History Quotes / StrictlyFormula

-->-- '''Robert Beltran''' on ''Star Trek: Voyager''

-->-- '''David A. Goodman''' on ''Star Trek: Enterprise: Uncharted Territory''

-->-- ''Website/TheAgonyBooth'' on ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', "Threshold"

-->-- ''[[https://them0vieblog.com/2016/06/02/star-trek-enterprise-these-are-the-voyages-review/ Darren Mooney]]'' on the supposed DistantFinale to ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''

->"You could just sort of look at it while your mind went into screensaver mode. And that proves it's good drama."
-->--'''Barry Shitpeas''' on ''Series/TheThreeMusketeers'', ''Creator/CharlieBrooker's Weekly Wipe''

->''But if there's one good thing I can say about ''Voyager'', it's that it reached such a predictable level of sameness, that it became like comfort food television. Just like ordering a Big Mac, you always knew what you would see when you opened that box. Unfortunately, this is only good for certain situations, like when you have an hour to kill and don't want to think too hard.''
-->-- ''Website/TheAgonyBooth'' on ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', "Threshold"

->''It seems like six years of growth can be reduced to the addition of some monitors to the bridge, an adjustment of [[SciFiBobHaircut T'Pol's hairstyle]] and the inclusion of a name tag to the familiar jumpsuits.''
-->-- ''[[https://them0vieblog.com/2016/06/02/star-trek-enterprise-these-are-the-voyages-review/ Darren Mooney]]'' on the supposed DistantFinale to ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''

->''One of the most popular '90s shows was ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. In this show, our caped crusader Batman would confront a villain/minor life event of the week, scowl at it, use something on his utility belt, learn a valuable life lesson and then he would [[EverybodyLaughsEnding share a private joke]] with his faithful butler before the credits rolled. It was all very tidy, and there was no argument that this was how the world worked. Children everywhere aspired to be Batman, and to one day share private jokes with butlers of their own.''
-->-- ''Website/{{Uncyclopedia}}''

->''The TV producers' pedagogical theory is that young kids really like repetition, because they’re more comfortable watching a show if they know exactly what to expect. And that’s a really convenient pedagogical theory to have, if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on writers.''
-->-- '''''Tough Pigs''''', "[[http://www.toughpigs.com/my-breakfast-with-bear-3/ My Breakfast with Bear, Day Three]]

->''Most cartoon features begin on the plot set-up, usually a revelation of the villain (or villainess) and their plan (usually take over a kingdom, or kill a rival, or get rich or a combination of all three) then establish your hero or heroine, usually a [[UnluckyEverydude likable loser]] if male (WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}, the guys in ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' or ''[[WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire Atlantis]]'', [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda that dumb panda]] that's already showing up everywhere), a [[ManicPixieDreamGirl comically-scattered, sweet, smart, ugly duckling type]] if female ([[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Belle]], WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}, the girl in ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'') and the obligatory [[GreekChorus wacky sidekicks]], always one, sometimes as many as three ([[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 Flounder, Scuttle]], [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Timon, Pumba]], monkey, flying rug, etc., etc.). The villain also usually has a sidekick, either the [[NumberTwoForBrains bungling nincompoop type]] ([[WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove Kronk]]) or the [[SmugSnake loudmouthed asshole]] (Iago) or very rarely, some actually sort of threatening creatures (the hyenas in "Lion King."). The screen action lumps along for 80 minutes or so, consisting of initial skirmishes between hero and villain, the set-up of the traditional hero/heroine love story (these days they usually [[MeetCute hate each other at first sight]], snark back and forth until the end, then inexplicably fall into each other's arms), [[IWantSong songs that explain what the hero, the villain and the heroine each want]], [[ToiletHumor a vomit and/or fart joke]] or two from the sidekicks, and action sequences designed to pad out what could usually be a story told in 10 minutes. Your primary objective as a modern animation feature storyteller is to get the audience members emotionally charged (i.e., distracted from logic gaps and not thinking too much) so they will be ready for your big finale.''
-->--Creator/PaulDini on [[https://kingofbreakfast.livejournal.com/72294.html animated feature stories]]

>"You could just sort of look at it while your mind went into screensaver mode. And that proves it's good drama."

->"You could just sort of look at it while your mind went into screensaver mode. And that proves it's good drama."
-->--'''Barry Shitpeas''' on ''Series/TheThreeMusketeers'', ''Creator/CharlieBrooker's Weekly Wipe''

->"Some crime show. You don't know any of the characters, but you still pay attention to the plot. Abortion doctor [[VictimOfTheWeek murdered]]. The Christian fanatic is [[RedHerring too obvious a suspect]]. Maybe it's the doctor's wife. Maybe it's his brother; they were professional rivals, and the deceased just won an award. (What does an abortionist win an award ''for'', anyway?) The cop's partner wants him to do something about [[CowboyCop his anger issues]]. Isn't that always the way?''

->'''Jay''': ''The Marine'' 1: U.S. Marine John Triton returns home, his very attractive ([[InformedAttractiveness citation needed]]) wife Kate is kidnapped, and he busts some heads to rescue her. ''The Marine 2'': U.S. Marine Joe Linwood returns to his hotel room, his very attractive (citation needed) wife Robin is kidnapped, and he busts some heads to rescue her.\\
'''V1''': I can see where this is going.
-->-- ''WebVideo/OSWReview'' on ''The Marine 3: Homefront''

->'''Yahtzee''': Turns out a big chunk of this "online-multiplayer"-focused game is a single-player campaign. '''Oh, {{Creator/Nintendo}}, you poor sod!''' Someone suggested making an online shooter and was smart enough not to stand on [[BoardToDeath the trapdoor to the piranha tank]], so you had to reach a compromise, but you ''just couldn't fight'' the old instincts!\\
'''Nintendo exec''': *cries aloud as [[EvilHand his hand refuses to shake]] the dev's*
-->--''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' on ''{{VideoGame/Splatoon}}''

->"What's ''this'' game about then? You play as Link and you have to rescue the Princess Zelda? ''Wow'', across the meadows of fresh ideas, you stride like a colossus, don't you? Oh, but it's very innovatively evoking ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' on the SNES, the same way I 'very innovatively' crawled up my mum's vagina and stuck my thumb in me mouth... ''Oh!'' A Boomerang '''and''' a Hookshot!? SLOW DOWN, Creator/{{STANLEY KUBRICK}}! ''Zelda''? More like '''Smell'''da! Fart. [[DontExplainTheJoke I Smellda fart.]]"
-->-- ''Zero Punctuation'' ([[AdamWesting lampooning]] himself) on ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds''

