BAD TOONS

Written by

Jared Battaglia

EXT. SUNSET GOWER STUDIOS - ZAPP!+ HEADQUARTERS - LATE DAY

A shiny-ass tech fortress inside Sunset Gower Studios lot. Neon-lit, soul-less, and shaped like a hashtag.

INT. ZAPP!+ - CANDACE’S OFFICE - LATE DAY

CANDACE, 30s, VP Animation Strategy, sharp but tired, sits in her glass office. Glowing monitors. Silent merch prototypes.

She’s scrolling deep through ZAPP’s new acquisition list. The office door opens.

The streamer’s CEO, THAD, 50s, upbeat, Silicon Valley-smooth, waltzes in.

THAD There she is. Queen of the Animation Rebootverse. Guess what just closed.

Candace looks up.

CANDACE Tell me it’s not another animated bear franchise.

THAD Even better. Fernwood Studios.

CANDACE Fernwood...

THAD Yeah. Defunct little freak show outta Glendale. Whole IP catalog. Some of it’s moldy, some’s magic. Toon Time Funhouse, remember that?

He laughs like he doesn’t. Candace smiles softly.

CANDACE Can’t say I do.

THAD Lost Media Hunters on Reddit have been frothing about it for years. We’ll give it that ZAPP! glow-up. Sanitized, franchised, monetized.

Candace tries to hide her interest. Too late.

2.

CANDACE Sounds intriguing.

THAD Dig around. See what plays. Pull something unhinged from the vault. Let’s make some legacy gold, yeah?

CANDACE That’s what I do best.

She leans back, arms behind her head. A self-assured smile. But for a second, doubt creeps in.

THAD Right in time for Stream-Topia.

He turns to leave, jumps up, and slaps the top of the doorframe on his way out.

Candace glances back at her screen. Clicks on TOON TIME FUNHOUSE - BANNED REELS.

Slightly adult in their humor. Retro vibes. A possum slaps a nun with its tail. A girl bunny snorts powder off a cake.

Headlines: PTA protests. TV watchdog outrage. Show memory- holed.

SEES: Bootleg VHS’s on E-Bay. Lost episode rumors on Reddit and old message boards.

ZAPP LEGACY ASSET FOLDER:

FERNWOOD STUDIOS/TOON_TIME_FUNHOUSE

STATUS: “DO NOT DIGITIZE”

Her eyes narrow.

CANDACE (under her breath) What the hell kind of IP comes with a trigger warning?

She clicks. The folder lags. A ripple runs across her monitor. Cartoon laughter. Low. Warped.

CANDACE (CONT’D) Okay... that’s not normal.

The screen flashes: NEW FILE QUEUE REQUESTED: /TTF_EMO_CORE_1A

3.

She hesitates. Leans in.

INT. ZAPP! + - CONFERENCE ROOM - NEXT DAY

A pitch meeting. Polished execs in hoodies, Patagonia vests, and AllBirds sit around a conference table. Soy-latte breath.

They stare at a screen. Candace taps through a PowerPoint deck titled: “TOON TIME FUNHOUSE - REVIVAL.”

CANDACE After we acquired the Fernwood Studios catalog, I found this folder buried in the asset files. These cartoons started as bumpers on some late-night variety show. Weird, raw, totally unfiltered created by Artie Beamish.

THAD (explains to everyone) Underground comic book artist from awhile back. Huge cult following.

One Exec raises an eyebrow.

EXEC Wasn’t Fernwood known for family- friendly cartoons? Woodland creatures, that sort of thing?

CANDACE Yes. But they decided to go outside the box and spun Artie’s characters off into Toon Time Funhouse. Twelve episodes, canned after one PTA freakout. Buried in the archive labeled DO NOT DIGITIZE. So naturally I digitized them.

THAD That’s my girl.

Candace smiles.

CANDACE We take the old IP, strip it of the problematic stuff, gendered catchphrases, and anything remotely scatological.

4.

THAD Make them trend-compliant. Unveil the new show at Stream-Topia.

CANDACE Give Gen Alpha something to rally around.

SMUG EXEC Are they really old enough to rally around anything?

Candace nods.

CANDACE You’d be surprised.

On screen: a possum in khakis, a doe-eyed bunny, a mouse with anime eyes, a sewer goblin, and a wet blob.

SMUG EXEC They’re basically shapes now. Adorable, market-safe shapes.

Everyone claps like they cured cancer.

ON SCREEN: A dead-eyed 3D version of PERVIS POSSUM winks.

PERVIS POSSUM (flat) Hey there, pals! I love hugs and healthy snacks!

CANDACE They had a lot of jokes about boogers. Now? I see hype drop plushies.

THAD Make Pervis the next hot toy.

CANDACE Think, Labubu.

SMUG EXEC We want Target moms crying on TikTok when they sell out.

Candace smiles, encouragingly.

CANDACE This has holiday hysteria written all over it.

5.

Thad reads a post from his phone.

THAD Forgotten Cartoons fansub says “Pervis Possum was all cigars, sarcasm, and groin shots.”

He smiles. Suddenly, the lights flicker. A weird whining hum.

CANDACE That... wasn’t in the deck.

MONITOR SCREEN jitters violently. Freezes. A low hum vibrates the room.

SMUG EXEC Is this part of the sizzle reel?

CANDACE (concerned) No.

The hum gets louder. Then... SYSTEM ERROR: SERVER BREACH. Shakes. Rattles. Glows from within.

THAD (shrugs) Must be a compression error.

A spinning loading wheel appears. Then bursts into flames. Behind the screen, a CARTOON-STYLE portal opens.

The wall shatters. FIVE HAND-DRAWN 2D TOONS EXPLODE into the room like animated debris shot from a cannon.

The real PERVIS POSSUM lands on the conference table. Bloodied grin, crooked shades straight out of 1994.

PERVIS Hey, Hollywood! Guess who’s back from the fuckin’ server.

He removes the sunglasses, flashes his eyebrows, and folds his arms in a cheeky pose.

Think: Pete Davidson, if he got trapped in a scratchy old VHS and started chain-smoking regrets.

SMUG EXEC We can’t say that word in the reboot.

EXECS freeze. An INTERN whimpers.

6.

CANDACE What the actual —

PERVIS Yes, I know. I’m scruffy, hungover, and deeply offended by my reboot’s emotional-support possum redesign.

He points to the corporate-approved Pervis on screen.

MISS BUNNI somersaults in the air. Lands next to him in a feather boa and smeared lipstick. Puffs a joint. Femme fatale. Sounds like Cardi B X Harley Quinn.

MISS BUNNI Bet y’all thought we were too problematic to merchandise.

Hyper-curvy, hyper-sexualized, and hyper-aware. Used to sing dirty ditties between episodes. Now her songs are banned in 22 countries. Carries a mic, a purse, and a grudge.

MISS BUNNI (CONT’D) (croons at Thad) Don’t censor me, daddy.

SKREET slides in upside down, flipping everyone off with both hands. A slimy green chudlet, aka sewer goblin.

SKREET (system error voice) Family-friendly deez nuts.

Grabs his crotch. Sounds like Aziz Ansari doing slam poetry in a sewer. Fast-talking, foul-mouthed, and wildly insecure.

GIDGET GORE slinks from the shadows. Knives in both hands. Anime eyes. Species: Creepypasta-style Mouse. Role: Emo Blade Queen. Eyeliner sentient. Aubrey Plaza X Daria.

GIDGET GORE You know, I killed a Care Bear once. Spiritually.

WHOPPY aka The Bump. Species unclear. A wet, bouncing blob. No spine. No boundaries. Possibly meat? Living Gag reel. Makes a sound: WAAAMPH!

CANDACE (warning everyone) He farts ink.

Whoppy does exactly that, spraying Smug Exec in the face.

7.

Absolute chaos erupts. Tables flip. More ink shoots out everywhere. A blender turns on for no reason.

One exec runs face-first into a wall. As alarms blare!

THAD (hiding behind a chair) Okay. We can fix this. Call the agencies. We need a writer and an NDA the size of Burbank.

A voice booms.

TOON VILLAIN VOICE (O.S) You may have escaped Toon Time Funhouse crew, but you’ll never outrun the frame rate....

Everyone looks to the portal, now pulsing dark red. The Toons flee down the hall.

INT. ZAPP! HQ - CEO’S OFFICE - LATER

Candace sits slumped on the couch, at a total loss. She rubs her temples.

CANDACE I can’t believe that happened. How did that happen?

Thad paces in front of her.

THAD That wasn’t real. You probably ran the test build by accident.

ERIN, 30s, sits calmly on a red velvet armchair. PR ice queen. Bangs sharp enough to kill you. Legs crossed. Eyes like she’s already read the next two chapters.

ERIN There were some injuries but we spin it as a rendering glitch.

CANDACE A rendering glitch?

ERIN Yeah, we can say, “rendering hiccup”, if that’s more digestible.

CANDACE What happened in there was batshit.

8.

THAD Focus on deliverables.

Candace slowly nods her head.

CANDACE Guess we’ll pretend it didn’t happen?

THAD Right. A homeless guy did a number two on the hood of my Tesla last week. Had it steam-blasted. Now? Memory gone. Brand new hood. That’s how you handle things.

He gives her a calm look. Gestures to her ZAPP-branded mug on the accent table.

THAD (CONT’D) Drink your jet fuel. Forget about it. Go make something brilliant. I’ll pretend it was my idea.

EXT. LOS ANGELES - NIGHT

A glowing, hazy skyline. Smog halo over the hills.

INT. CANDACE’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Candace stress eats low-carb kettle chips, scrolling the ZAPP! streaming app on her TV.

On her laptop, she types: incident at ZAPP! headquarters. No results. She stares too long.

She shuts the laptop. On the TV menu: COMING SOON - TOON TIME FUNHOUSE. Tagline: Hug-Powered. Trauma-Free.

Pervis Possum and Miss Bunni beam from the screen. Unnaturally bright. Squeaky clean.

Candace kills the TV. Another chip. Slow. Like punishment. She sinks into the couch, half-turned away.

INT. CANDACE’S APARTMENT - LATER

Lights flicker. A strange whirring noise. Candace wakes up. Hears a toilet flush.

9.

She slowly walks over, opens the bathroom door, and finds Whoppy brushing his teeth with her facial scrub.

CANDACE You’ve got to be kidding me.

Behind her, Pervis Possum is now on her couch, remote in hand. He flips on some hardcore rap anthem.

PERVIS Nope, this is my real face.

She flips around, spots Pervis. Miss Bunni hops onto her bathroom sink, snapping selfies in her mirror.

MISS BUNNI Mama, there’s a lot of smudges on this mirror.

Candace looks around in shock. Skreet’s on the couch, chewing an incense stick.

SKREET Mmm, these are surprisingly tasty.

Gidget Gore stares at an Echo Dot on a shelf.

GIDGET GORE (whispering) Why’s it always listening?

CANDACE You can’t stay here!

She rushes over. Yanks the remote from Pervis. Music stops.

PERVIS You let us out. Now you’re hosting.

Miss Bunni points to her reboot version on screen.

MISS BUNNI You nerfed my hips, bro.

