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CAYOM YEAR 5 - PART I - MOVIE SUBMISSION

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Bambi

A Life in the Woods


 

Genre: Coming-of-Age Drama

Studio: Lager Pictures

Production Companies: Lager Pictures, Regency Enterprises, Appian Way Productions, Cha Cha Cha Films,

Based on the Book by Felix Salten

Director: Ang Lee

Producers: Christopher Lager, Maria Lager, Ang Lee, Arnon Milchan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson

Executive Producers: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo Del Toro, and Andy Serkis

Director of Photography: Emmanuel Lubezki

Composer: James Newton Howard and Nicholas Britell

Violinist: Hilary Hahn

"There is Another" written by Enya and Roma Ryan, music by James Newton Howard and Nicholas Britell

VFX Companies: WETA Digital and Industrial, Light, and Magic

Movement Coach: Terry Notary

 

Main Voice Cast:

 

Aidan Tuner as Bambi, the main protagonist of the film. Noah Jupe portrays an adolescent Bambi.

Keira Knightley as Faline, Gobo's twin sister, Bambi's childhood friend and eventual mate. Millie Bobby Brown portrays an adolescent Faline.

Rachel Weisz as Bambi's Mother.

Nicholas Hoult as Gobo, Faline's twin brother and Bambi's childhood friend. Louis Ashbourne Serkis portrays an adolescent Gobo.

Olivia Colman as Old Nettla, a cynical older doe who despises Him and doesn't get along well with others. Colman also portrays Gisela, a talkative magpie who witnesses Bambi's birth.

Ed Skrein as Ronno, a young stag who Bambi admires as a youth.

Will Poulter as Karus, a young stag who Bambi admires as a youth.

Karen Gillan as Marena, a young doe who believes in the eventual co-existence between Him and the animals.

Domhnall Gleeson as Friend Hare, a stoic, mild-mannered rabbit.

Rosa Salazar as Perri, a playful and childlike Eurasian Red Squirrel who befriends a young Bambi after he saves her from a near death situation. The character is the main protagonist in another Felix Salten book Perri, where the character of Bambi makes a small cameo.

Bill Skarsgard as Digger, a sly, conniving fox who frequently preys on many of the forest's inhabitants.

Daniel Kaluuya as Ripper, a ruthless Labrador retriever who is fanatically devoted to Him.

with Naomi Watts as Ena, the mother of Faline and Gobo and a close friend of Bambi's mother.

and Daniel Craig as the Old Stag, a wise and mysterious figure whom Bambi seeks out to gain more knowledge from.

 

Release Date: September 17th, Y5

Theater Count: 3,875

Format: In 3D, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX 3D

Budget: $185 million

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for strong emotional thematic content throughout, disturbing images, intense peril, and animal violence 

Running Time: 147 minutes

 

Synopsis: The film chronicles the life of Bambi, a young roe deer, and his coming of age into the expansive, unforgiving world of nature.

 

Plot: 

 

Spoiler

After the opening logos, the film fades-in on an long overhead shot overlooking miles and miles of trees, the sun barely peeking over as we here the early morning ambience of the nature. The camera slowly tracks its way atop of the trees as the credits start to roll.

 

Lager Pictures Presents

 

A Regency/Appian Way/Cha Cha Cha Films Production

 

An Ang Lee film

 

A magpie flies into the frame of the camera as we track its movements in the sky. In the distance, there is a faint grunting noise of something in pain. Curious, the magpie flies to the source of the sound, reaching the place right as the sounds of apparent anguish and pain reach unimaginable heights then subsides again. The magpie looks down to see a female adult Roe deer tending to a newborn fawn, who, when attempting to stand up, awkwardly bobs and wobbles under its weak legs.

 

The magpie (voiced by Olivia Colman) repeatedly compliments the mother on how beautiful her child is. When the mother doesn’t respond back, the magpie goes into a talkative speel about how impressive on how that newborn deer, barely under a minute old, is able to walk so well. The mother (voiced by Rachel Weisz) softly acknowledges the magpies’ comments but tells her that she is feeling somewhat faint at the moment and is not in the mood to talk. The magpie scoffs, going on a rude rant about how helpless baby magpies are at birth and how much trouble she had to go through in order to properly take care of them.

 

The mother looks back up at the magpie, having been occupied cleaning her newborn son, “Pardon? I wasn’t listening.” Exasperated, the magpie flies off, insulting the mother under her breath. The mother, not noticing the magpies absence, tends back to her newborn, continuing to clean him with her tongue. All around, the sounds of birds and different wildlife going about their business surround their little thicket. The curious newborn deer listens intently to the different sounds, not understanding a word of them, before groggily going back to snuggling close to his mother, nourishing himself by suckling her. The mother continues to caress her child as she whispers, “Bambi.” As the little fawn rests himself down to sleep, she repeats again, whispering, “Bambi. My little Bambi.”

 

The camera pulls away from them and back over the trees to a similar overhead shot as the opening shot.

 

Bambi

A Life in the Woods

 

 

The camera continues moving over top the trees until tilts back down again, now following the mother and Bambi (voiced by Noah Jupe) again as they walk along a narrow trail. A noticeable passage of time has occurred as Bambi is now able to walk fairly well without much issue. Bambi, like most young ones do, asks his mother questions upon questions upon questions about everything around him, such as: What is a deer? Are there other deer? If so, when will he be able to meet these other deer? Who made the trail they are walking on? His mother attempts to answer his questions to the best of her ability, explaining there are other deer in the forest and that he will meet them, in time. Though the answers satisfy him enough to get him to stop questioning her constantly, he cannot help but think that she’s not giving him the complete answers to his queries.

 

Up ahead, the two of them see a light at the end of the trail. Bambi’s mother tells him that they have reached the meadow. Impatiently, Bambi starts to move towards the light but his mother blocks him from going any further. She commands him to to wait behind the trees until she calls him out. Bambi nods, slightly choked up by fear due to her serious tone and manner. His mother goes on to tell him to keep her eyes on her and only come out if she says it's okay. She tells him that if he sees her run back, he needs to run as fast he can, without stopping or pausing to think, to run even if he sees her fall to the ground. Bambi tells her he’ll remember this. Calm and watchful, his mother slowly makes her way out into the meadow. Bambi watches from afar as his mother looks around in every direction, sniffing the air and listening with intent.

 

Finally, she turns back and tells him its alright to come out. Overwhelmed with joy, Bambi leaps out into the meadow to join his mother. Basking in all the warmth of the sun, Bambi frolics around, completely entranced by his surroundings, as his mother watches with content. Feeling playful herself, she races Bambi around the meadow, playing something resembling a game of tag. The two eventually exhaust each other out and decide to take a stroll down the meadow. Bambi continues to be completely enchanted by the meadow, admiring what appears to be a flying flower until his mother corrects him, saying that it is actually a butterfly. Soon after, a whole flock of butterflies emerges from the grass as hundreds of them fly high into the air. Delighted, Bambi continues on his way, almost stepping on what he thinks is a moving piece of grass, which his mom corrects him saying that it is a grasshopper. Bambi shyly apologizes to the grasshopper for disturbing it. The grasshopper assures him that he is no bother to him but warns the young fawn to be cautious of his surroundings. Bambi excitedly tells his mother that he talked to the grasshopper as they continue along the edge of the meadow.  

 

The film cuts to midday as Bambi and his mother are resting in the thicket. Bambi, having awakened from a long nap and feeling restless, asks her if they can go out to meadow. His mother tells him no and that he needs to rest. Bambi, feeling impatient, begs his mother to take him out to the meadow.Slightly exasperated, she tells him that they cannot go out to the meadow in broad daylight. Confused, Bambi says that they were out in the meadow earlier during the daylight. His mother addresses this saying that it's safe for them to go out during the early morning and late afternoon, when the sun is barely out. Bambi presses her, asking why they need to be so careful to which his mother replies that out in the meadow, they are exposed to a great danger. She lies her head back down, saying that is all a child like him needs to know for now. Bambi lays back down too, asking her one last time if they are safe from danger in this thicket. His mother assures him that the brush they are in is hidden from view and that all the dead leaves, twigs, rustling shrubs, and the watchful eyes of the birds above will alert them to any danger near them. Satisfied, Bambi snuggles up next to her and drifts off to sleep.

 

A few evenings later, Bambi and his mother are out roaming the meadow again, playing tag again, when suddenly, his mother stops mid-game and stands still. Bambi stops too and sees that his mother is conversing with a funny looking creature. Bambi’s mom introduces him to Friend Hare (voiced by Domhnall Gleeson) who greets Bambi politely. Bambi shyly nods, not saying a word. Friend Hare turns back to his mother, congratulating her and commenting that Bambi will make a splendid prince in time before hopping off to find his wife. Bambi’s mom comments that she sympathizes with the hare, for he and his kind definitely have it the hardest out in nature.

 

As Bambi and his mother graze, his mother stands up alert. She stares out into the middle of the thicket as if she can sense someone coming. Bambi holds still, slightly terrified, as the sound of rustling can be heard coming from up ahead. As the rustling subsides, a female doe emerges from the woods with two fawns beside her. Bambi’s mother relaxes herself, assuring Bambi that he has nothing to worry about. She introduces Bambi to her friend Ena (voiced by Naomi Watts) and her two fawns, Gobo (voiced by Louis Ashbourne Serkis) and Faline (voiced by Millie Bobby Brown). Bambi’s mother and Ena tell the kids to run along and play, saying they will soon be great friends. As the children take off, the two adults catch up with each other. Ena compliments Bambi’s mom on having such a strong first child while Bambi’s mom compliments Ena for having two children. Ena shrugs it off, saying she’s had children before. Ena says that maybe the next time Bambi’s mother has children she’ll end up with twins like her. Bambi’s mother nods, watching the children play.

 

As the mother’s predicted, the three fawns get along well, playing various games with each other. They share stories with one another about the different animals they’ve ran into. Bambi gets to know the two of them quite well, observing that Gobo is the more passive and timid of the two while Faline is lively and full of energy. Bambi asks them if they know what the word danger means and all three of them grow quiet.

 

Gobo: Danger… is s-something that very bad.

Bambi: Yes, I know it’s very bad, but what?

(silence)

Faline: I know what danger is! It’s something that you run away from!

 

With that, Faline springs away with Bambi and Gobo following behind her. The trio play for quite awhile before their mothers’ call them back in. The fawns beg their moms to let them play a little while longer, which amuses the two of them. Suddenly, from far away, an earthquake-like rumbling sound beats down on the Earth. Out of the woods, a group of stags emerge, one after the other, circling around the meadow and heading back into the woods from another entrance. The two does and three fawns stare at the massive show going on.

Faline and Gobo stare in awe at the stags, ooing and aweing at the wonderful sight while Bambi remains silent but observant. After the last of the stags disappears from sight, the children ask their mothers who they were. Aunt Ena solemnly replies that they are their fathers.

 

As they walk back to the thicket, Bambi asks his mother why the stags won’t ever stay with them. His mother tells him that they don’t ever stay with them, only at certain times. Bambi continues, asking why they didn’t speak to him and also asks if his father will speak to him. His mother says to him that he will talk to his father when he is grown up. She assures Bambi that if he is able to live, survive in the woods, and not run into any danger that he will be as strong and handsome as his father.

 

Time passes in the woods as Bambi goes on many adventures (shown through montage). As he grows, he begins to have a more attuned ear for distant sounds far out in the distance and is able to sniff out different animals around him. He starts hanging out with Faline and Gobo, forming a special bond with them. He also becomes accustomed to walking around during the nighttime. One night, a terrible thunderstorm rolls through the forest, terrifying Bambi as he has never experienced one before.

 

The next day after the storm, Bambi inadvertently saves Perri, a eurasian red squirrel (voiced by Rosa Salazar) from being eaten the forest’s widely known trickster Digger, a red fox (voiced by Bill Skarsgard). Digger threatens to kill Bambi but is dissuaded when Bambi’s mother charges him, forcing him to flee. Bambi and Perri become good friends with each other with Perri, despite being an adolescent squirrel, still acts like a child around other younger animals.

 

Bambi is amused at how Perri is able to run up a tree and balance on small branches as if they were nothing. The two of them walk to the meadow together before parting ways to join their fellow acquaintances. Bambi meets with Faline and Gobo. The three fawns play with each other but stop after a while as Gobo becomes tired. As Gobo catches his breath, Faline tells Bambi that Gobo was quite frightened during the storm and it has caused his weakened heart to pound even harder. For a few seconds, Bambi has a concerned look on his face but it subsides when the three go back to their games.

 

The next day, as Bambi is trying to sleep, he attempts to snuggle up next to his mother only to abruptly be pushed away by her. Confused, he tries to again but is pushed away again. “You aren’t a little baby anymore,” she said. “Just let me be.” Confused and troubled by this sudden change in his mother’s attitude, Bambi sighs and goes back to sleep.

 

When Bambi wakes up, in the middle of the night, he finds that he is alone in the thicket and nowhere to be seen. Anxious and afraid, he calls out for his mother repeatedly but does not get an answer. Tearfully, he walks away from the thicket and follows the trails familiar to him, calling out her name. After awhile, he finds that he is wandering down a path he has never been through before. He continues to call out to his mother, no longer having an idea where he is going.

 

In the distance, he hears two voices also calling out for their mother. Bambi recognizes the voices as Faline and Gobo and goes to join them. Bambi tells them that his mother is gone which Gobo concurs that their mother has left too. Faline thinks aloud the possibility that they could be with their fathers. Bambi asks her if she’s sure about this to which Faline nods assuringly, though it's clear as day she is just as terrified as Bambi and Gobo. Faline and Gobo resolve to stay put until their mother comes to find them. Bambi treks on, continuing to call out his mother.

 

After wandering through a thicket into the middle of a small clearing, Bambi stops mid-walking, frozen in place and unable to move himself. At the edge of the thicket, Bambi sees a towering creature, one that he has never seen before. The figure moves like an apparition in the misty night, a ghostly noise softly emanating from its face. Bambi stares at the thing in terror, fixated on its pale face. As the figure reaches out its hands at him, Bambi dashes back from where he came, the camera follows him closely as he races through the woods. From the woods, a figure jumps out at him which frightens Bambi until he recognizes that it is his mother. He follows her back to their glade. “Did you see Him?” his mother questions him. Bambi, breathing heavily, silently nods his head. “That was He,” she responds, terror gripping her voice. The two of them huddle together, both shaken up.

 

As the days pass by, Bambi is left alone for longer periods of time, though he starts feeling less troubled about it than he did the first time. One night, as he is walking along the thicket, Bambi stops and witnesses his mother come racing out of the woods with another stag. Bambi watches the stag chase after his mother, similar to the way he used to play tag with her. He hears his mother scream, one that sounds playful but to Bambi, seems a little frightened as well.

 

Night falls on the forest and Bambi, not able to bear the loneliness anymore, begins to call out again to his mother. As Bambi calls out for her, he runs into a stag, a more powerful and older-looking one compared to the other stags he has seen, who stares down at Bambi with a stern demeanor.

 

The Stag (voiced by Daniel Craig): “What are you crying about? Your mother has no time for you now. Can’t you stay by yourself? Shame on you!”

 

Bambi stands wordless as the old stag walks past him. When he turns around to say something, he finds himself completely alone. Bambi takes a deep breath and walks on with his head held high and his need for his mother subsided.

 

The next day, Bambi relays his encounter with the mysterious stag with Gobo and Faline, describing it in great detail. Gobo comments that his heart probably would’ve collapsed if he saw him. Faline tells Bambi she believes that he probably had a run-in with the Great Prince of the forest. Bambi asks how she knows about this and Faline says that her mother had told her about him before. She claims that the Great Prince is the largest stag in the whole forest. No one knows how old he is, where he lives, who his family is, etc. Very few have seen him even once and sometimes, the other animals mistakenly think that he is dead only to spot him once more after a long period of time. He speaks to no one and no one dares speak to him. Any other prince that has fought him has not lived to tell their story. Faline finally claims that he is the only one in the whole forest who fears nothing.

