The Boxtrolls Page #9

(1000 EFW) EGGS FOLLOWS WINNIE

EXT. MARKET SQUARE

As Winnie makes her way across the crowded square Eggs

follows her.

-When he sees the One Man Band coming closer, he ducks down

into a box shape as if he could hide like a real boxtroll.

When the danger is passed he looks up and sees Winnie

disappearing into the crowd.

-Eggs runs to catch up and has to jump over a vendor pushing

a cart.

TOWNSPERSON 2

Hey? What the...

-Eggs falls in behind Winnie a she nonchalantly circles the

tent of a cheese seller. She suddenly looks back and STARES

RIGHT AT EGGS! Eggs hides behind a Swiss cheese.

Winnie ignores him and heads off down the street with Eggs

still following until she--

EXT MARKET SQUARE - ARCADE - DAY

--Lunges around a corner and disappears! Eggs runs after her,

turns the corner and she’s gone. Suddenly she jumps out in

front of him.

WINNIE:

What do you want!

Eggs, startled, instinctively hides in a barrel. Winnie peers

in at him.

43.

WINNIE (CONT’D)

You’re the worst pickpocket I have

ever seen.

She tosses him a coin.

WINNIE (CONT’D)

Here, buy yourself a book on how to

be a better thief.

She walks away shaking her head.

Eggs climbs up out of the barrel.

EGGS:

Wait! I saw you last night.

Winnie freezes, eyes wide. She slowly turns back to him. He

looks down, too scared to look her in the eye.

EGGS (CONT’D)

And they took Fish, and... I don’t

know where they took him...

He looks up and Winnie is right in front of him.

EGGS (CONT’D)

Ah!

WINNIE:

You were with the boxtrolls last

night?

Eggs wipes the coal dust mustache from his face.

EGGS:

Yes.

WINNIE:

(excited)

Whoah! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW

IT!

Winnie gleefully dances about as Eggs climbs out of the

barrel.

WINNIE (CONT'D)

Father didn’t believe me but I KNEW

IT! How did you escape?!

EGGS:

We went underground and they-

44.

WINNIE:

(interrupting)

Did they drag you down to their

hideous caves?

EGGS:

Huh?

Eggs backs up as Winnie advances, intensely presses him for

information.

WINNIE:

Were there mountains of baby bones

and rivers of blood?

EGGS:

What?

WINNIE:

Did they eat your family?

EGGS:

My family-

WINNIE:

Did they let you watch?!

(PAUSE)

I mean, make you watch?!

She grabs him by the shoulders.

WINNIE (CONT’D)

TELL ME EVERYTHING!

Freaked out and frustrated, Eggs BITES HER ON THE ARM. She

freezes. They stare at each other, Eggs panting, her in

shock. She looks down at her arm flabbergasted.

WINNIE (CONT’D)

You bit me.

EGGS:

I need to find the Men in Red Hats!

Winnie looks at the bite mark again.

WINNIE:

You bit me with your mouth.

EGGS:

The Men in Red Hats!

45.

WINNIE:

The boxtroll exterminators? They

live down on Curd’s Way.

EGGS:

How do I get there?

Winnie points to the Milk Street sign that they are standing

under.

WINNIE:

Curds Way? Milk turns into it.

The one man band drops a CYMBAL: BA DUM CHHHH!

Eggs turns to go, then hesitates.

EGGS:

It’s not true, you know.

(angry)

We don’t eat babies!

He runs off down the street.

WINNIE:

We? What do you mean we?

Eggs rounds a corner and is gone.

WINNIE (CONT’D)

Come back here! TELL ME EVERYTHING!

She takes off after him.

(1100 SLR) SNATCHER’S LAIR

INT SNATCHER’S FACTORY - SAME TIME

CLOSE ON Fish’s frightened face peeking out from under his

box lid. REVEAL he’s in a cage, being stared at by the three

Redhats -- Pickles, Trout and Gristle.

Gristle reaches up and pokes him with a cricket bat.

MR. GRISTLE

(sinister whisper)

POKE.

