Muppets Inc Chapter 16

Marc, Splurge, and Boo escaped from Lenny's lair, and once again, started running.

"This is crazy." Said Marc. "He's going to kill us! We gotta get out of here now! We can start a whole new life somewhere far away. Goodbye, Muppets Inc! Goodbye, JP Grosse!" Before Marc was about to exit the building, Splurge had an idea: He was going to tell JP all about Lenny's plot.
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Meanwhile, in the simulation room, JP was criticizing Gonzo for balancing on one foot with his nose curled out.

"No, no, no, no!" Said JP. "You're supposed to scare the child, not lull it to sleep!"

"I was going for a ninja/aardvark approach with a little snorting." Said Gonzo. Suddenly, Splurge burst into the room to spill the beans about Lenny.

"George." Said JP. "Perfect timing. Show these monsters how it's done." The animatronic kid started resetting. Splurge tried to talk JP out of the scare demonstration, but JP resented. Boo walked over to the animatronic's bet to find Splurge, unaware of the events that would unfold.

"Now, give us a big, loud roar." Said JP.

"Mr. Grosse," Said Splurge. "There's no time for this."

"Come on. What are you waiting for? Roar!"

"But sir!"

"Roar!" Splurge roared like a bear, scaring the animatronic child. This impressed the recruit Muppets, Sam, and JP, but terrified Boo. Splurge tried to talk to her, but she kept running away. Boo tripped over a wire and her hood fell off. This caught the attention of JP, but Marc did his best at explaining the situation at hand. While trying to get Boo's attention, Splurge noticed himself on screen: the footage of him scaring the simulation child. Boo was in there, too, frightened as a child. She then ran towards JP.

"How could this happen?" Said JP, during his conversation with Marc. "Does anyone else know about this?"

"No, sir." Replied Marc.

"Good." Said Marc. "This company can't afford any more bad publicity. No before we do anything else, let's take care of the child."

Muppets Inc Chapter 15

Meanwhile, Marc ran frantically throughout the factory, wanting to tell Splurge the news from Lenny. When he asked Fozzie and Kermit if they seem him, Fozzie replied no, and Marc continued running. When he left the scene, Fozzie opened his locker and Boo's toys from the other night fell out.

"09-76!" Shouted Kermit. CDA agents ran out of the stalls and started attacking the poor bear
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When Marc finally found Splurge, the purple Muppet had a sad look on his face. Marc asked Splurge where the kid was, and he held out the cube in his large hands.

"I can still hear her little voice." Whimpered Splurge. Suddenly, a real voice came from nowhere.

"I can hear her, too." Said Marc, putting his ear against the cube. Marc started hearing more voices. "How many kids have you got in there?" Suddenly, Bobby Benson's daycare children walked through the hallway, and Boo noticed Splurge. He threw the trash cube into the air and landed in the hands of Marc, who fell to the ground.

"Boo, I was so worried!" Said Splurge. "Don't you ever run away from me again, young lady! But I'm so glad you're safe." Marc entered the scene, and a baby Poison Cackler noticed him.

"Marc Fazakas!" He said. Marc tried to shoo the baby monster away, but he then bit hard on Marc's arm, causing him to scream in agony. This caused Boo to laugh so hard that it blew out the lights in the hallway. This scared the younger Muppets, so Marc and Splurge skedaddled with Boo in tow. Marc started telling Splurge about Lenny's deal.

"I still don't understand!" Said Splurge. "You got Boo's door?"

"I'll explain later." Said Marc. The two of them finally made it to the scare floor, and Boo's door was there!

"There it is!" Said Marc. "Just like Lenny said!"

"Lenny?" Questioned Splurge. Suddenly, Boo started being scared again and hid under a counter. He got Boo out, but was still unsure about Marc.

"Marc, what are you thinking?" Asked Splurge. "We can't trust Lenny. He's after Boo."

"Who cares? Let's go!" Said Marc. "This is a limited time offer!"

"I don't like this." Said Splurge.