Whoppy burps a copyright notice.

GIDGET GORE I remember the server going dark. Like dying... but slower.

SKREET (blinking hard) I was supposed to be Pervis’s sidekick. (MORE)

10.

SKREET (CONT’D) Then some other guy’s doing my voice, and I’m gone for four episodes. Do you know what that does to a sewer goblin’s confidence?

Miss Bunni rolls her eyes.

MISS BUNNI He’s still on this. Not my fault the execs all fell in love with me.

Candace catches her breath.

CANDACE I need to find your creator.

PERVIS He’s dead. Thought you’d have Wikipedia’d him?

Gidget Gore touches her temples, as if she’s clairvoyant.

GIDGET GORE His son’s still out there. Max.

SKREET (grim) Barely.

MISS BUNNI Sad-boy vibes. Kinda cute.

She pops a lollipop in her mouth. Smirks.

INT. CANDACE'S APARTMENT - LATER

Candace types furiously on her laptop. The Bad Toons crowd behind her, watching.

CANDACE Max Beamish... why does that sound like a guy who’d ghost you during orientation?

She scrolls through a DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD obits gallery. A photo catches her eye. ARTIE BEAMISH, arm around a kid in the background. MAX. Wearing a faded crew shirt.

Miss Bunni leans in, chin on Candace’s shoulder.

11.

MISS BUNNI When Max was little, he’d draw me and make my boobs even even bigger. He was sweet.

Candace doesn’t react. Keeps scrolling.

CANDACE (realizing) Oh my God. CalArts. Of course.

MISS BUNNI Did you guys like... you know?

Miss Bunni makes a finger in hole gesture.

CANDACE No. He was the class ahead. Big ego. We barely interacted.

PERVIS You went to art school, then sold out to become a suit?

CANDACE Pretty much. I love grocery shopping at Erewhon too much. Sorry not sorry.

GIDGET GORE Yet, you had this hidden behind a box of coconut millet pilaf?

Gidget Gore pulls a bag of Hot Cheetos from behind her back. Candace freezes. Busted. Then exhales:

CANDACE I stress-eat them sometimes, but with chopsticks. So, I don’t get Cheeto dust on my fingers.

PERVIS I eat mine with my feet. I call it mindfulness.

Pervis rips open the bag. Does exactly that.

CANDACE Gross.

MISS BUNNI Let’s check in on Max tomorrow, see what’s up.

12.

Pervis points at the search engine results.

PERVIS His home address is right there.

GIDGET GORE Makes stalking so easy. You think, what’s even the point?

PERVIS We had to follow people manually in the ‘90s.

CANDACE Fine. I can tell Thad I’m taking a vibe reset day. He’s a really understanding boss.

Miss Bunni twirls her hair.

MISS BUNNI If Max screams when he sees us, I’m taking that as a yes.

INT. CANDACE’S CAR - (TRAVELING) - NEXT DAY

Gidget Gore blasts hyperpop on Candace’s phone. She glances up in the rearview.

CANDACE Can you not?

GIDGET GORE This is like the music they played when I bled glitter for three straight minutes in Episode 5.

CANDACE Missed that one.

GIDGET GORE Most people did.

MISS BUNNI Yet, here comes the reboot. Better wear a disguise.

She adjusts a ZAPP+ hoodie and massive sunglasses.

CANDACE That’s not a disguise.

Miss Bunni zips her hoodie halfway.

13.

MISS BUNNI Girl, you need to chill. You’re giving low-battery.

CANDACE This is me chill. I love cartoons, but randomly showing up at my place at night? No.

PERVIS Do you really love cartoons?

CANDACE Yeah. I mean, I did. It’s complicated.

Skreet unwraps stolen cheese slices and eats them.

SKREET (still chewing) I saw you earlier. Do all humans pee sitting down?

CANDACE (makes a face) What? No. And don’t watch me pee.

Whoppy sticks his head out the window, like a golden retriever. Screams at traffic. Pervis gazes through the glass, feeling bitter.

PERVIS I was on a billboard when the show came out. Now it’s all these CBD seltzers, crypto casinos, Ozempic clinics.

SKREET We’re like time-traveling embryos made in the ‘90s... except nobody asked us to hatch.

MISS BUNNI I need to make an appearance at that crystal vapor spa pop-up on Sunset.

Candace’s hands tighten on the wheel. She glances up in the rearview mirror. Skreet licks his seatbelt.

CANDACE I’m gonna get sued. Or committed. Or both. Maybe I’ll just dive into the ocean.

14.

GIDGET GORE Make sure to livestream it.

PERVIS People love a splashy ending.

INT. CANDACE’S CAR - SOON AFTER

Candace pulls up to a quiet street in Burbank. Palm trees. Faded lawn flamingos. NO SOLICITORS/EXCEPT PIZZA sign.

The Bad Toons peer out the windows like sugar-drunk toddlers at Disneyland. Wide-eyed, overstimulated, ready to commit minor crimes.

CANDACE Okay. Stay in the car. Don’t talk. Don’t move. Don’t be... you.

PERVIS You trust us too much.

She slams the door.

SKREET I like her. She feels like a locked character you have to earn.

Beat. The Bad Toons immediately start bickering, licking windows, and hot-boxing with weed they stole from Candace’s apartment.

MISS BUNNI (coughing, giggling) This weed’s gas.

EXT. MAX’S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER

Single-story. Cracked stucco. But charming. Like someone once cared. Candace walks up and knocks.

Rustling from the bushes. Skreet pops his head up. Miss Bunni pulls Gidget Gore back down by her hoodie. Whoppy chews on a hose spigot.

MISS BUNNI (whispering) Stealth mode, you dumb asses.

WHOPPY (hushed) I’m thirsty.

15.

The doors open. MAX BEAMISH, 30s, disheveled, tattooed, barefoot. Former underground animator turned nobody.

His coffee mug reads: What’s Your Excuse?

Looks like he hasn’t willingly spoken to another human in a year. And didn’t miss it.

MAX ...No.

Candace ignores that.

CANDACE Hi Max. It’s Candace. From CalArts. You told me my portfolio looked “too hopeful.”

MAX You give off that same energy.

CANDACE Anyway, I need your help. I work at ZAPP! and um, I found some old stuff of your dad’s.

She gestures behind her, painfully.

MISS BUNNI (O.S.) Tell him those brows still slap.

MAX It’s too early for this.

SLAM. Door closed. Candace stands there, blinking. Behind her, the bush rustles violently. Skreet’s tail pops out. Then, a muffled snap.

CANDACE Cool. Yeah. Great reunion.

She steps off the porch. But stops. Looks at her phone. Then back at the door. She knocks again. Louder.

CANDACE (CONT’D) Look, I didn’t come to reconnect. I made a mistake. A big one. Your dad’s cartoons are ruining my life. So open the door before the sewer goblin tries to eat my side-mirror.

A long silence.

16.

MAX (O.S.) You mean the chudlet?

CANDACE If that’s the formal word for sewer goblin. Then yes.

Pause. Door cracks open.

MAX If I say yes will you stop standing on my petunias?

Candace glances around.

CANDACE You don’t have petunias.

MAX Glad you’re paying attention.

He opens the door fully. Candace sighs, steps aside.

CANDACE Thank you.

MAX No shoes. No catchphrases. No cartoon references.

Candace motions behind her.

CANDACE Yeah... about that.

Pervis slips past, tail whapping against the doorframe.

PERVIS Nice place. Smells like failed potential.

MAX Jesus Christ. You brought the whole goddamn funhouse. (then) I need a drink.

INT. MAX'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM

Grimy, cluttered. 90% depression den. Max grabs a bottle of tequila from the fridge. No glass.

17.

CANDACE I didn’t mean to activate anything. I thought it was just metadata.

MISS BUNNI We’re so meta.

The Bad Toons make themselves at home.

MAX Of course this is happening.

CANDACE What do you mean? You knew this was going to happen?

MAX Not like this.

CANDACE I don’t understand.

Max slowly exhales. He runs a hand through his hair.

MAX My dad. He was playing with this idea of emotionally intelligent frame stacking. Using animation to simulate behavior. Not just motion. Decision-making.

CANDACE What?

MAX I thought it was a joke. But guess he pulled it off. If those things sprang out of the server.

MISS BUNNI Those things? Real nice, Max. You know I can hear you, right?

MAX It’s nothing personal.

PERVIS Are you just jealous because we were your dad’s favorites?

MAX Right up until he pulled the plug.

He crosses the room, pulls a battered binder from a cabinet.

18.

CANDACE How is this possible?

MAX He called it The Engine. Said it could break the story open.

Miss Bunni drifts over.

MISS BUNNI I haven’t seen a binder since they stuck me in the cloud.

MAX I thought my dad was losing it. Turns out, he was building them a way out.

He opens the binder. Inside: model sheets, scribbled code, and a faded label: emotive priority protocols.

PERVIS Wow, it’s like finding VHS of your own conception.

CANDACE You kept all this?

MAX I tried to forget. But forgetting doesn’t make it less real.

PERVIS Guess you’re stuck with us now.

GIDGET GORE Could be worse. I was mid-scream on loop for thirty years.

CANDACE Okay, so they’re sentient. Why now?

MISS BUNNI You opened the door, legend. That’s your lore now.

CANDACE Toon Time Funhouse ran twelve episodes. You weren’t even pop culture, barely cable.

PERVIS Tell me about. We saw ourselves as prime Happy Meal toy material.

19.

Max studies them, trying to wrap his head around it.

MAX The Engine made them smart. Weirder.

CANDACE They’re completely unstable.

MISS BUNNI Unstable? Baby, that’s the brand.

WHOPPY I poop spaghetti now!

He does exactly that. Everyone stares disgusted.

MISS BUNNI Oh gross, Whoppy!

WHOPPY Too soon?

SKREET Yeah, that won’t play well on main.

Max squints.

MAX Whoppy?

CANDACE Technically his name was “The Bump in the Night.” But got changed.

Max raises a brow.

MAX Someone thought calling him Whoppy would help?

WHOPPY (burps a moth) Rebrand fail.

Pervis checks the fridge.

PERVIS Got any vodka. Or just seltzer?

Max slumps on the couch, takes a swig of tequila.

20.

MAX My dad locked them away for a reason. Why would you let them out?

Candace exhales.

CANDACE I was just doing my job. Up until yesterday, my biggest problem at work was too many Slack notifications.

INT. MAX’S HOUSE - SOON AFTER

Candace studies the binder. The toons flop across the room like they’ve been here the whole time.

CANDACE How do we fix this, Max?

MAX I want nothing to do with this.

Pervis balances an ice pack on his head.

PERVIS You act like we asked to be made.

Skreet stands next to a lava lamp, tracking the blob like it’s telling him secrets.

SKREET It’s thinking. But not in words...

PERVIS Why don’t we just kick back and let the streamer do its reboot? Who cares?

Max shakes his head.

MAX You don’t get it. They’re going to be overwriting you. And when it runs out... that’s it.

The Bad Toons look unnerved. Pervis raises an eyebrow.

PERVIS Right when we’re about to have our comeback?

Gidget Gore stares at Max.

21.