->"In one of the behind-the-scenes featurettes, the developers flat out admit that they think up the spectacular set pieces ''first'' and then [[NoPlotNoProblem come up with the plot around them]], and by Christ, does it show, because these games are getting as formulaic as a ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo'' episode. Who wants to bet the lost treasure at the end will turn out to have been ''[[SealedEvilInACan deliberately]]'' lost because there's some negative effect surrounding it that the bad guys want to weaponize? And that Drake will pull off the main villain's face and it'll turn out to be Old Man Withers!"
-->-- ''Zero Punctuation'' on ''VideoGame/Uncharted3DrakesDeception''

[[folder:Web Original]]
->''I find the rigid visual schematic and the close-cropped A-B-C framing and editing of ''Adam-12'' to be beautifully spare and clean, matched by the almost kabuki-like scripting that turns the most mundane actions into stylized rituals, repeated over and over again until they achieve mythic, iconic status. When Malloy and Reed drop down into their new, more powerful 1973 AMC Matador, solidly chunking those doors closed, and begin to roll down the mean streets of L.A.―over and over again, episode after episode, with little variation―the effect eventually becomes hypnotic.''
-->-- '''Paul Mavis''' [[http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/54055/adam-12-season-seven/ on]] ''Series/AdamTwelve''

->''One of the most popular '90s shows was ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. In this show, our caped crusader Batman would confront a villain/minor life event of the week, scowl at it, use something on his utility belt, learn a valuable life lesson and then he would [[EverybodyLaughsEnding share a private joke]] with his faithful butler before the credits rolled. It was all very tidy, and there was no argument that this was how the world worked. Children everywhere aspired to be Batman, and to one day share private jokes with butlers of their own.''
-->-- ''Website/{{Uncyclopedia}}''

->''On the one hand they insist that they don't want to patronize the audience and want to leave things for them to figure out. On the other, when [[Creator/ChrisChibnall Chibnall]] complains that the story was cliched monsters and corridors stuff, Jane Baker rather icily notes that she thought ''Series/DoctorWho'' fans liked traditional stuff. There's something really unsettling about this. It's difficult to see how feeding ''Doctor Who'' fans a steady diet of generic and traditional adventures could be called challenging. Indeed, 'here's the same thing you've been enjoying for decades done with no changes' seems the very definition of patronizing television.''
-->--'''Dr. El Sandifer''' [[http://www.philipsandifer.com/2012/06/i-was-beginning-to-fear-you-had-lost.html on]] Pip and Jane Baker, [[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS23E1TheMysteriousPlanet}} "The Mysterious Planet"]]

->''Wow, listen to Creator/DavidDuchovny in the first scene Mulder and Scully share. After his riveting turn in "Max" he sounds bored already, fully aware of the functional episode that is about to play out...He can’t wait to get away from this case and into something more interesting. At the end of the episode, Scully is so jaded by the tedious events that have taken place that she can't even bring herself to [[AgentScully argue with Mulder]] over the idea of time travel. She’s almost like "sure, time travel, whatever you like...can we go now?"''
-->-- '''[[http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-x-files-season-four_17.html Joe Ford]]''' on ''Series/TheXFiles'', "Synchrony"

->''But if there's one good thing I can say about ''Voyager'', it's that it reached such a predictable level of sameness, that it became like comfort food television. Just like ordering a Big Mac, you always knew what you would see when you opened that box. Unfortunately, this is only good for certain situations, like when you have an hour to kill and don't want to think too hard.''
-->-- ''Website/TheAgonyBooth'' on ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', "Threshold"

->''It seems like six years of growth can be reduced to the addition of some monitors to the bridge, an adjustment of [[SciFiBobHaircut T'Pol's hairstyle]] and the inclusion of a name tag to the familiar jumpsuits.''
-->-- ''[[https://them0vieblog.com/2016/06/02/star-trek-enterprise-these-are-the-voyages-review/ Darren Mooney]]'' on the supposed DistantFinale to ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''

->''A "reimagining" courtesy of Creator/TimBurton (read: take original material, [[{{Narm}} make it darker yet somehow simultaneously goofier]], insert Creator/DannyElfman soundtrack, sit back, make millions)''
-->-- ''Website/{{Wrestlecrap}}'', [[http://www.wrestlecrap.com/inductions/jericho-and-the-planet-of-the-apes-why-2j/ "Jericho and the Planet of the Apes"]]

->''The TV producers' pedagogical theory is that young kids really like repetition, because they’re more comfortable watching a show if they know exactly what to expect. And that’s a really convenient pedagogical theory to have, if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on writers.''
-->-- '''''Tough Pigs''''', "[[http://www.toughpigs.com/my-breakfast-with-bear-3/ My Breakfast with Bear, Day Three]]"

[[folder:Web Video]]
->"All ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'' did was put that godforsaken Disney musical 90s formula in place."
-->-- '''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick'''

->"The plot, in a general sense, involves a villain trying to get a hold of an alien artifact that will give him control of the universe. You may remember this plot from every single fucking plot these goddamn Marvel-movies have ever had!"

[[folder:Western Animation]]
->'''Fry:''' Jenny can't get married.\\
'''Leela:''' Why not? It's clever, it's unexpected.\\
'''Fry:''' But that's not why people watch TV. Clever things make people feel stupid, and unexpected things make them feel scared.
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', "When Aliens Attack"

!!RealLife quotes
[[folder:On Films -- Live-action]]
->''The stories had, to the British eyes at any rate, a monotonous similarity about them that went something as follows: two men, one a policeman, one a criminal, come into conflict. They have lots of [[FightSceneFailure very badly-choreographed fights]]. There is a song. Then another fight. Another song. Halfway through, a villain [[KickTheDog strangles the policeman's saintly mother]]. Then it's revealed that the criminal and the cop [[SeparatedAtBirth are really brothers separated at birth]] by [[TheManBehindTheMan the machinations of the evil villain]]. There is a song. Then there is more fighting of a kind which would make the average playground pretend martial arts game look highly polished. Then another song. The brothers fall in love with two sisters. The sisters are [[DamselInDistress kidnapped]]. There is a song. They are rescued. The villain is beaten to a pulp. There is a song.''
-->--'''Paul Hoffman''' on {{UsefulNotes/Bollywood}}, ''The Golden Age Of Censorship''

->''As with most of Creator/{{Woody|Allen}}’s movies, everyone signed on without seeing a script. There is no plot and there is no title. Like we need to be told what it’s going to be about. We already know it’s going to be about [[WriteWhoYouKnow a bunch of nervous white people and their problems]].''
-->-- '''[[http://dlisted.com/2015/03/10/kristen-stewart-is-going-to-be-in-a-woody-allen-movie/ Michael K.]]''', on a casting announcement for the then-untitled Creator/WoodyAllen movie ''Film/CafeSociety''

