Creative Notes:
Half the Length. More VFX. Went with a stronger "trailer" approach in this version.
The Great Kingdom
A young girl fights to make it home after she is trapped in a magic realm where childhoods are stolen by an evil king and no one seems to be able to hold onto memories.
Synopsis:
Short version: Grace, age 10, is trapped in a land where the King's magic rules over all. His fearsome, shape-shifting servants scour the land for children and bring them to the castle so the King can steal their childhoods to feed his magic powers. Strange creatures, both good and evil, abound in the magnificent realm, but all the inhabitants seem to have fleeting memories and isolated people can't even remember their own names if no one speaks it to them for long enough. Grace must fight her fears, make allies and unravel the mysteries of The Great Kingdom if she is to ever return home.
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Long summary -- FULL OF SPOILERS. If you like the poster image I created above, please just read the screenplay, because everything in that image is in the script somewhere. Plus, it's hard to communicate themes and other nuances through a quick summary. I welcome feedback.
GRACE is a headstrong, but at times fearful ten year-old. Her wealthy, short-tempered father has arranged for her to go to a prestigious and exclusive live-in school and the headmaster is coming to their lavish house to discuss her admission over dinner. Grace is afraid to leave for school and fearful that her father will forget about her while she's gone. She dreads the headmaster's arrival.
When the headmaster arrives, Grace flees into the nearby forest and falls into a thinly iced-over pond. When she emerges from the water, she is in a completely different land: A massive and ancient forest, in the heart of a magical kingdom, where unusual creatures live.
She becomes trapped this strange and wondrous land, where all the forest inhabitants seem to have very short memories and shape-shifting wolf men (servants of the KING) hunt all children so the King can steal their childhoods from them to feed his evil magic powers.
Grace goes on the run from the wolf men with an eleven year-old boy, BEN, who has been trapped in the land for a lengthy but unknown amount of time. He, like Grace, cannot find his way home. They also travel with his best friend, a noble DRAGON. They visit fun-loving wood sprites who aid them and give them magic to use against the wolf men. Grace and Ben have some touching moments while staying with the sprites and grow close.
Ben and Grace narrowly evade the attacking wolf men by floating down a river, but are only able to do so because the wounded dragon sacrificed himself so they could escape. Unfortunately, Grace and Ben almost go over a 200 meter waterfall shortly thereafter.
They land on a cliff ledge and find a cave. In it are drawings and writing, clues to how the magic works in this land and about how to challenge the King... It's all in Ben's own handwriting, but he doesn't remember it. He has been here much longer than he thought.
The captured Dragon is taken to the castle by the wolf men so the King can banish its soul (the only way to kill such an ancient creature).
Ben and Grace follow the cave and emerge in the sprite woods. The sprite homes were destroyed by the wolf men. Ben and Grace rally the sprites and other woodland inhabitants to take the fight to the king himself and try to save the Dragon.
Fearing they won't be able to be victorious without aid, Grace seeks the help of GIANTS from an old sprite legend, but must travel far to get to them... and she isn't even sure they exist, but is convinced she must try. She has to split with Ben, who heads with the forest army to the castle.
Grace convinces the Giants to help her, But the Giants love order and laws, so they come to see what the king has to say for his actions, before passing ultimate judgment.
Ben and his eclectic band of woodland friends assault the castle, using every bit of magic the sprites have left, and Grace shows up with the Giants for the final push to get in.
Grace and Ben charge ahead to save the Dragon in a courtyard, where he is chained. They reach him, but are found by the King and one of his wolf men.
The King uses his magic to take Grace's childhood, and she instantly becomes a young woman in her 20's. It is emotionally rough and seems to strip her of her will to fight... until the king slips up, intimidated by the towering giants who ask him to justify his actions (he was about to kill the dragon, but lies about his intentions).
Adult Grace remembers a clue about the rules of magic in the land (from Ben's cave writings) and uses that knowledge to make a challenge to the King. The Giants keep anyone from interfering and no magic is allowed during the challenge. Adult Grace and the King must battle alone to score a point on the other person's armor with swords. If Grace wins, she gets one wish granted by the King's magic. If she loses, he possesses her soul.
