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What makes a hero? - Matthew Winkler

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TEDEd Animation

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What trials unite not only Harry Potter or Frodo Baggins but many of literature's most interesting heroes? And what do ordinary people have in common with these literary heroes? Matthew Winkler takes us step-by-step through the crucial events that make or break a hero.

In many stories, the hero must cross a physical barrier that separates the ordinary world from the special world, but the two worlds aren’t always physical places. Can you think of a story that follows a hero’s journey through a “special world” of unfamiliar emotional territory?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Animator Chad Yapyapan
  • Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Director Kirill Yeretsky
  • Educator Matthew Winkler
  • Sound Designer Michael Feuser
  • Composer Stephen LaRosa
  • Artist Wing Luo
  • Motion Graphics Animator Robertino Zambrano
  • Narrator Matthew Winkler

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