Plot Summary of the Movie - "Despicable Me":
It follows the story of Gru, a super-villain, who lives in a suburban neighborhood. Unknown to his neighbors, hidden beneath his home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of Minions, Gru is planning the biggest heist in the world - to steal the moon! Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad. The world's greatest villain has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes.
Below is the comparative analysis of the Joseph Campbell's Monomyth, the Movie and My Life Story:
1) Ordinary World
Movie: Gru lives in a suburban neighborhood. While most of the houses are surrounded by white picket fences with flowering plants, his black house sits on a dead lawn. Unknown to the neighbors, hidden beneath this house is a vast secret hideout.
My Life Story: I was born and raised in a provincial village near the farm fields. I grew up in an old wooden house whose foundations had become unstable over time due to wear and tear. During typhoon seasons, our old house would sway and it felt like it was going to tumble down when gusty winds struck.
2) Call to Adventure
Movie: When Gru heard the news that the Pyramid of Giza was stolen, his pride was wounded and he plans to pull the biggest heist in the world - by stealing the Moon.
My Life Story: With my tough experiences working in our household and farm when I was young, I had developed a personal goal in mind, that is, to finish my college education, pass the board exams, find a stable job and provide for my family. At an early age, I realized that working in the farm was not what I envisioned to become, and I visualized myself working in a more comfortable working environment.
3) Supernatural Aid
Movie: Aside from his assistant, Dr. Nefario, Gru has an army of Minions. Along his quest and journey, the Minions were always at his side, even if they are so mischievous.
My Life Story: My faith in God and myself, coupled with the strong desire to get out of farm life kept me going to fulfill my goals and dreams in life.
4) Crossing the First Threshold
Movie: Gru and his Minions stole the shrink ray from a top secret research facility. Getting the shrink ray is the first step in the master plan to shrink and steal the Moon.
My Life Story: I crossed the first threshold when I completed my secondary education. For many, it may just a walk in the park. But, for me, almost every day was a struggle, being worried whether I had enough allowance for my food and transportation going to and from school. Also, there was pressure and tough competition in our class where several students were vying for the top honors on graduation day. Armed with skills in managing my limited resources and hard work in my studies, I succeeded in completing my secondary education and graduated at the top of my class.
5) Road of Trials
Movie: After Gru had successfully stolen the shrink ray from a research facility, the same shrink ray was also stolen by his nemesis, Vector. Gru attempted to get the shrink ray back from Vector's lair, but all his attempts to enter the lair prove futile. Also, during his quest to steal the Moon, he almost gave up on several occasion due to lack of funds in order to continue with his master plan.
My Life Story: College life was also and again full of struggles. The basic challenge was the higher cost of food, transportation and school-related expenses, and that means more cost-saving and belt-tightening due to limited allowance.
Another obstacle also came along the way and was a potential roadblock in fulfilling my dreams. Our own College Dean barred us from taking the CPA Licensure Exams after graduation in college for some unreasonable circumstances. In the previous years preceding to our graduation year, the passing rate in our College had been consistently poor or dismal and there was a pressure from our University Administrators (and possibly CHED) on the possibility of dissolving the BS Accountancy Program if the CPA licensure passing rate in our batch would continue to slump. So, our College Dean decided that only the top 3 graduates in our class/batch were allowed to take the licensure exams. And, the rest were strongly discouraged not to take the said exams for the sake of our College's future and reputation.
Without the guilt of being disobedient and disrespectful to our College Dean and University, almost all of our graduating class had decided to take the CPA licensure exams. We believed that it was our right and we've decided to take full responsibility whatever the results may be. So, after 5 months of review, we took the CPA exams and the results were unprecedented in the history of our College back then. Our College's passing rate was about 70%, as compared with the national passing rate of just over 15%. There were also several examinees from our batch who had passed "conditionally", meaning, only a couple of subjects were needed to be re-taken to get fully certified, in which they had successfully completed in the following exams dates. As to the College Dean and University Admin, we haven't heard from them after we took the licensure exams.
6) Approach
Movie: Gru had seen the three orphaned girls, Margo, Edith, and Agnes enter the lair to sell cookies to Vector. Gru came up with a bright idea, and he adopted the girls from Miss Hattie, the head of the orphanage, to use them to steal back the shrink ray. Gru had his assistant, Dr. Nefari, build robots disguised as cookies. He then had the girls sell the robots to Vector, and the robots help Gru steal the shrink ray. And, he succeeded in getting back the shrink ray.
My Life Story: It took me a lot of efforts and belt-tightening schemes to manage my limited allowances. I had sacrificed a lot of social activities, by not going to parties, seeing movies and other 'spending' activities.
As to my preparation for the CPA exams, I have spent long hours and sleepless nights during my review course.
When I was already working, my approach was always to do my work the best I can. This holds true even to this day.
7) Ordeal, Death and Rebirth
Movie: After successfully stealing back the shrink ray and while on their way home, the girls asked to go to an amusement park. Gru agrees, intending to leave the girls there. Instead, the attendant said he, as an adult, had to ride the roller coaster with them. Gru ended up having fun with the girls.
Back at home, he presented his plan to Mr. Perkins via video. The girls kept interrupting him. Perkins again refused to give him the loan, claiming that although he doesn't have a problem with the plan, he just wanted a younger villain to do it instead.