They fight and it doesn't look good for Grace. However, after realizing the spoiled and selfish king was just as fearful of losing as she was, Adult Grace turns the tide and wins.
Instead of using her wish for herself, she wishes for Ben to be returned home, because he has been trapped in the magic land for so long.
Ben is magically sent home in an instant. The King and the wolf men are horrified, because-
Grace's unselfish wish breaks the king's evil magic. All creatures and humans who had their childhoods stolen get them back. Families are reunited. Everyone's memories return.
The forgotten QUEEN returns to power and the King reverts... back into a child. The King's magic reverts back into a simple stone. The Queen explains that the wolf men found the powerful stone, but could not wield its magic... so they found someone who could: The Queen's child, who became King when he gave his own childhood to the stone to feed its initial power. The selfish King used his new powers to shorten everyone's memories, so they'd forget to fight his rule, but he needed more power to keep it up, so the King stole childhoods from all children in the land. The wolves constantly manipulated the King, because they wanted more power, and got it from killing ancient beasts like dragons. They were the real rulers, in a way.
The Queen vows to raise her child to be a better man when he grows up. She banishes the evil wolves to the far-off mountains.
Grace says her goodbyes to her new friends and the Queen sends her home with her magic.
Grace winds up as she left: back home and wet from falling in the pond. Her father, the headmaster and a kindly servant show up with flashlights. They've all been searching for her.
Grace and her father embrace and he carries her home in his arms, thankful that she is okay.
Years later, as an adult, Grace is an author and has written about the magic land in her new novel, but thinks she may have dreamed it up. She signs books at a bookstore and the last fan waiting hands his book over. She opens it to sign... and sees Ben's handwriting and drawings. She looks up to see Ben is an adult. They embrace, happy to have found one another again.
---
Long summary -- FULL OF SPOILERS. If you like the poster image I created above, please just read the screenplay, because everything in that image is in the script somewhere. Plus, it's hard to communicate themes and other nuances through a quick summary. I welcome feedback.
GRACE is a headstrong, but at times fearful ten year-old. Her wealthy, short-tempered father has arranged for her to go to a prestigious and exclusive live-in school and the headmaster is coming to their lavish house to discuss her admission over dinner. Grace is afraid to leave for school and fearful that her father will forget about her while she's gone. She dreads the headmaster's arrival.
When the headmaster arrives, Grace flees into the nearby forest and falls into a thinly iced-over pond. When she emerges from the water, she is in a completely different land: A massive and ancient forest, in the heart of a magical kingdom, where unusual creatures live.
She becomes trapped this strange and wondrous land, where all the forest inhabitants seem to have very short memories and shape-shifting wolf men (servants of the KING) hunt all children so the King can steal their childhoods from them to feed his evil magic powers.
Grace goes on the run from the wolf men with an eleven year-old boy, BEN, who has been trapped in the land for a lengthy but unknown amount of time. He, like Grace, cannot find his way home. They also travel with his best friend, a noble DRAGON. They visit fun-loving wood sprites who aid them and give them magic to use against the wolf men. Grace and Ben have some touching moments while staying with the sprites and grow close.
Ben and Grace narrowly evade the attacking wolf men by floating down a river, but are only able to do so because the wounded dragon sacrificed himself so they could escape. Unfortunately, Grace and Ben almost go over a 200 meter waterfall shortly thereafter.
They land on a cliff ledge and find a cave. In it are drawings and writing, clues to how the magic works in this land and about how to challenge the King... It's all in Ben's own handwriting, but he doesn't remember it. He has been here much longer than he thought.
The captured Dragon is taken to the castle by the wolf men so the King can banish its soul (the only way to kill such an ancient creature).
Ben and Grace follow the cave and emerge in the sprite woods. The sprite homes were destroyed by the wolf men. Ben and Grace rally the sprites and other woodland inhabitants to take the fight to the king himself and try to save the Dragon.
