Candy is Dandy

(Opening shot: the city skyline, with the sun shining in a clear blue sky.)

Narrator: The city of Townsville! The sweetest city of them all.

(An enormous beast rears up. It has one eye, a huge mouth, and pincers for hands. It roars and begins eating the buildings; inside one of them, a man screams as the tongue pokes through the wall, throwing spit everywhere.)

(Close-up of the hotline, buzzing. Blossom answers it; her sisters are in the background. The three are in their bedroom.)

 

Blossom: Yes, Mayor?

(Cut to his office, which is shaking with the monster’s footsteps. He is at the hotline.)

 

Mayor: Powerpuff Girls, the city’s being devoured!

(The exterior of Townsville Hall, whose dome the monster is licking.)

 

Mayor: (from inside) And whatever it is, it’s very close!

(Inside the office again; a pincer pokes through the ceiling. Cut back and forth between here and the bedroom.)

 

Mayor: It’s in the office—

Blossom: What?

Mayor: Okay, now there’s a giant claw—it’s very big and it’s snapping.

Blossom: Hold tight, Mayor. We’re on our way! (They take off. We see an empty corner of the office.)

Mayor: (from o.c.) Okay, I’ll hold.

(As he speaks, the pincer lifts him into view; the phone cord snaps. Outside view of him being hauled out through a hole in the dome.)

 

Mayor: Say, I can see my house from he—oh! (A gust of wind blows his hat off; he continues sadly.) Oh, my hat.

(The girls fly toward Townsville Hall.)

 

Mayor: Hey, look, it’s the Powerpuff Girls! (away from receiver, waving) Hi, girls! I’ll talk to you later; I’m on hold.

(They hit the monster squarely in the eye, causing it to roar in anger. It begins swinging at them, still holding the now-screaming Mayor. Bubbles catches hold of that arm.)

 

Bubbles: Hold on, Mayor!

Mayor: Okay.

(She holds the arm immobile as Blossom and Buttercup dash in. The monster takes a double punch to the eye; cut to inside the Mayor’s office, looking at the doors. They open to reveal him on the other side, his arms raised in triumph and that pincer still clamped on him.)

 

Mayor: I’m alive! (Side view as he walks in and pushes the pincer to the floor.) Oh my, that was quite the predicament. (sitting at desk, facing camera) First there’s a giant monster eating the city, then I’m put on hold forever— (slamming head on desk, pounding in frustration) —and now my hat is gone!

Blossom: (from o.c.) Oh, Mayor…

Mayor: (lifting his head) Yes?

(Camera turns around to show the girls in the office. Blossom produces the Mayor’s hat from behind her back and holds it up. A choir of angels begins to sing, and a ray of sunlight strikes the hat. Close-up of the Mayor.)

 

Mayor: My hat!

(Side view of him, now on top of his desk and kneeling down at its edge. Blossom floats into view and places the hat on his head. He stands up and begins to dance.)

 

Mayor: Whoo-hoo! Look at me, huh? (His perspective of them.) Thanks to you girls, Townsville is safe. (Back to him, now seated.) And my hat is back in its proper place. How can I ever repay you for saving the day?

Blossom: No payment necessary, Mayor.

Buttercup: We were just doing our job.

Bubbles: We’re superheroes!

Mayor: Yes, but I’m the Mayor! How about a statue? Powerpuff Girls Day? (His perspective; the girls shake their heads.) Uh—no. (Back to him; he pulls out a big jar of candy and opens it.) Well, then at least take some candy.

(Extreme close-up of Blossom, about to enter goody-goody mode.)

 

Blossom: Thanks, Mayor, but the Professor says we aren’t allowed to have any—Hey!

(On the end of this line, a rattling sound is heard and the camera pulls back to show Bubbles and Buttercup each holding a piece of candy. Blossom relents and holds out her hand; the Mayor reaches into view and gives her a piece as well. Naturally, the colors match their dresses.)

 

Blossom: Well, okay. Maybe this one piece won’t hurt.

(Extreme close-up of Bubbles’ mouth as she pops the candy in. Pan across Blossom  and Buttercup as they do the same in turn, then pull back a bit and pan  the other way as they begin chewing.)

 

Girls: Mmmmmm!

(They nod to each other and try to talk, but their mouths are full. Cut to the Mayor, the jar still in front of him.)

 

Mayor: I’m glad you like it, girls. It’s from— (Close-up of Buttercup.)

