THE ASTRO BOYS SHOW
A Saturday Morning Cartoon Script
By Dan Rush
© Astro Boy 2003/1980 by Tezuka Productions Japan. All rights reserved.
Astro and Atlas are in Seattle by Luck when an old adversary of James Bond, Earnst Stavros Blowfeld of Spectre, plots a diabolical operation to destroy the city.
Scene: The scene opens with a submarine cruising underwater. It shifts to the back of a chair and an unseen figure reaching for a drink on a table. Before him a crewman comes through a hatch door and salutes…
Crewman: Lord Blowfeld. We are in readiness to execute the operation.
Blowfeld: The target has been entered into the computer?
Crewman: Per your instructions Sir.
Blowfeld: Very well then. You may commence the operation.
Scene: The scene shifts to Astro and Atlas sitting in a restaurant where Astro is smiling over a big dinner plate with a slab of salmon on it…
Astro: This is awesome! Look at the size of these slamon slabs Atlas. Nice of the Governor of the state to put us up for a week after we saved that plane huh?
Scene: Atlas broods.
Atlas: Explain to me why we should eat? This is pointless, we're robots!
Astro: Because if you're going to understand humans, you need to understand how important dinner is. It's not just the food Atlas….it's the social atmosphere...the conversations...the ambiance.
Atlas: It's a big pain in the butt. And I know there was no rooms available in the city but did you have to get us exiled to outer mongolia?
Astro: This isn't "outer Mongolia". It's not bad at all Atlas, you really should try to enjoy yourself instead of living in a perpetual sour puss. Tomorrow I'll take you around the fire houses in Seattle so you can collect patches for your jacket back home. They have all the latest fire equipment in Seattle you know.
Scene: Suddenly the sound of a low flying rocket engine sweeps over the building…
Atlas: What the heck?
Astro: That was a really low fly over.
Scene: Atlas jumps up.
Atlas: Way too low.
Scene: Atlas and Astro run out into the street and look around…
Astro: It's gone…
Atlas: That wasn't a plane. Single jet engine...turbo fan. Certainly not a drone.
Scene: Atlas rockets into the air and hovers with Astro coming up behind him…
Atlas: I knew it!
Scene: Atlas rockets forwards and Astro follows.
Astro: What is it?!
Atlas: Ducted turbo fan! It's a cruise missile!
Astro: It's fast!
Atlas: Come on slow poke!
Astro: What crazy fool would fly a cruise missile over a populated place like this?!
Atlas: We're going like Mach 3 and that things doing Mach 5! That's no ordinary cruise missile! You better start calling people and doing that hero stuff again cause who knows where this thing is going!
Scene: State Police Headquarters in Olympia Washington.
Duty Officer: Washington State Police, Duty Officer Sergeant Murphy…
Astro: Sir! This is an emergency! Don't hang up! We're in a high speed pursuit over Interstate 5 going south towards Portland Oregon! A military cruise missile is over Napavine….
Duty Officer: Ok kid….I'm tracing this call….
Atlas: Go ahead and do it moron! And by the time you figure out where it is the damn thing will take out Portland!
"Click"
Atlas: Oh son of a…..speed it up!
Astro: We're pushing our limit! We'll both burn our legs out if we keep pushing Atlas!
Scene: The Missile turns sharply at the I-5 turnoff near Tolledo Washington and drops down to hug the ground.
Atlas: Where the heck is this thing going?!
Astro: Damn it! It's pushing almost 6 mach!
Scene: Astro and Atlas are hugging the ground, both of them morph their arms into surge cannons but they're having a hard time trying to get a solid locking tone in their targeting systems…
Atlas: What kind of target is out here?! I thought this thing might be going for a city?!
Scene: Astro looks down at the small town they fly past and catches the name on one of the buildings…"Toutle Hotel" He then looks down at the river bed below and the battleship gray colored ground around it…
Astro: Toutle? Toutle River? Mount Saint Helens!
Atlas: I don't think so! It's just taking a detour to come at Portland from the East!
