The Narrative Structure of Films - A Comparison

The Nightmare Before Christmas	The Incredibles
Equilibrium: The people of Halloween are preparing for another successful year. Jack Skellington is hugely popular as the Pumpkin King.	Equilibrium: Although he was once a world-renowned superhero, Bob Parr now lives a mundane life with his wife and kids, who also have superpowers.
Disturbance: Jack becomes tired of ‘the same old thing’; he takes a walk to clear his mind and discovers the entry to the other holiday worlds.	Disturbance: Bob is sick of his job and his boring everyday life. He accidentally reveals his super powers at work and gets himself fired. Before he tells his family, a mysterious woman who offers him a ‘super’ job contacts him.
Protagonist: Jack Skellington is the protagonist, the sad celebrity of Halloween.	Protagonist: Bob Parr is the protagonist. His family make up the supporting cast.
Plan: After being enchanted by Christmastown, Jack rushes back to Halloween. He convinces the citizens to take over Christmas and they set to work.	Plan: His new, unknown, employer has him perform several jobs. He tells his family he’s going away on business trips. During one job, he is tasked to destroy a device called the Omnidroid, which he does with ease. He gets back into shape and commissions a new super suit from a seamstress named Edna.
Obstacle: Jack has to stop the real Santa Claus from interfering with his plans, so he tasks three miscreants to kidnap him. They deliver him to Oogie Boogie, the local bad guy.	Obstacle: Bob heads off on another ‘business trip’ and   is defeated and captured. Helen discovers a blond hair and a repair on Bob’s super suit. She suspects him of cheating and goes to see Edna to ask if she knows. Edna tracks Bob’s suit with GPS and they discover he’s on a small island. Helen takes the super suits that Edna made for her family and sets off to confront Bob. The kids secretly tag along.
Complications: Sally tries to convince him that he is doing the wrong thing but Jack doesn’t listen and sets off in his sleigh. Sally takes matters into her own hands and tries to save Santa Claus herself. The people of the Real World don’t like the Halloween-esque Christmas gifts and decorations. They call in the military to take care of Jack and his sleigh.	Complications: Syndrome detects Helen’s incoming aircraft and sends some missiles out to intercept it. Helen calls for assistance, which Syndrome broadcasts for the captured Bob to hear. He is devastated when he hears the plane explode, although Helen uses her superpowers to get herself and the kids out of the plane before the explosion. They get to the island safely. Helen sets off to save Bob and the kids are chased by security. The   entire family ends up being captured by Syndrome.
Timeout: Jack’s sleigh is shot and he crashes down in a graveyard. He realizes that he has done a terrible thing and rushes back to Halloween to try to fix it.	Timeout: With the whole family trapped in his lair, Syndrome reveals his plans to set the Omnidroid lose on the city of Metroville. He leaves to set his plan in motion and the Parrs are left trapped. Violet uses her superpowers to free herself while Bob is apologising loudly. She sets the others free and they chase after Syndrome to stop his plans.
Crisis: Returning to Halloween, Jack discovers that both Sally and Santa Claus are trapped in Oogie Boogie’s lair. He rushes in to rescue them.	Crisis: When they return to Metroville, the Parrs set out to stop Syndrome and the rogue Omnidroid. Bob’s old friend Lucius helps them out. Lucius and the Parrs stop the Omnidroid but Syndrome escapes. The Parrs are treated as heroes and return to their house. Their youngest child, whom they left with a babysitter, is missing.
Climax: Jack and Oogie Boogie have a showdown in   Oogie’s lair. He rescues Sally and Santa, and Oogie is unraveled and disintegrates.	Climax: Syndrome has Jack-Jack, the youngest Parr. He is taking him away in his jet to raise him as his own. Bob and Helen work together to rescue Jack-Jack, saving him and landing safely on the ground. Syndrome’s cape gets caught in the jet turbine and he is killed.
Resolution: Jack apologises to Santa and declares that he’ll never take over Christmas again. Santa scolds him but assures him that there’s still time to fix things and sets off to save Christmas. As he flies over Halloween in his sleigh, he brings snow to the town for the first time and the citizens are amazed.	Resolution: The Parrs return to a mundane life, but they’re much happier. As the film ends, another villain called the Underminer appears. The Parrs slip on their superhero masks and the credits roll.