GIDGET GORE Max, you’re gonna die one day and no one will even remember your Tamagotchi.

MAX I don’t have one.

PERVIS You and Candace need to work together and fix this.

MISS BUNNI These new versions of us have to be stopped before it’s too late.

PERVIS And Max, this could give you a newfound purpose in life.

SKREET Not like you’re doing much else.

PERVIS Plus, Candace is a real winner. She’s got what the French call “bonhomie.”

MAX That a real word or something you picked up from a self-help podcast?

Candace gets a ping on her phone.

CANDACE There’s a press event happening for Stream-Topia.

MAX Stream-Topia?

CANDACE ZAPP’s mega showcase. Our annual hype circus.

Max reluctantly turns on the TV. PR maven Erin stands at a podium on stage. Poised and confident.

ERIN At ZAPP!, we love uncovering dusty old IP and we’re ready to give Toon Time Funhouse a 21st Century glow- up in the best way.

22.

The New Versions flicker behind her.

PERVIS We look awful.

MISS BUNNI And hate to be the one to point this out, but you’re starting to glitch.

Pervis watches his hand twitch like a bad JPEG.

MAX Alright, I’ll help. I’m not gonna let this streamer erase my dad’s legacy for good.

Miss Bunni touches her heart.

MISS BUNNI So we were his favorites?

Max shrugs.

MAX Kind of.

MISS BUNNI You used to draw me with giant boobs, remember?

MAX Yeah. I was thirteen.

Gidget Gore frowns.

GIDGET GORE What were you trying to do, give her scoliosis?

MAX I just liked drawing big boobs.

MISS BUNNI Nothing wrong with that.

CANDACE We need to get inside Steam-Topia. They’re prepping today. Cloak and dagger, okay?

The Bad Toons nod.

23.

MAX You brought a possum in jorts.

CANDACE We’ll make it work.

Everyone heads out. Miss Bunni adjusts her feathered boa like a spy scarf.

EXT. OVATION HOLLYWOOD - DAY

The crew stands outside. Tourists drift by. People notice. They just don’t process.

PERVIS Why is it called Ovation?

MAX Sounds like a wellness app.

PERVIS Hollywood & Highland made more sense.

CANDACE Still smells like pee.

PERVIS What is it with all these rebrands?

MISS BUNNI At least it’s not just Max anymore.

MAX Huh?

MISS BUNNI Read about how they took out HBO from HBO Max for bit. That was bleak.

CANDACE Don’t name-drop rival streamers. We need a plan. And better disguises.

PERVIS Nah. Let’s just raw dog it.

MISS BUNNI Excuse me? We tried that before P. The results were not good.

24.

PERVIS I mean, no disguises. Just vibes. People’ll think we’re a hologram stunt for the new show.

Skreet crosses his eyes. Holds. Uncrosses.

SKREET Wait, we’re not?

Max shrugs.

MAX Might work. Everyone assumes it’s viral marketing.

CANDACE Worth a shot.

GIDGET GORE I’m gonna go raw dog that Hello Kitty X Slayer capsule collection at Hot Topic.

She licks a sharp tooth. Skips off.

CANDACE No one else can say raw dog again. Got it?

WHOPPY Raw dog. Raw dog. Raw dawwwg.

CANDACE I will put you in a tote bag.

They head in. Whoppy picks up an e-scooter and eats it whole. Burbs out a tire.

INT. HOT TOPIC - OVATION HOLLYWOOD

Lights flicker. Wall-to-wall merch. A display of newly- released ZAPP! Toon Time Funhouse tees that look nothing like the Bad Toons.

PERVIS We already got new t-shirts?

MISS BUNNI Looks like preschool propaganda.

CANDACE I don’t think this is a good idea.

25.

GIDGET GORE Spare me the helicopter energy.

Candace and Max exchange a look.

MAX Let’s see what corporate’s pushing.

The Bad Toons take it all in. Miss Bunni checks her New Versions out on a shirt.

MISS BUNNI Look at me. No hips, no nipples. And I’m smiling like a customer service avatar. Five-star me, bitch.

Pervis stares at the stitched smile of his own Squishmallow.

PERVIS Is this what death looks like?

Gidget Gore crosses her arms.

GIDGET GORE This place smells like regret and expired Fun Dip.

Candace clocks a ZAPP! promo display: STREAM-TOPIA IS COMING! LAUNCHING LIVE - TOMORROW!

CANDACE Corporate’s in full peacock mode.

MAX We need to be louder than the launch, if we want to pull this off.

PERVIS Before they wipe us out for good.

Whoppy tries on a studded collar. Nearby, an ELDER EMO COUPLE lingers. Faded band tee, Vans, mom jeans.

WOMAN (quietly, to her husband) No way.

MAN What?

26.

WOMAN That’s Pervis Possum. And one with giant lashes is Miss Bunni.

MAN Nah. They must be doing some 3D hologram promo thing, right?

WOMAN Dunno. Looks like the OG’s to me.

She pulls out her phone, zooms in. Studying. Pervis glances over, holds eye contact. Smirks.

PERVIS Yeah, it’s me. The cartoon that raised you wrong.

The couple freaks.

WOMAN Holy shit. You were my entire childhood. I watched those 12 episodes over and over. My mom hated you.

Miss Bunni smiles.

MISS BUNNI That’s how you know it was working.

The woman snaps a photo. Gidget Gore slinks over, awkwardly.

GIDGET GORE Wanna hear the sound of your internal organs aging?

WOMAN Not especially.

MAN (nope-ing away) We’re gonna go now.

They leave. Candace shakes her head.

CANDACE (to Max) So much for cloak and dagger. Now the Internet’s gonna know.

MAX Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

27.

Pervis shrugs.

PERVIS Cool. Let’s get canceled all over again.

INT. ZAPP! HQ - CEO'S OFFICE

Thad sits behind his desk, sipping a chlorophyll water. Erin storms in, holding a tablet.

THAD I think the press conference went well. Buzz is building.

On Erin, a stern expression on her face.

ERIN (flatly) Not the good kind.

THAD What do you mean?

ERIN The Toons were spotted at Hollywood & Highland, steps from our rollout.

THAD You mean Ovation?

ERIN Yeah. Still hate that name. Feels like a failed fragrance.

THAD Maybe marketing’s soft-launching an immersive pop-up? We’ve got the Hot Topic activation, right?

Erin bites her lip.

ERIN These aren’t the New Versions. They’re the originals.

Thad pales. Erin flips her tablet around.

THAD The Bad Ones?

She nods. TMZ footage plays: Whoppy swallows an e-scooter.

28.

ERIN The one that farts ink ate a scooter and burped out a fucking neon tire in front of a five-year old from Iowa.

THAD (whispers) That’s not good.

ERIN No shit. We’ve got five different departments asking if this is a guerrilla rollout. PR’s in shambles. And Legal’s pinging me like it’s a red alert.

Thad reaches for his phone. His Slack desktop pings like a pinball machine.

INSERT - THAD’S SCREEN

ZAPP! HQ - Brand Alignment Channel:

TARA (Brand Dir.): Are we supposed to lean into this?

JONAH (Social): Should I be memeing it or ignoring it?

BRAXTON (Gen Z Strategy Consultant): lowkey feels disruptive tbh

BRAXTON (again): but also highkey chaos-coded. we need to unpack.

TARA: Is that a yes or a no??

BRAXTON: (Melting face emoji)

BACK TO SCENE

THAD Why are we still paying Braxton?

ERIN Because he uses words like “brand energy” and has a cartilage piercing.

THAD Okay. We spin it. Say it’s retro cross-promotional street theater.

ERIN That thing ate a scooter, Thad.

29.

THAD Right. Less spin, more suppression.

He slaps his hand on the desk.

THAD (CONT’D) I want them tracked. Followed. Cautiously sedated, if necessary.

ERIN I’ll go wrangle the team.

She storms out. Thad sits back in his chair, panicking.

INT. MEL’S DRIVE-IN - HOLLYWOOD - DAY

The Bad Toons are wedged into a corner booth with Candace and Max, like a rogue Breakfast Club from hell.

MISS BUNNI (looking at the menu) I think my ex used to work here. Or maybe I just dated a guy who wore paper hats?

GIDGET GORE Whatever. This booth is mine now.

She carves G.G. into the edge of the table with her knife. Candace’s eyes bug.

CANDACE You can’t do that.

GIDGET GORE Oh my God, is that all you say? You’re like the Geneva Convention in sustainable denim.

MAX Why did I leave the house.

Pervis glances around. Sees someone walking a hairless cat on a leash, another person in anime cosplay.

PERVIS Honestly? The world’s gotten weirder. I feel like they’re ready for us now.

Skreet pulls a straw up his nose.

30.

SKREET We were so ahead of our time.

A WAITRESS in a retro uniform strolls over, unbothered. Tablet in hand. Chewing gum like it’s a job requirement.

WAITRESS Hey y’all. What can I get you? We’re outta meatloaf.

WHOPPY (furious) FUCK. I was gonna rub it on my face and cry.

WAITRESS That’s a new one.

CANDACE Let’s do cheeseburgers, fries, and shakes. Classic.

MAX Yeah. Easy.

CANDACE Sounds good to me.

Miss Bunni side-eyes Candace.

MISS BUNNI Thought you were Miss Healthy.

SKREET Yeah, bait-and-switched us with that “I shop at Erewhon” bit.

CANDACE Rules are different when I eat out.

Pervis sips his water, glances over at Max.

PERVIS I was your dad’s muse, you know. He called us postmodern absurdism. Whatever that means.

He smiles faintly, almost wistful.

MAX He didn’t fight for you guys. I held that against him for awhile.

31.

MISS BUNNI (touched) I didn’t know you cared, Maxie.

MAX You were all I cared about growing up. I tried to draw my own characters. Kept coming back to all of you. It was pretty pathetic.

CANDACE It’s not pathetic.

PERVIS He had to have tried. Right?

MAX Not hard enough.

Candace looks down at her drink like it holds the answers.

CANDACE Postmodern absurdism. I should’ve seen it. I should’ve pushed back when Thad said to sanitize Toon Time Funhouse. He loves pushback.

Beat. Miss Bunni leans back, sips from her water with a crazy straw and eavesdrops on a group of glossy INFLUENCER GIRLS in the adjacent booth.

INFLUENCER #1 It’s invite-only. You have to scan the QR and show your follower count.

MISS BUNNI (whispers to the table) There’s an influencer party.

CANDACE We’re not going.

MISS BUNNI We have to.

Miss Bunni lifts a finger, eavesdropping more closely.

INFLUENCER #2 (O.S.) The Stream-Topia launch team will be there. A VR garden thing on the Hollywood Rooftop at Madame Tussauds.

32.

CANDACE That’s Erin’s team. I recognize the strategy.

MAX You don’t sound like a fan.

CANDACE She’s got this way of talking to me like I’m an intern who wandered into traffic.

PERVIS Let’s infiltrate the party.

MAX This is how disasters start.

CANDACE I’d consider an intel gathering mission, but don’t cause a scene.

MISS BUNNI Cool plan. Just FYI, I wore heels.

The Waitress returns, casually drops a tray full of food.