 

Later that night, Bambi awakens in his glade to see his mother standing under the moonlight. He gets up and joins her. The two of them walk into the meadow to get something to eat. Bambi notices his mother seems tired and a bit skinnier from when he last saw her but says nothing of it. As they eat, a giant herd of animals passes through the meadow. Bambi recognizes that the creatures look similar to his mother and the other deer, except much larger with wild manes running down their necks and treelike antlers. Bambi and his mother both bleat out at the mysterious creatures, though they do so in admiration and respect rather than fear. As the procession passes by, Bambi questions his mother about those things were. His mother tells him that those are his big cousins, saying that they are strong and far more important than she or him are. They are gentle giants and there is no reason to be afraid of them. She tells Bambi that in his life, it is inevitable he will encounter beings more powerful then they can possibly imagine but that it should never deter him from living to the best he can be. Bambi takes this to heart and continues to stare on at the precession.

 

The next day, Bambi walks and talks with Perri as he reaches the meadow to join his Mother, Ena, Faline, Gobo, and Friend Hare. He sees one of the young princes walking out onto the meadow and is starstruck. Perri asks him what’s wrong and Bambi tells her that he’s gonna try and greet the prince, reasoning that the prince can’t be offended by a simple ‘Good morning’. Perri shrugs saying there’s no harm in trying.

 

As Bambi approaches the prince, a loud crash of thunder sounds throughout the meadow. Before Bambi realizes it, the prince races past him into the forest as does everyone else in the meadow. Bambi stands in a daze for a second then resolves to run as well. He makes partway through the thicket when he runs into the prince's body lying lifeless on the ground. Bambi stares at the body in horror when his mother runs up to him, commanding that he run. The two race for their lives through the woods. Finally, they stop far enough away to catch their breath. Bambi asks what that was to which she simply replies: “It was He!”

 

Bambi and his mother both shudder as they are joined by Perri, who says she followed them all the way there. All around the three of them, the birds - having overheard them speak of Him - start arguing amongst one another that they tried to warn the stubborn prince but that it was no use. The magpie (from the beginning of the film) says that’s what he deserves for being so prideful. The jay calls the prince stupid to which the crow fires back that he is stupid. The insults turn into rapid fire as the birds all argue with each other. Amongst the comotion, Bambi sees that his mother is no longer there with him. As the birds depart, Bambi hears a rustling in the bushes and see the old stag emerge which causes him to tense up. The stag asks where his mother is which Bambi says that he is not sure. The stag asks him again if he was the little one that he found crying alone a while back. Embarrassed, Bambi sheepishly nods but gets up the courage to say that after his scolding caused him to wake up inside and that he is no longer afraid of being alone. The stag smiles slightly then begins to turn away. Bambi calls back to him again, questioning who ‘He’ is. After a silent pause, the prince tells him to listen, smell and see for himself before vanishing into the forest. Bambi looks on, smiling with pride as he walks off elsewhere.

 

As the days pass, the leaves on the trees begin to turn red and brown alike. As the days turn into weeks and continue on, the leaves start to fall from the trees in huge numbers. As they do, little tiny whispers emanate from them as they collapse to the ground. Finally, the day comes where only two leaves remain on a single tree. In the wind, it almost sounds like they are having a conversation with each other. One leaf is plucked off by the cold wind leaving one by itself, blowing in the air. At last, the voice of the leaf subsides as it breaks from its tree and the camera tracks it as it slowly falls to the ground.

 

The films hard cuts to the same shot of the surrounding area of the leaf during a raging snow storm. The forest is completely caked in snow and in Bambi’s glade, not even the protective brush surrounding him is able to keep him safe and warm from the winter storm. As Bambi lays in the glade he closes his eyes and listens and the sounds of the trees around him groaning against the winter winds put him to sleep.

 

The next day, Bambi treks through the thick layer of snow to join his mother and the other deer out in the covered meadow. The group huddles close by one another for warmth as they search under the snow for any grass they can find. Among the group are Bambi, his mother, Ena, Faline, Gobo, a half-grown doe named Marena (voiced by Karen Gillan), and a much older, cynical doe named Nettla (voiced by Olivia Colman). Nettla tells the group that she doesn’t bother with children anymore, saying she’s “had enough of that particular joke”. Faline takes offense to this and gets into a heated debate with her.

 

As they argue, the group are joined by two young princes, Ronno (voiced by Ed Skrein) and Karus (voiced by Will Poulter), who cheerfully join in on the conversation. Bambi notices that Ronna has thick hide-covered swelling on his left forefoot and questions what happened to him. Ronno details his encounter with He and describes how He used his “third hand” to wound Ronno but was thankfully able to get away, the only thing coming out of the experience was that he now had a slight limp to him when he walks. Karus describes He as only having two legs to walk on and having amazing strength with just two arms but Nettla scoffs, saying that He is no different than a squirrel or a mouse or even a falcon or a buzzard or a an owl. Ronno and Karus attempt to correct her, saying that it's not exactly the same but Nettla refuses to listen, saying that He is loathsome.

 

The conversation gets quiet for a minute but gets started again when Ronno corrects himself: He has three hands, not two. Nettla dismisses it as “old story” nonsense. Ronno points to his leg asking her how He would able to shatter it then. Nettla tells him off, saying she could frankly care less in his affairs. Ena jumps in saying that from what she’s seen in her lifetime, she’s inclined to believe Ronno. Karus talks about how his friend the crow spied on He one time and claims that he indeed has a third hand but it isn’t attached like the other two. Karus claims that if He doesn’t come with the third hand then He isn’t dangerous. Nettla laughs this  down as she explains that He is always dangerous, third arm or not.

 

The group continues to argue about the nature His third arm. Bambi’s mother describes it as Him throwing his hand out to strike one down. Nettla asks her what it is that bangs so loudly then. Bambi’s mother explains that He tears his hand off, with fire flashing and thunder cracking afterward. Ronno corrects her statement saying that a hand couldn’t make such wounds, comparing it more to a tooth biting down hard on someone, “you really die from His bite.” Marena wonders aloud that she believes some day, there will be a time where the animals and He will come together and get along with one another. Nettla scoffs at the idea saying that He should know his place and they should know there’s. Ena warns Nettla that she shouldn’t say stuff like that but Nettla says she has no reason not to, given that He has done nothing but murder everyone she can remember. She laughs at the idea of peace between them ever happening and storms off to eat elsewhere.

 

The long winter proves to be hard on many of the forest’s residents: most prominently, Friend Hare’s young son meets a gruesome end from a flock of crows, Perri is almost caught and eaten by a ferret - barely managing to escape with her life - and a handsome young pheasant, one who was admired and respected by all the forest animals, is mercilessly ripped to shreds by Digger.

 

The events above are discussed amongst the group of deer one day as Bambi’s Mother and Ena lament on the idea of this season ever ending. Nettla notices that Gobo is trembling and asks Ena if he’s always like that. Ena sighs, gravely stating that he’s been this way for the past week or so. Bambi looks at Gobo with pity, noticing that his growth has stunted compared to him and Faline. Bambi watches Gobo pick at the patches of grass along the snow just barely grazing before stopping. Nettla moves over to Gobo and nudges him good-naturedly. “Don’t be so sad. That’s no way for a prince to act. Besides, it’s unhealthy.” She turns away, not wanting to show everyone her saddened expression.

 

As the deer continue to graze, Ronno picks up his head, claiming that he smells something. Everyone in the meadow suddenly becomes watchful. Karus sniffs the air, concluding that he can’t smell anything. Ronno shakes his head, confident that something is off. In the trees, a flock of crows emerges, cawing that danger is coming. The deer grow collectively anxious. Ena urges that they should get away while they still can. Ronno tells her to stay put but Ena brings up that she is concerned for Gobo as he can’t run. Ronno reluctantly allows Ena, Faline, and Gobo to leave but commands everyone stay on alert.

 

The deer stand in silence, trembling. Nettla is angered at the fact they still have to bother with this. Bambi looks up at her in concern. Suddenly, out of the trees, a group of magpies and a flock of jays shoot of the thicket, warning the deer to look out, shrieking loudly. The group of deer all shrink back together as the scent of He numbs their senses and causes their hearts to stop beating. All around them animals from every direction start scurrying away from the thicket and past the deer: Digger and all of the other foxes, Perri and all the other squirrels, the magpies, the jays, the titmice, the blackbirds, the pheasants, etc. Friend Hare is stopped by Karus, who sees nothing but terror in the small creature’s eyes. Friend Hare, gasping for breath, says they are surrounded and that He is everywhere.

 

In the distance, the deer can hear the deep humming sound of His voice, twenty or thirty strong, coming from all along the thicket. The sound of barking and snarling can also be faintly heard as well. The deer watch from a distance as they see a group of pheasants pleading with one of their own not to fly up. The male pheasant, not able to take the stress of running any longer, flies high up into the air. Bambi watches in horror as a loud, thunderous clash causes the pheasant to explode in the air and thud lifelessly to the ground.

 

All around, chaos erupts as the animals start to panic. The birds lose all senses and start flying in the air like mad, resulting in more loud crashes of thunder. Bambi looks around and sees that all the other deer besides him, his mother, and Marena, have fled the vicinity. Bambi’s mother shouts to him amidst the loud banging to follow her at all times. Obeying her, the two of them, along with Marena, take off along the open field towards a nearby thicket. All around them, the ground explodes as if it was minefield. Several animals fall dead to the ground or are obliterated by His arm. Perri, Digger, and Friend Hare (accompanied by his wife) all narrowly avoid being shot. From the sky, pheasants and other unfortunate birds drop like rocks to the ground.

 

Bambi and his mother criss-cross one another through the thicket until they reach the end of it. They peer through the bushes and see an open field leading towards the thicker part of the woods. Behind them, the trees crack and crash as Bambi sees one of Friend Hare’s cousins shot and land dead right beside him. Bambi stares at body, petrified, until his mother snaps him out of it. “Now! Get away from here! Don’t stay too close to me!” Bambi watches his mother take off with him rushing out after her. The camera races beside Bambi as the gunshots continue to catch up to him. He ends up running alongside and eventually passes his mother as they run at top speed through the open field. She shouts after to keep running as Bambi’s instincts take over. In a mad rush, he makes it to the edge of the forest, not stopping as he runs along a barely visible trail.

 

The thundering behind Bambi suddenly ceases to be as all gets quiet. Despite this, Bambi keeps running on the trail. Bambi passes by a pheasant whose neck has been twisted and convulses in pain but pays no mind to the winged creature as it ceases its movements. He also runs into Friend Hare, tending to his mate, whose leg lays dangling in the snow. Friend Hare rocks her back and forth as she bleeds out and dies, telling her that everything is going to be alright. Disturbed, Bambi continues until he sees Gobo lying out on the edge of the open meadow. Bambi impatiently asks him what he is doing there with Gobo responding that his mother and Faline left him there. Gobo pleads with Bambi for him to leave him behind but Bambi refuses to leave his friend’s side, urging him to get up, to no avail. Bambi asks tearfully what will happen to him but Gobo bluntly answers that he’ll probably die, hanging his head in resignation. From behind them, the uproar of thundering starts up again. From behind the trees, Karus and Ronno emerge from the forest. The two of them yell at Bambi to follow them, whisking him away as Bambi involuntarily starts to run. Bambi looks back to see Gobo lying with his head down. Under his breath, he whispers, “Goodbye” and continues his sprint with the two princes.

 

Bambi runs till nightfall when all has seemingly quieted down. As he catches his breath, he asks Ronno if he saw his mother. Ronno, almost evasively, tells him that he didn’t see her, and quickly walks away. Bambi quickly finds Faline and Old Nettla wandering the woods. Faline rushes to Bambi and embraces him. Bambi asks Faline if he has seen his mother. Faline solemnly shakes her head, saying she doesn’t even know where her own mother is. Nettla comforts the two fawns, suggesting that eat something after that harrowing experience.

 

As the fawns graze and Nettla watches over them, Ena emerges from the trees. Faline bounds with joy up to her mother who she sees is weeping and exhausted. Ena cries that Gobo is gone, that he was taken from the spot where lay down. Nettla grumbles, saying that it would’ve been more sensible to look for his tracks than to cry about it. Ena cries harder saying that there weren’t any tracks… other than Him and the tracks of His companions. As Ena cries to herself, Bambi asks her if she has seen his mother. Taking a deep breath, Ena gently tells him “No.” Faline nestles up next to her mother, crying softly to herself as well, as Bambi turns away, silently sobbing to himself. The screen cuts to black.

 

 

~

 

 

The film fades in to a shot of the meadow again on a bright spring day. We see Perri taking a nap atop a nearby tree. She is awakened by a sudden violent shaking. She hangs on for the dear life as she shouts at whatever is doing that to stop it. The tree stops shaking as Perri looks down, seeing a young stag at the bottom. Perri is about to give him a piece of her mind before she recognizes the buck as her childhood friend, Bambi (now voiced by Aidan Turner). Bambi shoots her a confused look, apologizing for disturbing her. Perri forgives him while also re-introducing herself as well.

 

Perri follows Bambi as he leaves, wanting to catch up with him. She remarks that she hasn’t seen him in over a year. Bambi nods, admitting that he spent the remainder of the previous winter being cared for by old Nettla until he was old enough to venture out on his own, exploring more remote areas of the woods. He solemnly comments that without Nettla, he probably wouldn’t have survived two winters ago. Changing the subject to something more upbeat, Perri compliments him on his handsome set of antlers, climbing onto Bambi in order to hang off of them, awkwardly managing to hang onto them. Bambi sighs, saying they are more of inconvenience than anything, given that every few hours, he has the raging urge to rub them up against a tree. He asks Perri what she’s been up to. Perri says that life has had a lot of ups and downs the past year, counting on hand the number of times she’s almost been caught by Digger and other ferrets. She also tells him that there are a few other male squirrels that have their eye on her but she remarks that she’s warded off all of their advances. She asks Bambi if he’s found someone he loves yet. Bambi grows oddly quiet, motioning for Perri to get off his antlers and hastily tells her goodbye before walking away into the woods. Perri calls out after him, saying it was nice to see him again, with a look of concern on her face.

 

Bambi walks along the trail until he sees a familiar face in the distance: Faline (now voiced by Keira Knightley), talking with two other does out in the nearby meadow. He starts to make his way over to them until he is suddenly ambushed by two other familiar faces, Ronno and Karus. The two bucks chase Bambi off the trail and into the woods, calling him names and warning him not to go anywhere near the does. Ronno mocks Bambi, remarking what a shame it is that a handsome buck like him is still just as cowardly and afraid as he was the past summer. Ronno and Karus walk off laughing. Defeated and angry, Bambi vents by running through the woods. During his venting sesh, he nearly kills every creature in his path: he almost steps on a flock of titmice, nearly hits the magpie with his antlers, and almost steps on the eggs of a female pheasant, who bad mouths him for being so careless. Bambi takes a deep breath and continues on.

 

Along the way, he stops, sensing that another deer might be near. In the brush, he sees a streak of red and the prongs of an antler making their way towards him. Bambi readies himself, prepared for a potential attack by another buck. As he is about to leap forward, the mysterious figure emerges from the thick brush, revealing that it is the old stag. Bambi stands still, flabbergasted. The old stag stares at Bambi for a few seconds, then asks why Bambi didn’t charge him. Bambi, unable to put words together, babbles incoherently, mentioning Ronno and Karus in fragmented sentences but is unable to think of the words. The old stag stares at him, motionless yet with a powerful look.

 

He asks again why Bambi didn’t charge him. Bambi sighs, responding that he doesn’t know. The stag admits that it’s been a long time since they’ve seen each other and compliments Bambi on how big and strong he’s gotten. As Bambi trembles, the old stag walks up beside him and whispers softly, “act bravely,” before turning around and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

 

Bambi walks along the path for a little while before running into Faline again. The two lock eyes with each other. Bambi, gathering up the courage to talk to her, comments on how beautiful she is. Faline teases him, saying that after all this time, he finally recognized her. Bambi corrects her, saying that he of course recognized who she was, remarking that they grew up together after all. Faline chuckles, admitting it has been a long time since they’ve seen each other. Bambi invites her to walk and chat with him which she happy accepts.

