The Boxtrolls Page #8

EGGS:

(amazed)

Wow...

KLANG! A fat man steps on the manhole cover and slams it

shut.

EGGS (O.S.) (CONT’D)

Ahh!

A beat. The manhole opens again (KLANG!!), and again is

slammed shut as it is driven over, by a CART that stops.

Eggs shoves the manhole open and clambers out. For a second

he’s reassured at how calm it is then the cart moves off and

he is left crouching in the middle of a busy street. He looks

up and is BLINDED BY THE SUN. AAARGH!

DRUM BEATS and a CYMBAL CRASH! Eggs jumps out of the way as a

ONE MAN BAND marches through, almost running him over. He’s

pushed and shoved by a festive crowd...

37.

EGGS (CONT’D)

AHHHH!!!

TOWNSPERSON 1

Outta the way!

Until he backs into an OLD TIMEY BACKDROP painted with lurid

images of monstrous boxtrolls stealing a wailing baby.

PHOTOGRAPHER:

Get yer picture taken with the

Trubshaw Baby! A humorous keepsake

for this dark and dreadful day!

EGGS:

AHHHH!! (rights himself) Eek.

Eggs stumbles backwards into the crowd where he is crushed

between pedestrians until he is lifted off the ground and

carried along.

EGGS (CONT’D)

Ehh! Oof. Eek!

Above Eggs the bright sun distorts the faces in the crowd

like in a fever dream.

Eggs is carried along, his feet lifted off of the ground by

the bustling crowd.

EGGS (CONT’D)

Hey. Oww!

The crowd parts and he is dropped to the ground at the foot

of a stage with a loud OOF!

(0900 MFF) MADAME FROU FROU

EXT. MARKET SQUARE - DAY

Everyone hushes as a too enthusiastic CARNIVAL BARKER’S voice

introduces the act.

SNATCHER (O.S.)

Ladies and gents, From the long-

lost land of Crackerslovakia --

MADAME FROU FROU!

MADAME FROU FROU bursts through the curtains. She’s a big,

sexy, voluptuous woman, exotic in a weird Eastern European

MAE WEST kind of way.

38.

MADAME FROU FROU

(high-pitched lady-voice)

Helloooo Cheesebridge! Hello

darlinks! Thank you! Thank you! My

darlinks!

LORD PORTLEY-RIND

Yoo hoo! I’m your biggest fan,

Frou Frou.

Portley-Rind and the White Hats call from their exclusive

podium in the center of the crowd. Winnie and a very bored

Lady Cynthia Portley-Rind stand next to Lord Portley-Rind.

MADAME FROU FROU

Lord Portley-Rind, you are TOO

much.

(flirting)

Or maybe just enough! Rowrr!

Frou Frou gives him a wink as Lady Portley-Rind elbows him in

the stomach.

LORD PORTLEY-RIND

Oof. Very good.

Frou Frou takes center stage.

MADAME FROU FROU (CONT’D)

Today I shall perform ze sad tale

of ze Trubshaw baby! But first, I

need a helper from ze audience!

Winnie jumps up and down, waving her hand enthusiastically.

WINNIE:

(raises hand, jumps)

Me! Pick me! Me!

MADAME FROU FROU

(pretending not to see

Winnie)

Anyone? Anyone at all? Nobody?

TOWNSFOLK BOY:

Excuse me, I’d like to--

Winnie roughly elbows the boy out of the way--

WINNIE:

Move aside! Pick me...

-- and climbs up on stage without being asked. Eggs is

transfixed - It IS the girl from last night!

39.

MADAME FROU FROU

(falsely welcoming)

Ah! Little Miss Portley-Rind, you

shall play ze sweet little baby

Trubshaw.

Frou Frou gives Winnie a bonnet.

WINNIE:

I saw a boy with boxtrolls last

night! Maybe your audience would

like to hear-- OOF!

Frou Frou shoves a pacifier in Winnie’s mouth and scoots her

behind the curtains.

MADAME FROU FROU

Stick to ze script, my darlink!

