Jumbo (2019) Movie Script
- Accommodate, A-
C- C-O-M-M-O-D-A-T-E, Accommodate.
- Wow, you nailed
it, Jumbo, correct.
- I could've sworn there was
another A in there somewhere.
Okay, smartytrunk,
try this one, rhythm.
Rhythm, hmm.
R- H-Y-T-H-M, rhythm.
Right again.
- Geez, that's some
kind of brain you have
in that noggin of yours, Jumbo.
Where on earth did
you learn those words?
- Yeah, where'd
you even hear them?
Jungle elephants
aren't exactly known
for their verbose delivery.
- True that, heck, nobody in
this jungle's really famous
for their smarts.
Cunning, yes, savagery, yes.
But brainpower,
nah, not so much.
You're a real standout, buddy.
Oh, thanks a bunch you guys.
It's true, folks around
here don't talk like that.
So I didn't hear those
words anyplace, I read them.
- You read 'em?
- You read 'em?
Yeah, I read them.
I studied the dictionary.
- The dictionary, that big
book with all the words?
That's the one, Weldon.
I almost got the
whole thing memorized
front to back,
and back to front.
- Whoa, now that's
dedication, crazy dedication.
Nah, I just love learning.
It's so fun to find new
and different facts,
and stuff you never
knew about before.
- Hmm, that does
sound kind of fun.
Oh, you'd be surprised.
Tiny, tell you what, go ahead,
throw me a word, any word.
I'll spell what comes
after it in the dictionary.
What comes after it,
you mean, one simple
word can connect
your brain with the
words next to it?
Totally, Weldon.
You'd be straight-up
surprised at the power
we possess in these
little brains of ours.
Well, I mean look at you.
You're an elephant,
your head's huge.
Gee, thanks buddy.
- No, I mean the brain in
there has to be five times
the size of mine.
10 times.
- Okay, let's not get
carried away, Tiny.
My point is some animals
have a natural leg up
at this sort of
thing, so to speak.
Or a wing up.
Or a wing up, but listen,
you ever hear the
term birdbrain?
They don't say that
about elephants.
Nuh uh, they say, he's got
a memory like an elephant,
because elephants are gigantic.
And a bigger skull
means a bigger brain,
and a bigger brain means
more ability to retain stuff
and a higher capacity
to memorize and learn.
- Memorizing and
learning are actually
two different things, Weldon.
Any monkey can memorize.
Semantics.
Hey, there we go, semantics.
Okay, hotshot, tell me the word
that comes after semantics.
And spell it, too.
Sure, it's semantogenic.
Uh, what?
- Semantogenic, it means
rising from impairment
in the use of language.
- And?
- And,
S- E-M-A-N-T-O-G-E-N-I-C,
semantogenic.
Unbelievable, he never misses.
- As far as we know, we
don't have a dictionary
in front of us.
He could be fibbing,
pulling our feathers, or tails.
- Weldon, I think it's safe
to say Jumbo's never knowingly
told a lie in his whole life.
His whole life, he's 62.
- And he's the nicest,
friendliest, most honest
and inquisitive animal
in our entire jungle.
Aw, thanks Tiny.
Eh, you're right, sorry Jumbo.
You're a shoo-in to
win that spelling bee.
I don't know why the
rest of us even try.
You're the smartest
animal we know
in this whole darned jungle.
- Oh stop, and just
like any one of us,
I can make mistakes,
I'm not perfect.
I forget stuff
all the time, too.
You do?
Of course I do.
Sometimes, if I'm tired,
or hungry, or irritated,
I can mess up
spelling my own name.
- Ha, even a birdbrain
can get that one.
J- U-M-B-O, Jumbo.
- Bert, do you have any idea
how many big-money endorsements
you can land with
a sound victory
in that silly jungle
spelling bee next week?
- Silly, but the
jungle spelling bee's
a big deal, Uncle Ron.
Animals migrate from far and
wide just to take part in it.
Heck, I've been studying
since I was a tadpole.
- That's because
you're a Hollis, Bert,
dedicated,
intelligent, ruthless.
And smart, too.
- Smart doesn't pay
the bills, nephew.
Aggression pays the bills.
Ah, aggression, my
favorite word, go.
- Aggression,
A- G-G-R-E-S-S-I-O-N, aggression.
- It sounds like a
cheerleader cheer.
Every time I hear it, I
envision a squad of female frogs
in H sweaters, shouting
and dancing in unison.
Very good, Bert.
True to your Hollis
lineage, you never fail.
Thanks, Uncle Ron.
- Please, Bert,
call me Mr. Hollis.
