Kevin Koch on Story

My old mentor Kevin Koch has a solid post on story in animated films.

quick summary:
Story is what happens and to whom, why it happens, and what it means.
Plot the series of events, which usually provide conflict. King died, then the Queen died. The spine of a story,  but not essential for a good  (the king died, then the queen died of grief. would be a story)
Theme what the story means, the message
In general, the subplot often carries the theme, and in a well crafted movie multiple characters will reveal multiple aspects of the theme.
Character not essential to a story, some spider man stories are good some are not, but all have Mr. Parker

these are elements (with others) that make up a story, there are sometimes film remakes that shot by shot remake a movie. The story [and it's elements] is the same, the execution is different, and the resulting films are fundamentally different.

Ultimately, the key to a fantastic, enjoyable, successful animated feature can be summarized in a few words: entertainment and engagement.

definitely looking forwards to his follow up post