Scene: The missile increases speed and suddenly sharply climbs as the dark visage of Mount St. Helens comes into view.
Astro: You were saying?! (Beep, beep, beep, beep) Aww shoot! Our leg engines are over-heated! Atlas! Stop!
Scene: Atlas and Astro drop to the ground and slide to a stop in the ash and dirt as they watch the missile achieve perogy above the crater of St Helens and suddenly break apart….
Atlas: You gotta be kidding me…
Astro: What's it doing?
Scene: A dark cone shaped object floats over the crater by parachute then a rocket fires and the cone blasts down out of sight….
Atlas: I didn't like what that just did…
Astro: Oh…..fu….
Scene: Something detonates powerfully enough to shake the ground and kick up clouds of dirt and dust….
Scene: Then the whole mountain….explodes. Not just the crater…..the entire mountain goes up in a catastrophic hell of unpent magma, gases and ash.
Astro: DAMN!
Atlas: DAMN NOTHING! RUN FOR YOUR DAMN LIFE!
Scene: Astro and Atlas run as a massive flaming cloud of released magma and ash rolls over the forest like a giant bulldozer!
Atlas: Hit the jets and climb!
Scene: Astro and Atlas rocket straight up, just clearing the front of the ash surge as it passes under their feet!
Astro: gasp…..gasp….ugh!...ugh!...ugh!
Atlas: That's about what I'm thinking.
Show break
End break
Scene: Governor's mansion. We see a pair of doors that burst open with a slam and the Governor, followed by several others, is coming into a room with a scowl on his face.
Governor: You told me that Mount St Helens was dormant! That the threat of any major eruption was on the low end scale. What the hell do you call this?
USGS Rep: Governor I'm just as shocked as you are about this. There was no warning at all. No earthquakes. No magmatic tremors. Nothing to indicate the mountain was building to any eruption…
Governor: (slam) They're still looking for people from Toutle! Hundreds of people are missing! I have the President of the United States breathing down my back for an explanation as to why a regional bureau of the Federal Government screwed up!
Secretary: Sir?
Governor: What?!...Mary I'm sorry….I'm very upset.
Secretary: Sir….Mister Oscar Goldman from the Office of Scientific Intelligence is here.
Governor: The OSI? Mister Andrews? (USGS rep) did you call the CIA?
USGS Rep: No Sir. Why would we call them?
Scene: Oscar Goldman enters with Astro and Atlas behind him.
Oscar: Governor?
Governor: Doctor Goldman. I didn't think this situation would warrant a visit from an under-office of Central Intelligence and State?
Oscar: In this case Governor...the situation has radically changed. Perhaps you know these two?
Governor: Yes...our hijacking heroes. A little bit of poor timing having this happen when we were showing our gratitude.
Astro: Maybe a little fortunate luck. Me and Atlas had a front row seat and trust me it wasn't an eruption.
Atlas: It was a cruise missile.
Governor: A cruise missile?
Astro: We were having dinner when a missile flew over the restaurant we were in. We thought it was heading for Portland, Oregon and we tried to warn someone.
Atlas: The missile turned off of Interstate 5, through the forest, over the mountain and fired a penetration warhead into the crater. Must have broke through the lava dome and exploded in the magma chamber. I'd say it was about 5 kilotons. The whole mountain just evaporated.
Scene: The Governor turns to his desk…
Governor: My God….and you don't know where the missile came from?
Oscar: It wasn't tracked by radar and none of the military bases in the Puget Sound picked it up. We're reviewing the radar recording tapes from Seatac now but obviously no matter where it came from… it's now a dangerous threat to national security.
Atlas: It was only a matter of time...you give a squishy a nuke and what do they do?
Astro: That wasn't nice.
Atlas: Well what do you want! They built the stupid things!
Oscar: Could you both please contain the back and forth here? Astro has been loaned to us at the OSI from the Ministry of Science in Japan. His other friend is a package deal to keep him out of trouble.
Atlas: That zeplin nosed….
(SMACK!)
Atlas: Cut that out!