The spelling bee is coming
up fast and after you win,
I'll be doing many
interviews on your behalf,
about your skills, your
focus, your training,
I don't want some silly
gazelle in the press corps
to shout out, Ronny, over here.
Gotcha, will do, Mr. Hollis.
- Remember, authority
projects success, Bert,
and success begets authority.
Pick a word, go.
Go, G-O, go.
Bert, a bigger word, please,
something a bit more convoluted.
Yes, Mr. Hollis, convoluted,
C- O-N-V-O-L-U-T-E-D, convoluted.
- Excellent, nine-tenths
of animals out there
would flub that one.
You're a lock to
win it all, nephew,
a legend in the making.
Come now to my den.
We'll run flashcards
until sundown,
then you'll hydrate and rest.
- I got it under control
Unc-, I mean, Mr. Hollis.
Have you gotten a
load of the animals
that will competing
in that contest?
They're real dum-dums.
Like you said,
I'm a lock to win.
I'm a Hollis, I can't lose.
Careful nephew, careful.
Confidence is an
asset, for sure,
but arrogance can
easily work against us.
Arrogance, schmarrogance.
S- C-H-M-A-R-R-O-G-A-N-C-E,
schmarrogance.
- You remind me so much of
myself as a younger frog, Bert.
Thanks, Mr. Hollis.
And to tell you the
truth, I've always felt
more kinship with
you than with Pops.
- Well, I don't know where your
father came from, honestly.
He must've been adopted.
He certainly exhibits
none of the traits
of winning that you
and I possess, Bert.
- Pops is a loser,
L- O-S-E-R, loser.
He spends all day plucking
flies from his old lily pad.
And have you seen
that thing lately?
He hasn't washed it in years.
- Yes, well, hygiene was
never his strong suit.
As tadpoles, we used
to forage wild spinach
on the lake banks, but
your father would wait
outside the pet store
dumpster for the staff
to discard their
expired fish flakes.
Oh no!
- I'm afraid so, we'd
all stuff our bellies
full of organic goodies,
and there your dad would be,
hunkered down all
day in an alley,
munching on stale,
smelly shrimp flakes.
- Oh gag, I think
I'm gonna be sick.
- It's of no
consequence now, Bert.
- C-O-N-S-E-Q-U-E-N-C-E,
consequence.
Yes, yes, yes!
- Wow, get a load of all the
great species-specific snacks
being offered at our
jungle fair this year.
It's absolutely
out of this world.
I know, right, yum.
There's sprouts, jerky, grains,
fruits, and falafel, too.
- I haven't tried
falafel, is it good?
- Oh, it's the
bee's knees, Weldon.
Bee's knees, yuck.
It's just a figure of speech.
It means, good.
The best.
- The best would be
some fresh worms.
But I don't see a single
annelid, nematode,
platyhelminth,
nemertean, chaetognatha,
or priapulid anywhere.
- Wow, who said you were
birdbrained, Weldon?
I don't know that I
could spell a single one
of those big words.
And I definitely couldn't.
- Oh, neither could I, I
just know 'em by heart,
and taste, of course.
Worms are my most
favorite snack ever.
- We should tell
the fair organizers
that there are
birds in attendance.
I bet they'd bring
in some yummy worms
for you right away, buddy.
- I'm just happy
to be here, Tiny.
I might try some of that falafel
you guys were talking about.
It smells delicious.
- You can never go wrong
with some toasty falafel,
Weldon, trust me.
- Okay, listen up, it's time
for our annual spelling bee
qualifying round contest.
Alright you three, once
you receive your word,
there will be no talking,
and you'll have exactly
five seconds to
begin your spelling.
You will have one chance,
and one chance only,
to spell your word.
No doublebacks and no do-overs.
Be sure to speak slowly,
clearly, concisely,
and best of luck.
Spike, you're up first.
Uh, hi everybody.
Your word is commiserate.
- Commiserate, C-
O- M-M-I-S-S-E-R-A-T-E, uh, commiserate.
Sorry, Spike, Sorry.
- Oh.
- That is incorrect.
Thanks for trying little guy,
hope to see you next year.
Harper.
- I'm ready, let's do this.
Your word is vandalize.
I got this.
Vandalize, V-A-N-D-A-L-I-Z-E.
- Correct.
- Woo!
- We'll see you in the
spelling bee, Harper.
Woo!
Rhonda, are you ready?
I'm ready.
Your word is, handkerchief.
Ooh, handkerchief,
H- A-N-D-K-E-R-C-H-I-E-F,
handkerchief.
- Correct.
- Phew.
- We'll see you on stage
at the big show, Rhonda.