"Look, Splurge, you wanted her door and there it is. Now let's move." Splurge still didn't trust Marc, so Marc went into Boo's bedroom, when he started jumping on her bed, he was captured by Lenny. He put Marc in a crate and put the crate in a luggage shaped like a dozen canisters. Boo started to whimper, but Splurge calmed her down. When the bell rang, everyone returned to the scare floor. Lenny walked off with Marc in his crate, and Splurge and Boo followed.
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They chased Lenny to what seemed like a dead end, but Boo discovered a secret lair by turning a wrench that was hanging on a wall. They walked inside and heard voices. It was Lenny and Scooter, and they pulled the box out of the canister-shaped luggage. It was surprisingly light, and to their surprise, have captured Marc instead.

"Fazakas!" Shouted Lenny. "What did you do with the kid, you little one-eyed cretin?"

"First off, it's cree-tin." Corrected Marc. "If you want to threaten me, you have to do it properly. Secondly, how will kidnapping me help you cheat your way to the top?"

"You still think this is about that stupid scare record?" Laughed Lenny.

"I thought it was," Said Marc. "Until you chuckled like that. Now I think I should be leaving." A bar then fell down on Marc.

"I'm about to revolutionize the scaring industry," Explained Lenny, strapping Marc's arms to the bar. "And when I do, even the great George C Spurgenson will be working for me. But first, I need to know where the kid is, and you're going to tell me."

"I don't know anything." Confessed Marc.

"Sure." Said Lenny in a sarcastic tone. Scooter then started pressing on the control panel and a large vacuum-like machine attached to the ceiling lowered down. "Say hello to the Scream Extractor."

"Hello." Said Marc. Lenny then walked over to the control panel and pressed select buttons and dials, making the Scream Extractor move closer to Marc each second. Thankfully, Splurge unplugged the machine just in time and saved Marc.

"What did you do wrong this time?" Lenny asked Scooter.

"I don't know." Said Scooter. "I calibrated the drive..."

"Go check the machine!" Commanded Lenny. He walked over to the Scream Extractor and checked if there were any loose wires. Meanwhile, Lenny checked the back and saw that the machine was unplugged. He plugged it back in, but instead of Marc's voiced getting sucked, it was Scooter, who turned pale. Marc has escaped! Before he passed out, Scooter pointed in the direction he saw Marc run off to.

Muppets Inc Chapter 14

Marc was now running through the hallways, trying to run away from Lenny. He hid near a painting of JP Grosse, and just when he thought the coast was clear, Lenny appeared right in front of Marc!

"Where's the kid?" Asked Lenny, pinning Marc to the wall.

"Kid? What kid?" Joked Marc.

"It's here in the factory, isn't it?" Asked the lizard.

"You're not pinning this on me." Said Marc. "It never would've gotten out if you never cheated last night!"

"Cheating?" Exclaimed Lenny, but then, he thought of a plan. "Cheating. Right. Okay, I think I know how to make this all go away. What happens when the whistle blows in five minutes?"

"I get a time out?"

"Everyone goes to lunch! Which means the scare floor will be..."

"Painted?"

"Empty! It'll be empty, you idiot! You see that clock? When the big hand goes up, and the little hand is pointing up, the kid's door will be in my station. But when the big hand goes down, the door will be gone. You have until then to put the kid back. Get the picture?" Marc nodded his head yes.
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Meanwhile, Boo was running through the halls and placed herself in a trash bin. Splurge spotted her, but when he was about to walk towards the bin, two CDA agents noticed him.

"Hey, you!" One of them said. "Halt!"

"He's the one." Said the other agent. "The one from the commercial! Can we have your autograph?" Splurge was relieved and signed their autograph books. While Splurge was talking to the two agents, Beauregard and Lindbergh walked out of the janitor's closet and started pushing the bin: The one with Boo inside.

