Hero Journey

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Hero Journey
Sarah Gaylord
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Departure
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The Ordinary World
This is the hero's home environment where his
friends and family are located. The story starts
here so that the separation   becomes apparent.
This is the land of the "mother" where the hero
feels comfortable. Note that this does not
necessarily have to be a safe environment as long
as the hero feels connected to the
land/people/surroundings.

• Flik is the unlikely hero, of A Bugs Life. Flik
  goes on a Heros Journey throughout the movie.
  Flik begins his journey in his ordinary world,
  which is his ant colony. This is the only place
  Flik knows and has never been outside of his
  colony.

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Call to Adventure

• Fliks call to adventure is when one of his
  inventions goes extremely wrong. Flik must save
  his colony from the evil grasshoppers. In order
  to do this Flik has to embark on a mission to
  find help from outside colonies and other bugs.

There is an awakening of the "self to an unknown,
unexpected world. The hero becomes aware of a
new, unusual, exciting, forbidden, and/or foreign
world. Sometimes, chance reveals an
unexpected world therefore, the hero is forced
to leave (which may cause some anxiety.
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Refusal of the Call

• Flik is content with his life in the ant colony.
  Flik does not want to leave his colony when there
  is distress. However, knowing Princess Atta and
  the rest of his friends and family needs his
  help, Flik ventures off into a different world.

The hero doesn't understand that the refusal of
the call means a refusal to move on in life. The
hero views his present system of ideals, virtues,
goals, and advantages as fixed and secure, or the
hero is waiting for the perfect call.
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Supernatural Aid

• Fliks has two supernatural aids. The first aid
  that Flik has is Princess Atta. Everything Flik
  does is to impress her. She is the main reason
  Flik sets out on his journey to find help for the
  colony.
• Fliks other supernatural aid is Dot. She is the
  Princess Attas little sister. She is always
  encouraging Flik. Dot proves to Flik that size
  doesnt matter, and convinces Flik to set off in
  his journey to save the colony.

Princess Atta
Dot
Provides the hero with something (physical or
mental) which will help the hero move forward in
his adventure. Perhaps a sword to fight the
dragon or a confidence boost to help the hero
believe in him/herself. Represent the forces of
the unconscious at the hero's side.
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Crossing the Threshold

• Fliks Crossing of the Threshold is when he
  leaves Ant Island and goes into the city. Here
  Flik is faced with many unfamiliar situations.
  Flik finds a great amount of danger when he
  ventures from his own colony. Flik is alone when
  he crosses the threshold and is unsure what he
  will find. However, he knows he must come back
  to the colony with help in order to save his
  colony.

The hero ventures into an unknown world which
breaks tradition, and the hero meets some
dangerous presence. Beyond the entrance to this
zone is darkness, the unknown, and danger
(desert, jungle, deep sea, alien land, etc.)
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In the Belly of the Whale

• Flik goes into a world of unknown. This is the
  belly of the whale. It is a world of darkness.
  In order to become a different person, Flik goes
  inward. The belly of the whale in A Bugs Life,
  is the city.

Once the hero has crossed the threshold, his old
world is destroyed (literally or figuratively).
He/she moves into a world of darkness (the belly
of the whale) and will not come out until he/she
is ready to return (so the hero stays in the
belly of the whale through all of initiation).
Often times there will be a "deepest part" to the
belly. The hero goes inward (into his own
mind) in order to be "reborn."
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Initiation
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The Road of Trials

• During the road of trials, Flik is tested
  immensely. Flik is able to survive near death
  fights in the city. He is also tested when he is
  in search for the bugs that can help him save his
  colony. Flik learns to adapt to the fast pace of
  the city, yet is almost ready to give up his
  search after being put down so many times. Flik
  then finds the warrior bugs he is looking for.
  This is where Flik begins to show growth and
  strength. Knowing Flik has found the warrior
  bugs, he begins to feel hopeful during his
  journey.

Hero experiences miraculous tests or ordeals on
the road of trials. There are usually several
incidents that affect the hero at this point. The
hero will appear weak and vulnerable, but he/she
will also begin to show growth.
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The Meeting with the Goddess

• The Goddess Flik meets with are all of his
  warrior friends. They show him that there is
  hope and his colony can be saved.

The hero meets a "goddess" that shows him/her
what perfection is truly like. The hero witnesses
all that can be accomplished and often times,
his/her mission becomes much clearer. The goddess
encourages the hero to continue.
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The Woman as the Temptress

• The presence that attempts to destroy Fliks
  mission is the circus ringleader. He is
  constantly telling Flik to the wonders of the
  circus and trying to get Flik to join. If Flik
  joins, he will have failed his quest. Flik
  resists the temptation to join the circus.