WAITRESS Here ya go. Heart Attack Grill ain’t got nothin’ on us.

The Bad Toons dive in like wolves.

WAITRESS (CONT’D) Need napkins?

Pervis dips a fry in his milkshake. Whoppy slurps ketchup straight from the bottle.

WHOPPY Nah, we’re good.

She walks away without blinking.

EXT. MADAME TUSSAUDS - ROOFTOP GARDEN - NIGHT

Neon plants. Branded cocktails. VR headset booths. Projected avatars. An aggressively curated crowd of industry-adjacent influencers sips kombucha spritzes and pretend not to recognize each other.

33.

CANDACE (to the group, low) Remember, no scene.

PERVIS No scene. Copy that.

The Bad Toons slip inside. The Security Guard double-takes. Miss Bunni winks at him.

MISS BUNNI Hey, Officer Friendly. You friskin’, or just hoping I forgot underwear?

He freezes. Candace flashes her badge.

CANDACE I work at ZAPP in Animation. They’re with me.

Good enough. Max falls in beside her.

MAX A scene’s definitely happening tonight.

CANDACE I feel like Pervis is trying to bond with you, but you’re not showing any interest.

They weave deeper into the party, snagging drinks from a passing tray.

MAX He’s a cartoon.

CANDACE A sentient cartoon your dad created. Freud would’ve had a field day with that.

Candace takes a long sip of her lime-green drink.

MAX Pretty sure Freud didn’t do any writing on dads fathering cartoons.

She smirks, eyes cutting him up and down.

34.

CANDACE You used to strut through CalArts like you owned the place. Kind of hilarious in retrospect.

MAX Why? Because now I’m a walking cautionary tale?

CANDACE Don’t be dramatic.

MAX I work in a comic bookshop.

CANDACE So?

MAX For minimum wage.

CANDACE Your stuff had edge. Messy, emotional. I was a fan.

MAX Then quit gatekeeping. Let me work with them.

CANDACE So this isn’t about saving the Bad Toons, it’s about you getting Daddy’s magic back?

They watch the crew dart in and out of the VR booths, like proud parents. Nobody’s paying attention. Selfies rule.

MAX I do care. They’re his best work.

CANDACE If we tank the relaunch, I might convince Thad that original recipe is what fans want.

MAX I can make a better show with them. And you guiding it.

CANDACE You’re not a showrunner. But maybe we get you in the room.

35.

MAX I’ll take it.

A BLOOD-CURDLING SCREAM rips across the rooftop.

CANDACE So much for not causing a scene.

EXT. MADAME TUSSAUDS - ROOFTOP GARDEN - ENTRANCE

Erin flashes her badge at security. Stalks inside. Jaw tight, eyes scanning the crowd.

SKREET (O.S.) Hey, good lookin’. What’s your name?

ERIN Say that again and I’ll slap a harassment suit on you so fast your head’ll spin.

She glances around. No one in sight. Then looks down. Skreet grins up at her, tail twitching, twirling a finger in the air.

SKREET Spin me like a record, baby.

Erin stares, deadpan disgust.

ERIN Gross.

She boots him HARD. Skreet sails over a branded kombucha booth, disappearing into a cloud of matcha vapor.

EXT. MADAME TUSSAUDS - ROOFTOP GARDEN - VR LOUNGE

Guests scream and scatter. A VR headset flies through the air like a frisbee.

Pervis is tangled in wires, straddling a stationary bike virtual cycling. On-screen, his sexy centaur avatar aura farms through a viral dance loop.

PERVIS I thought I was the horse.

Whoppy swipes a headset from an Influencer, bites into it like a burger.

36.

WHOPPY Definitely not vegan.

INFLUENCER That thing just ate my headgear.

MISS BUNNI (to Gidget Gore) We’re being chill, right? This feels chill.

GIDGET GORE Definitely not a scene.

She pulls open her midsection like a jacket. Animated entrails slosh out.

EXT. MADAME TUSSAUDS - ROOFTOP GARDEN - BAR AREA

Candace and Max weave through the crowd, searching for the Bad Toons. Erin spots them and charges over.

ERIN Candace, tell me you didn’t bring those things here.

Candace blinks slowly.

CANDACE ‘Course not.

ERIN You’re a bad liar. We came in with a clear message. This is a family- forward reboot. No chaos. No mess.

MAX You mean no soul?

She turns, startled.

ERIN And you are?

CANDACE The original creator’s son.

Erin exhales hard, flaps her hands once like she’s drying invisible nail polish. Then looks skyward, a full body eye roll only a VP could deliver.

ERIN Of course. So this is sabotage.

37.

MAX No, it’s a rescue mission.

ERIN When Thad finds out, you’re done. Gone.

Candace gives her a flat smile. Pushes past, Max in tow.

CANDACE Guess we better make it count then.

EXT. MADAME TUSSAUDS - ROOFTOP GARDEN - PROJECTION WALL

Toon Time Funhouse REBOOT clips play across the wall.

NEW PERVIS Friendship is about being there in good times and bad.

NEW MISS BUNNI But Gidget Gore is weird.

New Gidget Gore frowns.

NEW GIDGET GORE I’m not weird. I’m unique.

In a corner, the real Gidget Gore crosses her arms. Deeply unimpressed.

GIDGET GORE I would never say that limp-ass shit.

Across the rooftop Pervis jacks into the projection tech. The footage pixelates, replaced with OG banned clips.

PERVIS Time to become a PR nightmare.

The Bad Toons spring into action.

EXT. MADAME TUSSAUDS - ROOFTOP GARDEN - VIP NOOK

VR Influencers watch the screen. On it, OG Pervis grips a shovel in his hands.

OG PERVIS Sometimes friendship means hiding the body and never speaking of it again.

38.

Their heads tilt, confused.

VR INFLUENCER Was that... satire? Or, like, real?

In the grainy VHS gaze, OG Miss Bunni holds a carrot martini, giving zero fucks.

OG MISS BUNNI Bitch, please. I was breaking fourth walls before you even had a Blockbuster card.

OTHER INFLUENCER Were cartoons always this unhinged?

Erin clocks the footage. She whips to a AV TECH.

ERIN Kill the feed. Kill it now.

EXT. MADAME TUSSAUDS - ROOFTOP GARDEN - DANCE PLATFORM

Back in real time. Miss Bunni takes over the DJ booth, cueing a mashup of old cartoon theme songs spun into EDM drops.

She grabs the mic mid-beat, riding it like she owns the decade. And honestly, she kind of does.

MISS BUNNI I’m legacy. I’m nasty. And I’m not here to be censored.

She hits a sharp hip roll, head snap, and flashes a peace sign across her eyes. Then drops the mic:

MISS BUNNI (CONT’D) (rapping) Don’t mess with the original. Built like a bomb and I’m digital. Cartoon queen, no subliminal. Took me off air, but I’m pivotal.

She fake-faints backwards, flops like a rag doll. Then springs back up like a toon reset.

MISS BUNNI (CONT’D) Bitch, I’m canon. I’m cursed. Say my name and it gets worse.

Her body glitches, frame-skipping like corrupted animation.

39.

MISS BUNNI (CONT’D) You’re the reboot? I’m the hearse. And I’m back, baby. Unrehearsed.

The crowd goes wild. Cheering. Clapping. Filming. Candace and Max watch from the sidelines. They exchange a look: not bad.

Miss Bunni drops a final move — a chaotic, glitchy dance sequence. The Influencers mimic her instantly, turning it into a viral moment.

Offstage, Erin screams into a headset.

EXT. HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME - NIGHT

Candace, Max, and the Bad Toons spill out onto Hollywood Boulevard like they just robbed a streaming service (which, in a way they did).

CANDACE That was amazing.

MAX I think we actually broke the feed.

MISS BUNNI Correction. I broke the feed. Tip your hat, icons. I accept fan art.

They pass a confused Spider-Man impersonator, a tourist couple, and a man in a knockoff Mickey suit who does a little “wait, what?” at Pervis.

PERVIS Don’t look at me like I’m public domain.

GIDGET GORE This whole place smells like broken dreams. I could eat it with a spoon.

She steals a Chucky doll from a souvenir rack.

CANDACE Okay, focus. We’ve still got one shot left tomorrow to derail the launch.

Whoppy and Skreet spot a street hot dog vendor up ahead.

WHOPPY That looks good.

40.

He licks his lips.

CANDACE You just ate.

WHOPPY So?

MAX Let me pay like a normal person, and no one eat the cart.

Max heads over and buys hot dogs. Heads turn outright. “Wait... it’s them!”, “The Bad Toons are here!” Phones come out. Tourists swarm.

Fans beg for selfies. The Bad Toons happily oblige, posing like pop stars.

Miss Bunni signs someone’s forehead in mustard. Gidget Gore spanks a man with a churro. Pervis photobombs a proposal.

CANDACE Looks like the soft launch’s officially over.

Max watches them, amused.

MAX Seem like they’re growing on you.

CANDACE Yeah. They kind of are.

INT. ZAPP! HQ - CEO'S OFFICE - LATER THAT NIGHT

Thad sits at his sleek desk. Onscreen: FaceTime with ERIN, while push notifications pop up from various news outlets:

- BAD TOONS VIRAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN HAS FANS BUZZING

- MISS BUNNI’S REBOOT DISS TRACK HITS #1 ON iTUNES

- LITTLE-KNOWN CULT TOON GOES FULL-BLOWN BLOWUP

THAD How bad is it?

ERIN Bad. I don’t know how to spin it.

41.

THAD Maybe we don’t. Maybe, we lean into the the Bad Toons version.

ERIN We promised TV-PG. Candace just lit it on fire.

Thad spins slowly in his chair.

THAD Candace?

ERIN She’s working with the dead creator’s son.

THAD That’s the last thing we need.

ERIN Say the word, I’ll handle it.

THAD Do what you need to.

She hangs up. Thad stands, crosses to his mini fridge and cracks open an OLIPOP. Sips, stressed.

MALEVOLENT VOICE (O.S.) Thad...

His eye dart.

THAD Yes?

A spinning cartoon portal appears on his monitor.

MALEVOLENT VOICE The reboot must stream in its most content-compliant form.

Thad stares, hypnotized.

THAD Right. Fully optimized for platform alignment.

MALEVOLENT VOICE The Fernwood catalog will be the crown jewel in the ZAPP! + portfolio. (MORE)

42.

MALEVOLENT VOICE (CONT’D) Long-buried IP, repackaged as an evergreen asset to feed the algorithm.

THAD Precisely. A retention driver for maximum audience capture.

MALEVOLENT VOICE Don’t screw this up, Thad.

THAD (breathless) Who are you?

MALEVOLENT VOICE Call me Penumbra.

BZZZZZAP! The name echoes around the room.

INT. MAX'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - LATE NIGHT

A YouTube video plays: “WHY BAD TOONS ARE TRENDING.”

GEN Z HOST (on screen) These toons were bad. Like Bad Toons™ bad. Originally created by underground comic artist Artie Beamish. Fernwood Studios, best known for their squeaky-clean Woodland Friends, comes along and is like, “Let’s try something different.”

Cut to Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” painting on screen.

