THE NEVERHOOD

By Doug TenNapel

Logline: A clay being must go on a quest to find a cure for his people who have turned

into moronic animals.

ACT ONE

KLAYMEN is an adventurous boy made out of clay and he lives in a clay world. He

asks the tough questions: “Why am I here?” “Who made me?” “What is beyond the wall

that surrounds our world?” Klaymen has a faithful sidekick…a dog-creature called

PURPEE who barks, slobbers and is easily surprised. Klaymen and Purpee are forbidden

from driving grown-up vehicles like the four-legged FISH-O-POD.

One day, while chasing KLIZARDS (clay lizards) Klaymen and Purpee stumble upon

an abandoned Fish-O-Pod and crawl inside pretending to drive it. They accidentally kick

a start button and the vehicle begins to MOVE. Klaymen figures it can’t hurt to drive it

just a few feet. The Fish-O-Pod’s steering wheel snaps off and they drive through the

Neverhood bashing into storefronts, mowing down a few FWAH-SHEEP before

CRASHING THROUGH the walls of the Neverhood.

They look through the crack in the Neverhood wall and see into a neighboring

world…a world made where clay plants, trees and flowers have over-grown everywhere.

A dumb-looking creature called a MOOST falls out of a jungle tree. A MOOST is a

dense being with round mouse-ears who walks hunched over on two legs and says,

“Duuuhhh.”

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 Klaymen and Purpee sneak into the JungleHood world as the local Moosts wrestle

over cheese, fight over who is the tallest and over shiny objects.

Klaymen finds a rare tree of legend growing in a clearing and can’t help but admire its

succulent GO-GO FRUIT. Klaymen takes a bite it makes him burp for five seconds!

Purpee thinks burps are really funny so he eats an ENTIRE go-go fruit in one bite! The

dog creature erupts in a colossal burp-fart! After a minute of Purpee banging his head

against a boulder he coughs up the Go-Go fruit and stops burping. He eats the whole

thing again.

A yellowish being of clay peeks out from an upstairs window at Klaymen and Purpee

down below. This being has a hoop shape on top of his head and has googlie eyes. Purpee

barks at the window above but when Klaymen looks up the window is empty. Klaymen

gets an eerie feeling and decides to go back to the Neverhood.

Klaymen does a haphazard job of patching up the crack that leads into the

JUNGLEHOOD by spreading clay and leaves over the hole. MAYOR BIGGS catches

Klaymen next to the crashed fish-o-pod and threatens to throw him in clay-jail. Klaymen

apologize and begs Mayor Biggs for forgiveness. The Mayor slaps his hand and says that

he was once a moronic youth too so he lets Klaymen go.

Later that night Klaymen and Purpee crawl into their bunk-beds and read a children’s

book about the legendary Big Robot Bil. They wonder if Big Robot Bil is real or just

legend.

CUT TO: the poorly patched up wall poked from the other side! A clay, GREEN

creature with an EVIL LOOK on his face peeks out of the hole. He wears a MOOST-hat

(mouse ears) strapped over his head. This is KLOGG. He un-straps a device from his

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back that looks like a jackhammer only it has a harpoon-tip which he STICKS into the

ground. The device is a MOOSTIFIER and it converts the clay people of the Neverhood

into stupid MOOST beasts!

Hairy tentacles creep out of the MOOSTIFIER and along the ground converting the

clay PEOPLE of the Neverhood into a heard of MOOSTS! Children play checkers on

their beds and suddenly grow mouse ears and turn brown. They forget how to play and

start eating the pieces. Mayor Biggs sleeps sucking his thumb while holding his Teddy

Bear and a hairy tentacle crawls over him. Once the spell is complete, KLOGG uproots

the MOOSTifier and crawls back through the hole in the Neverhood wall.

It’s morning and Klaymen wakes. Klaymen walks outside and sees that all of his

Neverhood friends have been replaced by MOOSTS! Mayor-Biggs-Moost wears the

same clothes but has mouse ears and keeps trying to hug Klaymen. Purpee runs up and

grabs Klaymen by the hand to the crack in the wall…it must have something to do with

everyone turning into Moosts! A weird green jungle-growth artifact is already growing

out of the walls of the Neverhood. Klaymen figures that breaking a hole in the wall

started this problem and he aims to put it right. Klaymen and Purpee crawl into the hole.