Buttercup: (enraptured) Mmmmmm…

(Close-up of Blossom, who obviously shares the mood.)

 

Blossom: Ahhhhhhh…

(When her mouth opens, we can see the candy on her tongue. Cut to Bubbles, also in ecstasy.)

 

Bubbles: Ohhhhhhh…

(The candy is still on her tongue as well. Close-up of the Mayor, surprised and a little nervous.)

 

Mayor: Girls?

(We hear Bubbles giggling o.c, then see Buttercup and Blossom in turn, laughing through their mouthfuls. Finish with all three in view, laughing and slowly floating up o.c., then cut to the Mayor, looking up.)

 

Mayor: Uh…girls?

(Having floated almost all the way up to the hole the monster smashed in the dome, they descend to the floor again. The Mayor blinks in surprise as they put their heads up over the edge of the desk; they are still basking in the pleasure.)

 

Bubbles: (breathlessly) That…was…amazing.

Blossom, Buttercup: Yeah.

[Animation goof: Blossom’s mouth does not move; Bubbles’ does.]

(Close-up of the Mayor; we hear the lid of the candy jar being toyed with.)

 

Mayor: (clearing throat) Well, I’m glad you enjoyed— (He does a double take.) Huh?

(Cut back to the girls, who are about to bite down on a second helping. The Mayor’s hand shoots into view and whisks the candy out of their hands; close-up of him again, now holding the jar close as if to protect it. Cut back and forth between him and each girl who speaks.)

 

Mayor: Candy doesn’t grow on trees, you know!

Bubbles: (pleading) But—we saved the day!

Mayor: Yes, you did—once. And you were rewarded—once.

Buttercup: (eagerly) Can we have more next time we save the day?

Mayor: Well, I think that sounds fair. One piece per— (Stay on him.)

Girls: (from o.c.) Bye, Mayor! (We hear them take off.)

(Cut to his side of the desk; he looks up at the hole in the ceiling as their light trails disappear.)

 

Mayor: Oh—okay, goodbye!

(Close-up of the hotline, which—for once—is not doing much of anything. Pull back  to show the girls in the bedroom and ready to pounce on it. After a few  seconds of waiting, their expressions melt into disappointment. Camera shifts to show the entire bedroom and three very bored girls: Blossom sitting on the bed, Bubbles sleeping at the table, Buttercup lying on the floor. Dissolve to Buttercup on the bed, Blossom at the mirror, and Bubbles—now awake—still at the table. Next shot: Bubbles on the bed, Blossom at the table, Buttercup at the mirror. Dissolve to a shot of the  girls sitting on the floor around the hotline, still looking bored and sad, then to Buttercup looking out the window over the city; the hotline’s reflection is seen. Blossom watches it from the bed, and Bubbles eyes it from the floor.)

(Close-up of Bubbles and her drawing. The loops she has drawn turn into brightly colored candy balls before her eyes, and she licks her chops. Buttercup,  still looking out the window, sees the treetops turn into candy; she too licks her lips. Cut to Blossom, brushing her hair at the mirror. She  sees the reflection of her own head become a giant piece of candy; her musings are interrupted by a sudden scream from Buttercup.)

 

Buttercup: (to the hotline) RING ALREADY! (Cut to Blossom and Bubbles on the bed.)

Blossom: Forget it, Buttercup. There’s just nothing going on. No crimes, no monsters, no nothing.

Bubbles: (wistfully) I could sure use a piece of candy right about now.

Blossom: But the Mayor said— (Close-up of Buttercup, one eye screwed shut.)

Buttercup: (imitating the Mayor) Blah blah blah blah blah blah, save the day!

(Cut back to Blossom and Bubbles; Buttercup has now joined them by the bed.)

 

Blossom: In order for something to be saved— (An idea dawns on her.) —you need someone to commit a crime. (They begin thinking hard.)

(After a few seconds, Blossom’s face brightens as if a light bulb has just gone on over her head. Dissolve to a city street at night; turn down to a  back alley.)

 

Voice: (huskily) Thank you for coming. We are in need of your services.

(A close-up reveals the speaker as Blossom, clad in an overlarge trenchcoat and wearing a fedora pulled low. She is unusually tall.)

 

Blossom: (huskily) Just do what you do best.

(Bubbles pokes her head out of the coat’s midsection.)

 

Bubbles: (huskily) Then take the fall.

(Buttercup pokes out near the coat’s hem—the three have formed a totem pole.)

