The Boxtrolls Page #3

MR. TROUT

You really think these boxtrolls

understand the duality of good and

evil?

MR. PICKLES

They must, right? Why else would

they hide from us. We are the good

guys.

Mr. Pickles strolls off with both boxtroll and net.

MR. GRISTLE (O.S.)

(hitting more boxes)

Nice! NICE!

WHACK! Another box slides over to Trout. Trout scoops up the

box before the creature can get away. The boxtroll’s legs

dangle below as it is carried away.

MR. TROUT

Yeah... I suppose we are.

CLOSE ON:
Fish and Shoe, in the shadows at the edge of the

alley, gurgle to each other while the Red Hats are

distracted. Their heads stay hidden in their boxes as they

waddle slowly out of the alley.

11.

Mr. Gristle is too preoccupied with smashing other boxes to

notice them. He grunts and laughs with the effort.

Snatcher spots Fish and Shoe as they exit the alley and

points at them.

SNATCHER:

MR. GRISTLE!

MR. GRISTLE

Hmm?

SNATCHER:

ACQUIRE THEM!

Brandishing his cricket bat, Gristle springs after Fish and

Shoe.

MR. GRISTLE

Acquire! ACQUIRE! HAHAHA!

The boxtrolls pop out of their boxes and RUN!

EXT. CHEESEBRIDGE STREET

Gristle closes in on them as they sprint down an alley. The

boxtrolls join hands and vault over a fence like a Slinky

toy.

Gristle smashes THROUGH the fence-

MR. GRISTLE

COME BACK AND LET ME HIT YOU!

--but the boxtrolls have disappeared. Gristle stalks down the

street and disappears around a corner.

After Gristle disappears, two boxes that are holding up a

broken street cart suddenly move. It’s Fish and Shoe hiding

in plain sight.

Once they are sure they are not being followed they open a

drainage pipe and slip underground into the sewers-

(0300 UDW) UNDERWORLD Eggs

INT. BOXTROLL CAVERN - ENTRANCE CHUTES

-- where they leap into cardboard-lined BOXTROLL CHUTES. They

drop through the chutes, sliding on the cardboard, until they

join up with other boxtrolls returning from a night of

gathering.

12.

They descend deeper underground until they are collected

together in a funnel-shaped cave and one by one drop onto an-

INT. BOXTROLL CAVERN

-- elaborate conveyor belt system for a roller coaster ride

into a HUGE DARK SPACE with blinking lights and a cacophony

of MECHANICAL NOISE. Fish, Shoe and boxtrolls of all shapes

and sizes shoot off the end of the conveyor belt and tumble

across the floor.

ON FISH AND SHOE where the alarm clock lands on the floor as

they tumble to a halt. Shoe grabs the clock possessively,

hisses at Fish, and runs away laughing. He has his treasure.

Fish shrugs it off and rights himself, raising a hand to his

mouth.

FISH:

(gurgled question)

“Eggs?”

REVEAL THE CAVERN, the hub of the boxtroll world. It’s full

of workshops, interconnected machines and a constellation of

lights that make it look like a subterranean Coney Island

amusement park. Fish stands in front of a large STALAGMITE,

around which the mechanical underground city is built.

FISH (CONT’D)

(gurgled question)

“Eggs?”

WHEELS - a boxtroll riding a unicycle - zooms quickly past,

humming.

FISH (CONT’D)

(to Wheels)

“You see Eggs?”

Wheels shrugs his shoulders and rides away as OIL CAN - the

smallest boxtroll - tumbles from the conveyor belt and rights

himself with a squeak. Oil Can pulls, well, an OIL CAN from

inside of his box and scurries off.

Fish makes his way to the base of a waterwheel made from

scraps of metal.

High overhead, the boxtroll KNICKERS - a picture of

underpants adorning the front of it’s box - struggles with an

armful of light bulbs while swinging from a rope. Two small

boxtrolls hold the rope steady below.

13.

SPARKY, a boxtroll wearing welding goggles, and a small

boxtroll named BUCKET work side by side on an electrical

generator, fitting dinner forks into a toaster as makeshift

fuses.

FISH (CONT’D)

(gurgled question)

“Eggs?”

Sparky and Bucket look up from their work and give Fish

directions to find Eggs.

SPARKY AND BUCKET

(gurgled in unison)

“Over there!”

In the background, Oil Can climbs down a pipe to grease up

the generator and then scrambles back up the pipe.

Fish heads off as Sparky and Bucket turn on the toaster and

get ZAPPED! They jerk and squirm as electricity courses

through their boxes and they collapse on the ground. The

strands of light bulbs flicker and light up.

Sparky and Bucket smile and beat their boxes in delight -

they fixed the generator. The two boxtrolls holding the rope

let go and beat their boxes. Knickers falls to the ground.

KNICKERS:

AHHH!!!!

INT. BOXTROLL CAVERN - GARDEN - CONTINUOUS

Fish arrives at a SUBTERRANEAN GARDEN where boxtrolls sit

among huge cabbages eating ladybugs and slugs. Fish stops in

front of FRAGILE, a giant, slow moving, dim-witted boxtroll.

Fragile slowly mists a seedling plant.

FISH:

(gurgled)

“Eggs?”

Fragile just stares at Fish until Fish gets frustrated and

leaves. Fragile slowly points, in the direction opposite

Fish’s path.

FRAGILE:

(gurgles slowly)

Eggs.

14.

INT. BOXTROLL CAVERN - PNEUMATIC TUBES - CONTINUOUS

ON A BOXTROLL’S REAR END. He scratches the backside of his

box and - WHOOSH! - is sucked up into the air, revealing

Fish.

Fish steps up to a huge PNEUMATIC TUBE driven by a dozen

antique vacuum cleaners and calls up to SWEETS, a toothless

boxtroll with a set of old human dentures in his mouth.

FISH:

(gurgled)

“Eggs?!”

Sweets stops, thinks, gets an idea and starts to speak just

as SPECS, a myopic boxtroll with an elaborate head gear of

eye glasses, twists an ANCHOR switch, turning on the

pneumatic tubes. First his DENTURES, then Sweets, are sucked

up into the tube. Fish watches Sweets go and then sees Oil

Can standing on top of the tubes oiling stuff.

FISH (CONT’D)

“EGGS?”

Oil Can stops oiling the tubes.

OIL CAN:

(gurgled)

“He’s up there!”

Oil Can points up at a small cave high on the cavern wall.

INT. BOXTROLL CAVERN - EGGS’ NOOK

Fish arrives at the opening of the small dark cave. In the

shadows of the nook is a shape. It appears to be a very small

boxtroll.

FISH:

(gurgled)

Eggs?

EGGS:

(low, feral growls)

Out of the shadows waddles the small boxtroll. The first

thing that comes into the light is his box with an EGGS LOGO

printed on the front, then appears the dirty face of a feral-

looking 2-YEAR-OLD HUMAN BOY, EGGS.

Fish flashes a wonky-toothed smile at Eggs.

15.

EGGS (CONT’D)

Fish!

Fish plays a game of hide and seek with the found teddy bear.

He makes the arm, then another arm, then the head appear from

the arm and head holes of his box. Baby Eggs is enthralled.

He excitedly launches himself at Fish. They play wrestle over

the toy until Eggs grabs it from Fish and scampers away.

Eggs hugs the bear. So cute. Then... RIPS ITS HEAD OFF!

He reaches into the teddy bear’s chest cavity and pulls out

the MUSIC BOX. He tosses the gutted bear body away and tries

to get it to work. When he can’t figure it out he holds it

up to Fish.

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