Animaniacs is owned by Warner Bros., I don't claim any of them as mine except my own characters I put in. This chapter is for build-up/the prologue before the real story begins. Rated K+ for action later on.
Newsreel of the Stars! Dateline Hollywood: 2005. The Warner Brothers and their sister Dot may have just made their last mistake! After squandering their final chance to be freed in doing their latest Animaniacs show, they were to be locked in the studio water tower once again, but this time for good. The chairman stands by his decision and holds true to his word as since that time, the Warner Brothers have yet to be seen anywhere around the world!
Fast forward to today, in a different and more realistic world in the real life Burbank, California. No one has been the wiser about the world of the toons for a very long time, that is except for a few people who have a belief that their realm, dubbed "Toontown" by the human locals, is out there in the world hidden away from prying eyes. Our story takes us through the adventure of one of those kids with that very same belief, which will put him through more challenges and learn more facts about the other side than he ever would've thought...
Friday, 4 PM
It was a rather sunny and calm day in Burbank, being summer time after all. There was a little more than a week left until the end of summer vacation as well, so all of the kids were either relaxing and playing at home, at the playground, at a water park and so on while they made the best of their last vacation days until next year. There were barely any people at the park however, such as one kid and a couple more older ones arguing with each other about something.
"No way, I still think Toontown is real!" Said an 10-year-old boy arguing with the older kids putting him down about his claims in the park, looking rather upset. His tone boyish and still young from having not gone through puberty yet, having a lithe form too. He sported a normal green T-shirt and blue jean shorts today, along with some nice, white running shoes. He had short, light brown hair on his head which was combed to the right side somewhat, but still a tad messy.
This argument had been going for a few minutes when he was talking to himself about the subject, and the other two kids from his school heard him and came by to try and prove him wrong like the bullies they were.
This child, named Bradley, was still in elementary school and about to enter the 5th grade, and he was a little worried that he hasn't made many friends lately. He talked to himself sometimes and the people at his school found that weird, and that made him the odd one out almost all the time there. The only other two kids that were there that he was arguing with have had enough of it and had come over to call him out on it again, both bullies being a year older and about to enter middle school themselves.
"We already told you dweeb, it ain't! You need to learn this eventually! No one's found it, so you're just deluded and wrong!" The bigger kid of the two said.
"Well how do you know if people haven't even tried to?!" Bradley responded. The argument kept going on both sides with no letting up from either group. Some moments of back and forth arguing later, the bullies didn't want to hear anymore. Bradley soon found himself in a tree, thrown in by the bullies, his hair messed up more and his skin blemished with scratches from the branches and struggle.
As soon as the two of them left, he groaned and wiggled his way out, falling onto the grass. Deciding he had enough, he went back to his mother, with her worried sick for him as usual at seeing his scratches and now upset demeanor. They decided to just head back to his mom's home since it was getting close to dinnertime. The city was fairly busy this evening, but was mostly consisting of suited adults heading home too or tourists taking pictures when he wasn't in school. It was still summer, so he had been happy to take a break, but the bullies weren't something he counted on meeting throughout the vacation. Regardless, he was glad to go home, the park wasn't very far from it anyway.
They soon reached their house and they headed inside. "Go on and clean yourself up, I got dinner cooking up soon." The mother said as they entered, locking the door behind them.
Bradley sighed to himself and nods with a "sure", heading to the bathroom to wash up. It could've gone way worse for him at least, he could've actually been hurt. "Ugh, like summer vacation ending in a week isn't bad enough." He said softly to himself. Silence. "Yeah, why'd the bullies have to be there? It's not like they had anything better to do like go to a water park or anything like that. Everyone else is doing it." Silence again. "You're right, I just need to relax and let this go... I was gonna expect this sooner or later anyway."
He was talking to his imaginary friends again, that always seemed to relax him and cheer him up at least a little. If he couldn't make new friends at school, might as well have some in his head as a last resort, and it did work most times. After his dinner and a bath, he got in his long sleeved PJs and was pretty much down for the rest of the night. He watched some old cartoons on the TV and saw that some re-runs of "Animaniacs" were on at this time. That definitely got him smiling, even staying up a bit longer than usual, which sometimes did happen cause his mother wanted nothing more than to have Bradley happy.
The first episode that was on today was "Taming of the Screwy", where the 3 Warners were attempted to be educated to be well behaved for a gala event. Lots of animated movie star cameos, lots of zaniness and comedy, it was a good time all around as the show usually was. Bradley laughed along with the jokes they made, the cartoon logic taking place, the chases, and his mother actually was pretty happy about it when she glanced at him enjoying it, especially at him forgetting the argument that happened at the park. Bradley wasn't a big collector of the toys and merchandise, save a poster and game here and there in his room, he just loved the show and always looked forward to it before bed, or any time it was on at all, and was thinking of getting the DVDs for them soon too.
"Okay now, time to go to bed." The mother said after the credits were over, the boy hopping off the couch and heading upstairs to brush his teeth and tuck himself in. The mother followed him in.
"Hey Mom?" Bradley said softly. She looked at him at being called on.
"Yes dear?" She said with a light and warm smile down at her son.
"Did you ever have to deal with bullies like that just cause you had an active imagination?" He asked while he got comfy under the blankets.
"Well dear, it all depends on what you're talking about when you're out there with those bullies. These arguments about your active imagination honestly..." She gave a gentle sigh. "Let's not dwell on that for now, the point is, it's okay to have an active imagination like that, I just don't want you yelling at people for it.
"Well, do you think Toontown exists too?" He asked her, yawning a little.
