30 - 74:45
The second part of Act 2 usually consists of the bad guys starting to win, and it's no different here. In the Roll Downhill, the story has three important points to hit:
- Tulio and Chel fall in love with each other.
- Miguel starts to hate Tulio / decides to stay in El Dorado.
- Tzekel-Khan brings the giant jaguar to life and tries to kill Miguel and Tulio.
Plot Point #2 [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 70:00 - 70:30
Plot Point #2 happens when Tzekel-Khan meets Cortes and decides to help him get to El Dorado.
Normally, Plot Point #2 would mark the end of Act 2 and the beginning of Act 3. But notice that in The Road To El Dorado, Act 2 actually keeps going for a few pages after Plot Point #2 happens. This is because even though Tzekel-Khan has put the city of El Dorado in danger, Miguel and Tulio have to hit their low point before the Climax can happen. So the next few pages are devoted to exactly that: Miguel and Tulio break up, and make peace with the fact that they'll never see each other again. After this, the tables are set for the big battle to save El Dorado.
NOTE TO REMEMBER: The reason this scene marks the shift into Act 3 is because it turns the plot in a whole new direction. Once Tzekel-Khan meets Cortes, the city of El Dorado is in immediate danger, and Miguel and Tulio have a brand new goal (though they don't know it until a few pages later): Protect El Dorado at all costs.
Climax [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 74:45 - 80:00
The climax happens when Miguel and Tulio fight to save El Dorado from Cortes and escape from the city with their ship full of treasure. As we should expect, it's a big action scene where the characters almost lose their lives, but end up saving the day at the very last second.
Resolution [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 80:00 - 82:30
Just like in
last week's breakdown, our Resolution consists of one short scene that wraps everything up in a nice little package. Tzekel-Khan (the bad guy) gets taken prisoner, Miguel and Tulio (the protagonists) become friends again, Chel and Tulio (the lovers) kiss, and everybody rides off into the sunset. End of movie!
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