->''Creator/StevenSeagal staked his ponytail on the cultural donkey with ''Film/AboveTheLaw'', his film debut that hit theatres two months after ''{{Film/Bloodsport}}''. It set the tone for what was to come, as well as nailing on the trademarked three-word title structure of his many direct-to-video acts of tedium. ''Film/DrivenToKill'', ''Film/MarkedForDeath'', ''Film/HardToKill'', ''Film/TodayYouDie''; but even the best Seagal movie is ''Hard to Watch.
-->-- '''Stuart Millard''', ''Smoke & Mirrors and Steven Seagal''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:On Literature]]
->''It tells exactly where to put everything. It shows definitely just what must happen in each successive thousand words. No yarn of mine written to the formula has yet failed to sell. The business of building stories seems not much different from the business of building anything else.''
-->--'''Lester Dent''', ''[[http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/triv326.html The Pulp Paper Master Fiction Plot]]'' (originally published in ''Writer's Digest Yearbook'', 1936)

->''Tarzan is always [[TapOnTheHead knocked on the head]] and taken captive; he [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy always escapes]]; there is always [[TheChiefsDaughter a beautiful princess or high priestess]] who loves him and assists him; there is always a loyal friend who fights beside him, very much in the [[Literature/MobyDick Queenpeg]] tradition... But no matter how difficult the adventure, Tarzan, [[GotMeDoingIt clad only in a loincloth with no weapon save a knife]] (the style is comforting to imitate), wins against all odds and returns to [[TokenRomance his shadowy wife.]]''
-->-- '''Creator/GoreVidal''', "{{Literature/Tarzan}} Revisited"

->''Three of [[Creator/IanFleming Mr. Fleming’s]] favourite situations are about to come up one after the other. Bond is to be [[NoMisterBondIExpectYouToDIne wined and dined]], [[BondVillainStupidity lectured]] on the aesthetics of power, and finally [[JamesBondage tortured]] by his chief enemy.''
-->-- '''Kingsley Amis'''

->''In some ways, there is a certain inflexibility about my scheme for writing {{Literature/Black Widower|s}} stories. There is always the banquet and the general conversation; then the grilling and the presentation of the mystery; then the discussion and solution.''
--> -- Creator/IsaacAsimov, ''Literature/CasebookOfTheBlackWidowers'', afterword to "Literature/TheSportsPage".
[[/folder]]

While using an annoying voice and jokes about my ass''\\

->''The stories had, to the British eyes at any rate, a monotonous similarity about them that went something as follows: two men, one a policeman, one a criminal, come into conflict. They have lots of [[WhatTheFuAreYouDoing very badly-choreographed fights]]. There is a song. Then another fight. Another song. Halfway through, a villain [[StuffedIntoTheFridge strangles the policeman's saintly mother]]. Then it's revealed that the criminal and the cop [[SeparatedAtBirth are really brothers separated at birth]] by the machinations of the evil villain. There is a song. Then there is more fighting of a kind which would make the average playground pretend martial arts game look highly polished. Then another song. The brothers fall in love with two sisters. The sisters are kidnapped. There is a song. They are rescued. The villain is beaten to a pulp. There is a song.''

->''As with most of Creator/{{Woody|Allen}}’s movies, everyone signed on without seeing a script. There is no plot and there is no title. Like we need to be told what it’s going to be about. We already know it’s going to be about a bunch of nervous white people and their problems.''

-->-- ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' ([[AdamWesting lampooning]] himself) on ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds''

-->-- ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' on ''VideoGame/Uncharted3DrakesDeception''

[[folder:Real Life]]

->''Most cartoon features begin on the plot set-up, usually a revelation of the villain (or villainess) and their plan (usually take over a kingdom, or kill a rival, or get rich or a combination of all three) then establish your hero or heroine, usually a [[UnluckyEverydude likable loser]] if male (WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}, the guys in ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' or ''[[WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire Atlantis]]'', [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda that dumb panda]] that's already showing up everywhere), a [[ManicPixieDreamGirl comically-scattered, sweet, smart, ugly duckling type]] if female ([[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Belle]], WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}, the girl in "Film/{{Enchanted}}") and the obligatory [[GreekChorus wacky sidekicks]], always one, sometimes as many as three ([[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 Flounder, Scuttle]], [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Timon, Pumba]], monkey, flying rug, etc., etc.). The villain also usually has a sidekick, either the [[NumberTwoForBrains bungling nincompoop type]] ([[WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove Kronk]]) or the [[SmugSnake loudmouthed asshole]] (Iago) or very rarely, some actually sort of threatening creatures (the hyenas in "Lion King."). The screen action lumps along for 80 minutes or so, consisting of initial skirmishes between hero and villain, the set-up of the traditional hero/heroine love story (these days they usually [[MeetCute hate each other at first sight]], snark back and forth until the end, then inexplicably fall into each other's arms), [[IWantSong songs that explain what the hero, the villain and the heroine each want]], [[ToiletHumor a vomit and/or fart joke]] or two from the sidekicks, and action sequences designed to pad out what could usually be a story told in 10 minutes. Your primary objective as a modern animation feature storyteller is to get the audience members emotionally charged (i.e., distracted from logic gaps and not thinking too much) so they will be ready for your big finale.''
-->--Creator/PaulDini on [[https://kingofbreakfast.livejournal.com/72294.html animated feature stories]]

->"''Tom & Jerry'' is about as uninspired a cartoon series as was ever created. It's pure generic cartoon thinking of the time. What is a cartoon? Uh... it's where a cat chases a mouse and there is [[AmusingInjuries lots of hurt]] and noise and mayhem. It's hard to be more basic than that, so [[Creator/HannaBarbera Bill and Joe]] didn't fix something that wasn't broken for 15 or 16 years."
-->-- '''Creator/JohnKricfalusi''' [[http://johnkstuff.blogspot.tw/2009/04/age-of-extreme-conservatism-pt-2.html on]] writing for ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry''

->''Most features follow the basic structure and trappings of ''[[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Snow White]]'' and have turned it into a blind formula. The [[Literature/SnowWhite original Grimm's fairy tale of Snow White]] has about 4 pages of story (about 10 minutes worth of screen time). The movie added about 50 minutes of [[{{Padding}} filler]]: animals cleaning plates with their rear ends, comedy relief, romance between two lifeless people...''
-->--Creator/JohnKricfalusi, [[Blog/JohnKStuff "Writing for Cartoons 1"]]

->"I'm sick and tired of people saying that we put out 11 albums that sound exactly the same. In fact, [[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne we've put out 12 albums that sound exactly the same.]]"
-->-- '''Angus Young''' of Music/{{ACDC}}, in a [[http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2000/02/27/2000-02-27_pluggin__into_ac_dc_longtime.html 2000 interview]] with Jim Farber

->"People like to think everything is art. Arranging flowers, writing poems, making a latte--these are just actions, not art. Plugging in an electric guitar, [[TheFourChordsOfPop playing four chords]], adding bass and drums, and singing words in key is no more 'art' than a guy opening his tool box, putting on a 9/16 socket, replacing a belt, and getting the lawn mower running again."
-->-- '''Matt Johnson''' interviewing '''Music/Starflyer59''', ''Bandoppler'', [[http://www.bandoppler.com/BD1_F_SF59.htm "The Cool War"]]

