In many stories, the crisis moment is motivated by a mantra. A mantra can be a saying, an image, a memory, or something that the heroes read, remember, or reflect on in the course of their journey. No matter how it is represented, the mantra compels the main character to reflect on what they’ve learned. Almost every movie has a mantra, whether stated or not, at this crisis stage of the story. In Star Wars the mantra is “Use the Force,” and in Ratatouille it is, “Anyone can cook.”
