The Incredible Shrinking Forest/Transcript

The following is a transcript from the thirteenth episode of Bambi's second season, "The Incredible Shrinking Forest".

Act 1
(Intro)

(Fades to a scene of the meadows of the Great Forest, with the title card showing for about 5 seconds. Zooming into the grass, we see a group of the worker ants, who are gathering fallen apples from the apple trees. Soon after they begin their return to the anthill, they are trampled on by Thumper, running through the meadows. Angrily mumbling incoherent gibberish, they retreat back to the apple trees to try again.)

(This triggers a Wile E Coyote-esque montage (that's 30 seconds long) of the ants' several attempts to retrieve their fruit, constantly being interrupted by the forest habitants, unknowing of the harm they'd cause to them. After the last scene, the ants, steaming with rage, scamper off to the Anthill.)

(In the anthill lies a great city, the Ant Society. Contrasting from the calm, free style of the Great Forest, the Ant Society is a large functioning, very busy environment. In the Great Hall at the center of the city, the ants conduct a meeting about the troubles they have had. 3 worker ants bark to a Council of sorts.)

Worker Ant 1: We work hard, day after day, to get our society food.

Worker Ant 2: We threaten our LIVES to get it for us all.

Worker Ant 3: But what do we get in return?

All 3: TRAMPLED!

Council Ant: Simmer down, simmer down. I understand we've had a large loss of food and suppli-

Science Ant: Yes, we have been at a loss off general supplies needed for life at a substantial, EXPONENTIAL rate.

(Silence)

Worker Ant 1: In English?

Science Ant: Problem. Big problem.

(The council ant pushes the scientist away.)

Council Ant: Anyhow; I see only one way to get our troubles to stop. We will seek the magic of the alchemists, they will know what to do.

(The ants seek out the Alchemist Ants, who provide a plan to potentially shrink the forest animals and teach them a proper lesson. However, it requires the workers to go and retrieve specific items needed for the spell.)

Alchemist Ant: We will need branches fallen from the trees, blades of grass from the meadows, and 1 stem plucked from an apple.

(An odd request, but one the workers needed to accept. They did what was asked, and soon the spell would be ready. However, the spell is too big for the ants. They bicker about how they would be too small to enact a spell that's large, when the Alchemist stops them.)

Alchemist Ant: I always have a plan. Luckily, one of the hunters out on the surface left a magnifying glass behind yesterday. We will use it, projected towards the sun and the meadows, to spread the spell through to the animals.

(After setting it up, the spell is enacted and Bambi and Thumper, who are both playing around in the meadow, stopped playing as they begin to shrink.)

Bambi: Thumper, is the grass getting taller?

Thumper: Either that, or we're gettin' SMALLER!

(Soon enough they are reduced to the size of ants, and are lost and confused at what happened.)

Bambi: What happened?

(They wandered around the place they once knew all too well for a bit, with Thumper becoming worried.)

Thumper: I dunno, Bambi. Maybe we got smaller? (Bambi gave a confused look) In any case, I really hope that we don't hav-

(Just then, however, Thumper comes face-to-face with a worker ant, shocking the two animals. They are then apprehended by many more worker ants, who then throw them into the anthill. The deer looks around the Ant Society, amazed at what it's really like.)

Bambi: This is where the ants live? I thought it was just a simple hole!

Thumper: (scratches his head) So how many of us are shrunk down to this size?

Worker Ant: Take a gander behind you.

(They look behind themselves to see almost EVERY resident of the Great Forest; Flower, Faline, Ronno, Edgar, Friend Owl, and many more.)

Worker Ant 2: You aren't getting out until you've learned how to respect the small and meek.

Bambi: But we never knew you had a society! This is unfair! I want to go back!

(The Worker ants shake their heads.)

Worker Ant: Maybe when you learn a proper lesson, THEN you'll earn your way back.

Bambi: And if we don't?

Worker Ant 2: Then there WILL be other consequences.

("Other consequences" echoes in Bambi's mind. Soon, he begins to imagine just what those other consequences may be... First, he imagines the entire forest being forced into cages, and sent into a prison, with no escape, all the while they beg to be released. Next, they are shrunken down to the size of the ants, and eaten. Finally, she imagines everyone being forced to work at an even smaller size, whilst being stepped on by the ants, who now look like giant monsters compared to them. Through all 3, vivid begs to go home are heard from everyone, including Bambi. Realizing how bad the consequences really are, Bambi eventually decides to just give in and work like an ant along with most of the other forest inhabitants.)

Bambi: Well... I've tried being like an ant before. Guess it can't hurt to try working like you guys for the day.

(The ants cheer, happy that Bambi and his friends are going to work like them in order for them to learn about their society.)

(We fade to the Queen's throne, where the shrunken forest inhabitants are being assigned jobs. Some are given the duties of getting fruit fallen from the trees, some store the food, some deliver ant pupas, and there are even jobs assigned to help the Grasshoppers store for the winter as it could be hard for them. Bambi helps with storing food, among other forest animals (which we never see). As Bambi is storing the food, we pan to the worker ants and the queen ant, who are watching him and the other animals.)

Worker Ant: You think they'll make progress?

Queen Ant: (nods) Of course they will, with time.

(Bambi, of course, being new to helping with the ants, couldn't store the food well enough, as they fall down to the ground. He then sighs as he proceeds to store the food again.)

Queen Ant: They might not be good at first, but practice makes perfect. They'll figure it out, eventually.

(We fade to a montage of forest animals working on their jobs, as Thumper and his family trying to gather fruit that have fallen from the trees, only for them to mess them up. The worker ants, along with Thumper and his mother, all look at Thumper's sisters crossly. We then see The Great Prince and Friend Owl (among others) deliver ant pupas, but Friend Owl clumsily drop one of them, but one of the worker ants manages to catch it, while The Great Prince looks crossly at Friend Owl, who chuckles a bit. Lastly, we see Flower try to help the grasshoppers store for the winter, but as he tries to climb up to its body, Flower stumbles and falls to the ground, dropping the food he had gather for it in the process. As the grasshopper looks confused, so did Flower.)

Flower: Whoops. Didn't mean to cause that, or do that...

(But the grasshopper hopped away, with Flower shrugging.)

(We fade to the queen's throne, where the queen ant is judging their performances.)

Queen Ant: Well, difficult training for battle against the bigger enemies aside, it could've gone better. But at least you clearly don't deserve to be punished, yet... Like I said, though, practice makes perfect, so I hope you will do better tomorrow on your jobs.

(Everyone agreed to the queen ant's response. We then fade to the sleeping grounds, where Bambi is trying to sleep, until Thumper wakes him up.)

Bambi: Yes, Thumper?

Thumper: Bambi, I'm sawrry for what happened today.

Bambi: I know, Thumper, but I guess I actually kind of like working like an ant.

Thumper: What d'ya mean?

Bambi: I mean, having a carefree life is better, but what choice do I have? It's not like anyone's been disrespecting the queen ant as of now.

Thumper: YOU MEAN THEY WILL BE PUN- (gets shushed by Bambi) (quietly) Oh, right... They're sleeping.

Bambi: We got to get some rest for tomorrow, pal. I mean... What's the worse that can happen?

(The duo heads to sleep as we fade to black for commercial break.)

Act 2
(After the commercial break is over, we fade to the forest where the leader of the sly foxes, Hunter, is searching the forest for any potential prey, but so far, they have found nothing. As he keeps searching the forest, his minions, Red and Willy, rush up to him.)

More coming soon!

Act 3
Coming soon!