 

The two converse quite while, catching up on old times. The two come upon the meadow where Bambi remarks that this is where they first met. Faline nods, saying that it was the first time he met her and Gobo. She grows silent after saying Gobo’s name. Bambi remains silent too. Faline tells Bambi that after Gobo’s disappearance, she stuck around with her mother for a few seasons until they parted ways, only seldom seeing each other now. Faline figures that her mother wanted to make sure she grew up to be as strong as she could be so that she wouldn’t suffer the same fate as Gobo. Bambi assures her that he believes her mother certainly did a great job of raising her. She smiles, agreeing with his thoughts.

 

The two walk without saying a word until Bambi speaks up again, asking her if she remembers that game of tag they used to play in the meadow. “Yes, I do. I believe it was something like… this!” Faline takes off running, catching Bambi off guard. Eventually, he joins in with her and the two race around the meadow. Bambi tries to catch up to Faline but she manages to elude him t nearly every turn. Finally, the two stop to catch their breath.

 

Bambi tells her that he has something to admit. After gathering his thoughts, he asks her if she loves him. Faline is taken aback by the question, saying that she is unsure if she does or not. Bambi says that his feelings for her have grown too strong for him to keep quiet any longer. He tells her that he’s confident in saying that he loves her and asks again if she feels the same. Faline coyly responds she might, only if he asks nicely. Bambi begs and pleads with her to stay with him, claiming he loves her with all his heart. Faline smiles, saying it's settled then.

 

She darts away. Bambi chases after her across the meadow. She vanishes into the thicket and as Bambi is about to jump in after her, he is stopped by Karus, who tells him to leave, forbidding him from following Faline any further. Enraged, Bambi charges Karus, knocking him to the ground. Karus gets up in a flash but is knocked down again by Bambi. Bambi’s antlers strike Karus on the shoulder, which starts to bleed out. Bambi continues to charge Karus, who nearly evades Bambi’s every move. Gaining his feet, Karus clashes again with Bambi and is knocked down. Karus, realizing he is no match for Bambi, runs off down the meadow, blood slowly trickling down his side as he leaves. Bambi does not follow him, rather focusing his attention on Faline’s nearby cries.

 

He runs through the thicket towards the sound of her voice until he finds her being pursued by Ronno. He calls out to Ronno, who in turn stops his pursuit of Faline and turns back to Bambi. Ronno sneers at him, asking what he wants. Bambi demands Ronno leave Faline alone or else. Thee two begin to circle each other, staring one another down. Ronno laughs him off, remarking that this is the first time he’s seen Bambi actually stand up against him. Bambi again warns him to stay away from her, threatening to make his limp even more noticeable than before. His comment enrages Ronno who threatens Bambi back saying that he’s not gonna run away like a pitiful coward like Karus did. Bambi pleads with him, admitting that he always respected and admired Ronno, more than other deer in the forest. Bambi begs Ronno one last time to leave. Ronno stands his ground, stating he has a lot of pity for Bambi and promises that Bambi he’ll finish him off quick and easy. Ronno comments that at some point, every weakling in the forest has to learn their place eventually.

 

Not able to contain his rage any longer, Bambi charges Ronno. The two lower their antlers at each other and clash violently. The two back off. Ronno wobbles a little but stands firm. The two then clash with each other again, repeatedly. Ronno tricks Bambi into charging him before swiftly moving out of the way. Bambi looks up to see Ronno about to pounce on him. In a swift movement, Bambi hurls himself towards Ronno and hits him hard in the shoulder. Blood oozes out of Ronno’s shoulder, enraging him and causing him to race at Bambi. Using all of his strength, Bambi meets Ronno’s speed, clashing with him. A loud crack can be heard as Ronno’s antlers shatter into pieces. Bambi sees his chance and tears into Ronno’s wound, making it bigger. Ronno collapses to the ground, begging for Bambi to stop. Bambi jabs at him again, causing more pain to Rono than before. Ronno pleads with him to stop which Bambi obliges to. A deathly silence lays between the two as Ronno gets up. Bambi glares at Ronno, who hangs his head in shame, silently sobbing to himself as he walks away.

 

Bambi exhales, turning around to find Faline. She walks up to him, laughing, saying that was a wonderful fight he put up. She rubs her neck up against his, whispering in his ear, “I love you.” Bambi smiles and the two of them walk off together. The two stay with each other through the night, running through the meadow together as fireflies light the dark area around them. After tiring each other out, Bambi and Faline make their way to a glade, where they fall asleep together.

 

We cut to the next morning. Bambi lies sound asleep in the glade when he wakes with a start. He notices that Faline is no longer beside him. However, in the distance, he can hear what sounds to be her voice calling him from afar. He stands up, still somewhat dazed and groggy. Bambi hears the voice again and decides to go looking for it. As he gets closer to the source of the sound, he starts to quicken his pace, excited to see her again. Out of the woods, the old stag walks in front of his path, stopping Bambi dead in his tracks. The old stag asks where he is going and Bambi motions towards the voice. The old stag commands him not to go. Annoyed, Bambi tells the stag that she’s calling him and that he hasn’t the time for to talk. The stag commands him not to go, asking Bambi to listen to the voice again. They stand in silence as the voice calls again, “Come!” The stag claims that whoever’s voice that is does not belong to Faline. Bambi shakes his head, stating he’s certain that he knows it is her voice. The old stag sighs standing aside and letting Bambi pass him, “If you go out there, you’ll never come back.” The call comes again. Bambi cries out that he needs to go to her. The stag declares that they shall go together then, commanding that Bambi stay behind him as they walk. The stag promises him that if it really is Faline, they’ll be together soon enough. He asks Bambi to trust his instincts on this. Bambi reluctantly obliges and the two slowly make their way up the path.

 

The two move quietly along the path, not daring to make a sound. The old stag’s cautious and purposeful footsteps barely register a noise as he walks along fallen leaves and hundreds of twigs. The distant call continues every few seconds or so. Bambi trembles with each step he takes while the old stag remains cautious yet calm. As they near an opening to a meadow, the old stag suddenly stops, lifting his head up in the air and listens. After a few seconds of silence, the old stag makes a sharp turn and goes off course, beckoning Bambi to follow him. As they near a thickly veiled bush, Bambi catches a familiar scent: one that stops him in his tracks and causes his heart to pound in his throat. The old stag motions with his eyes towards Him almost camouflaged by a nearby bush calling softly with Faline’s voice, “Come, come!” Bambi shudders in absolute terror. He tries to move forward slightly but the old stag commands him to stand still. The old stag stares at Bambi, scornfully at first but his stern demeanor changes to one of sympathy. Bambi closes his eyes, not able to bare it any longer. The old stag suggests that they should probably leave as quietly as they can now. Bambi continues to lock his vision with Him as he slowly backs away to follow the old stag.

 

The two deer zig-zag their way through the forest at a decent pace. Bambi stares at the back of the old stag for awhile, thinking to himself. As the two of them reach a clearing, Bambi attempts to thank the stag for saving his life but is unable to as the stag disappears under his eyes into a nearby thicket. Bambi stands confused for a bit until he hears Faline’s voice call him again, causing him to jump a little. Faline emerges from the trees which eases Bambi up quite a bit. The two embrace each other. Faline notices Bambi seems a bit tense and asks what is troubling him. Bambi makes her promise to never call for him again, citing he simply can’t resist her voice. Faline smiles, assuring him that she won’t. Bambi sighs with content.

 

A few days later, Bambi and Faline are walking towards the meadow when they spot something moving in the nearby oak. Faline wonders if it could be Ronno or Karus but Bambi doubts it, citing that they don’t dare come near him anymore. Bambi and Faline watch the strange-looking deer for a little bit. Faline notes how careless he acts. Bambi shakes his head calling him stupid and child-like, as if there were no danger. The two of them take a few steps forward to get a better look at the fellow. Faline observes that he seems fairly strong and wonders aloud if he’d challenge Bambi to a fight. Bambi scoffs, observing the stranger’s small antlers, saying he has no reason to fear someone with that. Bambi and Faline make their way out onto the meadow.

 

The stranger nibbles away at the surrounding grass not noticing them. He eventually picks up his head and notices them. He bounds over to Bambi and Faline, playfully skipping as if he were a child, stopping just a few feet away from them. He asks, “Don’t you know me?” Bambi lowers his head, “Do you know us?” The stranger stares at Bambi intently. Suddenly, his expression lights up, “Bambi?” Bambi stands speechless, piecing together the voice in his head when Faline replies, “Gobo?!” tears streaming down her face. Gobo (now voiced by Nicholas Hoult) brushes past Bambi to embrace his sister, assuring her that it is really him. Bambi, still in shock, asks Gobo how he survived. Gobo tells Bambi that He rescued him. Faline is astonished by this, asking where he’s been all this time. Gobo excitedly tells her that it’s the truth, he’s been with Him the whole time. Faline begs for more details. Gobo claims he could talk about his experiences all day and never reach the end. He also asks Faline if their mother is still alive. Faline assures him that Ena is still alive, although she hasn’t seen her in quite awhile. Gobo insists on wanting to see her right away.

 

Bambi and Faline accompany Gobo to try and find Ena. Every time the trio reach an open clearing, Gobo throws caution to the wind and hurriedly runs out into each field, as if the notion of potential danger lurking around has no meaning to him. Bambi and Faline exchange confused glances at each other each time this happens though they keep their thoughts to themselves. Gobo, absentmindedly, nearly kills several animals by almost stepping on them—including a ferret, a group of pheasants (who scold the ignorant Gobo), as well as Perri and her new mate. Bambi and Faline apologize to each of the animals as they try to keep up with the impatient Gobo. Gobo, feeling dejected, whines that at this rate, they’ll never find her. Faline assures him that they’ll find her soon and encourages him to not give up. In the distance, Bambi spots Ena walking in the distance. He calls to Faline and Gobo attention to what he sees and the three make their way over to Ena. Ena, lying down in the shade to rest, pays the three of them no mention. Gobo approaches her and says, “Mother?” Ena shoots her eyes back up at him, more alert than ever. She stands up, trembling as she does. The two of them do not speak to one another as Ena approaches, embraces him, and kisses him. Bambi and Faline smile.

 

A little while later, a whole group of animals gathers around Gobo as he relays the story of what happened to him. Everyone from Bambi, Faline, Ena, Marena, Friend Hare, the magpie, the jay, a group pheasants, Perri and her mate, Digger, and many more listen to Gobo’s tale:

 

(his story is shown on-screen as he narrates over it)

Gobo had waited in the snow while all the other animals had all disappeared after the massacre in the meadow. He waited for his inevitable death for he had accepted his fate. A group of dogs, led by a particularly vicious labrador retriever named Ripper (voiced by Daniel Kaluuya), found Gobo lying in the snow and taunted him. Gobo says they would’ve torn him to pieces had He not called them off. The dogs back off obediently as they crouch motionless at His feet. Gobo stares up at He (only seen in shadow and neck down). He picks Gobo up off the ground. Gobo resists at first, screaming out for him mother, but He calms the fawn down by petting him gently and carrying him away. Gobo is brought back to His shelter where is cared for throughout the winter and for a full year almost. Gobo tells the animals of the wonders of being indoors, saying that it always as warm as summer inside even when it is cold storming outside. He goes into great detail about the food he was given (chestnuts, potatoes, turnips, and hay – which he claims to be the finest hay anyone will ever taste).

 

The animals are all collectively amazed at his story. Faline asks Gobo if he was ever afraid of Him. Gobo confidently tells her that he wasn’t and no longer is. He assures the animals that He is not wicked; He loves anybody or if anyone serves Him, He will be good to them.

 

As he is talking, the old stag emerges noiselessly from the bushes, watching Gobo with deep and serious eyes. Gobo notices the stag and stops talking. Everyone turns around only to be awestruck seeing the old stag. A moment of silence passes before the stag inquires Gobo about the band on his neck. Gobo answers uneasily that it is His halter, stating that the dogs told him is the greatest honor to wear it. The old stag serious gaze at Gobo to one of piercing sadness, “You poor thing…” The stag turns around and vanishes as quickly as he appeared. The other animals uneasily start heading away as Bambi stares back at where the stag had emerged, deep in contemplation.

 

Gobo, confused and feeling somewhat put down, asks what the stag meant. Ena tells him to pay no mind to that, saying that it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of him since he’s seen more than any of them ever could. This restores his confidence back up. He mocks the old Prince’s words, triumphantly stating that he has seen more than any of them combined. Marena shyly approaches Gobo, agreeing with him. The two lock eyes with each other and become smitten. Bambi rolls his eyes as he starts making his way towards the woods. Faline asks him where is going to which he simply replies that he has some things to think about.

 

Bambi starts an endless search to try and find the old stag, wanting to find more answers. He goes a week or so without seeing Faline. When he finds himself drawn to her scent once again, he finds her in the meadow with Marena, Ena, and Gobo. He studies Gobo, who boasts about more incredible stories about Him, as the old stag’s words “You poor thing…” ring in his head. Bambi turns back around not batting another glance. One night, Bambi runs into the screech owl (voice cameo by Chiwetel Ejiofor) and tries to get him to give information on where the old stag is. The owl refuses at first but after Bambi showers him with endless praise, he reveals the stag’s location to him. When Bambi reaches the stag’s purported location, he finds no one there. Confused, he turns around only to be meet the stag face-to-face.

 

The Stag: I’m no longer where you were going to look for me.

Bambi:

The Stag: What is it you want?

Bambi: N-nothing... nothing, excuse me, nothing at all.

The Stag: This isn’t the first time you’ve been looking for me, isn’t it?

Bambi:

The Stag: Yesterday, you passed close by me twice, and again this morning.

Bambi: I wanted to ask you something… why did you say that about Gobo?

The Stag: Do you think I was wrong?

Bambi: No! No, I feel that you were right.

The Stag: Good…

Bambi: But… why? I don’t quite understand it.

The Stag: It’s enough that you feel it. You will understand it later. Goodbye

 

The stag vanishes into the pitch black, leaving Bambi alone.

 

The next day, Bambi reluctantly joins Faline and the others on the meadow. Gobo exclaims to Bambi that he finds the other deer’s so peculiar: when he sleeps at night, everyone is awake and when he’s out and about during the day, everyone is asleep. Bambi, unable to keep quiet any longer, inquires Gobo if he has even thought once about danger. Gobo shakes his head, stating there isn’t any for him. Ena tells Bambi that he forgets Gobo is a friend of He and that Gobo is able to take chances that the rest of them cannot. Bambi ignores her comment and starts grazing.

 

Gobo: You know, it seems strange to me to eat when and where I like?

Bambi (confused): Why is it strange? We all do it.

Gobo (superiorly): Oh you do, but I’m a little different. I’m accustomed to having my food brought to me or to being called when it’s ready.  

 

Marena makes a comment about how Gobo might be the one who helps bring an understanding between the animals and Him. Faline and Ena agree with this. Faline tells Gobo that it might be hard for him to get used to the winter now, saying they don’t have any hay, turnips, or potatoes in the winter time. Gobo admits he hadn’t thought of it yet, imagining that the winter must be dreadful. Bambi, starting to become annoyed, says that the winter isn’t dreadful, it's just hard. Gobo declares that if it does get to hard for him that he will simply go back to Him. He proudly states that he has no need to go hungry. Bambi storms away leaving Gobo flabbergasted that someone doesn’t understand him.

 

Ena and Marena console him as Faline goes after Bambi. She asks him what is wrong, asking him why he’s been so evasive lately. He bluntly tells her that he’s starting to become sick of Gobo’s vain attitude and can’t stand to be around him anymore. Faline begs and pleads Bambi to stay with them, saying she can’t bare to be without him again. Her pleas fall on deaf ears though as he walks away. Faline walks back and joins the group. Gobo shakes his head, saying that poor Bambi still thinks he’s the same silly old Gobo he was as a child. He scoffs at the idea of danger, saying he’s glad Bambi is looking out for him, danger is something for Bambi, not him. Marena agrees with him and the two walk off happily with one another while Faline stands with her mother, feeling somewhat downcast as she watches Gobo walk away. Gobo tells Marena that no one understands him the way she does which pleases her. She asks him if he remembers the time she said that He would come to the forest to play with them. Gobo, yawning, states he does not remember.