 

Buttercup: (even more huskily than normal) And we bust you out the next day.

(Close-up of a shadowy figure, also in fedora and trench coat. All we can see are  the eyes, narrowed in thought. The girls continue in the same husky tone.)

 

Shadowy figure: Hmmm… (Cut back to the girls.)

Blossom: We know you can’t resist this opportunity.

Bubbles: What do you say…

Buttercup: …pal?

(Extreme close-up of the shadowy figure’s eyes. An evil grin slowly forms beneath them. The shadow of two hands being shaken is seen on the alley wall, after which the figure pulls off its hat and turns down the coat collar—it is Mojo Jojo. He laughs menacingly—softly at first, then louder as the camera pulls back over the alley and the street. The girls, still in their coat and hat, take off, Mojo’s laughter echoing through the night.)

(A laser blast shatters the quiet; now it is the next day, and Mojo is flying around town with his guns blazing. The hotline goes off, and a moment later the girls appear on the scene. We see their reflections in the “windshield” of his hovercraft. They fire their eye lasers at the vessel, destroying it, and proceed to beat him senseless. Quick cut to a  jail cell; Mojo smashes into view from above, and the cell door slams shut.)

(Close-up of the Mayor at his desk. He pulls out the candy jar and tosses a piece  to each of the girls, who catch the treats in their mouths and take off. Back in the cell, Mojo is roused from sleep by a crash and a cloud of dust. When it clears, he finds himself in the girls’ shadows, looking  out through a hole in the wall, as alarms and sirens go off. He grins evilly.)

(Cut to the city skyline as Mojo comes into view, piloting his robot walker.  Again the hotline goes off, and again the girls fly in to smash his craft and throw him back into his cell. Close-up of the Mayor’s hands spreading three pieces of candy across his desk, and the girls dig in. Mojo is whisked out through a hole in the wall as more sirens sound at the jail.)

(The camera moves down through the layers of earth until he comes into view;  now he is at the controls of a tunneling machine. He breaks through the  pavement, and the girls dash in. Mojo lands in jail yet again, and the girls are given more candy.)

(We see shots of him being tossed into a cell, alternating with the following shots: Bubbles chewing on a piece, Blossom holding one between  her teeth, Buttercup holding one on her tongue. Now candy rains down while the girls frolic in the office; at the same time, we see several more shots of Mojo being jailed superimposed on the view. Fade to black.)

(Snap to the exterior of Townsville Hall, still with a hole in its dome. The girls fly in through this and into the Mayor’s office.)

 

Girls: We’re back!

Mayor: (from o.c.) Oh, hello, girls. (Close-up of him.) Well, you saved the day again. But I’m afraid I can’t give you any candy, seeing as how Mojo stole it all. (Cut to the girls.)

Blossom: Excuse me?

Bubbles: (nervously) Did you just say Mojo stole our candy? (Side view of the Mayor.)

Mayor: Yes, isn’t that silly? All that hullabaloo over a little candy.

(Bubbles jumps on the desk and into his face.)

 

Bubbles: And you just let him HAVE it?! (He cowers.) WELL?!

Mayor: Uh…I…

(He turns away only to find Blossom and Buttercup on the other side, equally angry.)

 

Blossom, Buttercup: WELL?

(Cut to behind the girls, zooming in on the Mayor as he stutters and sweats.  Finally he bursts into tears. Camera turns around to show the girls in front of the desk.)

 

Blossom: (exasperated) Just forget it. (They take off, leaving him crying.)

(Cut to the exterior of the jail; the girls fly in after a moment. There is a  crash; cut to inside a cell that now has a hole smashed in its ceiling.  The girls are inside, ready for a fight.)

 

Blossom: MOJO!

(Mojo is resting on his cot in the cell. He has one arm around the candy jar and a quietly pleased expression on his face.)

 

Mojo: Back so soon? (He pops a piece of candy into his mouth.) Ooh!

Blossom: We had a deal, Mojo!

Mojo: Don’t get me wrong. Destroying Townsville on a daily basis is a pretty good gig. (He holds up the jar and shakes it.) But to be able to take away that which gave you so much joy, to destroy your happiness— (Quick close-up of Blossom on this last word, then back to him.) —is just so much more satisfying to the soul. If only I could have seen the look on your faces when you realized.

(Back to the girls, panning across them. They are truly ready to blow their tops now.)

 

Mojo: (from o.c.) I think I can imagine.

Blossom: (low, threatening voice) You’re a bad monkey, Mojo. (Cut to him.)

