The assignment was a pitch, but to go the extra mile I wanted to write part of a very rough draft of a script to a spiritual successor to Mr. Rogers. Author's notes in parenthesis.
--------------------- -A man enters a small, peaceful-looking house as cheery theme music plays. He sits down and stares directly at the camera- Man: Hello there. Today we're going to take a look at what's going on with the residents of our neighborhood; their hopes, fears, dreams, and what makes them all special. (target audience is young children, but intended to be meaningful to anyone else who watches as well) -He pushes a toy trolley through a tunnel, and the camera cuts to it emerging in an elaborate setpeice, the center of which is a clock tower. A blue dog puppet pops out of the clock tower, covering its eyes- Dog: -sniff, sniffle- -A tall woman approaches the dog- Woman: What's wrong, Alec? Alec: I... I said something mean to my friend! And I don't know if they'll ever forgive me! Woman: Well did you apologize? Alec: Y-yes... Woman: Sometimes that's all you can do. Alec: But... What if it doesn't work? Woman: Sometimes it just doesn't. Sometimes it takes time. Sometimes maybe the person doesn't want to be your friend. Alec: Oh no... Then what will I do? Woman: You learn from it, and look for people who really do want your company. Who like you just the way you are. Alec: Okay.. Will you still be my friend, Ms. Gudrunn? Ms. Gudrunn: -smiles- Of course. (Sometimes children need to learn about aspects of friendship that aren't 100 sunshine and rainbows, but the show needs to keep it optimistic.) -The trolley moves on to a castle, where a puppet with an animal skull for a head is sorting things- Skull Puppet: Prepare yourselves! The hurricane is coming! Survival of the fittest! -Another puppet, an owl, turns to a redheaded man leaning on the side of the castle- Owl: Excuse me Mr. Tom, what's a hurricane? Mr. Tom: Oh, uh... A hurricane. It's like... A really big storm. Owl: A storm?! Should we be worried? Mr. Tom: If it hits us, yeah. Hurricanes kill people! Owl: Oh no oh no... Why? Mr. Tom: I dunno. Nature's just like that sometimes. Owl: Oh no... What do we do? Mr. Tom: Help each other out! Don't be greedy and selfish like skullhead over there. You're better than that, Willow. Willow: Heh... Thanks, Mr. Tom. (current events: Hurricane Michael) -The trolley moves on, looping back to the house, where the man is sitting with the boy- Man: So, what did you want me to ask about, Aaron? Aaron: I saw two boys holding hands. Don't only boys and girls do that? Man: It's not really that easy. Sometimes boys like boys, sometimes girls like girls, sometimes they like both, or neither. It's a fact of life. Aaron: Really? So it's OK for people to do that? Man: Yes it is. Some people don't think so, but those people don't matter. All that matters is you being you and treating others kindly. Aaron: Okay... What if I grow up and I like boys? Man: Then that's good. Just keep being who you are. ------------------- (And that's all I could come up with; sorry if I butchered both the spirit of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and the assignment, I just really wanted to try this out!)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorYou'll find lots of fantasy, sci-fi, video games, and animation here. Especially Pokemon which is somehow all of these things. Archives
May 2019
Categories |