MR. PICKLES

You ever wonder what they’re

thinkin’ ‘bout, Mr. Trout?

46.

MR. TROUT

I imagine they’re evaluating their

life choices.

MR. PICKLES

Ah. Wonderin’ why they chose to be

evil, disgusting monsters instead

of good guys like us!

SNATCHER (O.S.)

Wrong, Mr. Pickles!

They turn to see Snatcher, coming down a long walkway behind

them, backlit by tall windows. He finishes drying his face

with a towel, then walks towards them, orating THEATRICALLY:

SNATCHER (CONT’D)

A boxtroll cannot CHOOSE a new life

because a boxtroll does not ASPIRE

to be anything more than a weak,

lowly pest.

(a beat)

But a man -- a great man!

(tosses towel, arms wide)

And his...

MR. TROUT

Colleagues?

MR. PICKLES

Best chums?

SNATCHER:

... stooges

(THEN)

... can choose to change their

lives. Our dreams are in our grasp!

Snatcher lifts Mr. Gristle into the air.

SNATCHER (CONT’D)

Let us be dream-graspers, fate-

snatchers, destiny-takers! Let us

grasp our dreams and shove them

down everyone’s throat! Am I not

right?

MR. GRISTLE

THROAT!

SNATCHER:

YES!

47.

Snatcher throws Gristle and Pickles catches him in his arms,

holding him like a small child. Gristle smiles maniacally.

MR. PICKLES

That’s why your name is the boss,

boss!

MR. TROUT

I’mnotastooge, am I?

Pickles releases Gristle as they follow Snatcher.

SNATCHER:

Now, gentlemen. What better way to

dream than to walk in the shoes of

those to whom we aspire? Mr.

Pickles, fetch the-

MR. PICKLES

Shoes?

MR. TROUT

Clogs?

MR. GRISTLE

(brandishing cricket bat)

BAT!

SNATCHER:

Cheese.

Snatcher walks away as Trout and Pickles blanche. Their faces

go from rapt attention to apprehension. Gristle just keeps

his deranged grin.

MR. TROUT

Oh no.

MR. PICKLES

Oh dear.

MR. GRISTLE

Nice! Heh heh heh heh heh...

(1200) EGGS SAVES FISH

EXT. CHEESEBRIDGE - WORLD VIEW

Cheesebridge looms quietly overhead. The camera slowly pans

down as-

48.

EXT. INDUSTRIAL WASTELAND

Eggs reaches an intersection and stops at the street signs:

MILK AVE and CURDS WAY. He looks around at the industrial

wasteland. In the distance is one lone building with a bloody

red top hat painted on the huge wooden door.

Eggs heads toward it.

INT. SNATCHER’S FACTORY

CLOSE ON Snatcher’s grimy hands holding up a white hat made

out of paper.

SNATCHER:

Men, don your white hats.

Snatcher lowers the paper hat onto his head. Across the table

from him the Redhats replace their red hats with paper white

hats. They all sit at a table set with cracked crockery and

mismatched plates.

MR. PICKLES

Are you sure about this, boss? You

know what cheese can do to you...

SNATCHER:

(tucking a napkin into his

collar)

Unless you are referring to how

cheese brings men of respect and

power together in brotherhood, no,

I do not know what...

(looming menacingly)

“Cheese. Does. To. Me.”

MR. PICKLES

(GULPS) That’s what I meant then.

SNATCHER:

Marvelous! Then let us begin.

Trout takes a little piece of cheese out of a package labeled

“EXTRA MILD CHEDDAR”. He focuses and cuts off the tiniest

little sliver and puts it on a plate, inspects it and slices

it into an even smaller piece... then slices it again... and

again... and again... and--

SNATCHER (CONT’D)

(yells)

ENOUGH!

49.

Snatcher bangs his fist on the table. Startled, Pickles and

Trout jump. Then Trout puts a tiny slice of cheese on a plate

and very slowly rotates the top of the table like a Lazy

Susan. It takes forever for Snatcher’s plate to arrive in

front of him.

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