 

A few weeks later, Bambi and Faline are together in a narrow pathway in the early morning when Gobo and Marena join them. Bambi tries to leave but Faline commands that he stay with her. He sighs, obeying her wishes. Gobo tells the group that he is going out to the meadow. Bambi advises against this saying that the sun is almost up. Gobo scoffs at this, calling his concern nonsense. He walks past Bambi snootily with Marena in tow. Bambi motions for Faline to follow him to try and find a place to rest for the day.

 

Suddenly, he hears the sound of a jay calling out. Bambi recognizes the sound from the day of the massacre. He bounds after Gobo and Marena, stopping them from going any further. He tells Gobo to listen to the jay. Gobo claims he can’t hear it. The jay calls again more frantically. Bambi tells him that means danger is near. The magpie and the crows start giving out warning calls as well. Faline catches up with the group, begging Gobo not to go out to the meadow. Even Marena starts telling Gobo that it is not safe. Gobo stands triumphantly, asking what danger has anything to do with him. Bambi asks him to at least let Marena go out first. Before he can finish his sentence, Marena starts walking out to the meadow, slowly and with purpose, snuffing around in all directions. Bambi and Faline watch in dreadful silence while Gobo waits patiently.

 

Marena stops for a second then turns around in a flash and a bound back into the thicket. She whispers that He is out in the meadow. Bambi, Faline, and Marena turn around to head back while Gobo remains unmoved. Marena begs him to come with them but he refuses, saying that they can run if they want to but if He is there, he wants to talk with Him. He proceeds to walk into the meadow, striding with exuberant confidence while the others watch from the thicket, fear gripping them. Gobo looks around for Him searching for His location. He manages to find Him out in the distance and calls out to Him, starting to make his way over.

 

CRASH

 

A loud thundering sound echoes through the forest as Gobo leaps into the air violently and flees back towards the thicket. He races past Bambi and the others, gasping for air as he runs. The others race with him through the woods. Gobo pushes himself to keep going but exhausts his strength, collapsing onto the ground. As Bambi and Faline race past Gobo, Marena stops next to him. She cries upon seeing Gobo’s bloody entrails oozing from his side. He weakly lifts up his head to meet her’s, calling her name twice, the second time he says her name it comes out much weaker as his voice starts to fail him. A loud, careless rustling emanates from behind them. Marena whispers frantically, begging Gobo to get up. Gobo lifts his head and beats his hoofs against the ground until he lays motionless, still breathing heavily. Marena hears Him slowly drawing near, crying as she turns away and runs back to Bambi and Faline. Faline consoles a bawling Marena while Bambi looks back. He sees Him slowly standing over Gobo. Gobo lifts his head slightly, looking into the dead eyes of his former savior. The hunter then makes a swift motion towards Gobo’s chest. We see this happen through Bambi’s eyes as we hear Gobo’s wailing death shriek. The screen cuts to black.

 

 

~

 

 

Sometime later, we find Bambi standing at a stream, watching a female duck teaching her young ducklings how to swim. Bambi observes them from a distance, amused at the young ducklings attempts to swim. At some point, the ducklings move away from their mother, who gets out from the water to dry herself off. Behind her, Bambi sees a streak of red moving through the bushes behind her. Before Bambi can warn her, the duck is pounced on by Digger, who thrashes her around in his mouth until she stops moving. He glares at Bambi and disappears back into the thicket. A hummingbird flies by the ducklings who ask it if they have seen their mother, to which he replies that she is of no matter to him before flying away. Bambi also walks away.

 

As he walks, Bambi happens to bump into the old stag. The old stag asks him if they still talk about him the way they used to. Realizing he is talking about Gobo, Bambi tells him that he doesn’t know as he is pretty much alone now but admits that he thinks of him very often. The old stag nods expectantly. The two stand in awkward silence for a second until the old stag perks up. He asks Bambi if he can hear anything. Bambi listens but can’t decipher any odd sounds. The old stag commands Bambi to follow him as they break off from the trail and head deeper into the woods. As they keep going, Bambi can hear the sound of something rustling on the ground along with a rhythmic beating noise.

 

The two deer come upon Friend Hare who writhes on the ground and making choking noises as he does. Bambi notices a dark threadlike leash around Friend Hare’s neck. The hare notices Bambi and the stag and starts to thrash around even more. The old stag commands him to hold perfectly still. He gently lowers himself down, speaking to Friend Hare in a sympathetic voice to not move and lie still. Friend Hare obeys the stag, lying motionless on the ground but still breathing heavily. The old stag carefully starts to try to loosen the rope around Friend Hare’s neck. Friend Hare freaks out which forces the old stag back up. He yells at Friend Hare that this is a life or death situation for him and that it won’t end well if he doesn’t cooperate. He leans back down and starts over again. The Hare freaks out again and the old stag yells at him that he’ll have even more trouble if someone like the fox finds him. Friend Hare finally stops moving and allows the old stag to continue.

 

Luckily, the stag is able to break the rope. Friend Hare stands, catching his breath for a second and then darts off into the woods. Bambi is shocked that he didn’t even bother to give thanks. The old stag sighs, reasoning that Friend Hare was still terrified. Bambi stares at the noose on the ground. He touches it resulting in a sharp creaking sound. Bambi asks if it is His doing. The old stag nods.

 

The two walk together in silence. Along the way, the old stag gives Bambi some helpful advice:

 

Old Stag: Take care when you’re going along a trail. Test all the branches. Prod them on all sides of you with your antlers, and turn back at once if you hear that same creaking sound. Be especially cautious when you shed your antlers. Me personally, I don’t use trails anymore.

Bambi: He isn’t here, is He?

Old Stag: ...No, He’s not in the forest now…

Bambi: And yet, He is here (shaking his head)

Old Stag (bitterly): How did your Gobo put it…? Didn’t Gobo tell you He is all-powerful and all-good?

Bambi: He was good to Gobo.

Old Stag (with sadness): Do you believe that, Bambi?

Bambi: I don’t know. I don’t understand it.

Old Stag: We must learn to live and be cautious. It’s the only way we can survive.

 

Bambi lets the words sink into him as he drifts away in thought.

 

Early the next morning, Bambi reunites with Faline on the meadow. She tells him that she’s very much alone now. Bambi can tell she is overcome with sadness. He tells her that he’s been alone for quite a while too. She sorrowfully questions why he doesn’t stay with her anymore. Bambi is caught off guard by her uncharacteristically serious and downcast nature. He blurts out that he just wants to be alone, coming off more harsh than intended. Faline asks him softly if he still loves her. Bambi tells her he doesn’t know. She nods, hanging her head and sulking away, holding back her tears as she walks into the thicket.

 

Bambi stays in the mist-covered meadow for a while, grazing and thinking to himself. Out of nowhere, a loud crashing sound thunders throughout the meadow. Bambi jumps up in pain, causing him to stagger. Mad with terror, he runs back into the thicket. Bambi sprints faster through the forest than he has ever before when a hot, searing pain forces him to stop running. Bambi sees a streak of blood oozing from his left shoulder. He attempts to keep running but the pain shoots through his body, causing him to slow down. His pace slows down considerably until he is forced onto the ground. He breathes heavily, ready to accept his fate.

 

Out of the forest, the old stag appears. He commands Bambi to get up, nudging him on his right shoulder. Bambi exclaims that he can’t but the stag repeats his command. The old stag anxiously tells Bambi to get up and get away or else He will come. The old stag’s words give Bambi enough encouragement to get himself back up. The old stag instructs him to keep close to him and the two start to run.

 

As they run, Bambi starts to feel a burning desire to lie down and rest. The old stag refuses to let him, talking him through the pain. He tells Bambi that he’ll have to bear every pain and not think about lying down for even a second. He tells Bambi that He is behind them and that He will kill without any mercy. The stag assures him that everything will be alright soon enough.

 

Bambi continues to fight through the searing pain even as they run. The stag purposely guides Bambi around in one giant circle which he says will throw off the scent of His dogs. In the distance, they can hear the sound of dogs barking and His deep voice faintly shouting. The stag tells Bambi to quicken his pace and the two head off. Bambi and the stag form another giant circle. The stag sniffs the air again, confirming that they’ve thrown off the scent. The two proceed onward. The stag commands Bambi to eat a pair of short dark-green leaves. Although they taste disgusting, Bambi finds himself able to speak easily again. They move on again, walking for a little while before the stag stops him, having found a ditch that leads to his potential resting place. Bambi notices that his wound has stopped bleeding and is relieved but the bleeding brought back when he slides down the slope into the ditch, the pain shooting back through him. He stands up again and they continue on. They eventually come upon an old hollow tree along the edge of the long-running ditch. The old stag allows Bambi to lie down and rest in a concealed bush, which he does so without having to be asked. The old stag tells him to rest there for now until the wound is healed.

 

Days pass by as the pain in Bambi’s shoulder subsides away. When he starts feeling able to walk again, Bambi gets up to feed on the nearby vegetation, feeding on stuff that he found disgusting as a child but finds that he craves it all the more now. For a couple days, a storm moves through the forest, causing Bambi to spend extra time sleeping under the hollow. When the storm passes, Bambi finds that is fully healed and leaves the hollow. The old stag greets him as he is leaving, asking Bambi how he feels. Bambi graciously thanks the old stag for saving his life. The old stag nods in approval then turns around Bambi follows beside him.

 

A few weeks pass by. As he walks through the forest, Bambi bumps into Perri. Perri is delighted to see Bambi and the two walk alongside each other catching up on everything that’s happened to them. Perri solemnly tells Bambi that the old oak tree she used to live in is gone now, chopped down His gigantic flashing tooth. Perri reveals that her mate did not survive the incident. Bambi offers his condolences, reminiscing that he knew the tree from the time he was a child. Wanting to change the subject, Perri compliments Bambi on how big his antlers have grown since the last time they saw each other, remarking that no one except the old prince has antlers like that. Bambi is flattered by her praise but remains silent. She goes on, saying that everyone in the forest thought he was dead, with only a few people still thinking he was alive. Perri says she ignored those claims, thinking them of nothing but gossip. Bambi listens to her talk on and wanders on. She takes this as the conversation being over and waves him goodbye. She assures him that she his acquaintances will be glad to know that he is still alive.

 

As Perri’s voice drowns away, Bambi remembers a conversation he had with the old stag. The old stag tells Bambi that the most important thing he can do now is to live alone. The old stag mentions that in order to preserve one’s self and attain further wisdom, one must live alone. Bambi objects in, saying that they are both together now. The old stag quickly answers him back that they won’t be for much longer. In the present, Bambi continues to tredge on as the first words of the old stag had told him when they first met, “Can’t you stay by yourself?” echoes through his head.

 

The forest soon finds itself under a thick layer of snow once again. Nothing but the sound of a few lonely birds chirping in the sky can be heard. As Bambi sleeps under a glade, he is awoken by the far-off sound of a dog baying, pressing through the woods. Bambi raises himself up and walks out of the glade. He finds the old stag nearby who tells Bambi it is nothing to bother them. The barking gets continually closer to where they are. The stag motions for Bambi to walk back into the bushes to observe what is coming their way. The barking grows louder and more aggressive. Bambi trembles but the old stag calms his nerves, saying they don’t need to personally worry about it.

 

Out of the woods, Digger emerges from the woods, slinking along the pathway, carrying with him a bloody and crushed foreleg. He pants heavily, his eyes wide with terror, desperately trying to run. A dog, Ripper, the dog that had terrorized Gobo, emerges from the woods chasing after Digger. He yaps, “Here, here he is! Here! Here! Here!” back at the toward the entrance in the woods where he came from. After chasing him some more, Ripper manages to corner Digger by a tree. The two snarl at each other. Digger pleads with Ripper to let him go but Ripper refuses. Digger continues to plead with Ripper, saying they are of relations, almost brothers. He asks Ripper to at least let him die with his family. Ripper denies his request, raging at him. Digger’s tone changes to one of anger and resentment.

 

Digger: Aren’t you ashamed you traitor?!

Ripper (yelping): No! No! No!

Digger: You turncoat, you renegade, you spy, you blackguard! You track us where He could never find us. You betray your own relations: Me! I am almost your brother and you stand here unashamed of yourself?! You disgust me!

 

All around, voices coming from all directions start to yell at Ripper. “Traitor!” “Spy!” Blackguard!” Renegade!” “Spy! Spy!” All around, the birds and different animals, hidden in the forest, start to holler at Ripper, insulting him from every which direction in a collective mass of maddening anger.

 

Ripper barks at them all that everything belongs to Him, that he loves Him, worships Him, serves Him. He laughs at all the creatures, asking if they really think they can oppose Him. Ripper claims He is all-powerful and most of all, above everyone else. The animals in the trees continue on hurling insults at Ripper. Digger hisses that the only traitor here is him. Ripper calls them all liars saying that there are many, many others on His side: the cow, the horse, the sheep, the chickens, and many, many more. Digger denounces them all as nothing but rabble which sends Ripper into a fury. He charges at Digger, who is unable to react as Ripper clenches down on his throat and thrashes him around. The two wrestle in the snow as everyone around watches in horror. Although he tries to fight back, Digger is no match for Ripper’s brute strength. His neck is snapped back and he is thrown down onto the snow. Digger twitches for a few seconds before lying still. Ripper stands over the body, growling at the forest. Horrorstruck, all the birds flee from the surrounding trees. Ripper goes back to calling for Him.

 

Bambi shakes his head from behind the bushes, calling the event dreadful. The old stag tells him that the dreadful part is that the dogs all believe what Ripper just said. They believe it, they pass their lives in fear, they hate Him and themselves and yet they’d die for His sake. Bambi lets the words sink in as Ripper continues to bark in the distance.

 

A few mornings later, Bambi finds himself roaming around as he usually does. He wanders around the edge of a meadow, trying to remain to hidden from sight. Out in the distance, he recognizes someone that catches his eye immediately: Faline. He watches her as she wanders slowly in the field looking for places where grass emerged from the snow. She moves slowly as though she were tired or sad. She almost looks like Ena did at the beginning of the movie – looking much older and grayer than before. Faline lifts her head up in Bambi’s direction as though she can sense his presence. Bambi, concealed by the surrounding brush, stares back at her. Bambi’s mind flashes back to when he was a fawn, playing with Faline and Gobo in the meadow. His mind comes back to the present as he watches Faline wander towards the far end of the woods, her head drooping to the ground, walking slowly, sadly, and wearily away. Bambi stares in her direction far long after he can no longer see her.

 

In the distance, Bambi hears a crash of thunder, causing him to shrink in fear. Two more crashes simultaneously follow after that. Bambi stops and listens for another crash to happen but nothing comes. He starts to make his way back to his glade when he runs into the old stag. The stag asks if he heard the shots. Bambi nods, saying it must be somewhere out in the woods. The stag nods and says that they must go to it now. Bambi asks where to and the old stag simply replies, “Where He is now.” Bambi feels terror grip him. The old stag asks him not be frightened. He solemnly tells Bambi that he wants to show him one last thing before he goes. Bambi stares at the stag wonderingly as he follows him from behind.

 

As they walk, Bambi catches wind of His scent, causing him to tense up but still continues to follow the old stag. They don’t travel much farther when they arrive to the source of the smell. The old stag steps aside for Bambi to see. In front of them, they see Him lying on the trampled snow. Bambi feels the urge to flee in terror but is stopped by the stag’s soothing voice. The old stag tells Bambi that he has nothing to fear, not any more at least. Bambi stares at His pale face, lying upward, motionless. A pool of blood surrounds his head, which is covered by his hat. Bambi stares at the sight, bewildered.

 

The stag notes that they can stand beside Him and not feel fear. He asks Bambi if he remembers what both Gobo and the dog had told everyone else. Bambi does not answer him, still fixated on the body. The stag goes on saying that He’s lying there dead, just like the animals He killed. The stag tells Bambi that He is not all-powerful as they say; He isn’t above anyone. He is just like the rest of them; He has the same fears, the same needs, and suffers all the same. “He lies helpless on the ground like all the rest of us, as you see Him now.”

 

Bambi remains silent. The old stag asks Bambi if he understands what he just said. Bambi replies in a whisper that he believes so. The stag commands him to speak on it then. Bambi gathers his thoughts for a second when a realization comes to his head:

 

“Th-there is Another who is over us all… over us… over Him.”