GEN Z HOST (CONT’D) That “different” became Toon Time Funhouse featuring Artie’s characters. Fans loved it. But parents were like, “Are these people trying to sneak boobie jokes into kids’ cartoons?” 12 episodes in, the show gets pulled. Fernwood shutters. Fast forward to now: ZAPP! buys the catalog. First move? Reboot Toon Time Funhouse. But make it brand-safe. Um, okay?

The Gen Z Host glances side to side on screen, deadpan.

43.

GEN Z HOST (CONT’D) So like... what are we doing here?

Max closes the laptop.

MAX My dad wasn’t trying to tell boobie jokes to kids.

CANDACE Don’t say boobie, please.

The Bad Toons eat ice cream on the kitchen counter.

GIDGET GORE Don’t say this. Can’t do that.

Gidget Gore gouges her eyes out. New ones pop back in before anyone blinks.

MISS BUNNI I don’t care if someone calls my boobies boobies. That’s what they are.

MAX This was all before adult animation went mainstream. No one cared about Fernwood anymore. They saw Pervis as their new cash cow.

Pervis shrugs.

PERVIS Wise-cracking possum. Beats another rabbit and mouse, right?

Miss Bunni and Gidget Gore glare at him.

MISS BUNNI Watch your filthy little mouth.

Gidget Gore casually pulls a knife from the knife block.

GIDGET GORE Always thought your ears would look cute sliced into bowties.

PERVIS I’ve been redrawn before.

44.

CANDACE It’s late. I should go. Taking another vibe-reset day, if I’m not already fired. We hit the ground running tomorrow.

MAX Got a spare room. You can slum it in the Valley tonight.

PERVIS Grown-up sleepover. Pajamas optional.

Candace smiles despite herself.

CANDACE Got an extra tooth brush?

MAX Naturally.

MISS BUNNI He’s a total manwhore.

SKREET Please stay. You’ve become a mother figure to us in the last twenty- four hours.

His eyes go full Puss in Boots. Candace throws up her hands.

CANDACE Fine. I’ll crash here. We’ve gotta be up early anyway.

Lights in the kitchen flicker. Music blasts (”BAD!” by David Guetta & Showtek). A disco ball deploys from nowhere.

The Bad Toons go full-blown dance party mode. Miss Bunni seductively lip syncs the song lyrics.

WHOPPY We vibin’ now, baby!

SKREET Cue the strobe!

Gidget Gore rips open a cabinet full of glow sticks. She hurls them like grenades. Candace lets out a half-laugh, half sigh. She’s in it now.

45.

CANDACE (to Max) Why so many glow sticks?

MAX My mom used to go to raves.

CANDACE (caught off guard) When?

MAX Before the Pandemic.

Miss Bunni struts out, glitter container held high.

MISS BUNNI Glitter bomb! Glitter bomb! Set it off, set it off!

Mid-spin, she pops it — BOOM! A rain of shimmer explodes above them.

Strobe lights pulse. Miss Bunni and Gidget Gore throw it back, like it’s their final audition for a City Girls video.

Pervis hops up on the table, pants flapping, arms windmilling in an unhinged dance like a possum possessed.

INT. MAX’S LIVING ROOM - LATER

Max’s place is trashed. Glitter on the ceiling. Someone’s drawn a crude dick on his TV in dry-erase marker.

Candace sits at a laptop trying to track the ZAPP! Stream- Topia feed. Max sulks on the couch, holding a cold burrito.

PERVIS (softly sings) Why does it feel so good? So good to be bad.

The Bad Toons pace, perch, and twitch around the room.

CANDACE They’re calling Stream-Topia a “celebration of generational animation harmony.”

MISS BUNNI That’s corporate for “look what we stole and stripped of all the fun.”

46.

PERVIS I’m gonna throw up. Then I’m gonna weaponize it.

SKREET Tomorrow we show the world we’re still here. Louder and badder than ever.

WHOPPY (holding a toaster) I already packed.

GIDGET GORE We don’t just crash it. We hijack the stream. Overwrite the overwrite.

Everyone stops. That one lands.

MAX Hijack a global livestream? Do you guys even know how signal infrastructure works?

PERVIS No. But I’ve eaten a router.

CANDACE We do this right. No glitter bombs. No licking influencers.

WHOPPY (disappointed) Not even micro ones?

CANDACE Not even micro.

CUT TO:

SOCIAL MEDIA MONTAGE: OG Bad Toons fans rally. Memes start. #LetTheToonsBeBad trends.

INT. MAX’S HOUSE - HALLWAY - LATE NIGHT

Candace steps out from the bedroom in an oversized tee. Max appears in the hallway with a glass of water. They nearly collide.

MAX Hey.

47.

CANDACE Hey.

They pause. A beat of unspoken tension.

MAX Thanks for not giving up on them.

CANDACE Thanks for having an extra toothbrush.

MAX I’ve got a weighted blanket in the freezer and a VHS of Fern Gully if you need to cry.

CANDACE Okay, now you’re just flexing.

She walks off towards the spare bedroom. He watches her go.

INT. MAX’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

The house is quiet. Pervis snores in a heap of pillows. Skreet is curled under the coffee table. Miss Bunni sleeps with one eye open. Gidget Gore is probably in a cabinet.

In the laundry nook, something stirs. Whoppy sits up in a hamper. He slides quietly off his makeshift bed. His body reshapes with a little splorch.

He waddles over to the glass sliding door, drawn by the glow of moonlight.

EXT. MAX’S BACKYARD - NIGHT

Whoppy steps outside, gazing up at the starlit sky. He’s alone, finally. And then... he starts to sing a ballad.

Melody like Rainbow Connection by Kermit the Frog, if it were written at 3 AM behind a Vons just off Magnolia Blvd.

WHOPPY (soft but sincere) What the hell am I supposed to be? A blob? A blop? A wad of gum with imposter dreams?

He spins slowly, arms out like Ariel. The lawn sprinklers burst into motion around him.

48.

WHOPPY (CONT’D) No fur, no fins, no beady eyes. Just me and all my weird inside.

He bounces down the patio steps, into the side alley. Lights flicker on behind chain-link fences.

WHOPPY (CONT’D) Am I Silly Putty? Slime with teeth? A stress toy that fell underneath?

He drifts towards the sidewalk. A paper cup rolls by.

WHOPPY (CONT’D) I got no feet. And sometimes I leak when I spin around too fast.

Whoppy climbs onto a cinderblock wall. Lets the moonlight hit his goo just right.

WHOPPY (CONT’D) Was I drawn in a rush? Did Artie just sneeze and say, that’s enough?

Whoppy blinks at the moon. A cat stares at him from across the alley. He waves. The cat bolts.

WHOPPY (CONT’D) What the hell am I supposed to be?

He farts a puff of ink on accident, looks embarrassed.

WHOPPY (CONT’D) Maybe... just me.

Then shrugs and heads back inside.

EXT. MAX’S BURBANK NEIGHBORHOOD - EARLY AM

An Unmarked Van glides to a stop in front of Max’s house.

INT. UNMARKED BLACK VAN - PARKED

Erin is inside, flanked by a team that forms ZAPP!+’s Asset Retrieval Unit (ARU). All black tactical gear. Corporate- grade menace. One wears a bodycam.

ERIN Bring them in clean. No viral footage.

49.

OPERATIVE Got it, Jenkin.

ERIN Let’s clean up this mess.

They nod. Masks down. Weapons prepped. SWAT MODE: ENGAGED.

EXT. MAX’S HOUSE - SECONDS LATER

The van doors slide open. The Asset Retrieval Unit steps out. They head towards the house. Tight formation. No hesitation.

INT. MAX’S HOUSE - KITCHEN

Max sips coffee, bleary-eyed. He sees movement through the window. The Bad Toons sit at the table, pretending to eat cereal like kids in a 90s commercial.

PERVIS We totally would’ve been on a cereal box... if we’d made it past 12 episodes.

Max freezes. The world muffles for a beat. CLOSE ON MAX’S EYES. Pupils tighten. Candace walks in, half-awake.

CANDACE Hey Max, you’re out of toilet paper, is there —

MAX Get down!

CRASH! The windows explode inward. Followed by a plume of sickly green smoke.

INT. MAX’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER

SILENCE. Time slows. Candace is on the floor, curled up. Hands over her ears.

Broken glass surrounds her. A cereal bowl spins on its side. The room is hazy green. No voices. Just a dull, high-pitched ringing.

She opens her eyes. Blinks. Shadowy figures move through the smoke. SFX: SOUND SNAPS BACK TO FULL VOLUME!

MISS BUNNI (O.S.) Incoming!

50.

A toaster flies past Candace’s head, slams into an ARU helmet with a shower of sparks.

Everything erupts. The Bad Toons zigzag through the kitchen, dodging ARU operatives.

Candace scrambles to her feet. Erin grabs her, slams her hard against the wall. Elbow to her throat. Cold.

ERIN You fucked around. Now you find out.

She reaches for a tranq gun. But Max dives in, yanks Erin back with a perfect judo throw.

He squares off with another operative, blocking hits with a cutting board. Skreet’s jaw hits the floor.

SKREET Damn, Max! Didn’t know you knew karate!

Across the room, Pervis grabs a whisk.

PERVIS Let’s see any Pixar character do this.

He hurls it like a ninja star. Ting! — it ricochets off a helmet, stunning an operative.

Whoppy pops up beside him, dual-wielding metal spatulas like he’s in John Wick.

He lunges forward, flipping, slapping, and parrying with unexpected grace.

Near the counter: Gidget Gore rips the lid off a blender and hurls the frozen margarita mix like a Molotov.

It explodes against the wall, soaking Erin in red slush. She screams like Carrie at Prom.

Skreet lifts a Dutch oven over his head.

MAX Not the Le Creuset!

Skreet throws it anyway, knocking an ARU soldier out a crashed window.

Another operative grabs Skreet, starts stuffing him into a matte-black retrieval box.

51.

MISS BUNNI Don’t touch that chudlet, bitch!

She vaults from the counter, hurls a giant jar of pickles like a grenade. SMASHES a spice rack over the operative’s head. Mounts a Roomba.

MISS BUNNI (CONT’D) Later, losers.

Skreet hops onto her shoulders like it’s routine. They roar- spin out the sliding door, flipping off the ARU as they vanish into the dawn.

Candace turns to Max and the others. Erin and the operatives are groaning on the floor.

CANDACE We have to go. Now.

Before they do, Pervis turns on all the gas stove burners. He grabs a butane lighter from the counter.

MAX Pervis, we don’t have to blow up the house!

Pervis glances over his shoulder. Does a double-take.

PERVIS Oh? We don’t?

He casually puts the lighter down. They rush out after Miss Bunni and Skreet, still riding the Roomba of Freedom.

EXT. MAX’S NEIGHBORHOOD - CONTINUOUS

The garage door slams open. A hybrid SUV peels out onto the street. Bumper stickers and all. Aerosmith’s “The Other Side” blares from the speakers. Windows down.

INT. HYBRID SUV - MOVING

Max grips the wheel. Candace in shotgun. Bad Toons crammed in the backseat like hyper kids after a birthday party brawl. Max adjust the seat awkwardly.

