The collaboration of Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and thousands of top-flight actors and film craftsmen produced Cloud Atlas, an adaptation of David Mitchell‘s novel that is among the most adventurous and awe-inspiring movies of the year. Not only are there hundreds of characters and plot threads, but they are stretched across time and space to form not one linear story, but a greater understanding of human nature.
Immediately after seeing the movie, we thought it would be a blast to try to delve into the intricate plot and theme structure of Cloud Atlas and try to map it all out. After graphic designers Tom Morse-Brown and Lyn Brown saw it, we knew we had some excited and willing collaborators. What they came up with was an infographic that clearly maps out genre, location, date, story, theme, characters, actors, archetypes, conflicts, turning points, a linking “comet” birthmark/tattoo, and actual artifacts passed down from generation to generation in the sprawling story.
It was a blast putting this together. Thanks again to Tom, Lyn, and Scene-Stealers contributor Trey Hock for making this happen.
Click here to see the full-sized version and download it or click on the Cloud Atlas infographic itself. Share away! If you are re-posting, please link back.
Eric is the Editor-in-Chief of Scene-Stealers.com, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and contributor for The Pitch. He’s former President of the KCFCC, and drummer for The Dead Girls, Ultimate Fakebook, and Truck Stop Love . He is also the 2013 Air Guitar World Champion Mean Melin, ranked 4th best of all-time. Eric goes to 11. Follow him at:
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I wish I could have seen something like this poster before seeing the film.
Nice work!
Thanks, David!!! It was exhaustive, but Tom and Lyn did almost all of the work!
WOW. I would totally buy a print poster of this. Amazing work!
I’ll look into cost to print and ship, and let you know.
I would actually like a printed copy too for my office. The movie left a profound impression and I can’t wait to dive into the book soon.
This is awesome! except that in the final story (Zachary the goat herder) Sonmi 451 appears as his sister. The chart says she is a silent soul in this story.
Lisa- I think you are referring to Xun Zhou as Rose http://blackcatmedia.com/images/cloudatlas2.jpg We just didn’t have space for all the minor characters!
This would help me go into a movie and not feel lost half the time! That is why I don’t go as much because if I miss something I can rewind at home. What a fun info-graphic!
Exactly what I was looking for! Thank you!!!
Wasn’t Donna Bay Zachry’s wife in the last timeline thing? 😀
Nope. That was Xun Zhou, the rebellious fabricant!
There’s one that you’re missing: Donna Bae as the Mexican sweatshop worker in the thriller.
We couldn’t find a photo for that character. We did note her though.
I did not see the Cloud Atlas symphony as an artifact… but, I would think it would be.
Very useful graphic, though.
Yep. I thought of that too–so it would go from the 30s story to the 70s, but was it technically passed down beyond that?
Hi! Really nice work. But, there is some things that are wrong. Cavendish does not escape from gangsters. He is locked in by his brother in a nursing home for elders, and try to save and escape other elders. And Sonmi story is not in 2044, it’s in 2144. The last story is ca 2350.
Thanks! Cavendish definitely escapes from the nursing home, but his “flight,” as we worded it, was from the gangsters. Thanks for the tip on the dates!
I think you should have included Doona Bae’s Mexican woman in the 70’s story because that person is very important. Sonmi is the soul of the Mexican woman, and she is the ONE who SAVES Luisa Ray and that man, from Hugo Weaving who is her father in the first story, and who is the Korean man who killes her in the fith story. So he sort of got revenge on her.
She’s in there, Tina — we just didn’t have an image for her. We’ll remedy that soon!
I’m sorry but this chart infuriates me.
“Hugo Weaving who is her father in the first story”
Wait, what? That would mean he was all the time on the journey on the ship, too. *confused*
I think the chart is a bit confusing. It looks more like it depicts the roles that actors played, instead of the intended reincarnations. Doona Bae is shown as both the Mexican woman and Megan’s mom. That doesn’t make any sense! She would be reincarnated as two persons at the same era. Also Luisa Rey and the Indian part guest … Their times would overlay each other, even if Luisa Rey died sometime between 1975 and 2012.
Doona Appears in the post-fall story line as Zachry’s sister. She IS incarnate.
http://www.zimbio.com/Actors+Who've+Played+Multiple+Roles+in+the+Same+Film/articles/ots3kGUsrsg/Doona+Bae+Cloud+Atlas
Doona Bae appears as Zachry’s sister in the post-fall storyline. She IS incarnate. Your poster is wrong.
http://www.zimbio.com/Actors+Who%27ve+Played+Multiple+Roles+in+the+Same+Film/articles/ots3kGUsrsg/Doona+Bae+Cloud+Atlas
Great chart! However, I think you haven’t paid enough attention to the character of Sixsmith. He’s another idealist, perhaps best described as “The Confidant/Informer”. His role revolves around being the receiver of critically important information that speaks to injustice, and what he chooses to do with that information has huge ramifications.
In 1931, he was too late to effect much change except to help Robert’s name from being completely forgotten by helping to publish the Cloud Atlas Sextet.
In 1973, he leaks the report that eventually leads Luisa to bring down the nuclear and oil company executives, but at the cost of his own life.
In 2144, as the Archivist, he takes Sonmi’s statement and indicates it would be digitally stored only for corporate historians (re: his employer’s PR people) to study. Instead, as Somni intuits at the end of the interview, he is strongly moved. And — as we see 106 years after the Fall — this had to have resulted in taking her story public, fomenting a huge social justice movement that makes her a world-wide icon.
You have the date wrong of Neo Seoul. It should be 2144, not 2044.
I think results of combinations of characters are one of the important messages too, so something like that needs to be in this poster. I mean when Tom Hanks and Halle Berry are together, he becomes good person and without him she is passive character. When Jim and Donna are together, Jim brings out her innocence and she becomes hope for Jim, so he can manage.
i wrote a paper about this film and see your map after couple weeks!!
but i like your product: the Atlas of the ATLAS!!
i want to rewrite my paper in scientific-form…
i hope give your help…
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