Scene: The secretary runs into the room.
Secretary: Governor! Something is coming on the television!
Scene: Everyone flocks to the television on the wall.
Blowfeld: Good morning...forgive me for interrupting your morning coffee, by now you have heard about Mount St Helens so I will not bore you with the details. I am Ernst Stavros Blowfeld and it was my missile which caused the destruction of your volcano. My business is extortion and my business plan is very simplistic. I demand 50 billion dollars to be deposited in my accounts in Zurich in 24 hours or what was done to Mount St Helens will be repeated on a larger volcano with far deadlier results. I can strike at any target in the world of my choosing. Any attempt to discover my location or engage me with military forces and I will launch. Enjoy your breakfast.
Scene: The television goes black.
Atlas: What did I tell you?
Astro: You're not being helpful.
Atlas: This is what happens when humans play with nuclear energy. Now we have a guy out of a third rate Bond movie running around with nuclear warheads?… fantastic.
Governor: Mister Goldman? Do you think this man is getting help from a country? Perhaps North Korea?
Oscar: No….North Korea isn't that foolish. This man clearly has us out of position and short on time.
Astro: There's hundreds of volcanoes around the world he could hit. Vesuvius….Yellowstone….La Palma…..Fuji…. Toba? We can't cover every place.
Scene: We see Atlas walking around the room, scratching his head…
Governor: I will not be a party to global blackmail...we have four major military facilities here in Washington, we'll hunt this maniac down.
Oscar: And unleash a disaster? You heard blowfeld, if you make even the slightest military move? He will launch.
Scene: Astro looks at Atlas, who is standing before a wall map of Washington state and brooding. He walks over…
Astro: You're thinking of something?
Atlas: Yeah...I am. I'm thinking of what I would do since I distrust the heck out of humans. Your cocoro doesn't allow you to think as ruthlessly as I do. "hmff" (laughing) So obvious it's stupid.
Astro: What?
Scene: Atlas turns around.
Atlas: He's in a submarine...and he's the only submarine around.
Oscar: And you base that on?
Atlas: You humans. He's a megalomaniac and I lived five years with one so I know how a megalomaniac thinks. And you don't have to worry about him attacking any other volcanoes outside the United States...because he's right here.
Scene: Atlas taps the Puget Sound on the map.
Oscar: That's a risky assumption.
Atlas: It's crunching the numbers. Sure there's like a hundred different volcanoes this guy could hit but you tell me where there's a more richer target with some serious worth? Seattle...Tacoma….. Renton….. Kent…..all the
business here generates what? over 175 billion a year? Boeing….Microsoft….Starbucks….
Governor: And why would he park his submarine and surround himself with some of the largest military bases on the Pacific coast?
Atlas: To give all you humans the big fat flying fox finger. Egomaniacs love being testy. Trust me he's there and his sights are set on Mount Rainier.
Astro: Good choice...you blow the top off that old volcano and "boosh"...good bye Seattle.
Oscar: Ok, suppose you're assumption...your calculation is correct? What then?
Atlas: Gotta find the submarine and prevent the launch in about 23 hours. But you can't do that with the military you have on hand without tipping him off.
Astro: Let me guess….you and I are going swimming?
Atlas: No...I'm going swimming, you're playing goalie. Someone has to play "catch the missile" if he launches. All I have to do is find the submarine and jam the electronics...or worse case, turn it into a soup can which involves things Astro here can't do.
Oscar: Let me warn you further Atlas, I don't believe the President will withhold any military response if he believes he has to authorize anything to destroy this sub of yours. If that happens, I can't give assurances for your safety.
Atlas: Yeah….I expect that from you fat bags.
Astro: That wasn't nice Atlas!
Atlas: I just gotta be me "goody boots"
Governor: Are you sure this is the only option?
Atlas: You have no choice.
Scene: Atlas walks out with Astro behind him.
Astro: Simple plan, provided you find that submarine.
Atlas: That's why it's me and not you going swimming. But you do need to call back to Metro City and tell old Blimp Nose and Reno to get cracking with modifying those Ministry satellites so I can have some help down here. The whole Puget Sound isn't something I can cover in under twelve hours.