Fearing they won't be able to be victorious without aid, Grace seeks the help of GIANTS from an old sprite legend, but must travel far to get to them... and she isn't even sure they exist, but is convinced she must try. She has to split with Ben, who heads with the forest army to the castle.
Grace convinces the Giants to help her, But the Giants love order and laws, so they come to see what the king has to say for his actions, before passing ultimate judgment.
Ben and his eclectic band of woodland friends assault the castle, using every bit of magic the sprites have left, and Grace shows up with the Giants for the final push to get in.
Grace and Ben charge ahead to save the Dragon in a courtyard, where he is chained. They reach him, but are found by the King and one of his wolf men.
The King uses his magic to take Grace's childhood, and she instantly becomes a young woman in her 20's. It is emotionally rough and seems to strip her of her will to fight... until the king slips up, intimidated by the towering giants who ask him to justify his actions (he was about to kill the dragon, but lies about his intentions).
Adult Grace remembers a clue about the rules of magic in the land (from Ben's cave writings) and uses that knowledge to make a challenge to the King. The Giants keep anyone from interfering and no magic is allowed during the challenge. Adult Grace and the King must battle alone to score a point on the other person's armor with swords. If Grace wins, she gets one wish granted by the King's magic. If she loses, he possesses her soul.
They fight and it doesn't look good for Grace. However, after realizing the spoiled and selfish king was just as fearful of losing as she was, Adult Grace turns the tide and wins.
Instead of using her wish for herself, she wishes for Ben to be returned home, because he has been trapped in the magic land for so long.
Ben is magically sent home in an instant. The King and the wolf men are horrified, because-
Grace's unselfish wish breaks the king's evil magic. All creatures and humans who had their childhoods stolen get them back. Families are reunited. Everyone's memories return.
The forgotten QUEEN returns to power and the King reverts... back into a child. The King's magic reverts back into a simple stone. The Queen explains that the wolf men found the powerful stone, but could not wield its magic... so they found someone who could: The Queen's child, who became King when he gave his own childhood to the stone to feed its initial power. The selfish King used his new powers to shorten everyone's memories, so they'd forget to fight his rule, but he needed more power to keep it up, so the King stole childhoods from all children in the land. The wolves constantly manipulated the King, because they wanted more power, and got it from killing ancient beasts like dragons. They were the real rulers, in a way.
The Queen vows to raise her child to be a better man when he grows up. She banishes the evil wolves to the far-off mountains.
Grace says her goodbyes to her new friends and the Queen sends her home with her magic.
Grace winds up as she left: back home and wet from falling in the pond. Her father, the headmaster and a kindly servant show up with flashlights. They've all been searching for her.
Grace and her father embrace and he carries her home in his arms, thankful that she is okay.
Years later, as an adult, Grace is an author and has written about the magic land in her new novel, but thinks she may have dreamed it up. She signs books at a bookstore and the last fan waiting hands his book over. She opens it to sign... and sees Ben's handwriting and drawings. She looks up to see Ben is an adult. They embrace, happy to have found one another again.
Latest Work
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Trailer 3 - Shorter Trotti Trailer02/10/12
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Script 3 - T.N.'s 3rd Draft12/31/11Creative Notes:This is a more thorough and complete revision, largely based off of Justin Sloan's review. Strengthened obstacles, fleshed out some scenes and secondary characters, tightened format.
All Work
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Trailer 2 - Trotti Trailer 0101/13/12
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Script 2 - T.N.'s 2nd Draft11/30/11Creative Notes:Please download the 3rd draft!
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Trailer 1 - Animated10/31/11
Creative Notes:Script written with intention of live action movie, but could also be animated. I used my pencil drawings, Photoshop, Anime Studio Pro and Corel Video Studio. I did this all in the 8 days since I uploaded the script (and I am not an artist, so be kind). You might need to turn up the volume. Next time I'll try different compression.
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Script 1 - T.N.'s Original Draft10/23/11
Creative Notes:Please download the 3rd draft!