The Boxtrolls Page #12

SNATCHER:

Looks like the Boxtrolls have a new

victim, miss. And her name is YOU.

Gristle remembers Eggs. He swings his bat over his head and

brings it down but Eggs leaps, grabs the rope from Pickles’

missed shot, and SWINGS LIKE TARZAN towards the door that

Winnie opened.

Trout panics as he sees Eggs swinging towards him. He holds

Winnie up to protect his face. Eggs barrels into Trout’s

belly, knocking him backward and getting him wedged in the

door.

(1300 WCH) WASTELAND CHASE

EXT. SNATCHER’S FACTORY - DAY

Eggs and Winnie tumble outside the factory and roll to a stop

in a cloud of dust.

SNATCHER:

They’re getting away Mr. Gristle!

WINNIE:

(panicked)

What have you dragged me into?

Fish calls to them from a manhole.

62.

FISH:

Eggs! Eggs! Eggs! Eggs!

EGGS:

RUN!

Eggs and Winnie run.

EXT. INDUSTRIAL WASTELAND

Still running Eggs and Winnie suddenly hear a loud CRASH!

Behind them Gristle comes crashing through a high window

swinging on a chain.

MR. GRISTLE

I’m swinging on a chain!

EGGS/WINNIE

AHHH!

Eggs and Winnie slide into the manhole that Fish holds open.

They make it in and slam it shut just in time for Mr. Gristle

to face plant on top of it.

MR. GRISTLE

Stuck on a manhole!

Trout finally pops out of the factory doorway. He and Mr.

Pickles come running up to the motionless Mr. Gristle,

standing over him.

MR. TROUT

Oww...

MR. PICKLES

Don’t make no sense. That’s evil

prevailing over good.

Snatcher arrives.

SNATCHER:

(to Trout)

If Lord Portley-Rind finds out that

boy is alive, it will ruin

everything I’ve worked for!

MR. TROUT

You mean, we worked for?

Snatcher glares at Mr. Trout, silent.

63.

MR. PICKLES

I think we’re all saying the same

thing here.

MR. TROUT

I don’t think we are.

SNATCHER:

(annoyed)

Bah...

Snatcher walks away, frustrated.

MR. PICKLES

But, just in different ways.

(1400 FMR) FAMILY REUNION

INT BOXTROLL CAVERN - ENTRANCE CHUTES - MOMENTS LATER

Winnie screams as she flies down the chutes, into the cavern,

down the conveyor belt, and crashes into the boxtroll

sleeping pile.

INT BOXTROLL CAVERN - NIGHT

Winnie lays amongst the scattered boxes. She pushes herself

upright, coughing. Boxtrolls poke their heads out all around

her and stare.

WINNIE:

(gasp) Ohh!

Winnie gets as far away from the boxtrolls as she can,

bumping into Knickers as she shuffles backwards.

WINNIE (CONT’D)

STAY AWAY FROM ME! Someone, help!!!

Wealthy girl in danger!

She pushes herself against a wall. The boxtrolls gather,

curious. Winnie spots Shoe nearby, with worms and bugs

dangling from his mouth. She hides behind a cabbage,

whimpering.

WINNIE (CONT’D)

If you’re going to eat me just get

it over with. I’m sure I’m

delicious.

Suddenly there is the sound of happy boxtrolls gurgling and

drumming their boxes.

64.

Winnie peeks out. The boxtrolls are surrounding Eggs and Fish

and celebrating their return. No one is paying any attention

to her.

WINNIE (CONT’D)

Hmm?

FISH:

(GURGLING EXCITED HELLOS)

EGGS:

It’s not just us. All the others

are alive too!

EGGS (CONT’D)

We saw them!

WINNIE:

(behind the crowd)

What’s going on?!

EGGS:

(ignoring her)

Oil Can, Wheels, all of them!

SPECS:

(GURGLES)

EGGS:

Yes!

CLOCKS:

(gurgled)

Where are they?

EGGS:

I don’t know, but The Redhats have

them building something in their

factory.

WINNIE:

(shouting)

I said what’s going on? Why aren’t

they ripping out our eyeballs and

eating our faces?