Astro: And if we run out of time?
Atlas: Pray they don't resort to dropping nukes?
Show break
End break
Scene: Atlas enters into the Sound and starts to cruise under water. The scene shifts to the Space Needle where Astro stands on the top.
Astro: Test test testing the scrambler comlink…
Atlas: A go here.
Oscar: Reading you clearly.
Reno: No problems
Scene: The Ministry of Science. Reno is at his computer.
Reno: It's going to be an hour before the ministry satellites are tuned. Any guesses as to where the sub might be?
Atlas: If I could talk killer whale, this would be easier.
Astro: None of us can do that. What about off of Seattle here? I could cover that quickly…
Atlas: Stay put! I told you to play goalie.
Astro: Sheesh! We might as well be looking for a needle.
Scene: Astro thinks.
Astro: Wait...Reno? Wasn't Zoran's school class having a field trip to the Ministry today?
Scene: Reno at his computer.
Reno: Yeah...but she's probably playing hookie.
Astro: Find her quick?
Scene: Zoran enters the lab and comes to the computer.
Zoran: Thanks for the save big brother, that tour was getting booaaarrrring!
Astro: Atlas? Better listen in on this. Sis? How's your skills at speaking Orca?
Zoran: About as good as humpback...in other words you may end up getting slapped.
Atlas: What are you thinking?
Scene: Astro on the space needle.
Astro: We use the satellite to beam Zoran's animal skills into your head so you can ask the local Orcas to help you find that sub.
Atlas: She's so annoying...but I'll try anything.
Zoran: I heard that!
Atlas: Wow...she can hear!
Scene: Reno's lab.
Reno: We really need your help Zoran.
Zoran: Well first Atlas needs to find some Orca's. The closest pod in the Puget Sound is J Pod.
Scene: Atlas swims around until he sees J pod's fins in the distance.
Atlas: I see em now…
Scene: Zoran sends Orca sounds through the satellite where they come out of Atlas….
Atlas: Hey! I wasn't ready!
Scene: The whole pod turns about and speeds up…
Atlas: Uh...are these things supposed to be swimming really fast with their mouths open?
Astro: Zoran!
Zoran: I told you my Orca is sort of off!
Atlas: Do I start swimming away or do I stand still?
Scene: Orca sounds shoot from Atlas's mouth.
Atlas: They look really upset?!
Zoran: Just stay still…
Atlas: This was a seriously stupid idea!
Scene: Suddenly the Orca pod glides to a stop, their noses only a foot from Atlas's head…
Atlas: Ohhhhhhhh…..kaaaaaaaay…..(Orca sounds)
Scene: The Orca swim off in different directions.
Atlas: (Sigh) guess it worked after all.
Scene: Oscar gets off the phone.
Oscar: Astro? When Atlas finds the submarine, the President of the United States wants the coordinates relayed to me.
Astro: What for?
Oscar: Contingency planning.
Astro: Mister Goldman? Sorry to be a wet blanket but…..nah. I'll tell you when you absolutely need it? And right now….you really don't need it.
Atlas: They want to drop a nuke on my butt! Screw them!
Astro: Atlas? Find the sub….shut the mouth.
Atlas: I'll shut your mouth.
Astro: Not now….please?
Atlas: We better hope this maniac doesn't change the…
Oscar: Astro? Atlas? There's a communication coming in over the television.
Atlas: Awwwww….me and my stupid mouth!
Show break
End break
Scene: Atlas is rapidly moving back and forth under the water…
Atlas: Grrrrr….60 minutes! Greedy *&^$$%!
Astro: Calm down and think clearly…
Atlas: I'll clear your clock if you don't stop needling me!
Scene: Atlas stops and frowns until a killer whale bumps into his back…
Atlas: Hey!
Scene: The whale swims around, comes back and grabs Atlas by the arm…
Atlas: Ok! Ok! don't rip my arm off!
Scene: Oscar at the Governor's mansion.