When the Muppet janitors halted at a trash chute, Boo got out, but one of the eyes from her Kermit suit got caught in a six-pack. When Splurge saw the Muppets pour the trash down the chute, judging from the eyeball in the pile, he thought Boo was in there. When Beauregard pressed the 'Trash' button on the wall, Splurge ran downstairs to the trash compactor with what he thinks is Boo inside. Because the window was made of glass, Splurge could only watch in horror as 'Boo' got crushed, steamrolled, sliced and turned into a cube. When the Muppet saw what remained of 'Boo', he fainted.
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Meanwhile, the real Boo was safe. She bumped into Bobby Benson and his Daycare Band, as well as a purple spider-like creature and a red baby alien that looked a bit like Elmo (but without the nose). When Bobby asked the girl for her name, she replied 'Marc Fazakas!'
Author's Notes: Bobby Benson is a bit of an unusual Muppet who has a band of Muppet babies (not those Muppet Babies). If you ask me, these babies look kind of scary.
 
The purple spider-like creature is a Poison Cackler. They were dangerous creatures that appeared in Fraggle Rock. A baby Poison Cackler, which I used for this story, appeared in the episode 'The Trial of Cotterpin Doozer'.
 
The red baby alien that looked like Elmo is a baby Koozbanian. On the planet Koozbane, the Koozbanians, the inhabitants of the planet, reproduce through the Galley-oh-hoop-hoop, in which the Koozbanians run into each other and explode, leaving four babies in their place.
 

Movie Review: Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Movie Review: Atlantis: The Lost Empire                                                                                     9-14-16
 
WARNING! This following review contains spoilers for Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
From the directors of Beauty and the Beast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame comes Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Disney's first animated sci-fi adventure. The film tells the story of a young man named Milo James Thatch (Michael J Fox), who wants to prove that the lost city of Atlantis did exist. Everyone thinks he's crazy, but when Milo meets Professor Whitmore, he plans an expedition to find Atlantis, lead by Commander Rourke (James Garner) and his first-mate lieutenant Helga Sinclair (Claudia Christian), as well as other crew members with different tasks. When the team and Milo finally reach Atlantis, they meet the King of Atlantis (Leonard Nimoy, who now rests in peace) and his daughter Kidagakash (Cree Summer). However, Rourke and his team have plans to betray Milo and steal the fabled 'Heart of Atlantis', so they can make a profit.
Now what do I think Atlantis? I honestly don't enjoy it as much as other people do. While the character animation and special effects are suitable for its time, the story and designs doesn't feel like a Disney feature. In fact, it almost looks like Brad Bird's The Iron Giant! However, I do find some of Rourke's crew members funny and diverse.

Like Hiro's classmates in Big Hero 6 and Lincoln's sisters in The Loud House, each of Rourke's crew (except for Helga) can be described in a few words each: Joshua Sweet is a kindly doctor, Mole is a French excavator, Vinny is a demolitions expert, Mrs. Packard is a pessimistic secretary who has a habit for smoking, Cookie is a cooky gourmet, and Audrey is a young African-American mechanic. As enjoyable as they are, I don't like how they treat Milo in the beginning. I also don't like how they betray Milo when they get to Atlantis. But at least they redeem themselves. Well, except for Rourke and Helga.
Kida is another enjoyable character in the film. If Atlantis did better at the box-office, maybe she would've become an official Disney Princess. There's also a sequence I find visually fantastic involving Kida, in which she bonds with the Heart of Atlantis, the life source for the Atlantians.

Keep in mind that this movie premiered BEFORE Steven Universe, which also had characters fusing with one another through the power of gemstones.
In conclusion, I personally think Atlantis appeals more to girls, while Treasure Planet appeals more to boys. However, I do enjoy Atlantis more than James Cameron's Avatar, as the latter nearly bored me half to death. I find Avatar to be a knockoff of Atlantis, as they both have similar plots, characters, and themes.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

