--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The idea of us telling a story where a…" description: "\"The idea of us telling a story where a character doesn't get everything he wants at the end is one of the relatable things - dealing with failures and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/dan-scanlon-22846_character_the-idea-of-us-telling-a-story-where-a-c_1762160.jpg" --- # The idea of us telling a story where a character doesn't… ![“The idea of us telling a story where a character doesn't get everything he wants at the end is one of the relatable things - dealing with failures and missteps in life - and it's something that's so rarely dealt with in movies, especially kids' movies.” quote by Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/dan-scanlon-22846_character_the-idea-of-us-telling-a-story-where-a-c_1762160.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/dan-scanlon-22846_character_the-idea-of-us-telling-a-story-where-a-c_1762160.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/dan-scanlon-22846_character_the-idea-of-us-telling-a-story-where-a-c_1762160.jpg) > “The idea of us telling a story where a character doesn't get everything he wants at the end is one of the relatable things - dealing with failures and missteps in life - and it's something that's so rarely dealt with in movies, especially kids' movies.” [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories that end with unmet desires reflect real-life failures, making them relatable and rare in kids' movies. **In simple terms:** Unmet wishes in stories mirror real failures, which kids rarely see. Key Takeaway Embrace imperfect endings to teach resilience. Themes growth resilience storytelling children failure Mood thoughtful reflective Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - Kids' movies - family discussions - teaching coping skills Key Concepts Narrative realism emotional honesty character development Questions to Reflect On - How can we use imperfect stories to teach coping? - What lessons do failures teach? A Different Perspective Kids may find such endings confusing without guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failures/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movies/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Telling A Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-a-story/) ## Related quotes > [I let characters be human and flawed and relatable. When we do things that aren't that great, we can understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-sheridan/i-let-characters-be-human-and-flawed-and-relatable-when-we-do-things/) [Taylor Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-sheridan/) > [Warm Bodies' ended up becoming one of the most personal relatable things I've written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/warm-bodies-ended-up-becoming-one-of-the-most-personal-relatable/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [The Christian kids' movies are fun because so many of them are made with low production value, but they're still trying to appeal to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-mooney/the-christian-kids-movies-are-fun-because-so-many-of-them-are-made/) [Kyle Mooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-mooney/) > [I'm a family man, I have kids, and I go to the movies. And I'm just going to make the kind of movie I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-stanton/i-m-a-family-man-i-have-kids-and-i-go-to-the-movies-and-i-m-just/) [Andrew Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-stanton/) > [I don't get the action... well, I never did get the big action hero parts. I was always locked into making the kids movies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-ali/i-don-t-get-the-action-well-i-never-did-get-the-big-action-hero-parts/) [Laila Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-ali/) > [I spend a lot of time at my son’s school and I really wanted to do a movie that the kids could see. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-madsen/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-at-my-son-s-school-and-i-really-wanted-to-do-a/) [Virginia Madsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-madsen/) > [Pixar make kids' movies, but there are jokes in there for adults, and it never gets too sentimental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-howle/pixar-make-kids-movies-but-there-are-jokes-in-there-for-adults-and-it/) [Billy Howle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-howle/) > [I'm not a big fan of kids' movies that have this knowing snarkiness to them or this post-modern take on storytelling. I think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-reilly/i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-kids-movies-that-have-this-knowing-snarkiness-to/) [John C. Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-reilly/) > [I just started asking my friends if they had noticed. None of them - feminists, mothers, daughters - noticed until I pointed it out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/i-just-started-asking-my-friends-if-they-had-noticed-none-of-them/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [Doing a kid's movie is fun when you have kids. You don't want to do kids' movies if you don't have kids. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-the-cable-guy/doing-a-kid-s-movie-is-fun-when-you-have-kids-you-don-t-want-to-do/) [Larry the Cable Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-the-cable-guy/) > [It's a mistake to just go make a movie where the whole thing is talking down to the kids like, "Ok, we gotta bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-black/it-s-a-mistake-to-just-go-make-a-movie-where-the-whole-thing-is/) [Jack Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-black/) > [I never have kids in movies or in TV shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-spade/i-never-have-kids-in-movies-or-in-tv-shows/) [David Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-spade/) > [If we're not counting kids' movies - because my kid is constantly watching The Jungle Book - I would have to say Wall Street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-fulcher/if-we-re-not-counting-kids-movies-because-my-kid-is-constantly/) [Rich Fulcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-fulcher/) > [I'm not trying to turn into Eddie Murphy, and just do kids movies the rest of my career. I'm going to still do a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-cube/i-m-not-trying-to-turn-into-eddie-murphy-and-just-do-kids-movies-the/) [Ice Cube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-cube/) > [I watched a bunch of kids movies on Christmas. I was kind of joking with our family by asking, "Is anyone allowed to die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-watched-a-bunch-of-kids-movies-on-christmas-i-was-kind-of-joking/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## More by Dan Scanlon > [The scary thing is that sometimes you are wrapping up animation on a sequence and you don't know how the movie ends or begins.