The Platypus picks up the Oraculum, struggling to carry the
ungainly rolls with his underdeveloped wings. As he waddles
away, he’s snatched up by a Knight. The Oraculum falls to the
ground as he is thrown into a wagon. Ilosovic Stayn sees the
parchment roll on the ground. He picks it up curiously, looks
through, and sees something that alarms him. He tucks it into
his saddlebag, leaps astride his panther and rides of f.
EXT. THE GARDEN PATH – CONT.
Running down the path, Alice trips over her skirt. She ties it
up and keeps running. She looks back to see the Bandersnatch
thundering after her. Suddenly, she stops.
ALICE
Wait. This is a dream.
She turns around to face the Bandersnatch. It comes closer.
She doesn’t move. The Dormouse watches from nearby.
THE DORMOUSE
What is she doing?
(to Alice)
Run!
ALICE
This is a dream. It can’t hurt me.
The Bandersnatch towers over her. It leans its smashed muzzle
down. She recoils from its hot fetid breath. Trembling, heart
pounding, she holds her ground.
ALICE (cont.)
Can’t hurt me.. .can’t hurt me.
The Dormouse leaps onto the Eandersnatch and pulls herself up,
hand-over-hand to its shoulder. The Bandersnatch opens its
mouth to eat Alice. Thick viscous drool drips down on her.
THE DORMOUSE
AHHH!
The Dormouse drives her hatpin into its eye. It bellows. The
Dormouse attempt to pull the hatpin out, but the whole eye
pops out. Bandersnatch howls and whips around raking Alice’s
arm with its long claws. She gasps. The pain shocks her into
action. She runs.
EXT. THE CROSSLING – DAY
Alice runs down the path, but it diverges in opposite
directions. A road sign points south to “SNUD” and east to
“QUEAST”. Tweedledum leaps out from the bushes.26
TWEEDLEDUM
This way!
He grabs her arm and pulls her down one path.
She cries out from the wound on her arm.
ALICE
My arm!
But she’s pulled back the other way.
TWEEDLEDEE
No, this way!
They pull her back and forth between them.
TWEEDLEDUM
She should go yadder to Queast.
TWEEDLEDEE
Contrariwise, she’ll be safer
in Snud.
TWEEDLEDUM
Queast!
TWEEDLEDEE
Snud!
From the sky, there’s an ear-slitting SCREECH and the enormous
JUBJUB BIRD lands in front of them. The JUBJUB is part monkey-
eating eagle and part ostrich. The Tweedles wave their chubby
arms to distract it from Alice.
TWEEDLEDEE
Over here!
TWEEDLEDUN
Contrariwise, over here!
The JubJub snatches them both up and takes flight.
EXT. FLYING WITH THE JUBJUB BIRD
WE STAY with the Jubjub bird as it flies over the barren red
earth of Crims with its wriggling prey in its claws. It
approaches Salazen Grum and the castle of the Red Queen on the
shore of the Crimsen sea. Her flag with the Heart in Flames
flies atop the spires. The Jubjub swoops down.
CUT TO:
INT. THE RED QUEEN’S CASTLE- DAY
A long hall is lined with FROG FOOTMEN. The RED QUEEN’S voice
emerges from behind closed doors.
RED QUEEN (0.5.)
I had three hundred and thirty
three exactly. I count only three
hundred and thirty.
The Footfrogs look at each other nervously. The doors bang
open to reveal IRACEBETH the RED QUEEN. She has a huge
oversized head, extremely large features, and bright red hair.
She strides accusingly down the long row of nervous Footfrogs
followed by a Fish Butler.
RED QUEEN
Someone helped themselves to
three of my squimberry tarts. If
the guilty one does not confess.
he will rue the dayl
She leans into the face of a frog.
RED QUEEN (cont.)
Did you steal them?
The frightened Frog shakes its head.
FOOTFROG #1
No, your Majesty.
RED QUEEN
Did you?
FOOTFROG #2
No, your Majesty.
She walks down the row, studying the faces of each frog. At
the end, she whirls around to leer into the face of one
trembling frog.
RED QUEEN
Did you steal my tarts?
FOOTFROG #3
(terrified)
No, Your Majesty.
She reaches out and wipes a telltale bit of jam from the side
of its mouth. She holds her finger up and sniffs the juice.
RED QUEEN
Squimberry.
FOOTFROG#3
(confessing)
I’m so hungry and they smelledso good.
The Queen’s face turns beet red with fury.
RED QUEEN
He stole my tarts! OFF WITH HIS
HEAD!
Red Knights converge on the guilty Frog.
FOOTFROG #3
No! Please…I have little ones
to look after! I’m begging you!
The Knights drag him out. The Queen turns to the Fish Butler.
RED QUEEN
Go to his house and collect the
little ones. I love tadpoles
on toast points…almost as much
as I love caviar.
The Fish butler suppresses his revulsion and anger.
RED QUEEN (cont.)
Anyone else want to steal my
tarts?
The Frogs are silent, eyes straight forward.
KNAVE OF HEARTS
Maj esty?
The Queen’s face lights up to see him.
RED QUEEN
Ilosovic Stayn…you knave.
Where have you been lurking?
He drops to his knee.
KNAVE OF HEARTS
In the south, Majesty, rooting
out White Loyalists in Snud and
Witzend. On our return, we were
rounding up random creatures for
your castle staff when I found this.
He hands her the Oraculum. She barely looks at it.
RED QUEEN
An old parchment roll. How nice.
KNAVE OF HEARTS
Majesty. It’s the Oraculum.
RED QUEEN
The Oraculum? I thought it would
be more ornate. It looks so ordinary
for an oracle.
He lays it on a table and rolls it out.
KNAVE OF HEARTS
Look here. On the Frabjous Day.
He shows her the illustration of Alice (with her back to the
reader)fighting with the Jabberwocky.
RED QUEEN
I’d know that tangled mess
of hair anywhere. Is it Alice?
Back again?
KNAVE OF HEARTS
I believe it is.
RED QUEEN
I never liked that tedious little
girl. There’s precocious and then
there’s “Ask me one more irksome
question and I’ll pluck out your
tongue.” What is she doing with the
Jabberwocky?
KNAVE OF HEARTS
I believe she’s slaying it.
They look down at the illustration as the Oraculum speaks.
ORACULUM
One two! One two! And through and
through….
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
Alice left it dead, and with its head
She went galumphing back.
RED QUEEN
She killed my pet!
She throws the Oraculum onto the floor and kicks it in a rage.
KNAVE OF HEARTS
No. It hasn’t happened yet. It will
occur on the Frabjous Day.