Frou Frou walks to the BARREL ORGAN and turns the BRASS

HANDLE. Once it is wound, she takes her place at center

stage, a FAN poised coyly over her face.

MADAME FROU FROU (CONT’D)

Ten years ago a plot was hatched

Where evil was with cunning matched

Whoever left their doors unlatched

Would find their infant children

snatched

By Boxtrolls

ON EGGS watching the show, shocked.

EGGS:

What?!

Back to the show.

MADAME FROU FROU

Oo no Boxtrolls

Winnie and Mr. Pickles, without his red hat and wearing a

fake mustache, come dancing out on stage as Papa Trubshaw and

Baby Trubshaw. Pickles struggles to pick up Winnie and hold

her like a baby.

MADAME FROU FROU (CONT’D)

Trubshaw Senior loved his kid

The same as regular father's did

If you don't want to share his

plight

Make sure that you are locked up

tight

From Boxtrolls

40.

Winnie dances in place and pretends to sleep as Pickles walks

off stage.

MADAME FROU FROU (CONT’D)

For this night Baby's Dad Trubshaw

Quite forgot to lock his door

And as soon as he began to snore

The Boxtrolls came in to withdraw

Poor Baby

Those vile Boxtrolls

A trap door opens in the stage floor and Mr. Gristle climbs

out dressed in a crude BOXTROLL COSTUME made from papierm.ch..

Gristle GROWLS.

MADAME FROU FROU (CONT’D)

So lock your windows, bolt your

doors

Or Boxtrolls with their creepy

claws

Will take your children in their

paws

And drag them down to feed their

jaws

Boxtrolls

The crowd HISSES as Gristle grabs Winnie and pushes her down

the trap! Gristle makes CHOMPING and NOM NOM sounds.

GRISTLE:

RAWR!

Pickles runs onto the stage melodramatically pantomiming a

heart-broken father searching for his missing child.

MADAME FROU FROU

Mister Trubshaw went quite wild

When he found out he'd lost his

child

He did what any Dad would do

He ran off swiftly to pursue those

Boxtrolls

Mr. Gristle returns and stalks Pickles from behind--

CROWD:

No! / Behind you!/ Look out man!

He’s behind you!

--And, a bit too enthusiastically, shoves Pickles down

through trap door.

41.

MADAME FROU FROU

“Help, help, help me please won't

you?”

But the Boxtrolls did what

Boxtrolls do

They snatched him up and began to

chew

Until there was no residue

Of Trubshaw.

Mr. Trout throws an arm full of papier-m.ch. BONES onto the

stage. Gristle picks one up, shoves it into his papier-m.ch.

jaws and taunts the audience like a villainous professional

wrestler.

MADAME FROU FROU (CONT’D)

They pulled him down into their

nest

Hardly pausing to digest

They left his bones but ate the

rest

Never be a dinner guest

Of Boxtrolls

Oo those Boxtrolls

CROWD:

Booooo!

EGGS:

But she’s lying.

A man standing next to Eggs overhears and looks down at him.

Eggs pales and pulls his disguise tighter.

MADAME FROU FROU

And that's the story of the

Trubshaw kid

Don't do what Father Trubshaw did

If you see Boxtrolls don't placate

them

Catch 'em and exterminate them

Boxtrolls

Frou Frou wallops Gristle with her fan. The crowd cheers her

on as she beats the crap out of him in a not-very-ladylike

fashion. The crowd is whipped into a frenzy!

MADAME FROU FROU (CONT’D)

Kill those Boxtrolls!

Eggs is crushed by the furious crowd as they chant along with

Madame Frou Frou.

42.

MADAME FROU FROU (CONT’D)

Kill those Boxtrolls!

CROWD:

Kill those boxtrolls!

LORD PORTLEY-RIND/WHITE HATS

Don’t forget about our party

tonight, Frou Frou!

Eggs looks around at the frantic crowd, he sees Winnie

exiting out the back of the stage. She dusts herself off and

heads back into the crowded market. Eggs follows her.

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