The JUNGLEHOOD (the world next to the Neverhood) is a silent, mysterious place.

Klaymen jumps into a bush and hits a SOLID WALL. He pulls the vines away and

reveals a building. This world used to be just like the Neverhood but everyone has been

turned into Moosts so long that they didn’t keep the foliage from over-growing.

Klaymen and Purpee accidentally wake an ancient monster with glowing lights for

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eyes! It’s THE WEASEL a giant crab-like monster with pincher mandibles and claws.

Klaymen’s head is snipped off but because he’s made of clay he puts it back on (it’s a

cartoon after all!). The chase continues through town with Jackie Chan-style

choreography of Klaymen and Purpee expertly using plants and backgrounds to dodge

the creature showing that wits are greater than physical strength.

Klaymen and Purpee end up on the roof of a house where the creature pulls the walls

down, Purpee is about to slide into the monster’s mouth like Quint in Jaws. Suddenly, the

dopey yellow guy (we saw earlier) pops out of the treehouse and pulls them into his

home.

ACT TWO

IN WILLIE’S TREEHOUSE: Klaymen discovers the yellow being is a goof named

WILLIE TROMBONE. He has a sidekick that looks like a rattle-snake with cat ears

named HISSY (he’s a Cattler, silly!). HISSY rattles her tail and FIGHTS with Purpee

throughout our story.

This jungle world of MOOSTS is all that’s left of Willie’s people. Willie (and

Klaymen) didn’t turn into Moosts because eating of the Go-Go fruit tree protects one

from the MOOSTIFIER. Willie is lonely and longs for family since Moosts make for

terrible companions (cut to a Thanksgiving dinner table where Willie is saying grace

while Moosts eat food, throw food, stand on the table and pull down their pants etc.) and

he wants Klaymen to be his BROTHER.

Willie Trombone only knows that the evil KLOGG has turned many worlds to

slobbering Moost idiots with the Moostifier. Everyone’s sculptor, HOBORG once

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criticized Klogg as a boy for wanting to turn all beings into Moost slaves. Rejected,

KLOGG turned mean and decided to war with his father by making all things turn into

Moosts. Willie Trombone says that the only way to turn things back to normal is to get

help from HOBORG who lives in a huge castle on the other end of a Junglehood bridge

on the far side of the world. Perhaps Hoborg will help them get the Moostifier from

KLOGG so they can turn back to normal again. Willie Trombone announces that

Klaymen and Purpee are stuck in this house with him forever. Willie toots, picks his nose

and rolls out his collection of toe-nail clippings.

Klaymen pushes a button on his chest opening a door to his tummy. He pulls out a

rope and a fishing pole. Klaymen ties the rope around Willie’s hoop-head and ties the

other end around the pole. They attract the Weasel who shows up to eat Willie right on

cue. When the Weasel isn’t looking, Klaymen, Purpee and Hissy hop on the back of the

creature; Klaymen dangles Willie off the rope in front of the monster that chases Willie

down the street. Klaymen is using the Weasel to carry them to the far end of the

JUNGLEHOOD!

They arrive at the far edge of the world where it ends at a WOBBLY BRIDGE that

links to Hoborg’s distant castle. A giant “H” is on the front door…HOBORG!

The Weasel is blinded by Willie-hunger and it runs after him down the wobbly bridge

with our heroes on his back. The Weasel finally detects Klaymen, Purpee and Hissy and

SHAKES them off his back…they each drop off and hang from the edge of the bridge.

Klaymen pulls Willie up onto the bridge. Klaymen, Willie, Purpee and Hissy try to crawl

backwards but the narrow bridge prevents them from going fast. The Weasel is about to

chop them up into clay-salad when the bridge under the beast cracks and falls beneath his

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weight, sending the creature to his doom.

Klaymen is upset since the broken bridge prevents them from reaching Hoborg’s

castle. From the end of the bridge looking back to the Junglehood, they see the underside

of the world where the outline of a giant, mechanical man decorates the underside of the

world. It’s BIG ROBOT BIL…the legendary giant described in children’s books. If they

can wake Big Robot Bil they can get across the broken bridge!