Mojo: (giddy) I know!

(That's the last straw. The girls scream with rage and begin giving him the usual three-course beating. He lands at Buttercup’s feet; the camera is at floor level next to her.)

 

Buttercup: (sounding like Dirty Harry) What’s going on here? What?

Mojo: Um…

Buttercup: Huh? Oh, what? You going for something? (His eyes dart aside; pan over slightly to the candy jar.) You going for that? (Back to Mojo.)

Mojo: (moaning) No…

(Cut back and forth between the two.)

 

Buttercup: You want some more, man?

Mojo: Uh…I wasn’t…

Buttercup: You do?

Mojo: No…

Buttercup: Yeah?

Mojo: No…

(Her foot slams down in his face, and the beating resumes. When it ends, he is a groaning, battered wreck collapsed in the corner. It takes some seconds for him to form a coherent word.)

 

Mojo: Mommy…

(Close-up of Bubbles, panting, teeth clenched, ready to go again. Quick pan to Blossom, then to Buttercup. Mojo groans again, and the camera pans in reverse and shifts back to him. A tear drops from his eye. Extreme close-up of Blossom’s face; she's the first to come to her senses as she  gasps in shock and horror, and the camera pulls back to show her sisters still riled up.)

 

Blossom: What have we done?

(She sees her reflection in a shattered mirror.)

 

Blossom: Look at us. (Cut to Mojo; she continues o.c.) Look at Mojo. (Back to the girls.) This isn’t who we are. (Close-up of her.) This is crazy!

(Pan to her sisters, who are starting to understand.)

 

Bubbles: But…what about the candy?

Buttercup: Don’t you see, Bubbles?

Blossom: (from o.c.) It was the candy that did this to us. The candy made us something we’re not.

(Camera shifts to point down into the hole in the ceiling; we see the entire group.)

 

Bubbles: Poor Townsville.

Buttercup: Poor Mayor.

Blossom: (suddenly realizing something) The Mayor!

(Cut to the door of his office, the camera pointing out. We hear him crying o.c., and the girls poke their heads around the doorframe. Camera turns around to show him at his desk.)

 

Girls: (from o.c.) Mayor?

(He turns his chair around. Cut to Blossom and Buttercup, now in the office and holding up the candy jar.)

 

Buttercup: We brought your candy back! (Pan over to Bubbles, holding Mojo over her head.)

Bubbles: And Mojo too! See? (gradually losing steam) He…wasn’t…really…bad after all. It…

(Cut to the back of the Mayor’s chair, then to the girls in front of the desk, looking sad. They set the jar in front of them.)

 

Blossom: We’re sorry, Mayor.

(Long pause. The back of the chair again, the girls’ heads in view.)

 

Bubbles: We want to apologize.

(Long pause. The girls again.)

 

Blossom: Okay, you don’t have to look at us, but at least hear us out. You see, we convinced Mojo to commit crimes.

Buttercup: Then we could save the day—

Bubbles: —and get rewarded with candy.

(Pull back; now we can see the Mayor as well as the girls.)

 

Blossom: But then Mojo and the candy…got the better of us.

Buttercup: We were out of control

Bubbles: We’re sorry.

(The back of the chair again. The Mayor pokes his head around.)

 

Mayor: (voice breaking) And you yelled at me!

Girls: We’re sorry. (He turns around in his chair, crying.)

Mayor: You poor girls, caught up in all that!

Blossom: So you forgive us?

Mayor: Well, you did make a big mistake, but you realized what wrong you caused and set things right by telling the truth.

(Side view of him, pushing the candy jar across the desk to Blossom.)

 

Mayor: And for that, you deserve a reward!

(We see the girls’ faces through the jar.)

 

Blossom: Oh, Mayor, after all the trouble we caused—

Mayor: (pulling jar back) All righty, if that’s the way you feel.

Blossom: (reaching across to stop him) Maybe just one piece.

(Dissolve to the now-empty jar lying on the desk. The Mayor is similarly disposed, groaning. Pan to the girls, sprawled out on their backs and also in considerable pain. All four are clearly suffering from bad stomachaches. Continue panning over to Mojo, still in a heap and not having too much fun either. Fade to black.)

(The background for the end shot comes up.)

 

Narrator: And so once again the day is saved—

(The girls appear, still sprawled out and bloated.)

 

Narrator: —thanks to The Powerpuff Girls! Boy, what a bittersweet ending that was...