 

The old stag smiles. The two of them turn away and walk for a little bit before stopping in front of an old oak tree. The stag turns to Bambi, telling him not to follow him any further, “My time is up. Now I have to look for a resting place.” Bambi tries to say something to him but is cut-off. The old stag starts to walk away but stops. He turns back to face Bambi, offering him a warm smile.

 

“Goodbye, my son. I loved you dearly.”

 

Bambi watches as the old stag turns around for the last time and walks into the woods, leaving him alone once again.

 

 

~

 

 

Summer comes once again as Bambi walks through the forest. Birds chirp around him and everything in the forest seems lively once more. In the distance, Bambi hears two frightened calls echoing in the distance. Bambi follows the calls and comes upon a meadow where he observes two young fawns wailing for their mother. Bambi glides through the bushes where in order to get closer to them. The two fawns, a brother and a sister, continue to call for their mother. Before they know it, Bambi stands towering in front of them. The fawns look up at him, speechless.

 

“Your mother has no time for you now. Can’t you stay by yourself?”

 

The little brother and sister remain silent. Bambi turns and glides back into the bushes before the two of them can regain their senses. Before going too far, he turns his head back again, observing the two fawns. He watches the young girl, noting that she reminds him of Faline. He turns back around and vanishes into the thick forest brush. The camera moves up through the treeline into sky, as we see miles of trees as far as the eye can see. A magpie flies by as the screen fades to black.


Special Thanks to @Spaghetti for the feedback.

Edited by Rorschach
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6 minutes ago, Xillix said:

@Rorschach So what, is that explanation gonna be handed out in a pamphlet to every audience before the movie starts?

No. They’ll be mentioned/given further explanation at some point during the film. It’s just something for the reader to keep track of stuff in case they mis-understood a detail or so while reading and don’t wanna go back and sift through all the text in the story to find it.

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LIGHTSPEED

 

release date: 5/28/y5

Studio Horizon Entertainment/ Aesir Pictures

Format 2d, 3d,  IMAX,  IMAX 3D, DOLBY CINEMA

Theatre count: 4,275 (includes 405 IMAX screens)

MMPA rating PG-13

Runtime 2h 5m

Budget: $160 Million

 

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Writers: Jordan Vogt-Roberts & Chris Morgan

Composed by Junkie XL

 

Major Cast:  ( Ω indacates mo-cap role, $ indacates role includes heavy make-up)

Lakeith Stanfield as Gus St. Pierre: a disgraced former NASCAR driver who is given a oppertunity of a lifetime

Margaret Qualley ($) Jannix Anarif: Gus's Teamate and Love Interest 

Tom Cruise ($): Magnas Lasip: An alien crime lord with ties to IAR

Michael Rooker($) Nolanis Nova: The onwer of the team Gus races for in the IAR 

1lan Tudyk (Ω) Flocko: a Monkey like alien who is a top Mechanic in the IAR

Cynthia Erivo ($) Saraia Drayak; A secret agent looking to topple Magnas's Empire

Will Poulter (Ω)  Rey Qway a three-headed alien who is Magnas's second in command & a Driver in the IAR

With 

John Cena ($) Carbon    a Play by play announcer for the IAR

And Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($)  Kon Hannrik an Announcer for the IAR

 

This project has been moved back to year 6

Edited by Reddroast
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@Xillix Splatoon - (CG Animation/Comedy/Action) - 6/4/Y5 - Directed by Craig McCracken and Rodney Rothman has replaced Inspector Gadget and the pre load info is in the same page on the submission at the same spot it was on.

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503290.png

The Next Dimension

 

Studio: Lager Pictures

Companies: Lager Pictures Animation, Walt Disney Pictures Animation

Directed by Tetsuro Araki (Mars, the Destroyer of Worlds/Clair De Lune segment), Dean DeBlois (Finlandia segment), Pixote Hunt (Symphony No. 9 segment), Patrick McHale (Der Erlkonig segment), Daron Nefcy (Winter segment), Carlos Saldanha (La Campanella segment), Henry Selick (Danse Macabre segment), Genndy Tartakovsky (William Tell Overture)

Producers: Christopher Ager, Maria Lager, Don Hahn

Master of Ceremonies: John Williams

Conductor: Marin Alsop

Music Performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra

 

Release Date: October 15th (Limited opening, in select 35mm theaters), October 22nd (Wide release)

Theaters: 208 (limited release), 3,561 (Wide Release)

Format: In 2D, 3D, IMAX 2D, and Dolby Cinema

Budget: $125 million

MPAA Rating: PG

Running Time: 88 minutes

 

List of segments in alphabetical order:

“Symphony No. 9” by Ludwig van Beethoven

“Finlandia” by Jean Sibelius

“Danse Macabre” by Camille Saint-Saens

“La Campanella” by Niccolò Paganini  

“Winter” by Antonio Vivaldi

“Der Erlkönig” by Franz Schubert

“William Tell Overture” by Gioachino Rossini

“The Planets: Mars, the Destroyer of Worlds” by Gustav Holst/“Clair De Lune” by Claude Debussy (joint segment with Mars)

 

Plot:

Spoiler

 

(Start at 4:30 - End)

 

The opening to both films is similar except the Walt Disney Logo is replaced by Lager Pictures Animation logo. We get passing images of the different pieces from both Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 as the orchestra tunes itself up as the title Fantasia: The Next Dimension flashes on screen.

 

 

Symphony No. 9 (piece composed by Ludwig van Beethoven, directed by Pixote Hunt)

 

The piece portrays the story of creation from the book of Genesis through a kaleidoscope which changes constantly to represent each of the seven days of creation (starting with a flash of light and ending with the creation of animals and humans).

 

{From here on, each new segment is given a 1-2 minute introduction by John Williams}

 

 

Finlandia (piece composed by Jean Sibelius, directed by Dean DeBlois)

 

A sprawling epic portraying the vast winter landscape of the county of Finlandia and the animals that inhabit it. After two minutes or so of various images of the forest, including an aurora borealis. We follow a family of Goldeneye chicks as they are raised by their mother as the chicks one by one make a perilous jump from fifteen feet up in the air to the ground, officially leaving their nest behind. Through a montage of several months, we see the chicks grow up into strong adult ducks living through all four seasons of the year.

 

 

 

Danse Macabre (original piece composed by Camille Saint-Saens, directed by Henry Selick)

 

*this piece is made in stop-motion, similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline

 

On Halloween night, Death comes to an abandoned graveyard, waking all the resting spirits from their slumber whilst he serenades them all with his violin. In the middle of the piece, a male and a female skeleton dance with each other. Through context clues, we come to learn that they were lovers during their time alive. They happily dance with each other until they are separated as the dance starts to turn more surreal. Death’s tune starts to ramp up as the spirits of the skeletons form a giant whirlpool in the sky, thrashed around without care.The ritual. All the while, the couple tries to reach each other through the violent storm. They nearly touch hands when the storm ceases. In the distance, a crow calls out, signalling the sunrise. Death plays a sad cadence as the spirits take up their skeletal bodies again and solemnly slink back to their graves. The male and female skeletons bid each other goodbye, “kissing” each other, before returning to their respective graves.

 

 

 

La Campanella (piece composed by Niccolo Paganini, directed by Carlos Saldanha)

 

Two male blue jays compete against each other for the attention of a female blue jay, leading to some comedic hijinks along the way. At the end,the female blue jay, fed up with their persistent antics, finds herself a mate in another shy, meek male blue jay, much to the dismay of the other two male blue jays.

 

 

 

Winter (the final piece of Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, directed by Daron Nefcy)

 

(0:00 - 3:31)

 

Amidst a raging snowstorm, a young boy drags his sled up a steep hill, barely managing to reach the top of the hill. From the boy’s position, we can see that the drop-off is hundreds of feet in the air, with a forest as far as the eye can see at the bottom. The boy amps himself up as he pushes his sled over the edge and proceeds down the slope. He weaves through all the forest trees, over frozen streams and a ravine. Being the daredevil he is, the young boy lets go of the front of the sled and spreads his arms out like a bird, letting the wind hit his face as he goes. A pack of wolves race alongside the sled, each giving each other confused glances, before splitting off in a different direction. The boy eventually sees a log cabin ahead of him, which he is headed straight towards. He tries to slow to sled down but is unable to do so, resulting in him landing in giant pile of snow.

 

(3:32 - 5:53)

 

The boy is picked out of the snow pile by his father, who mouths off to him, presumably scolding him on being so reckless. He brings the boy back inside and places the boy in front of a fireplace. The boy is picked and prodded at by his three older brothers, who are separated when the boy’s mother comes over and puts a blanket on the boy. She fixes him up some warm soup, which the boy refuses to eat, which leads his mother with no choice but to force feed him. The boy reluctantly eats the soup as the father comes in and places some freshly chopped wood into the fireplace. The film dissolves to later when we see the family all eat around a dinner table. While they eat, the boy stares outside daydreaming, focusing his attention on the mountain he rode down. He sighs, going back to picking at his food.

 

(5:54 - end)

 

The boy stares longingly outside as he watches his three older brothers enjoying the snow outside with their father. His mother walks up beside him, putting her hand on his shoulder as if to comfort him. She brings him a puzzle to play with, which does nothing to soothe his boredom. He gets an idea to sneak out with his sled. He manages to find a way out of the cabin, but is caught by his brothers and father who chase after him. He escapes by finding a nearby slope which he goes down. As he races down the hill, he is dismayed to see a stream at the bottom of the hill, bracing for impact. We cut back to see the reactions of the brothers, who laugh uncontrollably, and the father, who rolls his eyes in annoyance.

 

 

 

Der Erlkonig (based on the poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, english translation by Edgar Alfred Bowring, score composition by Franz Schubert, directed by Patrick McHale):

 

(0:00 - 0:53)

 

We open on a dark and misty night in the middle of a thick woods as we track a horse galloping at full speed along a trail. On the horse, we see a middle-aged man clutching a young boy, no older than five. The child, creeped out by the eerie forest, buries his face into the father’s black coat. The father hugs his child, looking down at his head sympathetically as he is visibly nervous though he hides this through his stoic expression. He shakes the reigns of the horse to make it go faster.

 

Translation:

Who rides there so late through the night dark and drear?

The father it is, with his infant so dear;

He holdeth the boy tightly clasp'd in his arm,

He holdeth him safely, he keepeth him warm.

 

As they ride along, the trail begins to get smaller until the father is no longer able to discern the path. The pathways become more narrowed between the trees which seem to jutt out in every direction. Still, the father keeps heading straight in the hopes of reaching their home. As the horse zooms past by a large dead tree, we see a cloud of mist start to form. Out of the mist, the face of an older man with a large beard and a thorn crown emerges, smiling with malicious intent. The mist follows the horse closely behind. The son, looking out from his father’s coat, notices the strange apparition. Terrified, he goes to bury his face back into his father’s jacket.

 

(0:54 - 1:23)

 

Translation:

"My son, wherefore seek'st thou thy face thus to hide?"

"Look, father, the Erl-King is close by our side!

Dost see not the Erl-King, with crown and with train?"

"My son, 'tis the mist rising over the plain."

 

Though the father is oblivious to the danger that lurks behind them, the son can still clearly see the Erl-King plain as day smiling back at him. The ghostly apparition moves to the side of the horse to try and talk to the young boy.

 

(1:24 - 1:45)

 

Translation:

"Oh, come, thou dear infant! oh come thou with me!

For many a game I will play there with thee;

On my strand, lovely flowers their blossoms unfold,

My mother shall grace thee with garments of gold."

 

As the Erl-King speaks, he shows the child images of this “paradise” using the mist as a form of clay to show him this. Though the Erl-King appears friendly enough, the child is unsettled by the apparition.

 

(1:46 - 2:06)

 

Translation:

"My father, my father, and dost thou not hear

The words that the Erl-King now breathes in mine ear?"

"Be calm, dearest child, 'tis thy fancy deceives;

'Tis the sad wind that sighs through the withering leaves."

 

The father’s efforts to calm his child prove to be for naught. The child trembles in his father’s arms as the Erl-King is joined by two other ghostly apparitions who take the form of two young females.

 

(2:07 - 2:21)

 

Translation:

"Wilt go, then, dear infant, wilt go with me there?

My daughters shall tend thee with sisterly care;

My daughters by night their glad festival keep,

They'll dance thee, and rock thee, and sing thee to sleep."

 

The two daughters dance around the horse as the Erl-King tries to seduce the boy into coming with them. The child, however, does not fall through the ruse and, again, tries to warn his father.

 

(2:22 - 2:51)

 

Translation:

"My father, my father, and dost thou not see,

How the Erl-King his daughters has brought here for me?"

"My darling, my darling, I see it aright,

'Tis the aged grey willows deceiving thy sight."

 

The father does his best to comfort his mortified son to no avail as he guides the horse through the ever-winding forest. The child looks back up from his father’s coat to see the Erl-King and his two daughters whose demeanor has grown to be less friendly and more serious.

 

(2:52 - 3:01)

 

Translation:

"I love thee, I'm charm'd by thy beauty, dear boy!

And if thou'rt unwilling, then force I'll employ."

 

The Erl-King reaches his sharp, ghastly claws down into the young boy, who in turn begins to convulse and writhe in his father’s arms.

 

(3:02 - 3:14)

 

Translation:

"My father, my father, he seizes me fast,

For sorely the Erl-King has hurt me at last."

 

The horse, feeling the commotion going on, is spooked and books it full speed ahead, seeing the end of the forest at last. As the Erl-King clings onto the boy, the father braces himself as the horse breaks through the brush.

 

(3:15 - 3:26)

 

Now out of the forest, the father sees their village ahead as the horse races towards the entrance.

 

Translation:

"The father now gallops, with terror half wild,

He grasps in his arms the poor shuddering child;

 

(3:27 - end)

 

Translation

"He reaches his courtyard with toil and with dread, –

 

As the horse reaches the courtyard, the townsfolk gather around to see what is the matter.

 

Translation:

"The child in his arms finds he motionless, dead."

 

In the final few seconds, we see the father collapse to the ground and hang his head, crying, as he holds his deceased child. The surroundings around him biggen to blacken as only he and the body are left in the frame. As the final notes play, the screen abruptly cuts to black.

 

 

 

William Tell Overture (piece composed by Gioachino Rossini, directed by Genndy Tartakovsky)

 

A prospector (Goofy) and his teenage son (Max Goof) are camped out along the edge of a river in a sprawling valley, spending their day digging holes and panning to find any trace of gold they can, to no avail. On the other side of the river, a rival prospector (Pete) and his teenage son (Pete, Jr.) are having no trouble finding gold at all, revelling in the riches. Seeing this, the teenage son sulks over to the campsite, angry at their lack of success. The prospector is saddened at his son’s disinterest. He tries cheering him up by suggesting they take a break and go fishing. The son reluctantly joins his dad. The two fish for an hour or so but are unable to catch anything. To their further dismay, they see that the rival prospector and his son are fishing as well, using a scented lure that draws all the fish away from their area. This further angers the hungry son and making the father even more sad, feeling that he’s letting his son down. The father goes and tries to reason with the rival prospector but is denied any of their food or gold. The father goes back to his tent to find his son asleep. Exhausted himself, the father lies down to take a nap.

 

In the middle of the night, while the rival prospector and his son are choking on their food, a group of bandits eyes their camp from a distance. They bandits charge the camp and while the rival prospector puts up a good fight, all of his gold, food, and his horse are taken from him. Hearing the commotion, the other prospector and his son race across the river and find the rival prospector sulking at his destroyed campsite while his teenage son trying to comfort him. The prospector and his son look at each other not knowing what to do. The prospector goes over to his rival and sits next to him. They sit for a minute or so not knowing what to do. Suddenly an idea pops in his head. He gathers his rival and the two boys and tells them a plan. After he finishes explaining it, all four share the same amped up faces as they look towards the prospector’s lone horse.