Muppets Inc Chapter 13

Marc and Splurge were now walking to the scare floor, preparing to return Boo home.
"This is bad." Said Marc. "This is really bad."
"What were they talking about with a machine?" Asked Splurge.
"Who cares?" Answered Marc.
"Look," Explained Splurge. "All we have to do is call her door down and return her home."
"You're right." Said Marc. We're just two regular joes on our way to work." Marc and Splurge then greeted the other Muppets on the scare floor.
"Top of the morning, fellas!" Said Splurge.
"What's shaken', bacon?" Said Marc.
"Did you lose weight or a limb?" Said Splurge. "You have her card key, right?"
"Of course I have her card key." Lied Marc, slyly taking someone else's card. "I told you I'd get her card key. And now I have her card key." He swiped the card into the scanner and down came a brown door with black pointy hinges.
"Marc, that's not her door." Protested Splurge. "Her door was white and had flowers on it."
"It must've been dark last night because this is her door." Marc opened the door, and yodeling could be heard. "Hear that? It sounds fun in there!" He tried to persuade Boo into the door, but Splurge closed the door.
"Marc, this isn't Boo's door." Said Splurge.
"Boo? What's Boo?" Asked Marc.
"That's what I decided to call her." Said Splurge.
"Splurge, you're not supposed to name it." Said Marc. "Once you name it, you start getting attached to it! Now put that thing back where it came from, or so help me..." This caught the attention of the other Muppets.
"Oh, hey!" Said Marc. "We're rehearsing a scene for the upcoming play called 'Put That Thing Back Where It Came Or So Help Me'. It's a musical."
Marc: Put that thing back where
It came from or so help me
Get that thing away from me, you guys!
Put that thing back where it came from
Or I'll poke myself in the eye!
"It's a work in progress." Said Marc. "It's gonna get better. Splurge, I've had enough. Now say good-bye to..." He noticed Boo was gone. "Where did it go? She got away from you again?! Well, that is just... Wait a minute. The sun is coming up. This is perfect! She's gone!" Splurge went off to find Boo again, but Marc was holding onto his leg.
"Splurge, please don't blow this." Pleaded Marc. "Not when we're so close to breaking the record. She's out of our hair!" Suddenly, Splurge bumped into Lenny.
"What are you too doing?" Asked Lenny.
"They're rehearsing a play." Said a dog with glasses.
"She's out of our hair..." Sang Marc, but Lenny wasn't falling for it.
"Can it, Fazakas!" Said Lenny. "What do you think of that kid getting out, Splurgenson? Pretty crazy, huh?"
"Quite crazy." Answered Splurge.
"Word on the street is the kid's been traced back to the factory. You haven't seen anything, have you?" While Lenny was talking, Splurge saw Boo in the hallway running down a different hall. Once again, Splurge stuttered.
"No, no way!" Said Marc, saving Splurge's skin. "But if I were to put my money on someone, it would be Thingy-Thing. You know, that yellow guy with the snail-like eyes?" With Lenny distracted, Splurge got a chance to find Boo, again. However, Marc heard a familiar voice.
"Marcus Fazakas!" Said Miss Piggy, wearing a dog cone. "Last night was one of the worst nights of my entire night, bar none! I thought you cared about me."
"Honey, I thought you liked meatballs." Said Marc.
"Meatballs?!" Screamed Piggy. "You think this was about meatballs?!"
"Yes." Muttered Marc.
"Well, meatball this! Hi-ya!" He karate chopped him silly. After he got up, Marc ran off to find Splurge. While the feud was happening between Marc and Piggy, Lenny noticed a familiar face on the paper: Marc Fazakas! So he ran off to find him.

Author's Notes: The dog with glasses is Baskerville the Hound. He first appeared in Purina Dog Chow commercials in the early 60s with Rowlf the Dog, and would later appear on The Muppet Show.

Muppets Inc Chapter 12

While Splurge was playing with the child, whom he named Boo, Marc tried his best to persuade Gladys into giving him Boo's card key.

"Gladys, my tender, oozing blossom." He said. "You're looking fabulous today. Is that a new haircut?"

"Can you just get to the point?" Asked Gladys in an annoyed tone.

"Okay, here's the gist." Said Marc. "Listen, I need a favor. Lenny has been working late last night out on the scare floor. I really need the key he was using."

