ACT 1: THE PORCELAIN PRISON (MONTAGE)
INT. GEORGE MANSION - NURSERY - DAY (YEARS AGO)
JUNE GEORGE holds BABY REGINA up like a trophy in front of a group of socialites.
JUNE Look at her. The most beautiful baby in the world. Not a single blemish. She's perfect.
INT. GEORGE MANSION - LIVING ROOM - LATER
Baby Regina crawls across the white rug. She reaches for a glass vase on a low table. CRASH. June's face twists into a mask of pure rage.
JUNE Regina! You've ruined the room! You're a disaster!
Regina screams, crawling as fast as her tiny limbs can carry her, hiding under a cold marble table, shivering.
ACT 2: THE BIRTHDAY DENIAL
INT. GEORGE MANSION - KITCHEN - DAY
The kitchen is blindingly white. LITTLE REGINA stands by the island, holding a hand-drawn picture of a birthday cake with seven candles. She is vibrating with quiet hope, her eyes wide and innocent.
LITTLE REGINA
Mommy? Since my birthday is tomorrow... can I have a party? I saw a commercial for a place with a bounce house and... and I want to invite friends from my class.
JUNE is busy measuring out a glass of green juice. She doesn't even look down.
JUNE
Friends are for people who can't stand their own company, Regina. And a party is just an invitation for people to come into my house and judge my furniture.
LITTLE REGINA
(Small voice)
But I'll be good. I won't break anything. I promise.
JUNE
(Setting the glass down with a sharp clink)
You are already "good." A party would make you common. You'll spend your birthday in your room practicing your posture. If you can't be the best thing in the room, you shouldn't be in the room at all. Now, go.
Little Regina's face crumbles. She looks at her drawing—her dream of a "normal" life—and realizes it's never going to happen. She turns and walks slowly toward the stairs, her small shoulders slumped.
INT. REGINA'S BEDROOM - VARIOUS DAYS (TIME-LAPSE)
•HALLOWEEN: Regina watches from her window as kids in costumes laugh and trade candy. She is alone in the dark.
THANKSGIVING: A lavish feast is downstairs. Regina sits on her bed, her stomach growling. June has "canceled" her dinner for a minor etiquette mistake.
•CHRISTMAS: No tree. No lights. Regina is on her hands and knees scrubbing the baseboards. No presents under the bed.
•NEW YEAR'S EVE: The sound of distant fireworks and cheering echoes through the walls. Regina stands in the center of her room, practicing a formal curtsy in front of a mirror until her legs shake. June watches from the doorway, checking a stopwatch, never once saying "Happy New Year."
•VALENTINE'S DAY: Regina sits at her desk, staring at a pile of handmade cards she made for her classmates. They are confiscated by June, who drops them into the trash without a word. Regina stares at her empty hands.
•EASTER: While other kids are outside hunting for eggs, Regina is in the foyer, using a toothbrush to clean the grout between the marble tiles. She is wearing her "Sunday best," but there is no basket and no celebration.
•MOTHER'S DAY: Regina watches the neighbor kids give flowers to their moms. She looks at her own hands, empty and trembling.
•FATHER'S DAY: She looks at an empty chair at the dining table. There is no father here. Only the silence of the mansion
ACT 3: THE BITTER SWEET SIXTEEN
INT. REGINA'S BEDROOM - DAY
Regina (now 16) is forced into a sleeveless, light pink, thigh-length dress. It is tight and uncomfortable. June stands behind her, pulling the zipper so hard Regina gasps.
JUNE Don't breathe so loud. You'll stretch the fabric. Today, you are a George. If you cause one bit of trouble, if you act "human" for one second, I will make you regret it.
ACT 4: THE ARRIVAL OF THE COURT
INT. REGINA'S BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Regina stands frozen in front of her mirror, the tight pink dress digging into her skin. A sharp, rhythmic KNOCK sounds at the door.
Regina takes a breath, smoothing her dress. She opens the door.
GRETCHEN and KAREN stand there, looking like polished porcelain dolls in expensive gowns. Behind them, AARON SAMUELS and SHANE OMAN stand in suits, their arms full of colorful gift boxes. KAREN balances a small, plain, vibrating cardboard box on the very top of the pile. They all look impressed.
GRETCHEN (Gasping) Oh my gosh, Regina! You look... regal. Doesn't she look regal, Karen?
KAREN (Nodding slowly) You look like a pink diamond.
AARON (With a shy smile) Happy Sweet Sixteen, Regina. You look incredible.