 

In the morning, we see the bandits loading all of the loot they’ve stolen from the rival prospector (and presumably some other unfortunate people) onto a small train. A trumpet is sounded in the distance which catches the attention of the bandits. We see the two prospectors and two boys riding at them on the main prospector’s skinny horse (a side gag in this sequence show that every time the four of them bounce on top of the horse, it causes it to make weird expressions of varying pain). The bandits start the train, which they speed up to try and lose the horse. The horse manages to keep up the train allowing both of the prospectors to jump on board giving the horse some much needed relief). The two prospectors duel with half dozen bandits. The main prospector tries shooting his gun only to learn that his bullets area actually blanks, which the rival prospector facepalms at. Luckily, through some slapstick shenanigans, they manage to incapacitate all of the bandits save for the leader. Though the leader knocks both of the fathers to the ground and nearly kills them with his gun, the main prospector’s son knocks the bandit upside the head saving both of the fathers. They realize that the tracks lead are making the train head towards a canyon that drops several hundred feet. Luckily, they manage to jump off the train, with all of their stolen goods onto the horse (who winces in pain as the rival prospector jumps onto him). The bandits all wake up and scramble, trying to get off the train but realize it's too late, falling with the train into the canyon. The crash results in a large explosion. The two prospectors shake hands and hug their sons. They turn around, ready to head for home, and see that the horse has collapsed of exhaustion. It gives all of them puppy dog eyes. Smash cut to the final where we see the two prospectors and the two sons straining themselves as they carry the horse on their backs. An iris forms around the horse, who winks to the camera, revealing that he was faking his exhaustion the whole time.

 

 

 

Mars, The Bringer of War (piece composed by Gustav Holst)/Clair De Lune (piece composed by Claude DeBussy) (segment directed by Tetsuro Araki)

 

(Mars Section)

On the distant planet of Mars, a civil war rages on between two Martian colonies, the green colony and the red (the martians look similar to Martian Manhunter from the DC comics). In the segment, we follow an unnamed green Martian paratrooper of sorts on an aircraft heading into a giant dust bowl, where flashing lights and the occasional explosion can be seen. The paratrooper feels very out of place with all the other soldiers, who sport stoic expressions while he is a nervous wreck. The paratrooper hangs onto a digital photo which we see him in with his wife and a newborn child. He embraces the picture, taking a deep breath as he does.

 

Suddenly, the aircraft is hit by an unseen projectile. It starts to spin around which forces all of the soldiers to jump out of the plane. We get a one-shot of thee paratrooper falling from the sky as the aircraft explodes behind him and he falls through the air, whilst other aircraft and soldiers are downed. He nearly hits the ground but opens his parachute just in time to land safely. He joins his Martian squad in a trench where manually shots a gunner at the incoming enemy. Though he tries his best to remain calm, the trooper has a nervous breakdown when he has to aim his gun at a running enemy soldier. He is forced off the post but it is too late: the bunker is attacked on by the red martians. When the trooper is given the order to retreat, he is blocked off when most of his comrades start dying around him (no blood in this whole sequence, only implied violence). He makes a mad dash through the trench, trying to find a way out. He is pulled out by another blue Martian squad, who take him with them to find a new base to cover.

 

Elsewhere, we see a low-level Martian village on the outskirts of the dust bowl. Many of the villagers are panicking, trying to evacuate as fast as possible. A young martian girl is separated from her parents, who are pushed away by a large crowd. Confused and scared, she finds a nearby house to hide in. The soldiers quickly take refuge in the village, using it as their new fort. The battle is quickly brought to them as the opposing martian army starts its assault on the village. The troops put up a good fight but they are seemingly no match for the technologically superior opposing army. The village is raided and each house is set ablaze. Inside one of the houses, the little girl calls out for help. The main trooper hears this call in the middle of the carnage and manages to save her from the burning building. While trying to escape, the trooper is blocked off by an enemy martian, who tries to shoot at him and the girl. Backed into an alley with nowhere to go, the main trooper, finally getting over his fear of confrontation, tries to grab the enemies the gun, keeping himself between him and the girl, who cowers in the corner. We see through shadows being casted onto the girl that the two figures struggle with each other but the main troop succeeds in killing the other figure. The screen is filled with smoke as the screen fades to black for a few seconds.


~

 

 

(Clair De Lune segment)

The village burns in the distance as the exhausted troop carries the girl up a rock hill. They collapse on the hill and watch the horrible site as they fall asleep next to each other. The next morning, the two wake up to find themselves surrounded by a few figures. The troop prepares to shoot them but stops to set it is his allies. The troops take the two of them back their base where we see news images of their victory. The troop gets permission from his higher-ups to take a leave from the army for a little bit in order to try and find the child’s family.

 

After some extensive searching, the troop is able to find the girl’s parents at refugee center, where the girl is reunited with her parents. Both the girl and her parents hug the troop, which catches him off guard. They wave goodbye to him as he leaves. The segment ends with the martian arriving home, being greeted by his wife and newborn son, as the sun sets in the distance.

 

{Roll Credits}

 

 

Edited by Rorschach
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Deeper

Release Date: April 16, Y5

Studio: Red Crescent Pictures

Genre: Horror/Disaster

Director: Sam Raimi

Theater Count: 3,022

Premium Formats: 3D & IMAX 3D (Showtimes split with Steel Streaks)

Shooting Formats: 5K Digital (Red DSMC2 Gemini) (In native 3D)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Release Image Formats: 2K DCP, 2K 3D DCP, 2K IMAX 3D Digital DCP, 4K IMAX 3D with Laser DCP (upconverted from 2K master)
Release Audio Formats: 5.1, 7.1, Dolby Atmos, IMAX 12-Channel

Production Budget: $40 million

MPAA Rating: R

Running Time: 88 minutes
Major Cast: Eric Bana (Gary), Renée Zellwegger (Leslie), Joey King (Anna), Mason Cook (Louis), Bruce Campbell (Captain Ashton)

 

Plot Summary:
 

Spoiler

 

The film is set on a cruise ship, the Wavequest, which is the oldest and cheapest still in operation on its particular cruise line. Despite its less-than-pristine condition and lack of modern luxuries, it remains fairly popular as an option for lower-middle-class families who've been struggling to save up for a vacation. On board are the Fitzgerald family - father Gary (Eric Bana), mother Leslie (Renée Zellweger), daughter Anna (Joey King), and son Louis (Mason Cook). Both of the children - who are fraternal twins - have just graduated high school, and the cruise is meant to be one last magnificent summer vacation together as a family before the kids move away for college.

 

Unfortunately, the family find out just after setting sale that the travel agency they booked through has scammed them. Not only does the outdated Wavequest fall short of what they were promised, but Gary's credit card info has been stolen and the agency has placed multiple fraudulent charges on his account. Not only does this mean the parents must spend the cruise trying to get things sorted out, it also means the family has no money to spend on their trip and - worst of all - may make them unable to pay the costs associated with sending Louis and Anna to school in the autumn if things are not resolved quickly. Gary becomes tense, frantic, and irritable, and Louis in turn blames him for getting them into such a mess. Leslie tries to serve as a calming influence but gets little help from Anna, who has always been shy and is sent into a deep depression by the circumstances.

 

On the first night of the cruise, with the Wavequest already quite a ways out into the Pacific, an underwater earthquake occurs directly beneath the ship. This generates large waves and sends the ship rocking dangerously back and forth, sending guests and items careening back and forth and generally making a mess of things. Thankfully, the ship's captain, Caesar Ashton (Bruce Campbell), is able to keep the craft under control, and the passengers suffer only a handful of minor injuries. Still, as a precaution, the decision is made to cut the cruise short and return to port to ensure the ship has not sustained any damage. The Coast Guard is also notified of a potential problem. What no one on the ship knows - but we the audience are shown with a long CGI tracking shot that dives down from the hull into the depths - is that the quake has opened a gap in the seabed, exposing a previously sealed-off cavern in the briny deep.

 

Most of the family - and, in fact, most of the ship's passengers - go up on the observation deck to get some fresh air and try to clear their heads as soon as the captain says it's safe. Anna, though, is in too much of a funk to leave the cabin, and is left behind. When the others arrive on the ship's deck, they find a crowd of people gathered, staring into the dark water beneath. A teen boy about Louis' age, Peter, explains to Louis that someone claims to have seen something huge in the water - perhaps a whale. But then the woman who made the sighting interjects - she's sure it wasn't a whale. When asked why, she insists it couldn't have been - it was too big. This statement is laughed off by just about everyone present, but for a brief moment, while the others are distracted, Louis notices something - a swell in the water, one that moves against the waves. He begins to lean over the railing, peering down, squinting his eyes, but he can't see anything below the surface. Still, he KNOWS that something is-

 

-His father scolds him and yanks him back from the railing. He tries to mention what he saw but is brushed off. As the family starts the trip back down to their cabin, which is on one of the lower decks, the ship seems to bump into something. There's a loud scraping sound as the vessel turns sharply, as if pushed by something beneath the surface. Down in the family cabin, Anna feels the impact more strongly. She runs out into the hall and sees water cascading down the stairwells and elevator shafts - the breach in the ship's hull is on the side, above her deck. Crew members rush to examine the gash cut through the thick steel, and aside from the water, find all sorts of dead fish pouring in. Along with something else... some kind of odd, slimy sea slugs, feeding on the fish. A crew member radios up to the Captain Ashton, who calls in an emergency to the Coast Guard.

 

Anna realizes the ship is going to sink and struggles up the stairs, joined by a handful of other people who were still in their cabins. The slugs begin tumbling down the stairs with the water, and a few people are bitten by them - Anna, though, manages to squish the ones that get too close to her. She helps the others up the stairs as her now-panicked family head down to try and reach her. They are split up when some of the crew members who were bitten by the sea slugs come running up the stairs and attack - they've mutated into disgusting, slimy, feral humanoid beasts, tearing people limb from limb and feasting on their flesh. Louis watches in terror as Peter is ripped apart. The captain is killed when the mutated crew members break into the cabin, eating him alive and leaving the ship drifting aimlessly. The family barely manages to get through the chaos and re-enter the ship's interior.

 

Meanwhile, Anna is still helping her injured fellow passengers when they begin to transform into monsters themselves. She abandons them as they writhe and scream, skin peeling off in big bloody mounds, running up the soaked stairs - which at this point are more like a waterslide filled with the mutagenic slugs - to try and put distance between herself and the beast-people. As their transformation becomes complete and they regain their bearings, standing up to pursue Anna, she slips and begins to slide down the staircase toward their waiting claws.

Cut back to the rest of the family, still making their descent through the ship, which is beginning to list badly to one side as the bottom decks fill with seawater. They eventually reach the deck with the gash in the hull, which is still being inundated with slug-filled ocean water. The stairwell they are in does not go down any further. Because of the list, though, the water is pooling on the side of the ship with the gash. As such, they are able to go around it by taking the hall on the other side, and reach the next stairwell without much hassle. They hear footsteps coming up the stairs, and as the figure rounds the corner - it's Anna, bruised and bloody but alive. She breathlessly explains how she barely survived and escaped the mutants on the lower decks, who are still in hot pursuit. Sure enough, their claws can be heard clanging against the steps lower down the stairwell, leaving the family little time for a happy reunion.

 

As they flee back toward the upper decks, though, something crashes into the previously unscathed side of the ship. The hull is torn open right next to the family as they run down the hallway, a massive claw ripping through the metal like tissue paper. Anna is knocked off her feet, and the water surges in, carrying with it more of those slugs and accelerating the ship's sinking. As the claw pulls back out, Gary instinctively dives forward to rescue his daughter, pushing Louis and Leslie away. He reaches Anna, but both are covered in the biting slugs. As he tries to stand up and carry Anna back over to the other, she stops him, explaining the bites mean they will soon turn into monsters themselves. There's a tearful, emotional goodbye between the two halves of the family until the existing mutants appear from the stairs to the lower deck, the rising water close behind them. Anna and Gary do their best to hold them back so that Louis and Leslie can escape. The last we, or the others, see of Anna and Gary is them collapsing as they begin to transform.

 

Leslie and Louis flee back up toward the main outdoor deck, where a Coast Guard helicopter has arrived and is hovering overhead. The ship is overrun with mutated passengers, who are distracted by the loud aircraft, climbing the smokestacks and masts and even each other to try and reach it. This thankfully means that they don't notice when Leslie and Louis emerge from within the ship. The helicopter spots them, and the film climaxes with a risky maneuver where the chopper flies down low over the deck of the sinking ship, tossing the pair of survivors a rope to cling onto. They manage to catch it just in time, and are dragged away along the deck as mutants close in on them until finally being lifted up to safety.

 

The movie concludes with the image of the ship sinking beneath the waves, the mutated passengers swimming calmly into the open sea and diving beneath the surface. As the helicopter flies away towards shore, the massive swell in the water reappears beneath it, the unseen, impossibly massive creature seemingly following the chopper.

 

 

Edited by Xillix
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Up The Butt

Studio: Infinite Studios

Release Date: 6/4/Y5

Genre: Comedy/Horror/Action

Director: John Gulager

Rating: R

Budget: $6M

Theater Count: 3,202

Runtime: 93 minutes

Cast:

Asa Akira as Madame Booty

Unknowns

 

Parodying B movies as well as bad acting, a group of pornstars/super spies lead by Madame Booty fight off demons from hell who have come violently killing the innocent and transforming sinners into demons in the horror comedy full of gruesome kills and softcore thrills. Most of the crew dies violently or transformed. At the end, it turns out a priest formed a pact with the head demon in order to get more followers and to cleanse the Earth. Madame Booty stops the demons and the priest (who is possessed by the head demon) and travels the Earth to stop more demons.

Edited by YourMother the Edgelord
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Homebound

 

Studio: Infinite Studios

Tyler Perry Studios

Release Date: 11/12/Y5

Genre: Dramedy

Director: Tyler Perry

Rating: PG-13

Budget: $15M

Theater Count: 3,142

Runtime: 105 minutes

Cast:

Regina Hall as Judy

Tika Sumpter as Angela

 

Judy is a very and astute successful business woman whose life takes a tailspin for the worse, her husband is revealed to have been cheating on her, his business just got bought out, herself screwed because of the deal and tons of bills to pay. Judy is convinced by her best friend, Angela to go on a trip with her to Africa to clear their mind as Angela is going to discover her roots. The two then get involved by making a profit to help the country with a business as well as rediscovering the roots, captivated by the beauty in Africa and learn some life lessons along the way.

Edited by YourMother the Edgelord
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The

Argonaut

of

White Agony Creek

 

(A Scrooge McDuck prequel)

 

Studio: Cookie Pictures Animation
Genre: Animation (traditional) / Adventure / Comedy-drama
Director: Dana Terrace
Producers: Mark Dindal, Sebastian Peters, Patrick McHale
Composer: Carter Burwell
Original Song: “The Heart is the Fool’s Gold” feat. Sting / "Glitterin'" sung by Zoe Kazan and feat. lyrics by Sting and David Hartley
Based on:
The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, chapter 8: ‘King of the Klondike’ (1993)
The Prisoner of White Agony Creek (2006)
Hearts of the Yukon (1995)

All by Don Rosa

 

Main voice cast:

  • David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck
  • Zoe Kazan as ‘Glittering Goldie’ O’Gilt
  • Jon Hamm as Soapy Slick
  • Tim Blake Nelson as Wyatt Earp
  • Chiwetel Ejiofor as Bat Masterson
  • Sam Elliot as Judge Roy Bean
  • John C. Reilly as Butch Cassidy
  • Glenn Howerton as Sundance Kid
  • Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz and Bobby Moynihan as Huey, Dewey and Louie (present day scenes only)
  • Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck (present day scenes only)

 

Release Date: October 1st

Theater Count: 4,100
Format: IMAX 2D (1.44:1), CinemaScope (2.39:1)
Budget: $160 million
MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of peril, thematic elements, some crude humor, suggestive content and a brief instance of mild language
Running Time: 115 minutes (estimate)
Previous films:
The Adventures of Scrooge McDuck - $75,619,894 / $302,791,551 / $915,998,515 / Nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture
The Number One Dime - $120,724,953 / $556,069,854 / $1,530,395,775 / Nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, won three

 

Animation: Like previous films in the series, the film adapts the art style of Don Rosa (examples here). The film is drawn in an aspect ratio equal to 70mm IMAX (1.44:1) as a means to showcase the larger landscapes present in the film. In standard 35mm and digital release the film is cropped to 2.39:1 aspect ratio.

