Scribbles
Director: Peter Docter
Release Date: Friday, May 15th 2020
Score: Thomas Newman
Premise: Scribbles tells the story of various illustrations that coexist in a world inhabited by the illustrations of the real world. Our main character, Tall, is a stick figure who, along with his good friend, Tanya, longs to do more than “push pencils in life.”
Cast:
Aziz Ansari: Tall
Kristen Schaal: Tanya
Patrick Warburton: Willie the Bull
Zoey Saldana: Fally Flower
Benedict Cumberbatch: Mr. Moonman
John Ratzenburger: Chatter
Character Profiles:
· Tall: An uncoordinated stick figure who believes he was meant for more than pencil-pushing.
· Tanya: Tall’s best friend and working partner. She, along with Tall, longs for a better life, but is more willing to accept the doctrines of the society they live in.
· Willie the Bull: Governer of the “Kindergartner’s Art District” of the Page, Governer Bull has all the makings of a powerful dictator who seeks a very particular kind of order.
· Mr. Moonman: A cartoon alien stuck in a flying saucer. Mr. Moonman only wants to go back to his homeplanet, but he has no idea as to where that might be.
· Fally Flower: A beautiful flower with no particular genus; she may be beautiful, but she packs a powerful punch, having the ability to fling razor leaves at her enemies.
· Kimbol: A panda assassin with a jetpack; Kimbol loves to fly. He’s ruthless and somewhat crazed.
· Chatter: A walking set of dentures who gets around by hopping about, or “chattering.” Every time chatter speaks, he has to jump in the air. Chatter loves to talk; he’s feisty and a bit of a smart-aleck, but has a noble heart.
Animation Style:
The film will utilize the Meander system, in which “a hybrid vector/raster-based drawing and animation system” will help to portray a sort of living, breathing sketchbook. A similar system was used for ‘Paperman,” but this film will introduce color to the mix. For that reason, a few notable characters, particularly our main character, Tall, will appear to the audience like a three dimensional stick figure, exuding a sense of life and movement. The environments will be rendered in the same fashion, again giving the impression to the audience that they are watching a living sketchbook so to speak.
Act I:
The film opens in “the Page,” a kingdom inhabited by colorful (and not-so-colorful) characters who go about their lives doing exactly what their drawings suggest. Any character who was drawn or pained in the real world coexists in the world of the Page. The stick figures, however, are disregarded and unappreciated, sent to work in the “Kindergarteners Art District” of the kingdom, where they work as “pencil pushers” under the supervision of Governor Willie the Bull. We learn from Willie that stick figures are “so vague and pointless,” and that no other work is suited for them. He delivers a speech to the stick figure public via hybrid microphone and ice cream cone to remind them of this. Thus, we meet our main character, Tall, a simple stick figure who, with the help of his friend, Tanya, sharpens “No. 2 Pencils.” The pencils are meant to heal injured characters by “drawing in” replacement parts for them and fixing damaged roads, bridges, and other infrastructure in the kingdom; we see this firsthand.
Tall explains to Tanya that he can’t help but feel as if he was meant for so much more than sharpening pencils, but Tanya insists that they make the best of their jobs. Suddenly, the two accidentally snap a pencil in half while sharpening it. The other stick figures panic, quickly calling in Willie the Bull to apprehend them. Tall and Tanya, having “never broken a pencil before,” are unsure as to what follows. They ask a nearby stick figure about what’ll happen next, and he replies: “Oh, a broken pencil is quite rare. They usually let you live if you were working individually.” Tall and Tanya quickly realize that they’re going to be “erased,” and so the two make a run for it. They’re eventually cornered, and Tall tries to fend Willie off with the pencil. Willie pulls out a giant permanent marker, so Tall draws a black on the ground, takes Tanya by the hand, and escapes into the unknown. Willie contacts “headquarters” and asks them to “Send in Kimbol.”
Act II:
Tanya angrily lectures Tall for his actions. She tells him that pencils “are dangerous” and reminds him that any stick figure who uses them are guilty of treason. Tall examines the pencil, which is numbered “no. 2.516.” A nearby post reveals that they’re in “Oddball’s Forest.” Tanya fearfully recounts the tales she’s heard about the forest: “No one ever gets out because there’s only a way in.” Suddenly, a walking set of teeth explains that there
is a way out; one would have to “draw an exit” with a pencil to escape. The set of teeth explains that his name is Chatter, and that he has trouble staying quiet. He says he was cast out because he “talked too much.” Tall explains that they’re on the run. A nearby flower, however, urges Chatter to ignore the stick figures. Tall approaches the flower and admires her beauty, but is unsure as to what genus of flower she is. The flower, named Fally, explains that her artist “didn’t get [her] a genus,” and so she was “cast out for being an oddball like the others.” Chatter and Fally long to see the rest of the Page for themselves and escape the forest, so Tall promises them a way out if they can help him and Tanya. Chatter explains that they must find a way to “draw an escape on the ceiling.” We learn that the forest is “just a giant box drawn up by some pre-schooler.”