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/the-scary-thing-is-that-sometimes-you-are-wrapping-up-animation-on-a/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [A director can come from anywhere, but having a story background, if you have nothing else, is probably a good thing to have because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/a-director-can-come-from-anywhere-but-having-a-story-background-if/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [I'm not really a horror movie fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/i-m-not-really-a-horror-movie-fan/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [There are certainly moments in the story room where you watch the movie die on the table. You put A next to B, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/there-are-certainly-moments-in-the-story-room-where-you-watch-the/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [I'm a big comedy fan, and a fan of films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/i-m-a-big-comedy-fan-and-a-fan-of-films/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [I don't think at Pixar we'd ever make something that was too scary for general audiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/i-don-t-think-at-pixar-we-d-ever-make-something-that-was-too-scary/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [I think the biggest difference is in live action, you show up, and there's a set there and a ground to stand on, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/i-think-the-biggest-difference-is-in-live-action-you-show-up-and/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [I actually worked for a small company in Ohio that sort of farmed out work from Disney and Dreamworks, so I really only ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/i-actually-worked-for-a-small-company-in-ohio-that-sort-of-farmed-out/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [At Pixar, we do a million versions of the movie, and every one of them goes through their awkward teenage phase where it's terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/at-pixar-we-do-a-million-versions-of-the-movie-and-every-one-of-them/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [I was an animator for a while early on, but a 2D animator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/i-was-an-animator-for-a-while-early-on-but-a-2d-animator/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [I trust every lead in every department. All of the teams are phenomenal artists. All I need to tell them is why to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/i-trust-every-lead-in-every-department-all-of-the-teams-are/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [I don't need to try to push everyone out of the way and say, "This is how you do it. I actually like not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/i-don-t-need-to-try-to-push-everyone-out-of-the-way-and-say-this-is/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [People will turn their noses up at a sequel or that type of thing, but Pixar really works hard - if they're making a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/people-will-turn-their-noses-up-at-a-sequel-or-that-type-of-thing-but/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [I think we make the movies, initially, with the one movie in mind. But we do love the characters, and so we kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/i-think-we-make-the-movies-initially-with-the-one-movie-in-mind-but/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [Sometimes we can make everything a little too perfect. I always was a fan of giving direction, but every now and then going, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/sometimes-we-can-make-everything-a-little-too-perfect-i-always-was-a/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) [Explore all 27 Dan Scanlon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The idea of us telling a story where a character doesn't get everything he wants at the end is one of the relatable things - dealing with failures and missteps in life - and it's something that's so rarely dealt with in movies, especially kids' movies.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Scanlon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/the-idea-of-us-telling-a-story-where-a-character-doesn-t-get/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/the-idea-of-us-telling-a-story-where-a-character-doesn-t-get/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/dan-scanlon-22846_character_the-idea-of-us-telling-a-story-where-a-c_1762160.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/dan-scanlon-22846_character_the-idea-of-us-telling-a-story-where-a-c_1762160.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/dan-scanlon-22846_character_the-idea-of-us-telling-a-story-where-a-c_1762160.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The idea of us telling a story where a character doesn't get everything he wants at the end is one of the…” — Dan Scanlon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dan Scanlon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The idea of us telling a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/the-idea-of-us-telling-a-story-where-a-character-doesn-t-get/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/the-idea-of-us-telling-a-story-where-a-character-doesn-t-get/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```