"Well, isn't that nice?" Said Gladys sarcastically. "But guess what? You didn't turn in your paperwork last night. This office is now closed." She closed her garage-like door on Marc's fingers, making him scream in agony.
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Meanwhile, back in the bathroom, Splurge was still playing with Boo.

"Ready or not, here I come!" He said. "I'm getting warmer. Any second now. Fee fi fo..." He was interrupted by Marc.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm looking for the kid." Said Splurge.

"You lost it?!" Asked Marc.

"No, she was just..." Like it was right on cue, Boo ran towards Splurge's foot, but she looked upset. They then heard Lenny's voice, and the three hid in a stall. Lenny came to wash his hands. Scooter, Lenny's assistant, then came in to tell Lenny something.

"Lenny! Thank goodness!" He said. "What are we going to do about that child?" Lenny covered the orange Muppet's mouth. He then turned invisible and opened the doors one by one. When he was about to open the door to the stall Marc, Splurge, and Boo were in, Scooter ran up to Lenny to tell him something.

"The front page! It's on the front page!" He said. "The child, the one you're after!"

"Will you be quiet?" Commanded Lenny. "Don't you think I'm aware of that? I've been up all night trying to find it."

"I did a simple calculation, factoring in the size of the restaurant. The child may have escaped!"

"Yeah, well, until we know for sure, we'll act like nothing happened, understand? You get the machine up and running while I take care of the kid. And when I find whoever let it out, they're dead!" Lenny and Scooter soon left the bathroom, but Marc accidentally put his foot in the toilet.
Author's Note: I'm sorry that this chapter is so short. I assure you that the next one will be longer!

Muppets Inc Chapter 11

The next day, Marc and Splurge dressed the girl up as a familiar frog using fabric from Splurge's chair, two ping pong balls, and an old coat.

"I can't believe we're waltzing right into the factory!" Said Marc. "Splurge, this disguise isn't going to fool anyone! Think of a few big names. Sweetums, Doglion, Walleye Pike. What do they all have in common? They got banished! We could be next!" When the two Muppets entered the factory, CDA agents were everywhere. They saw one of them talking to JP Grosse, and one was holding the bag from the other night. The girl walked up to JP's leg and got his attention.

"Hello." He said. "What is this?" Splurge ran over to pick up the child.

"That's my brother's daughter, sir." Splurge fibbed.

"It's 'Bring an Obscure Relative to Work Day". Said Marc.

"Must've missed the memo." Said JP. "Listen, George. Why don't we stop by the simulator after lunch today and give us that scare demonstration we talked about, huh?" Splurge tried to talk out of it, because of the kid he had to return, but all he could do at the moment was stutter.

"Well, I'll see you this afternoon, George." Said JP. "That is, if these gentlemen don't shut us down." He then walked away with some CDA agents.

"Oh, a scare demo." Said Marc. "How come I was the last to know? We could bring your brother's daughter along. She'll be a big hit." The two then walked into the locker room.
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When the two made it inside the locker room, Marc explained his plan.

"Okay," He started. "All we have to do is get rid of that thing. So wait here while I get its card key."

"She can't stay here." Protested Splurge. "This is the men's room." Marc just stood there in shock for two seconds.

"That's the weirdest thing you have ever said." Said Marc. "It's fine. Look, it loves it here! It's dancing with joy! I'll be right back with its door key." Marc then went off to see Gladys.

"That's a cute little dance you've got there." Said Splurge. However, the girl took her hood off to show her expression. She had to use the bathroom.
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Splurge then went to the bathroom with the kid. When he opened the door however, the toilet was flushed, she was gone. Suddenly, he heard a similar voice behind him. The potty break turned into a game of Hide-and-Seek.
Author's Notes: The very first Kermit puppet was made from Jim Henson's grandmother's coat.
Doglion was a full-boded character who would occasionally appear on The Muppet Show. He was also said to be the very first Muppet to appear on the big screen, in the first few seconds of The Muppet Movie.
 
Walleye Pike was one of Long John Silver's many pirates in Muppet Treasure Island.