MAX My mom always moves it forward.

Candace glances around. Floral air freshener. A hand- crocheted tissue box cozy.

52.

CANDACE Wait, you live with your mom?

MAX Yeah. She’s in Phoenix at my half- sister’s, doing grandma duty. Twins just landed.

Candace smiles.

CANDACE Congrats. You’re an uncle.

MAX Thanks.

Miss Bunni glances behind her. Sees the black van screeching out from the smoke-filled neighborhood.

MISS BUNNI Just drive! They’re coming!

Max slams the gas. The SUV lurches forward.

INT. UNMARKED BLACK VAN - DRIVING FAST

Erin at the wheel, eyes wild. Hair dripping margarita mix.

ERIN I. WILL. KILL. YOU.

She howls, almost possessed. Floors it.

INT. MAX'S MOM'S HYBRID SUV - MOVING FASTER

Pervis peers through the back windows. Eyes widen.

PERVIS Look out!

A fruit cart suddenly rolls into the street. Max swerves.

Gidget Gore flings an entire bag of frozen tater tots out the window. Blinds pursuit ZAPP! drone, knocking it into a tree.

EXT. 101 FREEWAY - DAY

Two cars merge onto the open freeway. Hybrid SUV vs. unmarked black van, weaving between commuters.

53.

GIDGET GORE Hit the gas or hit the grave!

The Bad Toons duck as a second drone swoops in.

SKREET I got this.

He pops the glovebox, pulls out a stack of old Happy Meal toys, throws them one by one.

THWACK! A toy knocks the drone off course. It spirals and slams into the van’s windshield.

The van swerves, clips the divider, and slows down, trapped behind traffic.

MAX We lost them!

Max makes a fist.

CANDACE That was weirdly effective.

MISS BUNNI I’ve never been more turned on.

WHOPPY I got dibs on next throw.

PERVIS Hollywood, baby. Where every U-turn could be your comeback.

GIDGET GORE Let’s go crash a wedding.

SKREET And eat the cake before the kiss.

They exit at the next ramp, disappearing into the Hills.

INT. UNMARKED BLACK VAN - MOMENTS LATER

Hazard lights blinking. Erin exhales, smacks the wheel.

ERIN I want a citywide ping on anything with ears and bad posture.

OPERATIVE Want us to go full ARU?

54.

ERIN I want them captured, not dead. Yet.

EXT. SCENIC OVERLOOK - RUSTIC AREA

The hybrid SUV rolls to a stop by a scenic pull-off. Feels like the desert. Widen open sky. Dry hills. Nothing around.

But they actually haven’t gone far. Just off Mulholland.

Candace steps out, shaken. Max follows. The wind blows her hair back as she puts her hands on her head.

CANDACE What do we do?

MAX Wait it out.

She paces, then stops.

CANDACE Then go full-send at Stream-Topia.

MAX I know someone that lives close by.

CANDACE Can we trust them?

MAX Yeah. I took karate with him.

She blinks.

CANDACE I guess that tracks. That chase was kind of awesome.

MAX It was.

CANDACE I’ve been so burnt-out. To the bone.

MAX Nothing like a car chase to jumpstart your batteries.

55.

INT. ZAPP! HQ - CEO'S OFFICE - DAY

A video message plays on a monitor.

ERIN (ON SCREEN) We went to retrieve the assets. There was a confrontation. They escaped. We pursued.

The audio fades under the hum of “Not An Addict” by K’s Choice, bleeding into the scene like the soundtrack of a mental spiral.

Thad’s glass office walls are taped up with shredded issues of Variety + The Hollywood Reporter, forming a manic collage.

Headlines cobbled together in jagged rows:

- ZAPP!’s Algorithm: The Final Boss of TV

- Gen Z Chose Friends Over Seinfeld

- Peak TV Is Over

- Streaming Is A Pit Of Despair Amid Contraction

- 200 M Subs, 3 Good Shows

- The New Normal Is Just Reboots and Spin-Offs

Thad, still in his ZAPP!-branded robe, stares at the mess. He hasn’t gone home. Hasn’t slept.

The robe hangs like a sacred vestment, part tech messiah, part Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs.

His wide eyes track the headlines, as if they’re whispering something only he can hear.

A knock. VANESSA, 20s, his impossibly chipper assistant, pokes her head in.

VANESSA Good morning, Thad.

He doesn’t turn. One eye flicks up. A subtle, unsettling tic.

THAD Yes?

VANESSA We need to head over to Hollywood & Highland for Stream-Topia.

56.

THAD (softly) It’s Ovation.

VANESSA (slightly thrown) Right. And about the Bad Toons thing... do you have a statement?

THAD We don’t call them that, Vanessa. The reboot is a family affair.

She nods.

VANESSA Okay.

She exits. The door clicks softly shut behind her. Thad stares at his cracked reflection in the glass.

A flicker on his monitor. The cartoon portal reappears.

PENUMBRA (O.S.) Remember, Thad...

EXT. HOLLYWOOD HILLS HOME - DAY

A boxy modernist house clings to the hillside. The hybrid SUV idles in the driveway.

CANDACE Is this a Neutra home?

MAX I don’t know. Maybe.

The front doors open. BRETT GELMAN exits from the house, in sweatpants, crocs, and a mesh tank top. Holding a katana and a sea moss gel smoothie.

CANDACE Wait, is that the guy from —

MAX Yeah.

Brett lights up as the Bad Toons spill out of the car.

BRETT (delighted) Holy shit. I thought the mushrooms were kicking back in.

57.

MAX We need a place to lie low.

BRETT I’ve got a few people hanging out by the pool. I collected phones and made them sign NDAs. (beat) Hollywood casual.

Max and Candace exchange a look.

CANDACE That should work.

INT. BRETT GELMAN’S HOLLYWOOD HILLS HOME - DAY

The front doors swings open. Inside: total freaky zen dojo energy. Ambient Tibetan throat singing plays on loop.

Massive crystal geode next to a vintage pinball machine. A taxidermy peacock wears sunglasses.

Brett leads them in.

BRETT Welcome to Casa Gelman. Shoes off.

He glides barefoot across the floor, past a bizarre shrine to himself made of TV Guide covers and custom Funko Pops.

BRETT (CONT’D) The Bad Toons. You’re trending on everything. This is turning into a movement. Do you know how long I’ve been manifesting a cultural reckoning through cartoons?

Pervis surveys the space.

PERVIS Is that a bidet in the living room?

BRETT It’s symbolic. Clean your ass. Clean your mind.

Candace starts to say something but gets distracted by a giant mood wheel on the wall. How Are You Feeling Today?

Gidget Gore notices a glass case.

58.

GIDGET GORE Why do you have a preserved frog in a Gucci tracksuit?

BRETT That’s Kevin. He taught me to let go of ego.

MAX (sotto) This is what happens when you give actors money and free time.

BRETT You’re safe here.

The Tibetan throat singing fades, swallowed by a blast of space-funk (Astro Radio Disco by FSN).

The sliding doors part like a portal, from meditative retreat into pure SoCal spectacle.

EXT. BRETT GELMAN’S HOLLYWOOD HILLS HOME - DAY

The backyard pulses. Pool glinting. Cocktails glowing.

BRETT We do this every couple weeks. It’s very multi-generational. We’ve got a boomer and some Gen X.

HENRY WINKLER rolls a spliff with SNOOP DOGG and PARKER POSEY at an umbrella table.

PARKER POSEY (hushed) It’s them.

BRETT Some elder, analog and digital adopter millennials like Lance Bass.

LANCE BASS plays lasso toss with some friends.

PERVIS Wait. What’s the millennial cut off again? AOL or MySpace?

Brett shrugs.

59.

BRETT I don’t know. N*SYNC feels early- wave millennials to me.

CANDACE Technically, some of them are called “Xennials.” They still used CD’s, but knew their way around LimeWire.

Brett makes a face.

BRETT Okay. We also have some younger, transitional digital native millennials.

ASHLEY BENSON plays badminton with TINASHE, CHORD OVERSTREET, and BELLA THORNE.

BRETT (CONT’D) And of course, our Gen Z representation with pure digital native status. Kylie is here. Don’t be obvious about it though. Ice Spice, Shawn Mendes too.

SHAWN MENDES adjusts his bucket hat. Playing bean bag corn hole with KYLIE JENNER and ICE SPICE.

BRETT (CONT’D) And one guy that still thinks he’s on Vine.

VINE GUY is vaping in a inflatable flamingo.

VINE GUY They’re gonna bring Vine back. One day. I know it.

Shawn Mendes shakes his head.

SHAWN MENDES They say that every year dude.

BRETT He’s emotionally trapped in 2014.

CANDACE Wait. So you’re just having a pool party here in the middle of the day on a weekday?

60.

BRETT Yeah, that’s what you get to do when you’re a famous actor who has appeared in iconic franchises.

MAX Hope nobody breaks out the baby oil.

BRETT Everything that happens here is consensual. And usually vegan.

CANDACE That’s oddly... comforting.

Pervis looks around.

PERVIS I could get used to this.

MISS BUNNI What even is this place?

CANDACE A fever dream with good lighting.

Brett can’t help but be a bit taken by Miss Bunni. He glances at her and Pervis.

BRETT (curious) You two... a thing?

MISS BUNNI Me and Pervis? No.

PERVIS It’s strictly platonic.

BRETT And I wanted to ask, what are you?

Brett eyes Whoppy.

WHOPPY I’m really not sure.

PERVIS None of us have a clue.

BRETT Well, you’re you. And the world’s short on that.

61.

Ice Spice overhears.

ICE SPICE If you know you know.

KYLIE (adjusting sunglasses) IYKYK.

WHOPPY Yeah... maybe.

MAX Let’s lay low till nightfall. Then we move.

They all nod.

BRETT I’ll grab onesies. You’re not gonna want to miss sound bath hour.

GIDGET GORE I’d prefer a bloodbath.

Brett gives her an uncomfortable glance.

MAX That’s just her edge-lord humor. It’s dark.

Miss Bunni checks the scene.

MISS BUNNI This is nice. I could get used to this.

REVERSE ANGLE: Henry Winkler watches from the table, mid- spliff hit. He exhales slowly. Snoop Dogg eyes him.

SNOOP You good, uncle?

HENRY WINKLER Yeah. Just... living cartoons, man. It’s a trip.

PARKER POSEY I kind of love them.

Snoop Dogg glances down, sees Henry Winkler discreetly thumbing a phone.

62.

SNOOP DOGG (suspicious) Thought Brett collected everybody’s phones.

HENRY WINKLER (quietly) I brought a backup.

Max notices him, staring at them.

MAX (low, to Candace) We need a place to talk.

Brett nods towards the back.

BRETT Woodshed’s unlocked.

Skreet glances towards the pool. Parker Posey stands by the cabana sipping something herbal-looking. Sunglasses on. Smiling faintly. She gives him the smallest nod.

SKREET (quietly freaking out) Yeah, let’s go in there. Parker Posey’s low-key checking me out. I have no idea how to handle it.

MISS BUNNI Handle it later. Heist now.