 

Synopsis: In this prequel detailing Scrooge McDuck’s early adventures in the Klondikes, a young and rugged Scrooge crosses paths with music hall singer ‘Glittering Goldie’ O’Gilt on his journey to dig up and maintain his new-found fortune. Hoping to drive Scrooge off his land, crooked banker Soapy Slick misleads famous lawmen Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and Roy Bean into intercepting Scrooge while famous criminals Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid hope to steal the gold for themselves.

 

Plot (WIP):

Spoiler

The film opens with a landscape shot of Duckburg in the midst of winter. Panning over the fairly empty city streets as it's approaching nighttime and most of its citizens are heading home, we find that at least one window in a fairly large and innocuous square building is still lit; the money bin belonging to the richest duck in the world, Scrooge McDuck.

 

We cut inside where we see Scrooge’s secretary, Emily Featherby (voiced again by Kimberly Brooks) finishing her work for the evening. She turns to the clock to see that it’s 5 P.M, and goes to grab her coat before opening up the lock to Scrooge’s massive money vault. Inside, she finds Scrooge (David Tennant), having dug up a large chest buried within the mounds of cash and containing what appears to be memorabilia of his past adventures.

 

Also there is his nephew Donald (Tony Anselmo), still shoveling cash around as markers planted along the sea of coins show where each type of currencies are to be put (such as dollars in one spot and various European and Asian currencies in another). Emily has to shout to get her boss's attention.

 

Emily: Is there anything more you need from me, Mr. McDuck?!

Scrooge: None so, Miss Featherby! Have a nice trip!

 

Emily leaves while Donald looks on. Scrooge turns to him.

 

Scrooge: I specifically advised her not to go to Italy, and what do ‘ye know? Premium coach to Palermo!

Donald: At least it’s not Naples… Can I go home now?

Scrooge: You are working overtime to pay for that typewriter ‘ye broke last week, young lad!

Donald: For golly’s sake, you’ve had that hunk-o-junk since before the Great War! Get some new ones, will ‘ya?!

Scrooge: Less talk, more shoveling!

Donald: (grumbles)

 

On her way out, Emily runs into Scrooge’s three grand-nephews; the triplets Huey, Dewey and Louie (Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz and Bobby Moynihan respectively), telling them their two uncles are inside the vault. Louie, being the most impetuous of the three, decides to show off by attempting to surf down the mounds of cash, a showcase which ends in him tripping over and scraping his behind across the surprisingly hard surface, leading to a sore butt.

 

Louie: Ow… ow… that did not go the way I intended… ow…

Scrooge: I'd believe after launching ‘yerself headfirst into the mouth of a dragon ‘ye’d use a little more caution, but what’d I know?

Louie: ...When did I do that?

 

Louie stares at his granduncle all confused. Donald does the same. Scrooge realizes neither of them really went through what he did in the last movie (you know, time travel and all).

 

Scrooge: Uh… I must have confused ‘ye with someone else! Hazy memory tends to come with age... (nervous chuckle)

Louie: Whoever that person is… that guy is awesome!

 

Huey and Dewey make their way down more cautiously and scold Louie for his idiocy. Huey takes note of Scrooge’s treasure chest and all the items stored in it, excitedly inviting Scrooge to ask him if he knows where everything came from. As a first test, Scrooge holds up a cowboy hat which Huey correctly identifies.

 

Huey: It’s the same hat you wore when you herded cattle for Murdo MacKenzie in the badlands!

Scrooge: And delivered a fist in the faces of the McViper brothers while at it!

Huey: (takes out a skipper hat) And this is from when you piloted your uncle’s steamboat down the Mississippi!

Scrooge: First time I ran into that dastardly Beagle family tree, I tell ‘ye!

Dewey: You both sound like you should host an article on National Geographic…

Louie: Either that or the History Channel in between all the alien conspiracies…

 

The guessing game continues until Huey gets his hands on an unopened letter, dating decades back, but is left confused when he sees it. “Wait, I don’t recognize this…”, he says perplexed before Scrooge snatches the letter right out of his hands and puts it back in the chest before slamming it shut. The four younger ducks all react befuddled.

 

Huey: Uncle Scrooge, what was that?!

Scrooge: (long, bitter sigh) Some things are best kept private.

Donald: Oh boy, your old man’s having his mood swings again...

Scrooge: Donald, your work is done here for the day.

Donald: Wait, really?!

Scrooge: Go home and… I don’t know, feed ‘yer cat or something.

Donald: I don’t have a cat...

Huey: Uncle Scrooge, are you okay?

 

Scrooge sees his minor outburst has left the others a bit worried about him. He tries to assure them it’s nothing, just that he’s a bit tired from a long work day. Donald disputes him as all Scrooge’s been doing is digging through that chest while he did all the work for him. Scrooge tells him to shut his trap or he’ll rescind his leave. Donald picks the former.

 

Donald: (turns to his nephews) Alright, you boys heard him! If we get home in time, we can still catch the Mallards finally putting the Spoonerville Sparrows in their place!

Louie: That implies the Mallards have any clue of what they’re doing.

Huey: It’s just… the stamp made it seem like it stemmed all the way back to Klondike…

Dewey: Wait, are we talking about baseball or Scrooge’s letter? I’m confused.

 

Huey breaks from the group and storms up to Scrooge, staring him straight in the eye.

 

Huey: What really happened back in Klondike, Uncle Scrooge?!

 

Scrooge will not answer. Donald sighs and drags his nephews with him despite Huey’s protestations, telling the three that if their grand-uncle wants to keep secrets to himself, then it’s none of their business.

 

As the four leave, we stay with Scrooge as his curiosity is renewed of the letter Huey found. He retrieves it from the chest and opens it up.

 

We don't get to see the contents inside the letter, but it makes Scrooge freeze and his eyes widen, as it seems to trigger a memory stacked away in his mind. 

 

Zooming into his eyes we're transported back in time, long before there was a Duckburg or any nephews of Scrooge to be had. We find ourselves in a mountainous forest territory somewhere far up north, as the titles fade in.

 

 

 

The Argonaut of White Agony Creek

 

 

Late August, 1896

 

 

“SKAGWAY, ALASKA!”, shouts the skipper as the boat heads down the river. We see a much younger Scrooge shoveling coal into a furnace at a furious pace until he hears the skipper’s call. Overjoyed, he chants to his tired co-workers about them finally arriving at the land of the Northern Lights.

 

He sprints up to the captain and tells him he’ll be leaving the ship as soon as they dock into harbor. The captain expresses dismay at Scrooge departing, saying he was the hardest worker they’ve ever had. Nevertheless, he hands Scrooge a hundred U.S dollars as payment for his service. Scrooge tells him he ain’t going to spend the rest of his life as a coal chucker, but rather as a gold hunter.

 

Captain: An argonaut, eh? Good on ya’! But have you arranged a ride to the shore?

Scrooge: What do ‘ye mean? I thought we were going to dock in Skagway?

 

The captain leads Scrooge outside and points him to a mudflat keeping them half a mile away from the shore. Not wanting to pay someone to transport him the rest of the way, Scrooge’s sees a stack of poles placed in the mud between them and the shore.

 

Scrooge: No time! I’ll hafta’ improvise!

 

Scrooge leaps right off the boat and jumps across each successive pole like an antelope dashing across the savannah. When he comes across a large gap, a convenient sailor trying to drag his boat cross the mud comes in his path and he bounces onto his head as he continues past, causing the sailor to curse at him.

 

He reaches shore and leaps right over a blue-dressed man wearing a low-crowned black hat, knocking it off his head in the process. Scrooge apologizes but the man doesn’t think that’s enough, drawing his pistol and twirling it in front of Scrooge.

 

Man: Do you realize who I am?!

Scrooge: Someone who’s about to get cut down to size? (cracks fingers)

Man: You don’t recognize my famous buntline special? I’m Wyatt Earp!

Scrooge: Do tell? Do ‘ye realize who I am?

 

Scrooge pulls out a single dime (his Number One Dime in fact, eh?) attached to a string and spins it in a clockwise motion around his finger. Wyatt (Tim Blake Nelson) recoils in shock, recognizing Scrooge from the many tales of his endeavors in the U.S and the nicknames he’s acquired, each sillier than the last. Scrooge adds a few nicknames from overseas to that list as he chucks the coin back into his pocket.

 

Quickly changing his tone, Wyatt suddenly wants to be best friends with the famous duck, offering to buy him a drink as he takes him to the nearest saloon.

 

Scrooge: I’ll take a quick sarsaparilla if ‘ye’ll steer me to the nearest general store hereabouts...

Wyatt: Sorry, can’t! I’m just passin’ through, bought me a “second class saloon” up in Nome! (turns to the bartender) Two sarsaparillas for me and my pardner, Scrooge McDuck!

 

While the barkeep prepares their drinks, a rugged outlaw in the back recognizes Scrooge and goes to confront the two, thinking if he can outdraw the Fastest Gun in the Pizen Bluff (one of Scrooge’s many nicknames), he’ll become as or even more famous than him. Wyatt, thinking the outlaw’s out for him, does not take this well.

 

Wyatt: You think it’s so easy to get the drop on Wyatt Earp?!

Outlaw: One side, stranger! Ah’m a-gunnin’ fer the little owlhoot!

Wyatt: You can’t trick the famous Wyatt Earp, you cheap sonny! Do your worst! (reaches for his pistol)

Outlaw: What’s ya’ problem? It’s the duck ah’m after!

Wyatt: It’s me you want! The Wyatt Earp! Brave, courageous and bold, the whole bit! Draw your arms!

 

The two men tussle while Scrooge sees a stack of free sandwiches being offered at the bar desk, paying no attention to the chaos erupting behind him. Wyatt and the outlaw fire their guns wildly all over the place as they fight, piercing a few bullets right through Scrooge’s sandwich, much to his annoyance. He asks the startled barkeep where he can find a general store in town, preferably a quiet one. A sheriff then storms into the bar and interrupts the brawl, asking what the heck is going on.

 

Wyatt: I’m Wyatt Earp! And that man over there shot me in the big toe!

 

Wyatt demonstrates by lifting up his shoe which has a straight bullet hole at its tip, although the sheriff is unimpressed.

 

Outlaw: Whatta' liar! He grabbed mah arm and shot hisself!

Sheriff: And I’m supposed to believe either of you?

 

The sheriff tells his fellow officers to take Wyatt and the outlaw with them and lock 'em up. Meanwhile, the bartender inspect the damages.

 

Barkeep: There’s at least two-hundred dollars worth of shattered goods here! Somebody’s gotta pay!

Scrooge: I’ll say, just look at ‘me meal! (holds up torn apart sandwich)

Barkeep: (points at Scrooge) That Wyatt fella called this guy his pardner!

Scrooge: ...Who? Me?

Sheriff: Pay your half of the damages or I’ll lock you up for a week!

Scrooge: A week?! I can’t lose a week! I need to head north!

Sheriff: A hundred bucks cash or it’s the cell for you, pal!

 

Scrooge refuses to pay, but when faced between that and jail time, he hands over the little money he has. Now broke and frustrated, he grumbles to himself that if he’s going to get north in any reasonable time frame, he needs to resort to desperate measures. With a gulp in his throat, he decides to take a loan.

 

At a nearby bank owned by one Soapy Slick (Jon Hamm), a fat pig who looks about as untrustworthy as you could get, Scrooge reluctantly makes a visit. He walks in on Slick arguing with a miner who pleads to him to extend his loan, arguing he has a family to feed, but Slick tells him he’ll just take everything he owns right then and there. The dismayed miner leaves Slick’s office with only his underwear intact. Scrooge breaks a sweat as he tries to deal with Slick.

 

Slick: $100 for a grubstake? Sure, ace, just sign here! (shows Scrooge the papers) No fine prints either!

Scrooge: Ten percent interest per month?! (sigh) ...Not like I have much choice.

 

Scrooge signs the paper and Slick immediately bursts into laughter, telling him there’s no gold ‘round these parts, so he’ll be happy to hear back from Scrooge when he returns on his knees begging for another loan.

 

Scrooge: I’ve got a hunch I’ll be repaying ‘ye before you can even say-

 

“GOLD!!!”, the two hear someone shout outside their window. A newsman’s arrived in town telling everyone that miners have found gold in Bonanza Creek just past the Canadian border. The richest strike in history, in fact.

 

Scrooge turns to Slick with a cocky smile on his face. Angered, Slick brings out the paper again and adds an extra zero next to the ten percent.

 

Scrooge: You can’t do that, I’ll call the law!

Slick: Go ahead, runt! (puts jacket on) I’ll be over the border with your contract anyway!

 

Slick cackles as he darts out of his office and leaves town, with a "for sale" sign already put up next to his bank.

 

Scrooge sees all the gold seekers rushing toward the general store and heads his way there too, getting trampled by the crowd until he emerges barely alive at the store counter. As the clerk looks down on all the gold seekers who may have been just a bit too excited and tried to buy gear without having the cash for it, a battered Scrooge places a $100 bunt on the desk before him.

 

We cut to Chilkoot Pass, the famous trail which leads aspiring diggers over the Canadian border, as Scrooge arrives just as lines are already forming all their way up the mountain. He sees Slick, who’s bought his way on board a cable car that takes him to the top, bypassing the line.

 

Slick: Yoo-hoo, McDuck! I’ll tell the gold you’re on your way! (laughs)

Scrooge: I’ll have the laugh last yet, ‘ye cheap crook!

 

Scrooge accidentally bumps into a guy standing in the line behind him, who kicks back at him telling him he's holding up the line. Scrooge turns to him, annoyed, telling him to shut his mouth or he’ll get a sock in the face. When the guy continues kicking and berating him, Scrooge delivers a hard jab right at his ugly mug, causing the guy to topple over onto the next guy behind him, and the guy after that, and the guy after that, resulting in a domino effect down the entire slope.

 

All the way down in Skagway, the last guy in the line gets knocked over and falls into the mudflat. He yells at the guys before him to quit shoving.

 

Once past the, um… pass, Scrooge is seen carving some wood when Slick dashes right past him in a dogsled, having bought all the dogs in the area for himself, sarcastically wishing him good luck on that raft he’ll need to make it down the Yukon River without a sled. Scrooge doesn’t need a sled or a raft however, instead he carves a flute that allows him to blast the mating call of a moose, who arrives just in time for him to mount and race right past a confused looking Slick.

 

We transition to Slick arriving at the end of the trail at a place called Dawson, which at the start of the gold rush contains only a sawmill and a lone saloon named the Blackjack in the middle of nowhere. There, he comes across the lone barkeep, a lady duck with sharp, golden hair dubs herself as “Goldie” (Zoe Kazan). With little time to spare, Slick tells her his plan.

 

Goldie: So you want to rent a corner table to set up a loan shark operation, eh?

Slick: That’s right, Miss O’Gilt! There’ll soon be a lot of wealth flowing into Dawson, and somebody’s gonna have to profit off of it!

Goldie: Well, I haven’t missed the increased foot traffic ‘round here. Just yesterday more fine young men passed through this creek than there’d been for the past year…

 

Goldie then notices a very exhausted looking moose stomp his way inside the bar, slump his way onto a chair and slam his head face first onto the table.

 

Goldie: Hey! I don’t serve moose here! Scram!

Slick: It’s that McDuck fella again, isn’t it?

Goldie: “McDuck”? Never heard that name. Is that some Alberta thing?

 

Goldie looks outside to see Scrooge, having just let loose his moose (hey, that rhymes!) and making his way further north. She tries to invite him in for some grub, impressed by his resilience, but Scrooge tells her to beat it as he ate last week and regular meals are for chumps. Goldie gazes at Scrooge as he heads towards the horizon.

 

Goldie: My, my, my… (turns to Slick) Friend of yours?

Slick: More of a nuisance. Thinks he’s the toughest bill on the block.

 

Goldie smiles and continues looking on. We follow Scrooge as he makes his way down the river and sees any path further north is blocked by a massive convenient glacier. None of the other seekers are heading in the same direction, electing instead to row the river down south. Scrooge however tries to look for a path up the glacier, but instead locates a tunnel underneath it that goes surprisingly deep.