The boxtrolls wince at the sound of Winnie’s screaming voice

and some of them drop into their boxes. Eggs turns to look at

her.

WINNIE (CONT’D)

And where are the rivers of blood

and mountains of bones?! I WAS

PROMISED MOUNTAINS OF BONES!

65.

The rest of the boxtrolls squeak in fear and drop into their

boxes. Eggs looks pointedly at the boxtrolls, then back at

Winnie.

EGGS:

I TOLD you, we don’t eat people!

WINNIE:

Why do you keep saying “we”? You’re

not one of them! You’re a boy!

EGGS:

(incredulous)

No I’m not, I’m a boxtroll! Eggs

the boxtroll.

He points to his box like it’s the most obvious thing in the

world.

WINNIE:

Oh really? Then let’s see you fit

in your box.

EGGS:

I... I can’t right now.

WINNIE:

Mm hmm.

EGGS:

(defensively}

I’m long-boned.

The surrounding boxtrolls gurgle in agreement with Eggs. But

as his argument with Winnie gets louder the boxtrolls shrink

away from the two humans.

WINNIE:

You don’t talk like them!

EGGS:

I- I have a speech impediment!

WINNIE:

Your ears aren’t pointy!

EGGS:

(tugging on his ears)

I slept on them funny!

Winnie is getting exasperated.

66.

WINNIE:

Oh for goodness sake. Give me your

hand!

Winnie lunges forward and grabs Eggs’ hand, but he resists.

WINNIE (CONT’D)

(wryly)

I don’t bite.

Eggs stops resisting and she quickly unwraps the rags from

his hand.

EGGS:

Hey!

Winnie takes Fish’s hand and holds it up next to Eggs hand.

WINNIE:

See? You’re not like them.

She drops Fish’s hand and holds up her own. She presses her

hand to his hand, five fingers to five fingers.

WINNIE (CONT’D)

You’re one of us. You’re a boy,

Eggs. Or should I call you the

Trubshaw baby?

A beat. Eggs pulls his hand away and stares at it, his face

confused.

Then he looks at Fish, who is looking at his own hand in

bemusement.

EGGS:

It’s not true is it Fish? I’m a

boxtroll like you, aren’t I?

Fish shakes his head, “No”. Eggs looks dumbstruck.

WINNIE:

See?! I was right!

(to Fish)

Now admit it, admit you stole him!

FISH:

Gurglegurglegurgle!

WINNIE:

(to Eggs)

Is he confessing?

67.

EGGS:

He says I was... given to him.

WINNIE:

Ha, right again! I- ...wait, what?

Winnie and Eggs are both flabbergasted.

EGGS:

I was given to you?

Fish nods his head. Yup.

Eggs’ legs give way beneath him. He stumbles back and sits

down on the floor.

EGGS (CONT’D)

Who gave me to you?

Fish starts gurgling and keeps gurgling, his face suggesting

that he’s conveying something from long-long ago...

FISH:

[GURGLE GURGLE]

Winnie stands by Eggs, watching Fish curiously.

WINNIE:

What’s he saying?

EGGS:

Oh, sorry. He says a long time ago

there was a kind man--

DISSOLVE TO:

(1500 TBB) TRUBSHAW BABY

INT. TRUBSHAW KITCHEN (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT

Fish and Shoe stand beside a rubbish bin, tinkering with a

WHIRLIGIG CONTRAPTION.

EGGS (V.O.)

-- The one man in town who saw they

weren’t monsters...

SFX:
A baby GIGGLES.

Fish and Shoe startle and hide in their boxes. The whirligig

clatters to the ground.

68.

EGGS (V.O.)

... But builders... like him.

POV FISH:
Herbert Trubshaw stands at an open window to his

second-floor workshop, holding a BABY in his arms. Instead of

chasing them away he SMILES at them.

Fish and Shoe slowly lift their heads out of their boxes,

returning the smile.

DISSOLVE TO:

ANOTHER NIGHT:
Herbert, baby Eggs, and Fish sit on the back

stoop and discuss an invention. As Herbert talks, Fish

casually takes it from him and tweaks it.

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