The Simple Story Framework That Built Pixar’s Greatest Hits

"It's not the frame of your house that makes it a beautiful home—but without it, the house falls apart. It's the same with your story." — Rain Bennett

What if we told you that some of the best stories of all time—from Toy Story to Finding Nemo—were all built on the same simple 8-step framework?

In this episode of The Storytelling Lab, Rain breaks down the Story Spine, a storytelling structure originally developed by improv teacher Kenn Adams and later adopted by the storytelling giants at Pixar.

Rain takes us through the full arc of this framework, from its humble beginnings in a California improv class to its now-iconic place in Pixar’s creative process. He shares how this deceptively simple structure helps storytellers stay grounded while crafting emotional, impactful narratives.

You’ll also hear real movie examples (like The Goonies and Rocky) broken down with this method, and learn how to apply it to your own work—whether that’s a film, blog post, or Instagram caption. If you want to tell better stories with more clarity and impact, start with the spine.

In this episode, you will learn to:

• Master the art and science of story structure by using the Story Spine to frame compelling narratives with clarity.
• Unlock the key to narrative flow by linking events with causation, not coincidence.
• Discover the simple strategy to show transformation with two powerful moments of change: the inciting incident and the climax.
• Learn how even top storytellers like Pixar use basic structure as a foundation before adding heart, character, and color.
• Apply a timeless framework to your own content—from short videos to keynote speeches to brand storytelling.

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