The mother thought for a few seconds with a light hum. "Well, I can't say for sure, but if you really think hard about it, maybe it can find you." She said with a shrug and smile, trying to be reassuring. Bradley softly laughed at that. He liked his mom's silliness sometimes like this, it showed she still had her inner child somewhere inside, at least as far as he could see. "Anyways, get some sleep, okay? We'll worry about it tomorrow." She said, rubbing his head. After some good-nights were exchanged, he finally closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
A few hours later, he was already lucidly dreaming. His dreams while he slept were vivid, especially with the cartoons before bed, whether he was flying or a giant or doing space acrobatics, even floating like a ghost to scare his bullies. This time though, he was having a conversation with his imaginary friends floating in what seemed like a gaseous, yellow void; about the argument in the park and about Toontown.
"Why do people keep thinking there's no Toontown, there's gotta be... I don't want my childhood to end knowing it doesn't exist..."
One of the imaginary friends, a tall, calico-colored animal that floated around him, suggested he could maybe find out more about it. Go to the source where it all happened. Hollywood was pretty close to where Bradley's home was at, or at least one of their movie studios. But it'd still be a really long walk there.
What if he took the car, another imaginary friend said, a winged human male this time with vibrant green hair. "No, I can't drive... Can't even reach the pedals, heh. But... Maybe it'd be the only way to make it in time for the night, and not be exhausted either when I get there." The other dream friends nodded in agreement and the boy smiled brightly at this. He'd certainly have something to work on tomorrow. Only problem though, his mom would most likely not let him drive the car for 5 to 6 more years for obvious reasons. He'd have to think up a solution to that himself, like maybe really walking there instead of having to drive and risk crashing into something. Either way, his dream slowly faded into black after that.
Saturday morning
The sun came up and morning arrived again. After breakfast and with hardly any worthwhile events going on at home other than the normal schedule of "food, wash up and get dressed", he and his mother were in the park once more by the afternoon, mainly because it was the closest and he just liked being there. Bradley was at the playground this time, on a swing-set alone instead of on a bench, away from any potential trees to be thrown in. The bullies saw him when they entered the playground a minute later and came by to him again.
"Lookie who's back, ready to admit this 'Toontown' of yours is a fraud?" The more tall, lanky yet more fit bully said at him first. The 10-year-old boy just frowned. "What, you too afraid to admit it? Come on man, just say it." He added with his arms crossed.
Bradley just huffed, giving no other response. The other one, slightly smaller in height than the other bully and thinner too, tugged on the bigger boy's shirt. "Look, dude, what makes you think he won't try? He looks pretty determined, and the more we talk about it, the more he'll try to find it." Both bullies look at Bradley again, the boy still having everything an upset expression carries.
"Hmm... I think I got an idea." He whispered to the smaller friend after a couple seconds worth of thinking, then headed back to Bradley.
"Alright then squirt, I'll cut ya some slack and make you a deal. I'll give ya..." He pondered some more for another couple of seconds. "Until summer vacation's over, to have you find your Toontown. That's a week, you got it? If you don't find it and give us real proof it exists..." Some more pondering. "You have to announce, when your name's called on the first day in your new class, that you're a failure and you failed in finding that place like the weirdo you are(even though you'll obviously keep looking even after that). And you gotta do and say what we tell ya that day no matter what. You got that?" The bigger kid of the two said with a grin. Bradley nodded in understanding.
"But if I do find it?" Bradley said, feeling a little cocky.
The big kid scowled a little more. "If you miraculously do find it and give us real proof, you can choose whatever punishment you wanna do to us at our own school." The bigger one explained.
Bradley thought it over for a minute before accepting with a nod again. "Alright, you got a deal then." He said with confidence now. The two soon-to-be middle-schoolers smiled, the bigger one more maliciously.
"Heh, I can't wait to see this. You got a week, dude! ONE week before school starts or else you're gonna end up making a bigger dweeb out of yourself!" They laughed as they walked away from him this time, most likely out of not seeing a tree anywhere to throw him in, but leaving the boy more determined than ever.
After heading back home and after dinner and getting back into his long-sleeved PJs, Bradley immediately went to work. He went on the living room computer while his mother was out shopping and tried to look up anything related to Toontown that was in real life(so he paid no attention to the online game by the same name when it popped up first). The closest thing he got in his several minutes of searching was that it was that one way in was down a path in deeper Burbank, down a tunnel, but there was nothing specific said about it at all as to where it actually was. That and the source said itself that it was a hoax, having tried everything they could and confirming that it was just a tunnel that led to nowhere special. This got Bradley worried that there'd be no hope, but that also got him thinking hard at new ideas. How could HE find it then? What else would he try?
"Maybe someone with their childhoods intact oughta try then... This shmooze looks like they lost theirs a long time ago, saying it's nothing like this." He said to himself with a light chuckle. Since this was the best lead he had, he printed out the route to the general area of his destination. He hid the papers in his room and closed everything related to his search out on the computer by the time his mother came back home. When nighttime came and both of them went to bed like normal, he didn't dream this time, he waited until the mom was fully asleep, then he got ready to put his plan into action.
"If you think really hard about it, maybe it can find you..." He repeated those words to himself as he woke up when he was sure his mom was asleep and he was ready to search for it. Everything needed to come together perfectly or else he'd never get another chance at finding Toontown.
Author's note: And our search begins. By the way, how awesome would it be if there was an Animaniacs movie that had the same seamless interaction between the toons and humans like from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"? I'd definitely go to see that. :)