Gru had a flashback of his childhood, depicting his wanting to go to the moon after seeing the first moon landing. When he tried to impress his mother with models of the rocket, she just ignored him. Mr. Perkins calls Vector (revealed to be his son) to the Bank of Evil to inform him that Gru had the shrink ray. Vector reassures his father that he will get the Moon.
Gru almost abandons his plan due to lack of funds, but the girls and the Minions took up a collection efforts to keep it going.
My Life Story: When I took the review in Manila, it was my first time to be away from my family. It was difficult at first because I felt homesick; there were no mobile phones yet back then, so the means of communication was through letters or landline phone call which was quite expensive back then. I had to fight for homesickness it in order to get closer in achieving my goals in life. There were also times of feeling exhausted, maybe because of too much hours spent during review and lack of proper sleep. But, it was also during that time when I have learned to become independent and had the free will of making my own decisions.
It was also during our review course when we met other reviewees from SLU-Baguio, and we were invited to join their Bible study sessions. Given the difficult situation in preparing for the exams and the uncertainty of passing the CPA exams, I was convinced and had attended their Bible study group sessions. Later on, we formed our own group, helping one another in times or review classes and in our prayer sessions. Our group's favorite song then was Don Moen's God Will Make A Way. We hang on to our beliefs and that when there seems to be no way of passing the CPA exams, God had worked His mysterious ways and made a big way for us and allowed us to pass the said exams. During that time, I became closer to God and I was reborn sometime in August 1996.
8) Reward, Seizing the Sword
Movie: Gru successfully shrinks and pockets the Moon. His succeeded in his master plan.
My Life Story: The most rewarding feeling I had was to see my name on the newspaper, confirming that I have passed one of the most difficult licensure examinations in the country. All the hard works were worth it, and I was in cloud nine at that particular moment.
9) The Road Back
Movie: Gru remembered the ballet recital and rushed to it. However, it had ended by the time he arrived. There, he found a ransom note from Vector demanding the moon in exchange for the girls. After Gru handed over the moon, Vector dishonored the deal, kept the girls and the moon. This enraged Gru, who stormed Vector's lair, this time successfully breaching the defenses.
My Life Story: When I transferred to our office in New York City in August 2008, I thought it was the peak of my professional career. Only to find out several months later that it became to be the lowest point of my career. That is when I lost my job in the US during the height of the global economic recession in years 2008-2009. My memory is still fresh, that, on the late morning of March 23, 2009, I was asked to go to our HR office, and that due to the economic downturn, the Firm that I was working with had to let me go, together with the other employees in our Firm. I was given 30 minutes to handover my accountabilities and then they escorted me going to the elevator. On my way home to my apartment, I was walking on the streets of New York City, with almost had a blank mind, staring at nothing, with the greatest fear of the unknowns. It was so surreal; why this had to happen to me? Why me? What's next for me? There were too many questions in my mind, with too little answers.
10) The Resurrection
Movie: Vector flew off in an escape pod with the girls. Gru held on to the exterior of the ship. He nearly fell to his death, but was rescued by Dr. Nefario piloting the same ship that Vector shrunk before. Nefario revealed that the bigger the object, the quicker the effects of the shrink ray wear off. Very soon, the moon began to grow and rolled around inside Vector's ship, hurting him and freeing the girls. The girls saw Gru outside of the ship, and Gru tells them to jump over to him. Edith and Agnes successfully made it onto the ship, but before Margo can jump, Vector grabbed her. The moon rolled again and knocked Vector over, and Margo grabbed onto Gru's grappling hook. Gru rescued her with the help of his Minions, while the rapidly-expanding Moon wrecked Vector's controls, causing his ship to carry it back into orbit.
My Life Story: After losing my job in the US, I had to come back to the Philippines in 2009 and started anew. I have succeeded in getting stable jobs with several companies since then. With my jobs at hand, I'm still able to provide for my family and extended families even up to this day.
Of course, the pain was still there every time I remember that painful incident. But, I had moved on and life must go on.
11) Return with Elixir
Movie: Gru and the girls settle down to live a happy life as a family and Vector is stranded on the Moon. The girls give a special ballet recital for Gru, his Minions, and his mother, who finally tells him she is proud of him and acknowledges him to be the better parent.
My Life Story: Last March 2015, I was invited to be the guest speaker to the graduating class at the school where I attended my primary education. It was like a homecoming after over 30 years. When I was sharing some parts of my life story to the graduating class, the memories of my childhood and school years were flashing back. I had hopes that I was able to inspire at least one student during that occasion. But, at the same time, I drew an inspiration from the students that I could still go back to school, and I can still learn new things to make me better person.
Final Words
Gru, with a criminal mind uses a trio of orphaned girls as pawns for his grand scheme to steal the moon; however, he finds their love and they have changed him for the better. Gru, who was once a despicable person had became a Dad and a Hero to the three orphans.
Personally, I would think that I've been half-way through my journey in life. I admit though, that I still need to learn more things in life to become a better person - at work, in my community and to my family. But, for now, I feel like I am hero to my family and extended families, who are the dearest people in my life; being the provider, the breadwinner and the "Helper" that I am. For every sacrifice that I make for my family, for my friends, for my colleagues, for anybody, for my community, I don't expect something in return. And, when I am helping someone, that's when I am happy the most.
by Rony Cabuyadao
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