Balthazar
The Slug who wanted to be a Snail

STORY:

Act 1

Bubsy: Balthazar where are you going, you know your father told you not to go looking too far away from the garden… (the voice of Bubsy trailed off as Balthazar continued forward in a jungle of tall grass with a determined face and a bit of annoyance toward Bubsy, the scared aphid)

Balthazar: Eat, sleep, eat, sleep… if I listened to him I would only be looking at cabbage leaves my whole life… I want more…

We are behind Balthazar as he’s pushing through 2 big leaves and a sunbeam shines in the lens. (Cut to close up of Balthazar from the front with an expression of wonder and amazement.) Now this is a life worth living! (We hear a panting Bubsy coming from behind following Balthazar’s footsteps.)

We are behind Balthazar and Bubsy, looking down into a valley with a procession of beautiful snails making their way toward a tall flower.

Balthazar: Look at them Bubsy, aren’t they beautiful! Their shells are just so colourful. I wish I had such colours. The way they strut with such gracefulness…

A weird look on Bubsy’s face can be seen as he looks toward Balthazar, clearly unimpressed with the way the Snails are moving.

Bubsy: I think you are blind to what you are really seeing because to me they are just….

Balthazar cuts him off.

Balthazar: I want to be just like them and live a life of beauty!

Baaaaallllllthazaaaarrrrrrr… a voice can be heard from behind. Balthazar’s father is behind with his brothers. What are you doing? Looking at those snobby Snails again? How many times have I told you not to go looking for trouble? Come back to the garden and think about botanics and not beauty.

Balthazar: But dad…

Dad: There is not but in botanics… heu… well, ok there’s a but but, but that’s not the point. Come back, that is all I will say!

With a last look at the beautiful snails, Balthazar leaves with a head down to earth.
Act 2


Bubsy: Baltha, where are you?

Balthazar: Up here

Bubsy: What are you doing (whisper)

Balthazar: The farmer throws out all these nice objects and I will use one of them as a shell.

Bubsy jumps on top of the recycling bin to see Balthazar inside rummaging for some sort of shell-like object.

Bubsy: That’s trash Baltha, you think you can find something worth it?

Balthazar: (not listening to Bubsy) That’s it, look at that Bubsy, isn’t it perfect?

Bubsy: Heu…. yeah that’s something (clearly not thinking it’s nice)

Balthazar: Help me get my shell out of here so I can modify it a bit.

Bubsy jumps in the bin and the both of them struggle to push the floss casing out of the bin.

Once it hits the ground, Balthazar’s dad is there angry.

Balthazar’s dad: Again with that? I’m telling you Baltha, if you do any more shenanigans I'll expel you from the colony. Now come back to the garden with me and get something done.

Fathers voice trailing of… You know, slugs are not inventors, we eat and we eat some more that’s the perfect life for a slug.……Your great great grandfather used to eat a quarter cabbage in a day!

Balthazar, discouraged, follows his dad with Bubsy and they move through the grass.

Dolly up and we see the garden. The sun goes down on the valley and up again… a new day arrives.












Bubsy is coming towards Balthazar’s house, an old boot lying on the floor in the garden.

Bubsy: Hey Balta, I found a big cabbage that we can eat.

Balthazar: Shhhhhhh…. Keep your voice down.

Bubsy: Oh wow, what is that?

Balthazar: A secret project! Can’t you see it’s a shell? Isn’t it awesome?
(Balthazar brought back the floss casing and he’s modifying it to be used as a shell.)

Bubsy: Heu… yeah, it’s great (clearly not thinking it)

Balthazar: Help me put it on, I’m going to join the snail parade with it. Finally, I'll be free of this ugly side of the fence and move on to greener pastures.

Bubsy: What about the chores we have in the garden, we need to eat the cabbages before the farmer gets them inside.

Balthazar: Enough of that, I want this. It’s all I ever wanted, to be part of something beautiful.

Bubsy helps Balthazar put on his new shell and looks at him as he’s leaving the boot.

Bubsy: Are you really going through with this Balthazar? I mean, I'll miss you if you join the Snails. I guess that Jerome can be my new bestie but… (camera pans toward Jerome, a weird slug with the look of a simpleton, eating a rock camera pans back to Bubsy looking discouraged)

Balthazar: I’ll miss you too Bubsy, you’re a great friend and I can always come back to see you once I'm settled over there.

Bubsy see’s his friend making his way inside the grass toward the Snail colony with a sad look on his face.



Cut to singing in the grass. Balthazar comes out of the grass and observes the procession of Snails.

Speak to himself, Come on Baltha you can do this, you are beautiful and graceful.

He sprints to follow the trail of Snail that goes toward the tall flower where they live.

A snail that has a notepad in his hands is checking the line of Snails and spots Balthazar.

Thompson: Hey you, what are you doing here?

Balthazar: Who, me? (Balthazar looks right and left)

Thompson: Who else, you the malnourished slug with a bottle cap on his back.

All the other Snails turn to look at Balthazar and they all start to laugh.

Thompson: Get back to your cabbage and your disgusting group and don’t come back.

Balthazar turns away, head down as he hears laughing in the background.

Rain starts to fall and Balthazar gets back into the tall grass toward the garden.

He stops and looks up at the rain and a little smile comes back on his face.

Balthazar: At least it’s raining!



Cut to the boot where Balthazar resides and we can hear tinkering inside.

Bubsy is nearby and hears the sound so he rushes to Balthazar’s house.

Bubsy: Baltha, you’re back (A big smile on his face)

Balthazar: (not even looking at Bubsy) Yeah but not for long, I found something else to get back with the Snails.

A view of his project reveals the creation. Balthazar found a candy with a swirl shape that resembles a shell. A very nice shell.

Bubsy: It’s beautiful but won’t that thing melt if it rains.

(Balthazar is putting his new creation on his back and adjusting the straps.)

Balthazar: Yeah but I just have to keep it away from water and it will be perfect.

Bubsy: But rain is the thing you love most in the world!

Balthazar: Not anymore, I want a better life and if it’s staying away from water, then so be it.

(Balthazar starts to go back towards where the snails live and again Bubsy is left behind.)

3 days later, Balthazar is the talk of the town in the snail part of the flower garden and he’s loving it.

Have you seen his shell, it’s so nice… I wish I had the same design.

He’s so cute, you think he’ll notice me?

I hate that guy, nobody looks at me anymore.

Time passes by and rain comes and goes. We can see Balthazar under his leaf looking less and less happy with the other Snails. All they talk about is about their shells.

Bubsy jumps from branch to branch and comes to see Balthazar.

A snail not far away: Yeeeurrrrrkkk get that ugly little bug out of here Balthazar. You can’t be seen with something that horrible.

Balthazar: That’s Bubsy, my friend. He’s pretty cool.

The other snail: Who cares if he’s cool, he’s ugly.

Balthazar looks at Bubsy and tells him to go away.

Balthazar: Go away Bubsy, you’ll blow my cover!

Bubsy: But Baltha, we haven’t played together in a long time, I miss you.

Balthazar: I can’t play with you anymore Bubsy. I’m part of something else now.

Bubsy: Pffff, stay with your candy friends Balthazar the great! I’m going back to where I belong.

Bubsy leaves mad and we can see a sad look on Balthazar's face.

Time passes by and we can see how sad Balthazar is becoming.