Tall attempts to draw a ladder to the ceiling but finds that he can only build simple, non-dimensional shapes. The four are left wondering as to how to escape. Suddenly, a flying saucer approaches the scene, piloted by Mr. Moonman, who is “trapped inside [the] infernal ship” and simply wants “to go home” to his planet; he admits that he has no idea where it might be. Tall notices that he has flying abilities, so he promises him an escape if he flies them to the ceiling. Mr. Moonman quickly agrees, and they ready an escape. Suddenly, a small panda with a jetpack bursts into the scene from a portable hole. The panda, named Kimbol, does not speak, as he is, according to Chatter, “Governer Willie the Bull’s personal assassin!” Tall asks Chatter how he knows Kimbo, and Chatter responds that “the Panda inspects the forest every now and then to make sure that [they’re] all in line.” Kimbol attempts to grab Tanya but Fally begins to launch pedals at him, stunning the Panda. Tall attempts to draw an escape hole on the ceiling but finds that the pencil is broken. Tanya scrambles to her feet and launches Chatter into the air toward Tall, and he gnaws at the pencil, sharpening it. Tall draws the hole and Chatter escapes. Tall jumps halfway through the hole and calls to Tanya. Mr. Moonman quickly helps Tanya and Fally by having them form a human ladder, and all of them manage to escape. We see that Kimbol’s jetpack was damaged. Visibly furious, he pulls out a pencil and starts making repairs on the jetpack. We then see him draw Chatter, Fally Flower, and Mr. Moonman on his hit list, which already includes Tall and Tanya.
Act III:
The new friends find themselves in the city of “Pages,” the central hub of the entire kingdom. The skyscrapers are made up of a number of different materials, including cheese, building blocks, chocolate, and cardboard. The city is inhabited by illustrations of every kind, including animals, walking candies and other talking treats, flying boats, two-headed unicorns, and other children’s drawings. The city’s main method of travel is by rocket ships piloted by space men. This scene features a cameo by Buzz Lightyear; sharp-eyed viewers might notice him piloting a green rocket ship in the background. Mr. Moonman excitedly flies about the street and asks the space men if they know where his home is but they ignore him. Tanya explains to Tall that they can’t expect to run forever. Tall agrees, and decides to take a stand by making a speech to the public and plead for full “illustration integration.” Chatter explains that the best way to do this would be by infiltrating “City Hall” and speaking over the PA system. Mr. Moonman is unable to carry them to City Hall because one of his engines was damaged during the earlier fight, so the group makes their way on foot. Unfortunately, Governer Bull appears on a large monitor attached to one of the building block buildings. Governer Bull asks the entire public to be on the lookout for Tall, Tanya, and “their accomplices.” In a humorous scene, we learn that the group is actually in “the most populated and highly-patrolled area in the entire city.” Chatter says this as his teeth begin to chatter nervously. Tall pulls out the pencil and eraser and warns everyone to stay away because he’s “not afraid to use them,” and the citizens begin to run about the streets in mass panic. Governer Bull, who is watching over the entire scene via broadcast, puts his hoof over his face in disbelief of the city’s panic.
Tall and Tanya shrug and put their arms in the air, “panicking” like the rest of the city, all while making their way to City Hall. Chatter quickly follows the two, and Fally does her best to carry Mr. Moonman on her shoulders. The group quickly realizes that they’ll never get to City Hall in time and without being arrested without wheels, so they stop a rocket ship on the street and have Mr. Moonman scare the space man pilot by threatening to “invade the planet if [he doesn’t] surrender the space ship.” The space man jumps off in terror, and the group takes over the rocket en route to City Hall. They make it to City Hall but Tall sees someone standing in the middle of the road, Kimbol. Tanya urges Tall to stop but Tall refuses, noting that they’ve gone too far to stop the plan. Right before the impact, Kimbol pulls out a large erases and slashes the vehicle in half. The group finds itself injured and immobile. Fally’s stem and Pedals are withering as a result of the eraser, and Mr. Moonman’s helmet is cracked in half, depriving the alien of oxygen. Chatter’s jaw is badly damaged, and he is unable to speak. Tall and Tanya crawl out of the damaged ship and observe the scene in horror. Kimbol approaches to finish the job but the two stick figures stand in his path, pencil and eraser in hand. Tanya knocks Kimbol aside witht the eraser and pins him on the ground. She urges Tall to “draw a rope” for him to tie him up but Tall refuses.
In the film’s emotional climax, Tall approaches the angry Panda and tells him that art doesn’t have to be divided; it doesn’t have to be what everyone else says it is. What matters most is what the artist intended. We then dive into Kimbol’s own mind, where we learn that he was drawn by a little girl in grade school. She loved pandas and jetpacks and decided to combine the two, but she couldn’t finish the drawing because recess had ended early. We see a tear on Kimbol’s face when he realizes that he was never finished. We then see Tall put the pencil to Kimbol’s chest and complete him by drawing a large heart on it, a symbol of his love for flying. Suddenly, Governer Bull jumps in from a portable hole. He praises Kimbol for the job and says that he can’t wait to erase the group from the face of the Page. Before erasing Tall and Tanya, however, Kimbol steps in and draws a matador with his pencil. Willie is unable to resist and his animal instincts take over; he wanders off with the matador, who now has full power over him. The surrounding citizens are touched by the entire event, and collectively decide to create a new system of laws where all forms of art can exist together and in peace. As the film ends, we learn that Tall and Tanya are elected as co-governors of the “Kindergartner’s Art District.” The rest of the friends made full recoveries after “corrective pencil surgeries.” Chatter ends up becoming a talkative therapist. Fally becomes a supermodel, and Mr. Moonman decides to give up the journey back to his home planet and help lost citizens find their way home. The film ends with a quote from Leonardo Da Vinci: “The artist sees what others only catch a glimpse of.”
