How 'Onward' And 'Star Wars' Follow The Hero's Journey

TV & Film

Jul 16

One of the joys of being an English teacher is that I get to read and re-read some of my favorite stories and discuss them with my students in different ways. I’ve read Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Book One, The Lightning Thief going on about 30 times, and it has yet to get “old” for me! One of the ways I teach it is by showing how Percy goes through the stages of Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey”.

.According to Joseph Campbell in his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, many mythological stories follow a basic storytelling structure, and, according to many, this structure fits quite a few of our modern stories and movies, The Wizard of Oz and The Matrix being among them. Here, I am going to take two movies that I enjoy and show how they follow the Hero’s Journey. ** SPOILERS FOR DISNEY PIXAR’S ONWARD AND STAR WARS: EPISODE IV, A NEW HOPE **

RELATED:

Featured

Daisy Ridley's 'Star Wars' Movie Signs On Writer George Nolfi

Act I

The Ordinary World

According to Campbell, the heroes start out in the regular, ordinary (relatively-speaking) world that we all inhabit. In Onward, that would be New Mushroomton, where Ian Lightfoot, an elf, lives with his mom and older brother Barley. In Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope, Luke Skywalker lives on Tatooine with his Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. Both of our heroes feel out of place in their surroundings: Ian is shy and awkward, in the shadow of his older brother who is much more assured and vocal than he is; Luke dreams of getting off of Tatooine and a future of moisture farming. He looks to the setting twin suns to see what else could be out there.

Call to Adventure

Something has to bump the heroes out of their mundane existence and send them on their journey, and this is the “Call to Adventure”.

This is where something happens that pushes the heroes out of their comfort zone and they realize that they have to do something because themselves, their families, or their greater community has been threatened in some way. In Onward, this is when Ian get a magical staff on his sixteenth birthday that his deceased father has bequeathed to him and he realizes that he can perform magic. In Star Wars, it is when Luke sees the hidden recording of Princess Leia from R2-D2 and it sets him off to want to find Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Refusal of the Call

Even though our heroes know that they don’t fit into their mundane lives and yearn for something more, when they are faced with the challenge, they initially turn it down. Ian is not as enthusiastic to go on the quest to find the missing gemstone to finish resurrecting his father, but he consents to do so, provided that he and Barley take the highway, not the map that Barley has procured. When R2-D2 gets Luke to Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan offers to take Luke to Alderaan, instead of Luke jumping for joy that his chance to get off of Tatooine has arrived, he turns Obi-Wan down, saying he has to get back to moisture farming.

Meeting the Mentor / Supernatural Aid

The mentor is the person that provides our hero with the knowledge that he/she needs in order to fulfill the quest. At this point, both Ian and Luke have met their mentors: Barley guides Ian through the magic he needs in order to use the staff and find the Phoenix Gem, and Obi-Wan guides Luke in the ways of the Force so he can learn how to be a Jedi. Not only is there a person who guides the hero through the unknown, but there is some type of “supernatural aid” to help him along. Ian and Barley have the magic staff and Barley’s spell book, and Luke inherits his father’s lightsaber.

Crossing the Threshold

This is where the hero finally takes the plunge and decides to leave the Ordinary World in order to go on the Quest. In Ian’s case, it is the realization that there is no going back once the Manticore’s Tavern burns down - but, he and Barley have the map!

For Luke, it is when he returns to his home and finds it burned out, and his aunt and uncle brutally killed. For better or for worse, these heroes have no choice but to be on their way.

Act II

Road of Trials

Once the heroes have decided to undertake the quest, it most certainly does not mean that this is going to be an easy road to travel. Indeed, it is going to encompass a “Road of Trials” where the heroes are going to be met with obstacles in their path. Some of these obstacles for Ian include a swarm of pixies, creating an invisible bridge over a bottomless chasm, and, living up to Barley’s prediction, the gelatinous cube! Luke has to face TIE fighters, rescuing Princess Leia, and the death of his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Despite these challenges, our heroes forge on.

Allies

Of course our heroes will meet up with others who help them on their quest. Ian and Barley get help from the Manticore and their mother (what are mothers for?). Luke meets Han Solo and Chewbacca who help him rescue Princess Leia.

Approach to the Inmost Cave

This is the final step before the climax of the story: will the hero be able to traverse this last issue before confronting the problem of the quest head-on? In Onward, this is a literal cave underground that Ian and Barley must navigate (with the aforementioned gelatinous cube) before getting to the last spot on the map that will lead them to the Phoenix Gem. Luke becomes part of the Red Squadron that takes off from the Rebel Base on Yavin IV that attacks the Death Star. Along the way, Luke faces self-doubt and sees firsthand his comrades being shot down.

The Supreme Ordeal

Finally, the moment we and our heroes have been waiting for: The Supreme Ordeal! This is the ultimate test that the heroes must face to complete their quest. Ian must battle the dragon that has been created from the Phoenix Gem’s curse, and Luke must use his newfound Force powers to accurately shoot the torpedoes into the shaft that will destroy the Death Star.

The “Supreme Ordeal” often uses some type of death imagery that the hero must undergo: for Ian, it is being stuck inside the rocks and rubble that the destroyed dragon has caused, and Luke uses the Force presences of Obi-Wan to turn off his radar and sights, relying only on his feelings and the Force to accurately aim his torpedoes.

The Reward

Hooray! The heroes have proved victorious! They can now reap their rewards! For Ian, this is seeing the Phoenix Gem placed on the staff and his father brought back for a few minutes. Luke has destroyed the Death Star! Peace and harmony prevail!

Act III

The Road Back

Just because the quest has been fulfilled, it doesn’t mean that our story is over - the hero still has to make it back home! Along the way back, loose ends are tied up and there is usually reconciliation. Ian is reunited with his mother, and Luke makes it back to the Rebel Base on Yavin IV.

Master of Two Worlds

Our heroes prove that they can not only survive, but thrive, in both their original Ordinary World and also the World that their respective journeys have taken them. Ian helps rebuild his school with the magic that destroyed it in the first place, and Luke is a hero for taking out the Death Star - his piloting skills from Tatooine have come in handy!

Not only has all of New Mushroomton embraced their magical heritage which had mostly been forsaken due to modern conveniences, but the residents use both to their advantage. Luke and Han Solo are rewarded with medals for their parts in destroying the Empire’s Death Star. And they all live happily ever after! I hope you have enjoyed learning about the Hero’s Journey!

Onward and Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope are both streaming on Disney +.

Source: Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

READ NEXT:

Featured