->''The stories had, to the British eyes at any rate, a monotonous similarity about them that went something as follows: two men, one a policeman, one a criminal, come into conflict. They have lots of [[WhatTheFuAreYouDoing very badly-choreographed fights]]. There is a song. Then another fight. Another song. Halfway through, a villain [[StuffedIntoTheFridge strangles the policeman's saintly mother]]. Then it's revealed that the criminal and the cop [[SeparatedAtBirth are really brothers separated at birth]] by the machinations of the evil villain. There is a song. Then there is more fighting of a kind which would make the average playground pretend martial arts game look highly polished. Then another song. The brothers fall in love with two sisters. The sisters are kidnapped. There is a song. They are rescued. The villain is beaten to a pulp. There is a song.''
-->--'''Paul Hoffman''' on {{UsefulNotes/Bollywood}}, ''The Golden Age Of Censorship''

->''As with most of Creator/{{Woody|Allen}}’s movies, everyone signed on without seeing a script. There is no plot and there is no title. Like we need to be told what it’s going to be about. We already know it’s going to be about a bunch of nervous white people and their problems.''
-->-- '''[[http://dlisted.com/2015/03/10/kristen-stewart-is-going-to-be-in-a-woody-allen-movie/ Michael K.]]''', on a casting announcement for the then-untitled Creator/WoodyAllen movie ''Film/CafeSociety''

->''Creator/StevenSeagal staked his ponytail on the cultural donkey with ''Film/AboveTheLaw'', his film debut that hit theatres two months after ''{{Film/Bloodsport}}''. It set the tone for what was to come, as well as nailing on the trademarked three-word title structure of his many direct-to-video acts of tedium. ''Film/DrivenToKill'', ''Film/MarkedForDeath'', ''Film/HardToKill'', ''Film/TodayYouDie''; but even the best Seagal movie is ''Hard to Watch.
-->-- '''Stuart Millard''', ''Smoke & Mirrors and Steven Seagal''

[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
->"Most features follow the basic structure and trappings of ''[[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Snow White]]'' and have turned it into a blind formula. The [[Literature/SnowWhite original Grimm's fairy tale of Snow White]] has about 4 pages of story (about 10 minutes worth of screen time). The movie added about 50 minutes of filler: animals cleaning plates with their rear ends, comedy relief, romance between two lifeless people, pathos. They also added some delightful song sequences. I would call those entertainment, not necessary for the story but worth putting in a movie because they are fun. [[Creator/BobClampett Clampett]] made [[WesternAnimation/CoalBlackAndDeSebbenDwarfs the exact same story as Disney's version of Snow White in 8 or 9 minutes]] and left out all the filler. Most animated features today are about 90% filler. The songs are no longer fun; they too have become filler."
-->--Creator/JohnKricfalusi, [[Blog/JohnKStuff "Writing for Cartoons 1"]]

->Most cartoon features begin on the plot set-up, usually a revelation of the [[BigBad villain]] (or villainess) and their [[EvilPlan plan]] (usually take over a kingdom, or kill a rival, or get rich or a combination of all three) then establish your [[TheHero hero or heroine]], usually a [[CoolLoser likable loser]] if male (WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}, the guys in WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet or [[WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire Atlantis]], [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda that dumb panda]] that's already showing up everyhere), a comically-scattered, sweet, smart, ugly duckling type if female ([[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Belle]], WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}, the girl in "Film/{{Enchanted}}") and the obligatory wacky sidekicks, always one, sometimes as many as three ([[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 Flounder, Scuttle]], [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Timon, Pumba]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} monkey, flying rug,]] etc., etc.). The villain also [[TheDragon usually has a sidekick]], either the [[VileVillainLaughableLackey bungling nincompoop type]] ([[WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove Kronk]]) or the loudmouthed asshole (Iago) or very rarely, some actually sort of threatening creatures (the hyenas in "Lion King."). The screen action lumps along for 80 minutes or so, consisting of initial skirmishes between hero and villain, the set-up of [[TokenRomance the traditional hero/heroine love story]] (these days they usually [[BelligerentSexualTension hate each other at first sight, snark back and forth until the end, then inexplicably fall into each other's arms]]), [[IWantSong songs that explain what the hero, the villain and the heroine each want]], [[ToiletHumor a vomit and/or fart joke or two from the sidekicks]], and action sequences designed to [[{{Padding}} pad out]] what could usually be a story told in 10 minutes. Your primary objective as a modern animation feature storyteller is to get the audience members emotionally charged (i.e., distracted from logic gaps and not thinking too much) so they will be ready for your big finale.
-->--Creator/PaulDini on [[https://kingofbreakfast.livejournal.com/72294.html animated feature stories]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
->''"The reason that we ended up doing so many rehashes of episodes was there was a point where Brannon [Braga] -- whether he was [[ArtistDisillusionment tired]], or it was just the pressure of trying to get the show done -- was not really willing to hear a variety of ideas. He would hone in on a story. Somebody would pitch a story, and then all of a sudden we’re breaking a story that’s very similar to a ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' or a ''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager Voyager]]''...because -- quite rightly -- they’d had success doing the characters the way they’d been doing them, and really getting into real conflict with our characters was not something Rick [Berman] and Brannon were interested in."''
-->-- '''David A. Goodman''', ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise: Uncharted Territory''

[[folder:Literature]]
->''"They really are all the same, aren't they?" she said to the three-eyed teddy bear. "You know it's going to be Mary the Maid, or someone like her, and [[LoveTriangle there's going to be two men]] and she will end up with the nice one, and [[ThirdActMisunderstanding there has to be misunderstandings]], and they never do anything more than kiss and it's absolutely guaranteed that, for example, an exciting civil war or an invasion by trolls or [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking even a scene with any cooking in it]] is not going to happen. The best you can expect is a thunderstorm.''
-->-- '''Glenda Sugarbean''', ''Literature/UnseenAcademicals''

-> ''In some ways, there is a certain inflexibility about my scheme for writing {{Literature/Black Widower|s}} stories. There is always the banquet and the general conversation; then the grilling and the presentation of the mystery; then the discussion and solution.''
-> ''But there is a certain flexibility as well, for the mystery itself can be anything at all. It can be a murder, or a theft, or a spy story, or a missing-will story.''
--> -- Creator/IsaacAsimov, ''Literature/CasebookOfTheBlackWidowers'', afterword to "Literature/TheSportsPage".