Oscar: Did you find the submarine?
Atlas: I'm looking at it. I suggest you get that contingency ready and if I have too? I'll relay the coordinates…
Astro: Atlas? What's your plan?
Atlas: Knock on the door, tell em I'm selling girl scout cookies then kick their ass….but I'm not stupid.
Scene: Atlas pats the Orca and points to the sub.
Atlas: Need you as a diversion big boy so I can get close. Ok everyone, this is how it'll go down...I'm going to generate an EMP burst and try to shut the sub's electronics down. Depending on their shielding, I might have about a minute grace time where they can't launch.
Oscar: How will you get in?
Atlas: Through the torpedo tubes. make a few holes. turn the stupid sub into Swiss cheese.
Astro: And if the missile just happens to be in the tube you punch into?
Atlas: Then you can return to your boring life in 6th grade.
Scene: Inside the sub…
Blowfeld: I assumed shortening the time would panic them. Japan, Russia, China, Italy have already given into my demands...I guess the Americans need a proper lesson…
Sound: Alarms
Blowfeld: What is it?
Henchmen: The camera is showing a killer whale sir. It's just curious.
Scene: Atlas splits off from the Whale and presses himself against the side of the sub…
Atlas: Ok….I can only self-generate about 50,000 joules worth of EMP...hope it's enough to knock this sub silly…
Scene: Astro crouching atop the space needle…
Astro: I'm ready to jump when you are.
Scene: Atlas builds up to his EMP surge release…
Scene: Inside the sub…
Henchman: Sir? I am registering a strong electromagnetic field building….
Scene: Atlas fires off an EMP and the sub's power drops enormously!
Blowfeld: Restore the power! Don't let the reactor shut down! Stand by missile control for firing order!
Sceme: Atlas flies around to the front of the sub, punches through an empty torpedo tube, flies through the torpedo room and slams the watertight door shut behind him before the waters flood the rest of the submarine. As he turns he sees armed crewmen coming down the hallway at him…
Atlas: Yay! Candlestick bowling for humans! And you guys are the pins!
Scene: Atlas quickly fights past the henchmen and reaches the control room just as Bowfeld shuts himself behind a door…
Atlas: Oh really? Way too easy…
Scene: Astro nervously walking atop the Space Needle hears all the commotion in the sub on his radio.
Astro: Did you get him?
Atlas: No!
Astro: Why?
Scene: Atlas is banging away at the wall and the smooth faced door…
Atlas: Number 50 of the book of evil genius rules...Build an impenetrable safe room! When I get in there jerk?! You better hope I'm not super upset!
Oscar: What's going on?!
Scene: Astro jumps off the Space Needle.
Astro: I'm in route Atlas!
Scene: Atlas backs up from the door and morphs his arm cannon.
Astro: You bastard….
Scene: Atlas fires and his shot bounces off the door, bounces around the room as Atlas falls to the deck and destroys a control panel…
Atlas: What the hell?
Scene: Atlas scans the wall.
Atlas: Sloped armor….very smart creep.
Blowfeld: Very unwise of you to interfere my friend….you've just killed thousands of people.
Scene: Blowfeld flips a switch and the cruise missile flies from its vertical tube, explodes out of the water and races past Astro.
Scene: Governor's mansion. An aide to Oscar is on a computer getting intelligence from the military…
Aide: LAUNCH! WE HAVE A MISSILE LAUNCH SIR!
Scene: Oscar grabs a phone.
Oscar: USS Tollas! Launch, Launch...track that missile and shoot it down now!
Scene: Destroyer USS Tollas speeding through the Juan De Fuca strait.
Captain: Sound battle stations! Track that missile!
Scene: Astro is chasing the Cruise Missile over Seattle…
Astro: Atlas! What are you doing?!
Scene: Atlas gets to his feet…
Atlas: Skipping rope!
Scene: Atlas analyzes the slope of the door, compensates for the angle and blows the door into the missile control room. He jumps through, catches Blowfeld trying to pull a gun and knocks him cold. We then see Atlas jump into a chair in front of the computer, connect himself to the USB port and start rapidly tapping the keyboard.