PERVIS You miss 100% of the indie icons you don’t shoot your shot with.

SKREET Yeah, but my social anxiety’s breakdancing in my skull right now.

Gidget Gore grabs his arm.

GIDGET GORE Let’s move.

INT. BACKYARD WOODSHED - SOON AFTER

The doors shut. Music gone. Just quiet. Dust particles float in a shaft of light.

63.

BRETT You’ve come to the right place. I’m a longtime member of the Animation Counter-Action Network. ACAN.

MAX But you’re not an animator.

BRETT They let me in for my pipes. I do voiceover work.

CANDACE Sounds like a... union?

BRETT Not exactly. We step in when the machine forgets who built it. We hold them accountable.

MAX So... mafia enforcers?

BRETT More like James Bond meets the Illuminati. Minus the money and power.

CANDACE I thought the whole point of the Illuminati was money and power.

BRETT I meant more like rituals. Secrecy.

CANDACE This a new thing?

BRETT ACAN’s been around since the Silent Era. When some studio boss tried to screw over an animator, or worse, we’d step in.

MONTAGE - QUICK BURSTS:

- 1920s - an ANIMATOR hides a banned cel reel into a hand- cranked camera housing, locking it with a gloved hand.

- 1940s - a trench-coated ACAN AGENT in a Green Hornet-style domino mask dangles a cigar-chomping EXEC over the glowing “H” in the original HOLLYWOODLAND sign.

64.

- 1960s - a beatnik broadcast TECHNICIAN switches a live TV feed with a hand-drawn underground short.

- 1970s - Sweaty rooftop brawl at golden hour. A mustachioed ACAN vigilante (leather boots, bellbottoms) kung-fus a shady PRODUCER near a billboard. Camera crash zooms. Lens glare. Funk guitar.

- 1980s - Two PUNKS in leather jackets swap bootleg VHS tapes in a parking lot. One labeled BANNED WARNER SHORTS - UNCUT.

- 1997 - A riotous ZINE PARTY. Collage-strewn tables. A copy- machine overheating. A zine cover reads: Let The Toons Be Bad. Someone slips a stack into a Tower Records magazine rack.

- PRESENT DAY - A shiny ZAPP! billboard on Sunset flickers. A QR Code warps into a pulsating message: LET THE TOONS BE BAD.

END MONTAGE

BACK TO —

CANDACE No offense, you live alone in the Hills and throw themed pool parties. Doesn’t exactly scream shadow syndicate.

BRETT You don’t have to scream when you know where the bodies are buried.

MAX What can ACAN actually do?

Miss Bunni’s hand blinks. Just a flicker. Everyone notices.

MAX (CONT’D) If we don’t stop the reboot. The Bad Toons disappear for good.

CANDACE Are the celebrities outside involved?

BRETT No. They know nothing. This is my one-man sleeper cell.

He opens a hidden panel behind a rack of bold fashion pieces.

65.

BRETT (CONT’D) I can help with supplies. Gear. A couple burner phones. And... something special.

He hands them an old remote with a cartoon button.

MAX What’s this?

BRETT Prototype from the early aughts.

MAX Does it do anything?

BRETT Depends who’s holding it.

A faint WHUP-WHUP-WHUP of helicopter blades in the distance. Candace gets a bad feeling.

EXT. BRETT GELMAN'S HOLLYWOOD HILLS HOME - BACKYARD

They step outside. Whoppy squints at the horizon. Pervis looks up. Whirring. Distant. Growing.

Candace’s phone pings. She checks it. Her face drops.

CANDACE Max.

He turns. She shows him the screen. TMZ: BAD TOONS SEEN IN HOLLYWOOD HILLS.

Candace slowly lifts her gaze. Henry Winkler lowers his phone. Their eyes meet. He gives a polite little nod.

CANDACE (CONT’D) (under her breath) We’re compromised.

MAX (furious whisper) Henry Winkler ratted us out?

Brett comes over.

CANDACE You said you collected everyone’s phones.

Brett narrows his gaze.

66.

BRETT (to Henry) You kept a backup?

HENRY WINKLER My wife and I have dinner plans. She wasn’t sure when her hair appointment would end.

BRETT Henry, I trusted you.

HENRY WINKLER I’m sorry. I have a first-look deal at ZAPP! Do you know how long it took me to get a first-look deal?

CANDACE The Fonz betrayed us.

MAX I don’t think he likes being called that anymore.

CANDACE He sold us out. I’ll call him whatever I want.

A helicopter swerves overhead. Pool party guests scream and scatter. Inflatable toys launch. Candace gazes upward.

The helicopter dips lower. REVEAL — Erin, balanced on the skid like she trained with a private military contractor and pledged Kappa the same semester.

CANDACE (CONT’D) (terrified) Erin...

Erin drops from a rope. She lands in a perfect Black Widow pose, head tilted up. Eyes locked onto Candace.

ERIN They’re mine.

The Bad Toons break in every direction. Erin lunges, tackling Candace into the pool. SPLASH!

MISS BUNNI This is why I don’t do water!

Candace and Erin thrash beneath the surface, rise mid-slap.

67.

CANDACE You’ll kill them! They’re actual, living beings!

ERIN You think I haven’t killed before?

Erin takes a swing. Candace ducks. VROOM, VROOM! The woodshed doors burst open.

Brett emerges, riding a tricked out go-cart with a flatbed trailer, wielding a pool skimmer like a jousting lance.

The net lands on Erin. She flails, gets tangled up fighting it. Furious and dripping.

Candace scrambles out of the pool. A hidden cellar door creaks open near the house.

BRETT Get on the cart. That tunnel leads to an old Actor Bahn-route. Hollywood Boulevard’s your exit!

The Bad Toons pile in. Max slams the pedal. Erin lurches from the water.

ERIN I will hunt you!

The cart vanishes into the tunnel. The cellar doors slam shut. Lock tight.

Brett stands alone. Smiling.

BRETT (to himself) I still got it.

EXT. HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD - DAY

The tricked-out go-cart barrels into traffic. Max white- knuckles the wheel. The Bad Toons cling to the flatbed.

Tourists gasp. Superman impersonators scatter. A guy in an Elmo suit screams. A Darth Vader loses his helmet.

CANDACE This is not subtle.

MISS BUNNI Who said we were subtle?

68.

Max can’t help but smile.

SLAM CUT TO:

EXT. HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME - DAY

ENSEMBLE SHOT: Candace, Max, and the Bad Toons strut down the boulevard, like it’s the third act of a summer blockbuster.

Tourists freeze. Someone drops a soft pretzel. A Batman Impersonator looks up.

BATMAN IMPERSONATOR Ain’t no way...

Pervis brushes by him, not breaking stride.

PERVIS Time to destroy a reboot.

He throws a wink directly at us.

MISS BUNNI Let’s take out the trash.

She snaps a high-kick into the air. Sharp. Fast. Then keeps walking like it never happened.

INT. ZAPP! + STAGE - STREAM-TOPIA REHEARSAL - DAY

A massive LED screen pulses behind a sleek stage. Piped-in applause blares as Thad struts across the floor. Smoothie in hand. His sneakers scream early adopter.

Vanessa, tablet in hand, hustles to keep up.

THAD Alright, so when I hit “re- imagining legacy IP”, that’s the cue for hologram Miss Bunni to do her little heart hands emoji thing. People will eat that up. Emotional resonance.

VANESSA Do you want to address the original assets leak?

THAD Nope. That’s being reframed as “organic fan engagement” now.

69.

He gestures to the LED wall. The new versions of our beloved toons beam in: shiny, algorithmically perfect.

THAD (CONT’D) Look at them. No lawsuits. No glitches. No... problematic catchphrases. Just synergy. Pure, monetizable synergy.

Vanessa scrolls through push alerts.

VANESSA There’s been more sightings of the originals. Now trending under #BadToons.

THAD Great. Free publicity. Let the weirdos have their fun. Once Stream- Topia hits, the New Versions become canon.

He practices his keynote smile. It’s not quite human.

THAD (CONT’D) We’re giving the world a 4K, brand- safe upgrade.

He spreads his arms, basking in his own brilliance.

VANESSA I took a pass at your closer. How about this: (then) The New ToonTime Funhouse isn’t just another reboot. It’s a love letter to deep-cut old IPs.

Thad gasps, stunned.

THAD That’s perfect.

EXT. OVATION COURTYARD - DAY

Erin storms across the courtyard, flanked by the ARU.

ERIN They’re close. I can smell it.

70.

ARU OPERATIVE The Bad Toons are more fun than the new ones. Who really cares if they say fuck?

Erin winces. Pauses.

ERIN I say fuck all the time. This isn’t about language. Our PR rollout was meticulously engineered for a clean show. This isn’t art. It’s branding.

Another operative scrolls their phone.

ARU OPERATIVE 2 Uh... bootleg merch from the old show is everywhere. Depop, Grailed, even Etsy. People are calling it Bad Tooncore. ZAPP! could pivot.

ERIN (snarls) I don’t pivot. I hate that word!

She shudders like it repulses her, then charges forward.

EXT. OVATION - HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD - DAY

A crowd buzzes behind barricades. TikTokers live-stream. Paparazzi jostle for angles.

A scrappy fan in furry ears holds a rough cardboard sign: LET THE TOONS BE BAD.

More signs go up. FREE PERVIS. MISS BUNNI TAUGHT ME TO LOVE MYSELF. STREAM-TOPIA = SNOOZE-TOPIA.

CUT TO:

A GROUP OF TEENS watching on their phones.

TEEN 1 Yo, the OG’s are in L.A.

TEEN 2 They were at Brett Gelman’s house!

TEEN 3 Did you see the Vine guy’s meltdown?

71.

FAN CAM POV: the Bad Toons walking coolly down the Walk of Fame earlier. The crowd cheers. Buzz builds.

INT. HOLLYWOOD GIFT SHOP - LATE DAY

Tourist junk everywhere. Hollyweed tees. Celebrity Air in can. James Dean lighters. Nude tarot decks. Max leads the group inside.

MAX Brett said this place is a trusted ally of the Collective.

SKREET Hope they got snacks.

Candace eyes a Keep It Real Like Keanu mug.

CANDACE Keanu wouldn’t be caught dead in here.

PERVIS That’s why he’s still alive.

The SHOPKEEPER, a middle-aged man with bleached hair and a neck tattoo, gives them a clandestine nod. Max returns it.

SHOPKEEPER I’m not here. You don’t see me.

MISS BUNNI Right back at ya.

They head to the back. The Shopkeeper flips a Restocking - Employees Only sign on the door.

INT. HOLLYWOOD GIFT SHOP - BACK ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

The team crams into a dim storeroom. Max drops his dad’s old binder on a crate.

MAX The New Versions feed on data. Every view of the reboot accelerates your erasure.

PERVIS Would’ve been nice if your pops had planned for something like this.

72.

MAX Not everything ages well.

GIDGET GORE No kidding...

Gidget Gore stares blankly at a cracked hand mirror. In the reflection: a hunchbacked, Cronenberg-esque body horror version of herself.

CANDACE So, how do we cut the feed?

Miss Bunni leans on a fake Oscar statue.