->[''On Bollywood films''] The stories had, to the British eyes at any rate, a monotonous similarity about them that went something as follows: two men, one a policeman, one a criminal, come into conflict. They have [[FightSceneFailure lots of very badly-choreographed fights]]. There is a song. Then another fight. Another song. Halfway through, [[KickTheDog a villain strangles the policeman's saintly mother]]. Then it's revealed that the criminal and the cop [[SeparatedAtBirth are really brothers separated at birth]] by the machinations of the evil villain. There is a song. Then there is more fighting [[{{Narm}} of a kind which would make the average playground pretend martial arts game look highly polished]]. Then another song. The brothers fall in love with two sisters. The sisters are kidnapped. There is a song. They are rescued. The villain is beaten to a pulp. [[OverlyLongGag There is a song]].
-->--''The Golden Age Of Censorship,'' by Paul Hoffman

->''[This] is a formula, a master plot, for any 6000 word [[PulpMagazine pulp story]]. It has worked on adventure, detective, western and war-air. It tells exactly where to put everything. It shows definitely just what must happen in each successive thousand words. No yarn of mine written to the formula has yet failed to sell. The business of building stories seems not much different from the business of building anything else.''
-->--'''Lester Dent''', ''[[http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/triv326.html The Pulp Paper Master Fiction Plot]]'' (originally published in ''Writer's Digest Yearbook'', 1936)

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
->'''Mandy Baxter:''' I want to see how that ends.\\
'''Kristin Baxter:''' One [[Series/DanceMoms dance mom]] yells at the other dance mom, and then they both get yelled at by that big teacher.\\
'''Mandy Baxter:''' How do you know that?\\
'''Kristin Baxter:''' Because it's every episode.
-->-- ''Series/LastManStanding''

->''"What I liked was, because [[Series/TheThreeMusketeers it had]] all the things you expect -- like a bit where someone hides from a husband, and a bit where a young bloke earns the respect of a slightly older bloke, and a bit where someone's framed for murder because they picked up a knife and put a fingerprint on it, and a bit where one of the main characters is gonna die, and you're like "Oh my God, one of the main characters is gonna die!", but then the person who was gonna kill them gets shot, and it pulls focus and it's someone surprising who saved them -- because it had all of that stuff you already know, you didn't have to waste time working out what it was, or what you thought about it, or like, who these people were. You could just sort of look at it while your mind went into screensaver mode. And that proves it's good drama."''
-->--'''Barry Shitpeas''', ''Creator/CharlieBrooker's Weekly Wipe''

[[folder:Magazines]]
->'''Ass''': OH NO! Look who it is!\\
'''Musty''': It's Team Rockhead, of course! They show up EVERY episode!\\
'''Ass''': Yes, but they usually show up six minutes into the show! This time, they didn't show up until six minutes and twenty seconds!\\
'''Messy''': ''(entering)'' Ha! Never underestimate the element of surprise!
-->-- ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' parody of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}''
[[/folder]]

->''"What's ''this'' game about then? You play as Link and you have to rescue the Princess Zelda? Wooow, across the meadows of fresh ideas you stride like a colossus, don't you? Oh, but it's very innovatively evoking ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' on the SNES, the same way I 'very innovatively' crawled up my mum's vagina and stuck my thumb in me mouth... ''Oh!'' A Boomerang '''and''' a Hookshot!? SLOW DOWN, Creator/{{STANLEY KUBRICK}}! ''Zelda''? More like'' '''Smell'''da!... ''fart. [[DontExplainTheJoke I Smellda fart.]]"''
-->-- ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' ([[AdamWesting lampooning]] himself somewhat) on ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds''

->''"In one of the behind-the-scenes featurettes, the developers flat out admit that they think up the spectacular set pieces ''first'' and then come up with the plot around them, and by Christ does it show, because these games are getting as formulaic as a ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo'' episode. Who wants to bet the lost treasure at the end will turn out to have been ''deliberately'' lost because there's some negative effect surrounding it that the bad guys want to weaponize? And that Drake will pull off the main villain's face and it'll turn out to be Old Man Withers!"''

->'''[[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Mega Man]]''': Hey, is it noon, yet?\\
'''Dr. Light''': Just about.\\
'''Mega Man''': ''(groans, turns on TV set)''\\
'''Dr. Wily''': WAH HA HA HA!! I have created--!\\
'''Mega Man''': Eight Master Robots and you plan to take over the world. Sigh... can we just get this over with? My balls hurt.

->''The first episode of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' that aired on network TV was episode #42, "The Problem with Paras." There are over 700 Pokemon episodes in existence now, so you might not remember this particular one. It's the one where they go somewhere and meet a Pokèmon with a problem, and the gang tries to solve that problem, and Team Rocket tries to mess it up. [[NeedleInAStackOfNeedles It's that one.]]''

->''"I find the rigid visual schematic and the close-cropped A-B-C framing and editing of ''Adam-12'' to be beautifully spare and clean, matched by the almost kabuki-like scripting that turns the most mundane actions into stylized rituals, repeated over and over again until they achieve mythic, iconic status. When Malloy and Reed drop down into their new, more powerful 1973 AMC Matador, solidly chunking those doors closed, and begin to roll down the mean streets of L.A.―over and over again, episode after episode, with little variation―the effect [[GiftedlyBad eventually becomes hypnotic]]. The characters, although humanized by the scripts (and obviously by the performances), simultaneously operate outside the realm of reality due to this stylization of the visuals and editing...for a show like ''Adam-12'' where not only its format but its very construction, both visually and aurally, are so rigidly formalized, it's eventually going to become difficult to maintain viewer interest over the years unless something new is added."''

->''"In many ways, television is a conservative medium -- more in an artistic sense than a political one. Network television is largely built around churn, a conveyor belt model that is designed to generate product according to tight schedules and oppressive deadlines. Routine and familiarity make the production schedule easier to manage, particularly for shows with large season orders. More than that, if a show has figured out an approach that has worked, it makes no sense to deviate from that pattern."''
-->-- '''[[http://them0vieblog.com/2015/12/04/the-x-files-season-8-review/ Darren Mooney]]'''

->''It seems like [[DistantFinale six years]] of growth can be reduced to the addition of some monitors to the bridge, an adjustment of T'Pol's hairstyle and the inclusion of a name tag to the familiar jumpsuits. It is worth pausing and stressing this point. These cosmetic and technological changes are what "These Are the Voyages..." would consider to represent growth and evolution.''
-->-- ''[[https://them0vieblog.com/2016/06/02/star-trek-enterprise-these-are-the-voyages-review/ TheM0vieBlog]]'' on ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''

->''A "reimagining" courtesy of Creator/TimBurton (read: take original material, [[DarkerAndEdgier make it darker]] yet somehow [[DenserAndWackier simultaneously goofier]], insert Creator/DannyElfman soundtrack, sit back, make millions)''

->''""The whole reason ''{{ComicBook/Watchmen}}'' has a unique place in superhero history is that it’s an actual, honest-to-gosh novel, with a purpose, and a beginning, middle, and end. The reason there aren’t more books like ''Watchmen'' is because DC and Marvel don’t understand the difference between making something like that and creating [=IP=] that can be spun off into continuing franchises.... Recycling is just as good as creating. Better, really, because then you don’t have bitches like this Creator/AlanMoore character with some personal connection to the work [[DoingItForTheArt muddying up the issue]]."''
-->-- '''[[http://www.rickworley.com/2012/06/18/dan-didio-douchebags-of-comics/ Rick Worley]]'''