 

Inside the tunnel, Scrooge starts to wonder to himself why nobody else had found this path previously, seemingly getting his answer as he strays further and further from the light. He is forced to light a match before he bumps right into something hairy. He looks up and jumps back in horror before realizing what it is.

 

A woolly mammoth, kept frozen in ice as if it had just died yesterday, guarding the path forward. Scrooge deduces through the spears pierced into its skin that it had crawled underneath the glacier and died there, and perhaps its intimidating presence scared off anyone else trying to brave the tunnel.

 

Scrooge: But I’m a McDuck! I’m tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties! I ain’t scared of no hairy dead elephant!

 

He jumps back when the roof above him starts to rattle a little bit, presumably from his shouting. He elects to keep quiet and press on.

 

Emerging at the end of the tunnel, Scrooge takes a breath before looking onward, his eyes widening as he comes across a rather stunning sight.

 

An entire valley, untouched by man and surrounded by sharp mountains and glaciers from which none can ascend or descend from. Animals wander all around the place, safe from hunters and anyone else attempting to disrupt their peaceful presence. Scrooge dubs this place the “White Agony Creek” off the top of his head. Now having a place all to himself, Scrooge faces a dilemma.

 

Scrooge: (sigh) I learned how to find gold in the deserts of Arizona and the mountains of the ‘Rand, but never in the creeks…

 

He quickly comes up with a tactic: as the critters in the area appear to be living off of the water and fish in the creek, they might hold clues of where he can dig for gold. He proceeds to casually climb on top of a bear fishing in the river, and despite the bear growling at him, he shakes its fur and finds traces of gold dust, later moving on to a different bear while the whole flock stand around confused.

 

Scrooge then scales a tall pine tree so he can follow the drainage pattern of the creek. Pursuing its trail he arrives at its bed where he marks a spot.

 

Scrooge: After years of failure after failure… This will be the moment that changes everything!

 

Through a quick montage seasons begin to shift as Scrooge keeps digging. The autumn leaves drop as he doesn’t leave his spot before he’s knee deep in snow in the middle of winter. He doesn’t see the cold as an issue, thinking the tent will suit him. When the fire he tries to light immediately freezes on him however, he should maybe consider building a cabin.

 

Scrooge makes a quick trip back to Dawson for some nails and saw as well as paying off the interest he owes Slick. When he returns to Dawson (and placing sticks and leaves at the entrance of the tunnel to cover his tracks) he finds that the town has grown exponentially since he left.

 

Slick has turned his corner table into a full blown casino on top of his loan shark operation. While inside, Scrooge tosses Slick a tiny bag of gold dust which just enough pays off his interest. Slick greets him with a shit-eating grin on his face.

 

Slick: Have you… er… filed a claim yet?

Scrooge: In due time. I’m not eager to alert every claim jumper in Klondike to what I’ve found!

 

Scrooge walks past Goldie’s saloon, which is about to be turned into a full blown ballroom thanks to the runaway success of Dawson. Goldie, now in a much fancier dress than previously, happily invites him to come inside. Scrooge refutes her, telling her again to mind her own business. Slick sees Scrooge storming into a hardware store and walks up to Goldie.

 

Slick: Don’t waste your time on that bird! He ain’t like the rest of these greenhorns!

Goldie: Why not have your men try following him to the dig?

Slick: Some have tried, but that duck’s good at losing their tracks. He’ll make a mistake eventually, though. I’ll just have to wait.

 

Gears start turning in Goldie’s head as Slick heads back to his casino. Scrooge meanwhile argues with the hardware clerk that he should get the bent nails for half the price, and the tired clerk tells him that he can have them as long as he stops bothering him.

 

On his way out of town, Scrooge makes a quick stop at the post office to pick up some letters, which we see are stamped in Scotland and apparently stem from members of his family. Without opening them, he looks longingly at them.

 

Scrooge: Don’t worry, mom and pops. When I find 'me gold, we’ll be swimming in riches...

 

We head back to White Agony Creek where construction commences on the cabin. Scrooge works tirelessly as the sun rises and sets followed by the moon doing the same, and only a few days later the cabin’s complete.

 

As winter begins to thaw, we find Scrooge sitting outside his cabin feeding on some beans. He’s build a shaft and sluice allowing him to wash gold once the river begins to flow again, but seeing the peaceful nature around him continue to blossom, he stops to have a thought.

 

As small critters gather around him as if he were a Disney princess, he stands up and delivers a monologue to no one in particular.

 

“This frontier is like so many others I’ve known… Unspoiled by the ravages of man, still glorious and unsullied. A man can face the world on his own terms here. Enjoy the beauties of his own labor,  live in a paradise of tranquility and beauty and… and…”

 

Scrooge stops. His mood changes as the critters look at him curious. In a sudden outburst, Scrooge kicks his plate over and scares the critters off.

 

“BAH! Sucker talk! When I find ’me gold, I’ll drain the creek with hydraulic mining, blast the mountains apart with barrels of explosives and feed the darned trees to the lumber mills!”

 

”Resources warrant exploitation! Exploitation breeds progress! Progress leads to MONEY!!”

 

Scrooge runs over to his shaft and starts digging. As time passes, the tiny nuggets he unearths keep piling up, and soon he has several bags full, which should be enough to pay off a large portion of Slick’s loan with the added interest.

 

Dawson has grown even further when he returns to it a second time. He tosses one bag to Slick, telling him there’ll be more of where that comes from very shortly while he goes to lay claim on his ground. He is then seen exiting the Yukon land office with a declaration in hand and more letters from Scotland in his bag. He tells himself he has to guard the declaration with his life, as he’s sure people are going to jump on him at any second when word spreads of his findings.

 

Sure enough, Slick is revealed to have hired a bunch of goons that attempt to follow him through town. Scrooge has a method for warding them off too: he heads straight into a hotel, pretending he’s tired and loudly proclaiming to anyone present he’ll be heading back to his claim in the morning. Instead, however, he walks right through a hotel room where a couple is sleeping, climbing through the window while the angered couple throw their pots at him.

 

The goons turn out to be resilient, though, and Scrooge has to traverse through a couple more buildings trying to wade them off, soon finding himself in the middle of a rather busy saloon. We briefly cut outside to reveal he’s found his way inside the Blackjack.

 

Scrooge: Wait, how did I get here? I must’ve taken a wrong turn at Fourth Avenue...

 

Scrooge tries to avoid any confrontation with fellow gold seekers by making his way upstairs without anyone noticing. He’s stopped in his path however when the rowdy surroundings suddenly quiet down. Stage lights flicker on above him, blinding him temporarily, before his and everyone else’s eyes are directed to an empty stage in the center of the saloon with red curtains as its background.

 

Piano music starts playing and out from behind the curtains steps Goldie, clad in the most stunning red dress Scrooge or any other man at the bar’s ever seen, complimented by a glittering piece of jewelry crowning her. Scrooge tries to look away, muttering to himself that he can’t get himself distracted.

 

That becomes a lot more difficult once Goldie starts singing with a stark, beautiful voice, however.

 

Goldie sings the film’s one of two original songs “Glitterin’”, starting out as a slow piano melody where she recounts the story of a girl living on the streets after her father passes away. She sings about the girl joining a gang and be forced to steal for them so as to not get on their “bad side”.

 

The bar patrons are all captivated and deeply saddened within only a few notes, Scrooge being the only one not immediately smitten as he thinks that if someone turns to thievery, regardless of the circumstances, they’ve crossed an unacceptable threshold in his eyes.

 

Goldie overhears his muttering - in spite of the loud music and miners whistling at her - and decides to immediately change tempo once the song hits its first refrain, turning it into a rowdy and upbeat musical number adding fiddles and an orchestra to the mix.

 

Goldie’s story changes as the lyrics now tell of the girl taking advantage of her situation and rising in the ranks of the gang, eventually taking out the competition and breaking out of the slums to begin a successful singing career with her criminal activities continuing as a side-business.

 

She leaps off the stage and hops on the tables as she keeps singing, inviting the audience to get up and dance along with her, which they gladly do. Even Scrooge starts getting caught in the tempo, even as he tries to tell himself that the lyrics are still about being a thief.

 

He runs into the men’s room and shuts the door behind him to get away from the music as the dancing continues outside. He locates a window and is about to break it with a rock, but by that point Goldie’s song overtakes him completely and he starts tapping along.

 

He dances out of the men’s room and locks eyes with Goldie, who slows down her tempo after the second refrain to reveal that in spite of the girl’s success, one thing was still missing from her life: the heart of a city boy she had laid her eyes on. The crowd goes “awww” and Scrooge, captivated by Goldie’s singing at this point, wants to know if the girl ever found her true love.

 

Goldie, with a tear in her eye, says “no” as the fiddles cease and while the piano plays its last few notes she reveals to everyone that the girl, once her singing career faded and her criminal enterprise crumbled, died of a lonely heart, ending the song on a sad note.

 

The miners all applaud and cheer even as they try to contain their tears. Scrooge also cheers for her, admitting that it takes a lot to impress him.

 

We cut to Goldie leading Scrooge to a secluded area, inviting him in for some “coffee”. Scrooge, needless to say, takes this as something much more suggestive.

 

Scrooge: (backs up against the wall sweating) I’ve never done this before…

Goldie: Done what? Had coffee?

Scrooge: Let’s just say I haven’t really, uh… cursed me' kilt.

Goldie: Oh relax, bub! I ain’t in that much of a hurry!

 

Proving true to her word, she has the bartender roll in a plate containing two cups and a can, and she invites Scrooge to sit at the table with her. Scrooge quickly finds himself relaxed around her, even as Goldie fixates on him with a somewhat devious smirk on her face.

 

Goldie: You’ve built up quite a reputation with that claim of yours… Mind dropping a poor girl a few secrets?

Scrooge: Oh, ‘ye should see it! It’s the richest ore I’ve ever come across, and it’s so remote nobody’s able to find it!

 

Scrooge brags some more about his claim as Goldie pours coffee into his cup without him looking. Scrooge notices the time and tells Goldie he really should get going, but he would love to have another drink with her sometime.

 

Goldie: Settle down, trailblazer! You haven’t even finished your cup yet.

Scrooge: Oh, right!

 

Scrooge takes a large sip as Goldie’s smirk grows wider. She suddenly starts singing, doing a short reprise of her song much to Scrooge’s delight.

 

That’s when Scrooge sees his surroundings starting to blur. His eyelids flicker and the world around him starts spinning. Goldie’s song takes a much more sinister turn, revealing an alternate ending where the girl met the city boy and instead of giving her heart to him robbed him blind, and the boy was none the wiser for it.

 

Scrooge wakes up covered in snow half a mile out of Dawson. Unable to remember anything between his coffee break with Goldie and ending up where he is, he roots through his pockets only to discover the papers to his claim are no longer in his possession.

 

“SON OF A-”, he screams before we abruptly cut back to the saloon where Goldie gets a call from Slick, congratulating her on successfully deceiving the argonaut.

 

Slick: Now, if you won’t mind handing me the claim, I’m we sure can work out some form of compensation.

Goldie: ...Nah.

Slick: What do you mean, “nah”?!

Goldie: Mmm… I don’t really feel like it handing it over. I think I’ll keep it. Hire some of my own goons to find the fool’s claim and do the digging for me.

 

Slick asks if she’s serious and Goldie basically tells him to beat it since she did all the work. Slick briefly turns to one of his employees, his face fuming.

 

“You’ve made a grave mistake”, he threatens Goldie before hanging up. Goldie chuckles to herself when a fellow dancer, a pig named Greta, tells her she really shouldn’t get on Slick’s bad side, but Goldie shows little concern.

 

Mere minutes later, a five-man gang of black-clad goons carrying firearms enter the saloon, their shadows striking an intimidating pose over the startled bar patrons.

 

The leader tells everyone they’re looking for Goldie, for Slick wants to send her a message. He fires his gun at the roof and the many bar patrons immediately clear out, leaving only Goldie and her fellow employees inside the saloon. Goldie, realizing she maybe made the wrong call pissing Slick off, steps out with her arms raised.

 

Goldie: (stammers) Hey, fellas… I… I think we can work this out...

Leader: You should’ve thought of that before you crossed Slick.

 

The goons tie up Goldie and her co-workers, threatening Goldie to reveal where she hid the claim or she’ll be pumped full of lead in front of her mates.

 

Goldie: Y-y-you wouldn’t want that, Greta just cleaned the carpet!

Leader: (spins the barrel of his gun) She’s right. Wouldn’t want to ruin a nice carpet.

 

The goon drags Goldie with her, frightening both her and the others. He stops however when he hears the saloon doors swing, and he aims his gun at whoever is about to enter.

 

It’s Scrooge. He’s, to put it mildly, furious.

 

“Weaklings and cowards have ten seconds to clear out”, he snarls, and the bartender darts out past him without Scrooge or the goons stopping him.

 

Scrooge doesn’t even mind what’s happening in front of him, instead fixating his white hot rage on Goldie. We dolly zoom in on Goldie’s fearful expression as she realizes she’s made not one, but two huge mistakes today.

 

Goldie: Uh oh.

 

“Get him, boys!”, the leader shouts and the goons all rush at Scrooge, but he grabs the carpet and flips it, causing all five to tumble over and drops their weapons. Scrooge proceeds to take all of them on while Goldie and her co-workers run upstairs.

 

Scrooge dropkicks one of the goons and sends him tumbling over the bar counter. Finding himself surrounded by bottles of liquid, he grabs some of them and throws them at Scrooge, but Scrooge catches several bottles mid-air and throws some of them back - forcing the goon behind the counter to duck - while he smacks a second goon across the face with the last one.

 

While the leader scrambles for his gun two more goons jump on Scrooge, but Scrooge sees a loose piece of the floorboard and breaks it to use it as a shield. He counters one of the goons trying to tackle him and slams the floorboard on his toes, causing the goon to scream and jump around clutching his foot.

 

The goon behind the bar counter leaps out and pulls out a large knife, inviting Scrooge to come at him. Scrooge sees one of the miners left his pickaxe and he grabs it, breaking off the handle so he can use the head as a makeshift knife of his own. The two get into a fierce duel which is quickly resolved when Scrooge slides under the goon and slashes his pants, exposing the goon’s heart-clad underwear beneath. The goon tries to cover it up but that allows Scrooge to knock his lights out.

 

The leader finds his gun but Scrooge kicks the gun away and tosses the man three times his size across the room, breaking a table in the process. The leader picks up one of the broken off legs, littered with nails, and rushes at Scrooge. Scrooge locates his piece of floorboard and tosses it in front of the leader before jumping on his end of it just as the leader steps on his, causing the leader to springboard upwards, crashing head first onto the ceiling and get stuck up there.

 

The goon who had his toe crushed earlier finds the leader’s gun and aims it at Scrooge, but Goldie upstairs sees a flower pot standing on the railing and nudges it over, dropping it on the goon’s head.

 

Goldie’s amazement at Scrooge beating all five goons is quickly superseded by fear as Scrooge approaches her with the head of the pickaxe in hand. Goldie fears he’s going to use it to cut her up, but instead he cuts the ropes tying her up.

 

He reaches out his bare hand to her and gestures for her to give back the paper she stole. Goldie, quivering, reaches into her dress and hands him the claim.

 

Scrooge walks away, briefly glaring back at Goldie motioning her not to follow him. Before he leaves however one last goon appears and strikes him in the back with a chair. The chair shatters but Scrooge remains standing, making a one hundred and eighty-degree turn to glare at the goon with a mad frown and a piercing stare.

 

“I’ll… I’ll just see myself out”, the goon stammers before he runs away screaming.

 

Scrooge leaves and Goldie, now panicking, rushes into her room to grab anything she can quickly get her hands on and pack it in a suitcase. She then dashes down the stairs and past her coworkers.

 

Greta: Where're you going?!

Goldie: I can’t stay here! Not with Slick after me and that madman argonaut out there!

 

Goldie runs out, leaving Greta and her friend to realize neither Scrooge nor Goldie remembered to untie them. The goon leader meanwhile drops down from the ceiling and crashes through the floorboard.

 

(continued)

 

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