The Boxtrolls Page #7

WINNIE:

Father, I'm sorry! I didn't mean

to. Well, at first I did, but I

think this situation offers a great

opportunity for a father and

daughter to discuss their feelings-

Portley-Rind rolls his eyes and turns back to the Tasting

Room.

WINNIE (CONT’D)

--WAIT! I saw something out there.

A boy with boxtrolls-

LORD PORTLEY-RIND

(interrupting)

Not another word.

WINNIE:

But Father I really-

LORD PORTLEY-RIND

Bed!

Portley-Rind shuts the door leaving Winnie alone. She looks

back towards the front doors.

WINNIE:

I did see a boy...

(0700) FISH CAPTURED

EXT. CHEESEBRIDGE STREET - NIGHT

CLOSE ON:
Fish, Eggs and Shoe sprinting down a twisting and

turning street. The Redhats’ vehicle is right behind them.

32.

Eggs’ helmet is blown off while he runs. It flies onto the

street behind them and is crushed under the Redhats’ truck.

MR. PICKLES

(yelling)

Hark! Here come The Exterminators!

MR. GRISTLE

Exterminate! HA ha ha ha!

MR. TROUT

But don’t that sound like we’re the

villains?

MR. PICKLES

Huh.

ON TWO BOXTROLLS, SPARKY AND SNIPS, GATHERING A FEW BLOCKS

AHEAD:
BAM! They are hit by headlights as Fish, Eggs and Shoe

come running between them.

EGGS:

RUN!

Sparky and Snips hide in their boxes.

MR. PICKLES

Hark! Here come The

Exterminators... OF JUSTICE!

MR. GRISTLE

(screaming insanely)

WE EXTERMINATE JUSTICE!

Mr. Pickles and Mr. Trout look at each, both terrified of Mr.

Gristle.

MR. GRISTLE (CONT’D)

Faster!

EGGS:

Grab hold!

Eggs, Fish and Shoe join hands and leap from the streets onto

rooftops. As they careen from roof to roof, the boxtrolls

tuck into their boxes, but Eggs can’t fit in his box. He

wraps his arms around Fish’s box and rides on Shoe’s box.

The Redhats’ vehicle skids around the bend and swerves

through the streets until it gets below them. Gristle’s head

sticks out, wind whipping his face like a dog.

MR. GRISTLE

HA HA HA!

33.

MR. PICKLES

Over there Mr. Trout!

Pickles nervously aims a BOLAS GUN, clearly not comfortable

with the weapon. He fires, and a WEIGHTED BOLAS shoots out...

but, misses Eggs and the boxtrolls badly.

Eggs, Fish, and Shoe tumble off of the rooftops. They fall

through the air before bouncing from a store AWNING and

landing on the cobblestone street.

Eggs leads the boxtrolls toward a drain pipe.

EGGS:

This way!

Gristle FIRES his sawed off BOLAS GUN as the truck skids!

MR. GRISTLE

(laughing)

My turn! HA HA!

The bolas whizzes toward Eggs and the fleeing boxtrolls as

they leap into a drain pipe!

INT. SEWER - DAY

ON FISH as a the weighted bolas wrap around his box. His

feet are pulled out from under him as he reaches out toward

his friends.

FISH:

Egg!

The bolas rope is attached to the Redhats truck, just outside

of the sewer pipe. The rope tightens as they begin to wind

up the slack.

Eggs and Shoe turn to see Fish grabbing the sides of the

slick sewer, trying not to be pulled away. Eggs scrambles

around Shoe, hiding in his box, and rushes to Fish as he is

dragged down the pipe towards the Redhats.

Eggs grabs Fish’s hand, but the Redhats are too strong. Fish

frantically cries out.

FISH (CONT’D)

Eggs! Eggs!

EGGS:

No!

34.

Eggs can’t hold on and Fish’s hand slips free, he’s pulled

out of the pipe CRYING!

FISH:

EGGGGS!