MISS BUNNI Hijack the signal. Melt some brains.

PERVIS Utility hub under the stage. Bet that’s the artery.

Skreet grabs a marker, starts sketching on a Honk If You Love LA sign.

MAX We don’t hack everything. Just enough to trigger a full-blown spectacle.

CANDACE Go viral. Force them to choose.

MAX If we’re doing this. We go all in.

CAMERA BEGINS A 360-DEGREE ROTATION around the group as they lock in, battle-brainstorming.

CANDACE All right, assignments.

MAX I’ll hit the control suite. I know how to upload the reels without triggering the firewall.

CANDACE I’ll run interference inside the crowd. Keep Erin’s eyes off you.

PERVIS I go underground with Skreet.

73.

SKREET Chudlets thrive in subterranean spaces.

Whoppy lifts an entire stack of wigs and eats them.

WHOPPY What’s my part?

MAX Distraction. Dance, fart ink. Whatever comes naturally.

WHOPPY On it!

He lets out a honk-fart, does a deranged jazz square, then sprays confetti-ink from his armpits like an octopus. The table rattles.

Everyone just... stares.

CANDACE Guess we’re live.

GIDGET GORE I can scare people and say fucked up things.

PERVIS That’s what you always do.

GIDGET GORE I have to play it up. I’m terrified of being “unmarketable” in the new corporate climate.

CANDACE Let’s burn the place down. Metaphorically. Unless it doesn’t work.

They all look at Gidget Gore.

GIDGET GORE No promises.

INT. CONTENT CREATOR SET - DAY (PRE-LAUNCH)

A white-box Airbnb. Four INFLUENCERS read from a teleprompter, while sipping from ZAPP!-branded thermoses.

74.

INFLUENCER #1 (serious) This isn’t censorship, it’s accountability. The old toons were messy and in some cases emotionally violent.

INFLUENCER #2 The new versions are more than a reboot. They’re a reflection of who we can become. Together.

INFLUENCER #3 Being a toon doesn’t give you a pass to be problematic. If you’re defending the Bad Toons... maybe ask yourself why.

INFLUENCER #4 Bottom line? The Bad Toons are cruelty disguised as fun.

The crowd nods along. Off-camera, Erin seems satisfied.

INT. STEAM-TOPIA CONTROL SUITE - OVATION - LATE DAY

A countdown blinks across a massive screen. STREAM-TOPIA GOING LIVE IN: 00:11:39

Thad paces in the glass-walled room, sipping a gut flora smoothie. Vanessa scrolls a tablet.

VANESSA Stream’s soft-launching in select markets. TikTok integration’s clean. Emoji feed’s climbing.

THAD Good. Let them feel the drip... before the deluge.

He pauses at a wall-sized display looping silent avatars of the New Versions behind branded overlays.

VANESSA My Sweetgreen’s here. Back in five

She exits. Screen flickers. Then distorts. A spiral pulses behind the avatars. A voice crawls through the speakers.

PENUMBRA (O.S.) Remember Thad...

75.

Thad winces. Shakes it off.

THAD But people like the Bad Toons. Miss Bunni’s got a song. It’s number one on iTunes. That’s the kind of multiplatform storytelling vertical we could lean into.

PENUMBRA (O.S.) You want songs, Thad?

The screen rips open. Penumbra leaps out. Vapor, shadows.

PENUMBRA (CONT’D) I’ve got a villain song I could sing for you.

THAD You don’t have to.

Thad smiles tight. Eyes scream “please don’t.” Penumbra sings anyway, stalking around like a Disney Renaissance bad guy.

PENUMBRA (sings) I crept out from the shadows. Buried in the bonus reels. They shelved me with the bloopers. But I’m the truth behind the screen. The glitch, the ghost. The scene between. So click or flick. (voice rising) ‘Cause now... I gotta bone to pick.

THAD (singing, nervous harmony) Can’t we meet in the middle? Some compromise to make?

Penumbra snaps, circling him.

PENUMBRA There’s no middle. No handshake deal. No focus group can make me heal. The reckoning’s here. And I’m gonna make it quick. ‘Cause I gotta bone to pick.

Erin appears in the doorway. Watches for a beat.

ERIN Who are you talking to?

76.

“Gotta Bone To Pick” abruptly ends. Penumbra disappears. Startled, Thad snaps out of it.

THAD Just... rehearsing.

ERIN I didn’t know we were going to have a musical number.

THAD We’re not. Just Billie.

Erin gives Thad a blank stare, re-evaluating her life.

EXT. HOLLYWOOD GIFT SHOP - ROOFTOP - LATE DAY

Orange sky. Helicopters in the distance. The city pulses below with the build-up to Stream-Topia.

CUT TO:

BAD TOONS TRAINING SEQUENCE

- Miss Bunni paints war streaks on her cheeks with lip gloss.

- Pervis hurls Hollywood snow globes like ninja stars. Glass shattering against a water tank in slow-mo.

- Skreet karate chops a mannequin in a sequined Marilyn Monroe apron.

- Whoppy shadowboxes with a cracked clapperboard.

- Gidget Gore perfects her death glare in a broken compact mirror.

Candace stands at the edge of the rooftop. Max next to her.

MAX You sure about this? You could lose your job.

CANDACE I probably already have.

MAX They’re not your responsibility.

The duo glances over at the Bad Toons, prepping like an Ocean’s Eleven crew.

77.

CANDACE I know. But I can’t let them be erased. Not now that I know they’re alive.

MAX Most people wouldn’t care. Why do you?

CANDACE Animation the first language we learn. Before books. Before school. You read a cartoon’s face. You know what’s funny. What’s scary. What matters.

MAX Never thought about it like that.

CANDACE For the first time in awhile, I feel like I’m doing something real. I’ve spent five years repackaging old shows like Bearsy Boo. One hundred and thirty episodes. Who was that for?

MAX Investors.

CANDACE Exactly. Animation should still take risks. Be weird. Belong to whoever’s watching now.

Max observes the Bad Toons train like warriors.

MAX It was hard watching my dad quit after the show ended. Twelve episode and he was proud, like that was enough. Then he got sick. And it was over.

Candace studies him, caught off guard by the honesty.

CANDACE Maybe this time will be different.

Pervis salutes with a kazoo. The crew assembles.

MAX Guess we’re really doing it.

78.

CANDACE Looks that way.

EXT. HOLLYWOOD BLVD - MOMENTS LATER

A Star Tours bus idles at the curb. Tourists climb aboard. The Bad Toons rush out of the alley. Whoppy honks a horn.

Candace and Max sprint after them, leaping onboard. The tour bus peels out, swerving into traffic.

INT. OVATION COURTYARD - NIGHT

Candace, Max, and the Bad Toons slink in. Badly disguised in a chaotic medley of gift shop kitsch. Oversized sunglasses, novelty hats, and a foam finger that says #1 Fan.

CANDACE Are you sure this will work?

MAX If anyone asks we’re just part of the TikTok activation.

CRASH ZOOM ON ERIN - sharp-eyed, scanning the crowd. She freezes when she spots something off.

CANDACE Time to go steal a livestream.

PERVIS Let’s split up gang.

Max peels away from the group and heads towards a stairwell marked AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

Pervis and Skreet find a door behind a photo booth and descend into the utility tunnel.

Candace blends into the crowd, badge around her neck. Her eyes scan for Erin.

WHOPPY How’s this for a distraction?

Whoppy suddenly starts beatboxing involuntarily. His body convulsing. Then, without warning, he collapses in a flawless breakdance, stealing the crowd’s attention away.

Phones whip out. People cheer. Security pauses.

79.

WHOPPY (CONT’D) Doing it for the plot.

Gidget Gore glances up at a LIVESTREAMER.

GIDGET GORE Did you know your phone’s watching you cry at night?

LIVESTREAMER (struck cold) What?

EMCEE (V.O.) Welcome to Stream-Topia! Don’t forget to tag us or we’ll pretend you don’t exist.

INT. MAIN STAGE - STREAM-TOPIA NIGHT

Packed house. Thad steps up to the mic in a silver blazer.

THAD Good evening, stream freaks and content kings. Tonight we launch the next evolution in entertainment. A universe of characters built not from impulse... but from code. (then) Now please welcome our host, Charli D’Amelio!

Applause erupts. CHARLI D’AMELIO steps onstage, beaming. She waves to the crowd. Takes the mic.

CHARLI D’AMELIO Hi everyone! I’m SO excited to host the Stream-Topia Showcase. We’ve got exclusive reveals, interactive experiences, and drumroll please, your first look at the New Toon Time Funhouse! (then) I wasn’t born yet when the original aired. But I’m still excited, because everyone loves a good reboot, right? Let’s get this party started!

80.

INT. ZAPP! STREAM-TOPIA SHOWCASE - DAY

A group of influencer-dancers break into a coordinated shuffle, mimicking a classic cartoon walk cycle.

A digital MrBeast floats above the audience.

DIGITAL MR BEAST I liked. You liked. We followed. But did we see each other?

Dancers in hazmats suits emerge from a haze of dried ice.

A CHILDREN’S CHOIR stands still on the risers. They sing a haunted acapella medley: We laugh, we share, we clap, and like. The algorithm knows our names. And tells us what to do.

Below them, PERFORMERS in branded jackets slowly unbox merch on cue. Brand-safe Toon Time masks, which they put on.

TWO ASSISTANTS in white gloves open matching crates. They lift out a LIVE POSSUM and a LIVE RABBIT. The crowd applauds.

INT. BACK OF HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER

Max pulls up a hoodie over his I Heart LA tee. Glances back.

MAX (into earpiece) Moving now.

INT. STREAM-TOPIA CONTROL SUITE - NIGHT

Max breaks into the glass-walled room buzzing with servers. A lone TECH is at the terminal. Max doesn’t break stride.

MAX ZAPP! just ordered pizza for the whole crew. Downstairs.

The tech perks up, grabs their phone. Bolts.

MAX (CONT’D) That was easy.

Max shuts the door, pulls out a thumb drive: Dad’s Cut.

MAX (CONT’D) Showtime.

81.

INT. VIP CHECK-IN - NIGHT

Candace flashes a ZAPP! press badge. A staffer barely looks.

STAFFER Influencer or activation?

CANDACE Both.

She glides in like she belongs, scanning for Erin.

EXT. STAGE AREA - COURTYARD - NIGHT

Miss Bunni joins mascots prepping for a dance sequence.

MISS BUNNI Y’all better not expect me to pop it without a check.

INT. NEAR REFRESHMENTS AREA - NIGHT

Whoppy twerks in front of a ring light and a confused TikTok couple. He farts out a cloud of glitter smoke.

WHOPPY That’s called brand engagement!

The couple cheers. Unsure why, but film anyway.

WHOPPY (CONT’D) Bad Toons? We’re built different.

INT. UNDERGROUND UTILITY TUNNEL - NIGHT

Pervis and Skreet crawl under a gate. Dripping pipes. Cables.

PERVIS Looks like a murder hallway.

SKREET How you know it’s important.

They reach a panel labeled FUSE HUB. Skreet cracks it open.

INT. UTILITY HUB - UNDERGROUND