Klaymen uses the rope tied atop Willie’s head to lower him down the side of the cliff.

Willie hangs 30 feet down while Klaymen SWINGS him back and forth until Willie gets

close to the window in Robot Bil’s chest. The rope holding Willie begins to fray! It

SNAPS and Klaymen runs to the edge! He assumes Willie is gone then hears him scream

for help! Willie hangs by his fingertips off Robot Bil’s dangling feet. Klaymen grabs

HISSY the cat-snake and WHIPS her by the tail STICKING her fangs into the rock

below! Once secured, Klaymen swings down, WHIPPING the cat-snake free before

WHIPPING her again and STICKING her fangs into the rock again. Klaymen makes his

way down to Willie and GRABS him up. They crawl up into the cockpit in Big Robot

Bil’s chest.

Klaymen finds a switch next to Robot Bil’s heart that can either point to “Good” or

“Bad”. He switches it to “Good” and Bil begins to move! The giant robot SWINGS up

off the pipes and flips his feet onto the landing.

Robot Bil stands ten stories tall is happy to be alive! He thanks brave Klaymen and

Willie for rescuing him from his slumber. He grew so lonely at the beginning of time that

he shut himself down on top of the world which flipped over and became the bottom of

the world due to his weight. Now Bil just wants to be friends and never leave Klaymen

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and Willie’s company.

Klaymen asks Bil to LEAP across the chasm between the JUNGLEHOOD and the

castle beyond. Bil is afraid to make the jump. Klaymen says that if they try to make the

jump without him that they will fall into the abyss…then he’ll be alone forever.

Bil puts his friends into his heart and LAUNCHES to the other side. He makes the

jump but just makes it to other the world by holding on with his metal fingers. He pulls

himself up and stands before Hoborg’s castle.

Klaymen, Willie, Purpee and Hissy get out of Big Robot Bil and enter the brightly

colored castle. Once inside, they find a workshop where Hoborg sculpted all clay beings.

Next they find the royal throne-room but instead of Hoborg sitting on his throne they find

the evil KLOGG wearing Hoborg’s CROWN! Klogg laughs and points to a Moost

crawling around on the floor wearing Hoborg’s clothes! He’s become a MOOST-idiot!

Klaymen learns that Hoborg, his creator-hero is not only real, but that he’s been

turned into a moronic MOOST! Willie realizes that if Hoborg is both of their “Fathers”

then Klaymen is Willie’s brother. Willie got his wish of having a family!

Klaymen asks Hoborg-MOOST to fix everything; remove the overgrown plants from

the world, make him rich and happy, smite his foes etc. but Hoborg-Moost just drools and

says, “Duuuuh, why don’t YOU do something?!” Klaymen vows to locate and return the

Moostifier back to Hoborg’s workshop!

All this time Klaymen thought Hoborg didn’t show up because he didn’t exist, but it’s

really because he’s been turned into a Moost. Klaymen finds a sword and fights Klogg for

the Moostifier so he can reverse its effects. Klaymen loses his sword during battle but

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manages to take the Moostifier and RUNS out to Big Robot Bil!

ACT THREE

Klaymen, Willie and Big Robot Bil run off with the Moostifier and LEAP back to the

Junglehood. Mid-jump Big Robot Bil realizes he isn’t afraid of adventure anymore! They

land at the Junglehood and end up in the courtyard where the Go-Go fruit tree stands.

They insert Go-go fruit into the Moostifier and stick it into the ground. It begins to PUMP

and the overgrown vines peel off and expose brightly colored buildings hidden for an

age! Moosts turn back into clay beings as if awaken from sleep. They recognize Willie

and celebrate the return of their land.

Meanwhile in KLOGG’s stolen castle, he sees the celebration through his binoculars

and mourns. His Moostifier is being used to bring everything back to normal! Klogg runs

to Hoborg’s workshop and finds a secret compartment revealing his GIANT MONSTER

ROBOT he’s been working on for just such an occasion It’s called ROBOT HECTO

NINE and he is Klogg’s greatest evil invention!