Regina looks at them. For a split second, her eyes seek out Aaron's, looking for a shred of real warmth. But then she feels June's cold shadow behind her in the room.
REGINA (Her voice steady, the mask slipping on) Thank you. Follow me. The party is starting, and we wouldn't want to keep the "commoners" waiting.
She leads them out of the room, her head held high, looking every bit like the Queen they expect her to be.
ACT 5: THE VIEW FROM THE CURB
EXT. GEORGE MANSION - CONTINUOUS
Down the street, a beat-up, older car sits idling in the shadows, away from the glow of the valet lights. JANIS sits in the driver's seat, staring at the mansion like it's a haunted house. DAMIAN is in the passenger seat, struggling to eat a taco without spilling on his oversized hoodie.
JANIS (Her voice low and bitter) Look at that place. It looks like a giant, glowing tooth. A giant, fake, evil tooth.
DAMIAN (Mouth full) I heard the appetizers are shaped like tiny crowns. Even the shrimp are wearing tiaras, Janis. It's a lot.
JANIS She's probably in there right now, feasting on the souls of everyone who actually tried to be her friend. She didn't just ruin my life; she turned it into a weird, sad hobby. She's like a... a black hole wrapped in expensive pink ribbon.
DAMIAN (Nodding solemnly) A black hole that would definitely judge my outfit right now. (He gestures to his hoodie) Plus, I bet the music is just a recording of her own heartbeat. She's definitely the final boss of North Shore.
JANIS (Eyes narrowing) Let her have her crown tonight. The higher the tower, the harder the crash.
Janis shifts the car into gear and peels away, the engine COUGHING as the mansion disappears in the rearview mirror.
ACT 6: THE GREAT AMPHIBIAN ESCAPE
INT. REGINA'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Gretchen and Karen are still admiring Regina, but KAREN is holding a small, vibrating cardboard box.
KAREN I brought you a birthday present! I found him in the pool filter this morning. His name is Pickles.
Karen opens the box. A large, very green FROG sits there. Before Regina can scream, Pickles catches sight of a fly and BOING! He leaps onto Regina's shoulder, then off her head, and out the bedroom door.
REGINA (Eyes wide) Karen! Get that... that thing! If my mom sees a swamp animal in this house, she'll turn us all into luggage!
INT. MANSION - STAIRCASE / HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER
A comedic CHASE begins, inspired by the frantic energy of The Little Rascals.
•The Stairs: Regina is trying to run in her tight pink dress and heels. It's a "waddle-run." She looks like a high-fashion penguin.
•The Living Room: Regina lunges for the frog under a table. She slides across the polished floor, narrowly missing a $50,000 statue. She looks like Tom chasing Jerry.
•The Vase: Regina sees the frog heading for a pedestal. She dives, catching a priceless Ming vase just as the frog leaps off it. She's juggling three different glass bowls like a circus performer.
REGINA (Panting, frantic) Karen! Corner him! Gretchen, use your purse!
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
The chase enters the party. The guests are confused. Regina is flushed, her hair is starting to come undone, and she is desperately trying to look "regal" while eyeing the floor for a green blur.
She sees Pickles heading for the buffet. She makes a final, desperate lunging grab—
REGINA (Screaming) NO!
She misses. The party is "perfect" but her sudden movement scares a CLUMSY WAITER who was walking by with a tray of beet-red punch. Regina stands like a statue. THE CLUMSY WAITER trips leading him to do a classic "Cartoon Slip," which basically demonstrates his legs cycling in the air like he's on a banana peel. The tray flies upward.
TIME SLOWS DOWN. The red punch hangs in the air like a bloody cloud. Regina looks up, her eyes reflecting the incoming disaster.
SPLAT. The punch hits Regina's dress, spilling a glass of red punch like an ocean full of waves destroying a sand castle on the beach concluding that the punch splashed onto Regina's dress. In addition to that, the punch not only splashed onto Regina's dress, but the tray that was used to carry the punch, also hit onto the white marble floor with a CLANG that echoes like a funeral bell. The music stops. The laughter dies. The slapstick fun is instantly sucked out of the room.
June storms over. She doesn't look at the waiter. She looks at Regina.
JUNE (Hissing in her ear) You did this. You were standing in the wrong place. You've stained the evening. You're a pathetic, clumsy misfit.
REGINA (Whispering) But Mom, he tripped—
JUNE Go to the kitchen. Scrub the floor until it's white again. The party is over for you.
Regina walks away as the guests whisper. She isn't crying anymore. Her eyes have gone flat. The "human" part of her has finally broken.