The hero meets a presence that attempts to
destroy the hero's mission. Often the temptress
is sent by the evil forces working against the
hero in order to try to stop the hero.
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Atonement with the Father

• The atonement with father Flik has is after he
  comes back to his colony with the so called
  warrior bugs. When Flik admits to Princess Atta
  that the bugs he has brought with him were not
  really warrior bugs, Flik is taking full
  responsibility. This is when he has shown growth
  and maturity.

Father symbolizes judgment the hero overcomes
fear, judgment, and mental blocks that may have
been holding him/her back. This stage shows
growth and the ability to take on adult
responsibilities.
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Apotheosis

• The stage of apotheosis for Flik is right when he
  arrives to his colony. When he brings back the
  warrior bugs, everyone is praising him. They
  even have a festival because the warrior bugs
  were there. Flik feels on top of the world
  during this time.

The hero is in a divine, god-like state
(ecstasy). The hero goes beyond the last terrors
of ignorance. Hero recognizes the "big picture"
(spiritual understanding can be known). The hero
finally understands why he/she has been on
his/her journey. The journey is not over, but the
hero understands what it takes to return.
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The Ultimate Boon

• The ultimate boon for Flik is when he convinces
  the circles bugs to come back with him to the
  colony. He also persuades them to put on a show,
  pretending to be warrior bugs. This is the
  ultimate boon for Flik because he feels he has
  succeeded in his search for bugs who can save his
  colony.

The hero receives the prize that he/she has been
after. The boon may come in the form a physical
rewards (like the dragon's treasure), but will
more importantly include a mental/emotional
reward (like inner peace).
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Return
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Refusal of the Return

• Flik does not have a refusal of return.

The hero should bring their wisdom back to their
kingdom of humanity. The hero often wishes to
remain in isolation with his boon. Hero can
refuse a return attains or experiences a
symbolic "death."
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Magic in Flight (The Chase)

• The magic in flight is when Flik and his friends
  are flying towards Ant Island. The large bird
  chases them everywhere. Flik shows confidence
  when he tries to save Dot from the bird. This
  bird is the force working against Flik from
  getting back to his colony.

The hero has his reward, now he must return to
safety. There may be forces still working against
him/her (possibly trying to get the treasure back
that the hero has taken). A "chase" ensues.
The hero usually appears as a changed person by
this time. Their final chase is characterized by
the hero's confidence and bravery.
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Rescue from Without

• The rescue of the hero, is when the entire colony
  helps Flik. TO get rid of the grasshoppers, Flik
  has one last invention. Everyone puts there
  efforts together to help Flik save the colony.

The world may have to come to retrieve the hero.
Attaining the boon has drained the hero and
he/she needs assistance in returning. This
is sometimes a blow to the hero's ego, but the
hero will recover because he sees the big picture
and have accomplished a great deed.
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Crossing the Return Threshold

• Flik crosses the return threshold, when he
  returns to Ant Island. Here he is able to show
  his colony that his is truly a hero.

There is a difficulty in the hero's return the
world has changed and so has the hero. The hero
may not be accepted back to his old world. He may
feel awkward in his immediate return. The
returning hero must survive the impact of the
world he may not be able to verbalize the wisdom
he has gained through his journey. The hero
conquers the difficulty in returning, showing
that he/she is able to adapt.
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Master of Two Worlds

• Flik becomes the master of two worlds when he
  decides to take charge for his mistakes in the
  colony. He has grown and developed. Flik
  learned that he should not be so afraid, and this
  is when he has obtained wisdom from bothe the
  spiritual and material world.

Hero has attained wisdom in both the spiritual
and material world (conscious world). The
hero gives up completely all attachment to his
personal limitations, hopes and fears. The
hero no longer tries to live, but willingly
relaxes to whatever may come to pass in him.
The boon that the hero brings restores the world.
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Freedom to Live

• At the end of A Bugs, Flik obtains his freedom
  to live. He has defeated the grasshoppers, and
  proved to his colony he is a true hero. Flik is
  extremely bold and not afraid anymore. His
  journey was a true Heros Journey.

The hero reconciles the fact the every
creature lives on the death of another. The hero
understands that it was only through the "death"
of his/her former self that the new life was able
to surface. The hero learns never to be
afraid of the next moment (destruction or
change), he has learned "to be" (exist).
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The End