Fish is yanked out of sight. Eggs is left lying on the

ground, gasping ffor breath. His best friend is gone.

SILENCE.

Eggs startles as Shoe touches his shoulder. He looks up and

Shoe shakes his head, resigned. Shoe takes Eggs’ arm and

slowly leads him deeper into the pipe bend, toward home.

(0750 EGC) EGGS’ CHOICE

INT. BOXTROLL CAVERN - EGGS’ NOOK

CLOSE ON the spinning Quattro Sabatinos record.

Eggs sits hunched over in despair with one finger resting on

the music machine, causing it to play very, very, slowly.

Behind Eggs we see Shoe’s face appear. He stares at Eggs.

BEAT:

Shoe throws a bug at Eggs. It bounces off his head. No

reaction, so Shoe does it again... still no reaction.

BEAT:

Shoe enters the nook. Eggs looks at him. Shoe holds out two

hands full of yummy bugs.

SHOE:

(gurgles) Bugs for dinner?

Nothing.

Shoe sighs, and puts a bug in his mouth.

EGGS:

(quietly)

Why do we do this, Shoe...

Shoe stops eating, opens his mouth as if to answer then

pauses, agape. The bug crawls out and up onto the top of his

head. Shoe thinks, gurgling.

35.

EGGS (CONT'D)

Carry on like everything is normal?

They drag us away and we do

nothing...

The lucky bug extends it’s wings and flies away. Shoe doesn’t

react. He doesn’t know what to say.

SFX:
THE CLOCK GOES OFF SIGNALING TIME TO SLEEP.

Shoe glances out of the cave as the remaining boxtrolls start

to make what’s left of the communal sleeping pile.

Shoe looks back and forth between Eggs and the sleeping pile.

He knows he should stay, but the sleeping pile is really

coming together out there. With a whine of frustration for

his friend, he shakes off some bugs for Eggs to eat and

leaves.

Eggs sighs and looks over to the corner where Fish’s old saw

and bow lean against the wall.

The bugs Shoe left crawl up Eggs’ arm and he angrily shoves

them away and notices the Quattro Sabatino’s RECORD COVER.

CLOSE ON:
The faces of the four singers, each one festooned

with an elaborate mustache, and then on to their orange and

brown striped coats and finally focussing on their straw

boater hats. Eggs lowers it to reveal-

INT. BOXTROLL CAVERN - DRESSING AREA - LATER

--Eggs REFLECTION IN AN OLD CRACKED MIRROR. He is wearing a

disguise based on the singers from the Quattro Sabatino’s

record cover (which he holds in his hand). He has made a

striped jacket by sewing strips of orange fabric to an old

coat and found a filthy old straw boater. He has even drawn a

twirled Van Dyck mustache on his face with a lump of coal.

EGGS:

(hopeful)

I look like one of them.

(doubtful)

(SIGH) Sort of.

He looks at the pile of sleeping boxtrolls as they snore. He

looks back at the mirror.

EGGS (CONT’D)

(determined)

I’ll find you, Fish!

36.

He tiptoes out into the cavern and sneaks off into the

shadows.

INT. SEWER - DAY - MOMENTS LATER

In a pitch black sewer, a thin ray of sunlight shoots down

from a hole in a manhole cover.

Eggs’ filthy hand, wrapped in torn strips of fabric, reaches

into the light. Dust motes drift around his hand and glow.

The reflected light illuminates Eggs’ wide eyed face.

(0800) DAYLIGHT

DOWN SHOT:
Eggs climbs up toward the manhole. He has to

squint at the bright sunlight.

EGGS POV:
Looking up at the manhole until the bright light

fills the screen.

SFX:
As we go into the light, the sound of the streets of a

bustling city gets louder and louder.

EXT. MARKET STREET - DAY

CLOSE ON:
A heavy cast iron manhole as it grinds open.

Blinding sunlight pours in.

Eggs’ dirty face peeks out. His eyes go wide.

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