->''[[CrimeAndPunishmentSeries Some crime show]]. You don't know any of the characters, but you still pay attention to the plot. [[VictimOfTheWeek Abortion doctor murdered]]. The Christian fanatic [[RedHerring is too obvious a suspect]]. Maybe it's the doctor's wife. Maybe it's his brother; they were professional rivals, and the deceased just won an award. [[FridgeLogic What does an abortionist win an award]] ''[[FridgeLogic for]]''[[FridgeLogic , anyway?]] The cop's partner wants him to do something about [[FatalFlaw his anger issues]]. Isn't that always the way?''
-->-- ''Podcast/{{Pseudopod}}'' episode 81 "[[http://pseudopod.org/2008/03/14/pseudopod-81-its-easy-to-make-a-sandwich/ It's Easy To Make A Sandwich]]"

-->-- ''Tough Pigs'', "[[http://www.toughpigs.com/my-breakfast-with-bear-3/ My Breakfast with Bear, Day Three]]"

->'''Jay''': ''The Marine'' 1: U.S. Marine John Triton returns home, his very attractive [[AC:[[InformedAttractiveness citation needed]]]] wife Kate is kidnapped, and he busts some heads to rescue her. ''The Marine 2'': U.S. Marine Joe Linwood returns to his hotel room, his very attractive [[AC:citation needed]] wife Robin is kidnapped, and he busts some heads to rescue her.\\
'''V1''': I can see where this is going.
-->-- ''WebVideo/OSWReview'' on ''The Marine 3: Homefront''

->''"All ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'' did was put that godforsaken Disney musical 90s formula in place."''

->''"Tell me if you recognise any of these:\\
''Quirky underdog meets a hot attractive babe\\

Come on guys, you liked it the first eighteen times, surely you'll like it fifty-six more."''
-->-- '''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic''', ''The Adam Sandler Song''

->''"The plot, in a general sense, involves a villain trying to get a hold of an alien artifact that will give him control of the universe. You may remember this plot from '''every single fucking plot these goddamn Marvel-movies have ever had!'''''"
-->-- '''WebVideo/ConfusedMatthew''', ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' [[http://blip.tv/confused-matthew/gurdians-of-the-galaxy-general-review-7007021 video review]]

->''"''Film/SurvivalOfTheDead'' scared me, and not in the good way. Every time I would pass it in my Blockbuster (and yes, I still go to an actual Blockbuster store) I almost flinch as if [[SuckinessIsPainful the box will give me some electroshock]] if I picked it up. ''Film/DiaryOfTheDead'' was so atrocious and showed how far [[Creator/GeorgeRomero Romero]] had fallen that I honestly did not want to see him [[FranchiseZombie fall any lower]]. It is not about seeing ''Survival'' and being pissed off, I didn’t want to watch it and be depressed."''

->'''Stacy:''' Is this where you go everyday, Perry?\\
'''Dr. Doofenshmirtz:''' ''(while fighting Perry)'' Yeah, pretty much. I create -inators, and he breaks in and foils my scheme, it's kind of our thing!
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb''

->'''Fry:''' Jenny can't get married.
->'''Leela:''' Why not? It's clever, it's unexpected.
->'''Fry:''' But that's not why people watch TV. Clever things make people feel stupid, and unexpected things make them feel scared.

->'''D.W.''': ''Mary Moo Cow'' is not a baby show!
->'''Arthur''': It is too! It's always the same! Three always comes after two, blue and yellow always make green, [[BlahBlahBlah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah]].
->'''D.W.''': Oh, like ''[[{{Malaproper}} Bubonic Bunny]]'' isn't always the same?
->'''Arthur''': It's ''Bionic Bunny''!
->'''D.W.''': There's trouble, no one calls Bubonic Bunny. Things get worse, they call Bubonic Bunny. He fixes it, big whoop!
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', "That's a Baby Show!"

->''"Three of [[Creator/IanFleming Mr. Fleming’s]] favourite situations are about to come up one after the other. Bond is to be wined and dined, lectured on the aesthetics of power, and finally tortured by his chief enemy."''

->''"Tarzan is always [[TapOnTheHead knocked on the head]] and taken captive; he [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy always escapes]]; there is always [[TheChiefsDaughter a beautiful princess or high priestess]] who loves him and assists him; there is always a loyal friend who fights beside him, very much in the [[Literature/MobyDick Queenpeg]] tradition... But no matter how difficult the adventure, Tarzan, [[GotMeDoingIt clad only in a loincloth with no weapon save a knife]] (the style is comforting to imitate), wins against all odds and returns to [[TokenRomance his shadowy wife.]]"''
-->-- '''Creator/GoreVidal''', "{{Literature/Tarzan}} Revisited"

->''"Tom & Jerry is about as uninspired a cartoon series as was ever created. It's pure generic cartoon thinking of the time. What is a cartoon? Uh... it's where a cat chases a mouse and there is [[AmusingInjuries lots of hurt]] and noise and mayhem. It's hard to be more basic than that, so [[Creator/HannaBarbera Bill and Joe]] didn't fix something that wasn't broken for 15 or 16 years. For that whole period they [[MinimalistCast didn't even try to create new characters]]."''

->''"We both to this day still feel there is really no 'art' in most music...People like to think everything is art. Arranging flowers, writing poems, making a latte--these are just actions, not art. Plugging in an electric guitar, [[TheFourChordsOfPop playing four chords]], adding bass and drums, and singing words in key is no more 'art' than a guy opening his tool box, putting on a 9/16 socket, replacing a belt, and getting the lawn mower running again."''

->''"I don't read the scripts any more very often because I know what's going to happen. It's all been done before. It's a variation on a variation on a variation, so consequently when I show up on the set I know my lines just long enough to say them and forget them immediately. So if we need one or two takes more than I'd planned for I'm in trouble, and the other actors know this and they're like, 'Say the lines perfectly or they'll [[StockholmSyndrome make us do it again!]]' But what can I say? If you're not inspired to learn the lines, it doesn't matter. Because you can't tell from the final product... I'm sure there's some guy in a factory in Detroit whose sees a little nick on the bolt and goes, 'Shall we start the car all over again?' It's the same thing. It's a factory."''
-->-- '''Robert Beltran''' on his ''Star Trek: Voyager'' experience

->''"On the one hand they insist that they don't want to patronize the audience and want to leave things for them to figure out. On the other, when Chibnall complains that the story was cliched monsters and corridors stuff, Jane Baker rather icily notes that she thought ''Doctor Who'' fans liked traditional stuff. There's something really unsettling about this. It's difficult to see how feeding ''Series/DoctorWho'' fans a steady diet of generic and traditional adventures could be called challenging. Indeed, 'here's the same thing you've been enjoying for decades done with no changes' seems the very definition of patronizing television... They're writing for children and, worse, doing the thing that no good children's entertainment ever does -- talking down to them."''
-->--'''Dr. El Sandifer''' [[http://www.philipsandifer.com/2012/06/i-was-beginning-to-fear-you-had-lost.html on]] Pip and Jane Baker, [[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS23E1TheMysteriousPlanet}} "The Mysterious Planet"]]