Scene: Astro is chasing the cruise missile when it suddenly dives for the ground and hugs at mere feet above Interstate 5 going towards Kent Washington…
Astro: Atlas! This missile's got brains, what are you doing?
Oscar: Astro, can we shoot it down?!
Astro: Don't shoot, it's too low…
Scene: The chase scene is wild as the missile goes all over the place trying to shake Astro off….
Astro: ATLAS! Stop this stupid thing!
Atlas: Shut up! I'm busy playing Space Invaders here!
Astro: That's not funny!
Atlas: Oh and you think trying to crack this program is hilarious?!
Scene: A guard comes through the broken door and tries to machine gun Atlas in the head…
Atlas: Oh hell no!
Scene: Atlas gets up, beats the guard up, throws him out, picks up the door and jams it into the opening. he jumps back into the seat.
Atlas: The nerve of some people...Where's the missile now?
Astro: Over Kent! 70 Miles to go!
Oscar: Astro! Back off now! We have two F-35 fighters coming down on top of you!
Astro: Damn it! We're too low! You'll get people killed!
Scene: Astro sees the fighters diving on him and the missile.
Astro: I said….BACK OFF!
Scene: Astro fires his arm cannon and drives the fighters off. We see his let jets going from yellow to bright afterburner blue as he picks up speed….
Astro: Now would be a good time to slow this stupid missile down Atlas!
Scene: Governor's mansion
Oscar: Distance?
Aide: 30 miles and closing fast.
Oscar: Astro, I can't hold back for you. I'm ordering the F-35's to fire their HARM missiles, back out now!
Astro: Just a little closer! Atlas?! Now would be a nice time!
Atlas: DAMN IT!
Scene: Atlas slams his fists on the console top and the computer unlocks…
Atlas: I've got the touch!
Scene: The missile suddenly shoots up as it follows the side of Mount Rainier but suddenly it looses just enough speed for Astro to grab it! He wraps himself around the missile body, uses his finger laser to cut away the warhead and drops with the warhead in his hands just before the rest of the missile explodes into the side of the mountain.
Scene: Governor's mansion.
Oscar: Sigh…..they stopped it. They stopped it.
Scene: Astro lands with the warhead and sits wiping his face…
Astro: You stressed me out on purpose.
Atlas: Makes you look better for your fans.
Scene: Atlas walks up as Blowfeld tries to grab his pistol.
Atlas: I don't think so dirtbag.
Scene: Atlas grabs Blowfeld's short. We then see him chuck Blowfeld into a police van…
Atlas: Have fun making license plates….moron!
Scene: Atlas turns to see Astro holding onto the warhead.
Atlas: Uh?...why do you still have that?
Astro: I dunno...might look nice on my dresser?
Scene: Atlas shakes his head and smirks.
Show break
End break
Scene: Astro and Atlas are sitting on the outside veranda of a local seafood restaurant…
Atlas: They promised us medals, we would meet the President, I was going to get an interview with Lisa Ling and what do you do? "Noooooo…..a salmon dinner will be just fine."
Astro: Look at these! Mmmmm...nice big fat whole salmons! Come on Atlas, just try it?
Atlas: I better get some enjoyment out of this…
Scene: Atlas was about to take a bite when a large Orca Whale flies out of the water, gently snatches Atlas's salmon and falls back into the water!
Atlas: HEY! I DIDN'T PROMISE YOU MY SALMON YOU STUPID FISH!
Astro: Guess that's your loss.
Scene: Atlas snatches Astro's salmon and throws it.
Atlas: Now who's laughing funny boy?
Scene: Astro tackles Atlas and both of them fall into the water. We then see the Orca playing catching games, throwing the boys back and forth…
Astro: This wasn't my idea of a fun evening!
Atlas: Will you shut up and tell your sister to tell these fish to cut this out?! I'm getting dizzy!
Astro: They're Orca, not fish!
Atlas: Whatever!
The end