ACT 7: REBELLION AGAINST PUNISHMENT
INT. BALLROOM - CONTINUOUS
Regina looks at the red stain on her dress, then at the brush June is shoving toward her. Her hand trembles, but she doesn't take it.
REGINA (A spark of defiance) No. It's my birthday, Mom. I didn't trip. I'm not cleaning it.
The room goes deathly silent. June's eyes widen—not with sadness, but with the look of a hunter. She grabs Regina's arm with a grip like a vice.
JUNE (Through gritted teeth) You're going to regret saying that.
ACT 8: THE STAIRWELL ASCENT/THE LOCK AND KEY
INT. MANSION - GRAND STAIRCASE - CONTINUOUS
June drags Regina up the marble stairs, her grip so tight Regina's skin pales under her fingers. Regina is stumbling, her heels clicking unevenly against the stone, the red punch dripping from her dress like trail markers.
REGINA (Hysterical, breathless) Mom, please! You're hurting me! It wasn't me, I swear! It was Karen! She brought that... that creature into the house!
June doesn't slow down. She doesn't even look back. She just keeps climbing, her heels hitting each step like a hammer.
REGINA (CONT'D) I'm innocent! I was just trying to stop it from ruining your things! The frog jumped, and the waiter—it was the waiter who was clumsy! I had nothing to do with the mayhem! It's not my fault!
JUNE (Her voice a low, terrifying vibrate) A George is never a victim of "mayhem." A George controls the room. You let a common girl and a swamp animal turn my ballroom into a circus.
REGINA It was a gift! It was my birthday gift! Please, it was just an accident!
They reach the top landing. June wheels around, her eyes flashing with a cold, predatory light that silences Regina instantly.
JUNE In this house, "accidents" are just choices made by losers. You chose to be a child today, Regina. Now you can see what being a child gets you.
INT. REGINA'S BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER
June throws the bedroom door open and shoves Regina inside. Regina stumbles, nearly falling in the tight pink dress. June is looming, her face inches from Regina's.
JUNE How dare you embarrass me? I have spent sixteen years trying to carve something beautiful out of a block of stone, and you still want to be a misfit? You want to be "human"? Fine.
REGINA (Crying out) I just wanted a party! I just wanted to be like everyone else!
JUNE You will never be like everyone else. You are a George. And until you learn that being a George means being perfect, you don't get to be a part of this world.
June backs out of the room.
REGINA Mom, wait—!
SLAM. The sound of the deadbolt clicking echoes in the room. Regina lunges for the handle, rattling it desperately.
REGINA (CONT'D) Mom! Open the door! It's my birthday! Please!
Silence from the other side. Regina stops rattling the handle. She sinks to the floor, the light pink dress bunching up around her. She looks at her reflection in the full-length mirror.
She reaches up and wipes the tears from her face, smearing her makeup until her eyes look dark and hollow. Her expression shifts. The sadness evaporates, replaced by a cold, hard stillness.
REGINA (V.O.) She was right. Being human was a mistake.
Regina stands up, perfectly straight. She doesn't look like a girl anymore. She looks like a monument.
ACT 9: THE DEPARTURE OF THE CLOSEST FRIENDS
INT. GEORGE MANSION - FOYER - NIGHT
The music has been cut. The "perfect" party is now a graveyard of half-eaten appetizers and whispers. GRETCHEN and KAREN stand near the front door, looking small and fragile in their designer gowns.
Gretchen is clutching her pearls, her eyes darting toward the top of the staircase where the echo of the DEADBOLT still lingers in the air.
GRETCHEN (Whispering) We should go. We should definitely go. If June comes back down here, she's going to look at us, and I think I'll actually turn into stone.
KAREN (Her voice trembling) Is Regina okay? She looked... she looked like she was melting. Like a candle.
Karen looks down. PICKLES THE FROG is sitting on the bottom step, looking up at them, completely unaware that he just ended a girl's childhood.
Karen reaches down and gently scoops the frog up, tucking him back into the crushed cardboard box. He lets out a small, muffled CROAK.
KAREN (CONT'D) (To the frog) I'm sorry, Pickles. I thought she'd like a friend. I didn't know friends weren't allowed here.
GRETCHEN (Pulling Karen toward the door) Nothing is allowed here, Karen. Only perfection.
They push through the heavy front doors and walk out into the night, leaving the "Porcelain Prison" behind. Behind them, a MAID enters the frame with a bucket and a brush. She begins to scrub the red punch off the white marble, her movements rhythmic and cold.