->''"This is the type of approach that producers will frequently describe as ''“[[BadNewsInAGoodWay back to basics]].”'' More cynical commentators might use the phrase ''“back to the well.”'' The goal seems to be to offer the audience more of what they’ve had before, to repeat what had worked in earlier episodes in earlier seasons in earlier shows. There’s a creeping sense of familiarity to the whole exercise, as if the writing staff are merely filing the numbers (and character names) off old scripts so that they can be recycled. It is very environmentally friendly."''
-->-- '''[[http://them0vieblog.com/2015/04/08/star-trek-enterprise-marauders-review/ Darren Mooney]]''' on ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', "Marauders"

->''"Down South in WCW, both management and talent felt nervous about the reveal, as they felt it could become the moment where the WWF turned the tide on the Wrestling/MondayNightWars. On the night of the reveal, they all sat in the back crowded around a TV waiting to see what would happen. [[Wrestling/EricBischoff Bischoff]] had tried to calm them down by saying "it'll just be [[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon McMahon]], because [[Wrestling/SteveAustin Stone Cold]] vs. [=McMahon=] is all they've got", but no one except Bischoff felt entirely sure about that assertion. Bischoff ended up being right for [[DumbassHasAPoint one of the few times in his miserable existence.]]"''
-->-- '''Taimapedia''' [[http://taimapedia.org/index.php?title=The_Higher_Power_Angle on]] the anticlimatic end to the Wrestling/MinistryOfDarkness

->''"Wow, listen to Creator/DavidDuchovny in the first scene Mulder and Scully share. After his riveting turn in 'Max' he sounds bored already, fully aware of the functional episode that is about to play out...He can’t wait to get away from this case and into something more interesting. At the end of the episode, Scully is so jaded by the tedious events that have taken place that she can't even bring herself to argue with Mulder over the idea of time travel. She’s almost like 'sure, time travel, whatever you like...can we go now?'"''
-->-- '''[[http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-x-files-season-four_17.html Joe Ford]]''' on ''Series/TheXFiles'', "Synchrony"

->''"Lana goes ALL THE WAY from Metropolis to Smallville just to burst in on Lex. She doesn't try calling, because, well, I guess that wouldn't be dramatic enough...She charges in. ''"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR ANY MORE OF YOUR LIES, LEX!"''\\\
Lex, actual line, says, ''"{{This is the part where}} I say, 'What are you talking about?'."''\\\
They poke fun at how bad and formulaic their own scene is. That's pretty pathetic."''
-->-- '''Neal Bailey''' [[http://www.supermanhomepage.com/tv/tv.php?topic=reviews/smallville5-ep07 on]] ''{{Series/Smallville}}'' ("Splinter")

->''"As with most of Creator/{{Woody|Allen}}’s movies, everyone signed on without seeing a script. There is no plot and there is no title. Like we need to be told what it’s going to be about. We already know it’s going to be about a bunch of nervous white people and their problems."''

->''"Creator/StevenSeagal staked his ponytail on the cultural donkey with ''Film/AboveTheLaw'', his film debut that hit theatres two months after ''{{Film/Bloodsport}}''. It set the tone for what was to come, as well as nailing on the trademarked three-word title structure of his many direct-to-video acts of tedium. ''Film/DrivenToKill'', ''Film/MarkedForDeath'', ''Film/HardToKill'', ''Film/TodayYouDie''; but even the best Seagal movie is Hard to Watch."''

->''In the end, {{Wrestling/WCW}} was a victim of its own success. [[Wrestling/EricBischoff Bischoff]] had created a successful formula, one that he held onto for far too long, and one that ultimately started the downfall of the company. Once the snowball started to roll, those in charge had no idea how to stop it...sadly, since the death of WCW, we've seen far more examples of copying what killed it than copying what made it successful.''"
-->-- '''R. D. Reynolds''' and '''Bryan Alvarez''', ''Literature/TheDeathOfWCW'' (foreward)

->''"I'm sick and tired of people saying that we put out 11 albums that sound exactly the same. [[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne In fact, we've put out 12 albums that sound exactly the same.]]"''
-->-- '''Angus Young''' of Music/{{ACDC}}, in a [[http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2000/02/27/2000-02-27_pluggin__into_ac_dc_longtime.html 2000 interview]] with Jim Farber

[[folder:Web Comics]]
->''The first episode of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' that aired on network TV was episode #42, "The Problem with Paras." There are over 700 Pokemon episodes in existence now, so you might not remember this particular one. It's the one where they go somewhere and meet a Pokèmon with a problem, and the gang tries to solve that problem, and Team Rocket tries to mess it up. [[NeedleInAStackOfNeedles It's that one.]]''
-->-- ''Website/PlatypusComix'' , "First Kids WB airing of Pokémon"
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

-->-- '''Glenda Sugarbean''', ''Discworld/UnseenAcademicals''

->"Most features follow the basic structure and trappings of ''[[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Snow White]]'' and have turned it into a blind formula. The [[Literature/SnowWhite original Grimm's fairy tale of Snow White]] has about 4 pages of story (about 10 minutes worth of screen time). The movie added about 50 minutes of filler: animals cleaning plates with their rear ends, comedy relief, romance between two lifeless people, pathos. They also added some delightful song sequences. I would call those entertainment, not necessary for the story but worth putting in a movie because they are fun. [[Creator/BobClampett Clampett]] made [[WesternAnimation/CoalBlackAndDeSebbenDwarfs the exact same story as Disney's version of Snow White in 8 or 9 minutes]] and left out all the filler. Most animated features today are about 90% filler. The songs are no longer fun; they too have become filler."

