Page One: “Toy Story 4” (2019)

Screenplay by Andrew Stanton & Stephany Folsom, original story by John Lasseter & Andrew Stanton & Josh Cooley & Valerie LaPointe & Rashida Jones & Will McCormack & Martin Hynes & Stephany Folsom

The movie version of the opening:

This is a great example of starting a movie in the middle of the action. Drop the audience in and let them play catch-up with what’s going on. As Pixar filmmaker Andrew Stanton says in his excellent TED Talk (Clues to a Great Story), instead of 2+2=4, when writing a story use this formula: 2+2. Make the audience work to figure out the solution. Get them involved in the story as a participant … and they will thank you for it.

You may download the screenplay here.

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY!

Page One is a daily Go Into The Story series featuring the first page of notable movie scripts from the classic era to contemporary times. Comparing them is an excellent way to study a variety of writing styles and see how professional writers start a story.

For more Page One posts, go here.

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