Back at the Junglehood the people rejoice! Klaymen finds the crack in the wall that

leads them back to the Neverhood and drags the Moostifier toward the opening.

KLOGG finds a switch in the cockpit of Robot Hecto Nine that can be switched to

“good” or “bad”. Of course, he chooses, “BAD” and the robot’s operating lights glow.

ROBOT HECTO NINE’s right arm is a giant DRILL and he strikes a pose ready for

trouble! In the cockpit, Klogg pushes a button and the robot’s giant propeller back spins.

He lifts off the ground and Klogg does a happy jig!

Klaymen, Willie and a few Junglehood inhabitants crawl through the hole in the wall

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and see the legendary Neverhood! They thought is was a myth. The trees are already

overgrown and the Moosts walk around eating dirt, watching TV and fighting. Klaymen

sticks the Moostifier into the ground and it pumps away. The Go Go Fruit does its job of

removing the overgrowth as the Mayor Biggs MOOST turns back to normal.

The newly freed clay beings hear a rumble and see ROBOT HECTO NINE flying

over the wall and CRASHING onto the Neverhood courtyard! Big Robot Bil hides

behind buildings hoping the creature doesn’t see him. But Robot Hecto Nine SCOOPS up

Willie Trombone who yells for help. Big Robot Bil loses all fear and LEAPS onto the

giant creature and they have a giant robot FIGHT! Punch! BLOCK! SAW-BLADES

attack! Bil is losing the fight. Backed against the wall of the Neverhood he and the

creature push against each other’s weight. Bil turns the tables by PULLING Robot Hecto

on Top of him, heaving BOTH OF THEM off the wall and into the abyss.

Big Robot Bill falls but TAKES Willie Trombone and TOSSES him up to the

Neverhood! KLOGG smashes around the cockpit and LEAPS out so that his portable

WINGS can fly him back up. Klogg’s wings are bent so he sputters and flies sideways

toward the Neverhood.

The Moostifier’s work is finished and both world’s celebrate their newfound family

members. They grab hammers and break up the wall that stands between their worlds.

Klaymen helps Willie Trombone out of a tall tree where he landed after Big Robot Bil’s

throw. They mourn the loss of their friend but decide they should join the rest of the

Neverhood party. Suddenly, KLOGG SPUTTERS out of the sky and CRASH LANDS

with his head stuck in the Neverhood fountain.

Neverhoodians are FURIOUS at KLOGG seeing that he is the one who jacked up all

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of their lives. KLOGG RUNS over to the MoostIFIER and pulls it out of the ground

pointing it at the approaching crowd. He hisses, “Stay back! The first person who comes

near will be turned into MOOST again!”

But Klaymen has compassion and tells his friends to back away from him. Klaymen

wants KLOGG to join their family. KLOGG opens his chest and shows his heart is made

of stone. He can never be a part of their family.

Klaymen wishes there was a way to restore Klogg’s heart. Mayor Biggs claims it’s

impossible. Klaymen says that Hoborg can do it, he MADE all of their hearts. The town

erupts in laughter saying that Hoborg is just a fable. KLOGG feels heat inside his chest.

His stone heart begins to move and beat. It turns to CLAY! The crowd cheers that there

must really be a HOBORG! KLOGG looks down at the Moostifier and loses his desire to

turn things to stone. He puts the Moostifier on the ground and the crowd cheers his

decision. Klogg thanks Klaymen. The town erupts in a huge musical number where they

have a picnic, a rock band and celebrate.

Back at the floating castle we see Hoborg removing his own Moost ears and sitting

atop his throne again. He exhales to himself, “Well done, Klaymen.”

EPILOGUE

Willie sneaks away from the blaring music outside and finds Klaymen repairing

Klogg’s backpack wings. Klaymen can’t enjoy the party as long as Big Robot Bil is gone.

He’s going to fly into the abyss and find him. Willie wants to go too but they don’t have

enough wings. Klogg enters and opens a compartment in the backpack that extends the

belt buckles, “It can hold three.” They strap into the mechanical wings and fly off the

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edge into the abyss!

The End

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