->Most cartoon features begin on the plot set-up, usually a revelation of the [[BigBad villain]] (or villainess) and their [[EvilPlan plan]] (usually take over a kingdom, or kill a rival, or get rich or a combination of all three) then establish your [[TheHero hero or heroine]], usually a [[CoolLoser likable loser]] if male (Disney/{{Aladdin}}, the guys in Disney/TreasurePlanet or [[Disney/AtlantisTheLostEmpire Atlantis]], [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda that dumb panda]] that's already showing up everyhere), a comically-scattered, sweet, smart, ugly duckling type if female ([[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast Belle]], WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}, the girl in "Film/{{Enchanted}}") and the obligatory wacky sidekicks, always one, sometimes as many as three ([[Disney/TheLittleMermaid Flounder, Scuttle]], [[Disney/TheLionKing Timon, Pumba]], [[Disney/{{Aladdin}} monkey, flying rug,]] etc., etc.). The villain also [[TheDragon usually has a sidekick]], either the [[VileVillainLaughableLackey bungling nincompoop type]] ([[Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove Kronk]]) or the loudmouthed asshole (Iago) or very rarely, some actually sort of threatening creatures (the hyenas in "Lion King."). The screen action lumps along for 80 minutes or so, consisting of initial skirmishes between hero and villain, the set-up of [[TokenRomance the traditional hero/heroine love story]] (these days they usually [[BelligerentSexualTension hate each other at first sight, snark back and forth until the end, then inexplicably fall into each other's arms]]), [[IWantSong songs that explain what the hero, the villain and the heroine each want]], [[ToiletHumor a vomit and/or fart joke or two from the sidekicks]], and action sequences designed to [[{{Padding}} pad out]] what could usually be a story told in 10 minutes. Your primary objective as a modern animation feature storyteller is to get the audience members emotionally charged (i.e., distracted from logic gaps and not thinking too much) so they will be ready for your big finale.

->''"All ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid'' did was put that godforsaken Disney musical 90s formula in place."''

->"Most features follow the basic structure and trappings of ''[[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Snow White]]'' and have turned it into a blind formula. The [[Literature/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarves original Grimm's fairy tale of Snow White]] has about 4 pages of story (about 10 minutes worth of screen time). The movie added about 50 minutes of filler: animals cleaning plates with their rear ends, comedy relief, romance between two lifeless people, pathos. They also added some delightful song sequences. I would call those entertainment, not necessary for the story but worth putting in a movie because they are fun. [[Creator/BobClampett Clampett]] made [[WesternAnimation/CoalBlackAndDeSebbenDwarfs the exact same story as Disney's version of Snow White in 8 or 9 minutes]] and left out all the filler. Most animated features today are about 90% filler. The songs are no longer fun; they too have become filler."

->''"Down South in WCW, both management and talent felt nervous about the reveal, as they felt it could become the moment where the WWF turned the tide on the Wrestling/MondayNightWars. On the night of the reveal, they all sat in the back crowded around a TV waiting to see what would happen. [[Creator/EricBischoff Bischoff]] had tried to calm them down by saying "it'll just be [[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon McMahon]], because [[Wrestling/SteveAustin Stone Cold]] vs. [=McMahon=] is all they've got", but no one except Bischoff felt entirely sure about that assertion. Bischoff ended up being right for [[DumbassHasAPoint one of the few times in his miserable existence.]]"''

[[folder:Film--Animation]]

->Most cartoon features begin on the plot set-up, usually a revelation of the villain (or villainess) and their plan (usually take over a kingdom, or kill a rival, or get rich or a combination of all three) then establish your hero or heroine, usually a likable loser if male (Disney/{{Aladdin}}, the guys in Disney/TreasurePlanet or [[Disney/AtlantisTheLostEmpire Atlantis]], [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda that dumb panda]] that's already showing up everyhere), a comically-scattered, sweet, smart, ugly duckling type if female ([[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast Belle]], WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}, the girl in "Film/{{Enchanted}}") and the obligatory wacky sidekicks, always one, sometimes as many as three ([[Disney/TheLittleMermaid Flounder, Scuttle]], [[Disney/TheLionKing Timon, Pumba]], [[Disney/{{Aladdin}} monkey, flying rug,]] etc., etc.). The villain also usually has a sidekick, either the bungling nincompoop type ([[Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove Kronk]]) or the loudmouthed asshole (Iago) or very rarely, some actually sort of threatening creatures (the hyenas in "Lion King."). The screen action lumps along for 80 minutes or so, consisting of initial skirmishes between hero and villain, the set-up of the traditional hero/heroine love story (these days they usually hate each other at first sight, snark back and forth until the end, then inexplicably fall into each other's arms), songs that explain what the hero, the villain and the heroine each want, [[ToiletHumor a vomit and/or fart joke or two from the sidekicks]], and action sequences designed to [[{{Padding}} pad out]] what could usually be a story told in 10 minutes. Your primary objective as a modern animation feature storyteller is to get the audience members emotionally charged (i.e., distracted from logic gaps and not thinking too much) so they will be ready for your big finale.

->Most cartoon features begin on the plot set-up, usually a revelation of the villain (or villainess) and their plan (usually take over a kingdom, or kill a rival, or get rich or a combination of all three) then establish your hero or heroine, usually a likable loser if male (Disney/{{Aladdin}}, the guys in Disney/TreasurePlanet or [[Disney/AtlantisTheLostEmpire Atlantis]], [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda that dumb panda]] that's already showing up everyhere), a comically-scattered, sweet, smart, ugly duckling type if female ([[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast Belle]], WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}, the girl in "Disney/{{Enchanted}}") and the obligatory wacky sidekicks, always one, sometimes as many as three ([[Disney/TheLittleMermaid Flounder, Scuttle]], [[Disney/TheLionKing Timon, Pumba]], [[Disney/{{Aladdin}} monkey, flying rug,]] etc., etc.). The villain also usually has a sidekick, either the bungling nincompoop type ([[Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove Kronk]]) or the loudmouthed asshole (Iago) or very rarely, some actually sort of threatening creatures (the hyenas in "Lion King."). The screen action lumps along for 80 minutes or so, consisting of initial skirmishes between hero and villain, the set-up of the traditional hero/heroine love story (these days they usually hate each other at first sight, snark back and forth until the end, then inexplicably fall into each other's arms), songs that explain what the hero, the villain and the heroine each want, [[ToiletHumor a vomit and/or fart joke or two from the sidekicks]], and action sequences designed to [[{{Padding}} pad out]] what could usually be a story told in 10 minutes. Your primary objective as a modern animation feature storyteller is to get the audience members emotionally charged (i.e., distracted from logic gaps and not thinking too much) so they will be ready for your big finale.

-->--'''Dr. Phil Sandifer''' [[http://www.philipsandifer.com/2012/06/i-was-beginning-to-fear-you-had-lost.html on]] Pip and Jane Baker, [[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS23E1TheMysteriousPlanet}} "The Mysterious Planet"]]

->"Most features follow the basic structure and trappings of ''[[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Snow White]]'' and have turned it into [[StrictlyFormula a blind formula]]. The [[Literature/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarves original Grimm's fairy tale of Snow White]] has about 4 pages of story (about 10 minutes worth of screen time). The movie added about 50 minutes of filler: animals cleaning plates with their rear ends, comedy relief, romance between two lifeless people, pathos. They also added some delightful song sequences. I would call those entertainment, not necessary for the story but worth putting in a movie because they are fun. [[Creator/BobClampett Clampett]] made [[WesternAnimation/CoalBlackAndDeSebbenDwarfs the exact same story as Disney's version of Snow White in 8 or 9 minutes]] and left out all the filler. Most animated features today are about 90% filler. The songs are no longer fun; they too have become filler."