Spirited
A musical version of the classic Christmas story by Charles Dickens. A miserly man who treats everyone around him with terrible selfishness finds himself on a fantastical adventure into the three phases of time: past, present, and future, in order to discover how he ended up so miserable and alone.
Produced on a substantial budget of $75.0M, the film represents a studio production.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Spirited (2022) exhibits carefully calibrated narrative architecture, characteristic of Sean Anders's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 7 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.3, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Present and his ghost team efficiently run their annual Christmas redemption operation, selecting and preparing to haunt their yearly "perp" in a well-oiled supernatural system that has worked for centuries.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when Present insists on selecting Clint Briggs as their perp despite warnings that he's unredeemable. Clint is a manipulative PR consultant who deliberately sows division and chaos for profit, representing Present's ultimate challenge.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 32 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Present launches the haunting of Clint Briggs, appearing to him and beginning the journey through past, present, and future. The traditional Christmas Carol redemption process is officially underway, but with an unconventional perp., moving from reaction to action.
At 64 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Present discovers his own human past and realizes he was once unredeemable himself. This revelation is devastating - he has spent centuries redeeming others while suppressing the memory of his own moral failures and the life he abandoned., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 95 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Present is told he must retire and fade away because he has become too human and broken the rules. His attempt to redeem Clint has cost him everything, and Clint appears to revert to his selfish ways, suggesting the entire effort was futile., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 102 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Clint, genuinely changed by Present's sacrifice, fights to save Present from fading away. He demonstrates real transformation by putting someone else first, proving that redemption is possible even for the "unredeemable" when someone believes in them enough., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Spirited's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Spirited against these established plot points, we can identify how Sean Anders utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Spirited within the comedy genre.
Sean Anders's Structural Approach
Among the 6 Sean Anders films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.3, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Spirited represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Sean Anders filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Sean Anders analyses, see Daddy's Home, Instant Family and Daddy's Home 2.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Present and his ghost team efficiently run their annual Christmas redemption operation, selecting and preparing to haunt their yearly "perp" in a well-oiled supernatural system that has worked for centuries.
Theme
Jacob Marley warns that some people are "unredeemable" and should be avoided, establishing the central thematic question: Can anyone truly change, and at what cost to those who try to change them?
Worldbuilding
The ghost organization is revealed in detail: their corporate structure, annual perp selection process, musical rehearsals, and the rules of haunting. Present is established as competent but increasingly dissatisfied with the repetitive nature of his eternal work.
Disruption
Present insists on selecting Clint Briggs as their perp despite warnings that he's unredeemable. Clint is a manipulative PR consultant who deliberately sows division and chaos for profit, representing Present's ultimate challenge.
Resistance
Present and his team prepare for the haunting while debating whether Clint can be redeemed. Present studies Clint's life and manipulative tactics, growing more determined despite mounting evidence that this perp is different from all others.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Present launches the haunting of Clint Briggs, appearing to him and beginning the journey through past, present, and future. The traditional Christmas Carol redemption process is officially underway, but with an unconventional perp.
Mirror World
Clint proves unexpectedly observant and manipulative, turning the tables by psychoanalyzing Present and questioning why a ghost would care so much. Their antagonistic relationship becomes a mutual challenge that will transform both of them.
Premise
The haunting proceeds through elaborate musical numbers and supernatural set pieces. Present shows Clint his past and present, but Clint consistently deflects, rationalizes, and even critiques the ghosts' methods. Meanwhile, Present begins questioning his own existence and purpose.
Midpoint
Present discovers his own human past and realizes he was once unredeemable himself. This revelation is devastating - he has spent centuries redeeming others while suppressing the memory of his own moral failures and the life he abandoned.
Opposition
Present becomes emotionally compromised, breaking protocol by revealing too much of himself to Clint. The ghost organization grows concerned. Clint begins to show signs of change, but also weaponizes Present's vulnerability. Their dynamic becomes increasingly complex and personal.
Collapse
Present is told he must retire and fade away because he has become too human and broken the rules. His attempt to redeem Clint has cost him everything, and Clint appears to revert to his selfish ways, suggesting the entire effort was futile.
Crisis
Present faces his dissolution and says goodbye to his ghost family. He grapples with the meaning of his existence and whether trying to change Clint was worth losing everything. The question of redemption - both Clint's and his own - hangs in the balance.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Clint, genuinely changed by Present's sacrifice, fights to save Present from fading away. He demonstrates real transformation by putting someone else first, proving that redemption is possible even for the "unredeemable" when someone believes in them enough.
Synthesis
Clint uses his manipulative skills for good, orchestrating a plan to give Present a second chance at life. The ghost organization bends the rules. Both Clint and Present embrace their transformations - Clint becomes genuinely kind, Present gets to live again as a human.
Transformation
Present awakens as a human on Christmas morning with a second chance at life. Clint is shown genuinely reformed, using his influence for good. Both have redeemed each other, proving that change is possible when people truly connect and care.