Thank you, thank you.
Aw, that's too bad for Spike.
- Less is more in
this case, Jumbo.
I'm sure he'll be
back next year.
- Alright, you guys,
there's no turning back now.
I signed up all three of us,
we're on after this next group.
Okay.
- Next, give a warm
jungle welcome to Della,
Eddie, and Bert Hollis.
- That's right,
right here, y'all.
To the victor goes
the spoils, boo-yah.
Modest as ever.
Just like a Hollis.
I hate that frog.
He picks on everyone
in school, too.
I hope he gets embarrassed.
- Everyone deserves a
fair chance, Weldon.
Besides, Bert's a
pretty strong speller.
Whatever, I don't trust him.
His uncle probably
paid off the judges.
Okay, first up is Della.
Hi all.
And your words is playwright.
Ha, don't mess up, Della.
No talking on stage, please.
- Playwright,
P- L-A-Y-R-I-G-H-T, playwright.
- So sorry, Della,
that is incorrect.
Oh, thanks for having me.
Buh-bye.
Eddie, are you ready?
Ready as I'll ever be.
That's not saying much.
- Once again, no
talking on stage.
Any further disobeying
of this rule
may result in disqualification.
Yeah, DQ him, throw him out.
Weldon, shh.
Yeah, hush buddy.
We don't wanna be thrown out.
We're up next.
Eddie, your word is weird.
And so are you.
No talking!
Weird, hmm,
I before E except after,
after, um,
Come on, spit it out.
Bert, quiet.
Weird, W-I-R-E-D, weird.
Wired, he spelled wired?
Come on man, is this
amateur night or what?
Bert Hollis, enough!
- Give me some
competition up here.
- We're very sorry, Eddie,
but that's incorrect.
W- E-I-R-D is the
correct spelling.
Oh, that's right.
I got nervous.
Excuses, excuses.
- That will be
quite enough, Bert.
Focus or step down.
- Bring it on,
ready when you are.
- I think we're all
ready for you to leave.
Your word is conscience.
- That's ironic, Bert
has no conscience.
Quiet in the audience, please.
Yeah, zip it lemmings.
- Bert, one more
outburst and you will be
disqualified on the spot.
Okay, okay, conscience,
C- O-N-S-C-I-E-N-C-E, conscience.
He did it.
Made it look easy.
It's fixed.
- Correct.
- Boom.
- We'll see you in the
championship round, Bert.
Good day to you.
Good day to you too, Jeeves.
Keep that trophy nice
and polished for me.
Ugh, what a jerk.
What an ego.
Bert's got issues.
- I told you guys
he was no good.
Moving on, thankfully.
Next up, please lend a
warm welcome to Jumbo,
Tiny, and Weldon.
That's us.
Here we go.
- Welcome you three,
Tiny, you're up first.
- Hi everybody.
- And your word is indict.
- Ooh, indict,
I- N-D-I-T-E, indict.
Sorry Tiny, that's incorrect.
Oh, darn.
Good luck guys.
Thanks Tiny.
Sorry to see you go.
Bye T.
Weldon, you're next.
I'm ready.
Your word is cemetery.
Cemetery, C-E-M-E-T-A-R-Y.
So sorry, Weldon.
The proper spelling of
cemetery is C-E-M-E-T-E-R-Y.
The last E is sometimes
substituted with an A,
but that is incorrect.
Thank you for competing.
Oh well, thanks everybody.
Knock 'em dead, Jumbo.
I'll try, Weldon.
- Okay, last but
not least, Jumbo.
Your word is millennium.
- Millennium,
that's a tough one.
- Jumbo's got it, he can
spell that in his sleep.
Can you spell it?
- I think so, M-I-L,
oh, I give up.
- Millennium,
M- I-L-L-E-N-N-I-U-M, millennium.
Correct.
- Yay!
- Yay!
- We very much look
forward to seeing you again
during the competition, Jumbo.
Thank you so much.
I look forward to
being there, bye.
You did it, Jumbo.
You were every bit
as fast and certain
as that big bully Bert.
- Yeah, I think you have
that spelling bee in the bag,
Jumbo, your memory's just
too good, you elephant, you.
You guys flatter me.
But seriously, the
bee's gonna be tough.
Just one slipup,
and you're finished.
Anyone can win it.
Well, I'm with Tiny.
My money's on you, pal.
- I'd have to say
the front runners
are easily you and Bert Hollis.
Ugh, anybody but Bert.
You've gotta win,
Jumbo, you have to.
I'll do my best, Weldon.
It's all any of us can ever do.
And if Bert wins, so be it,
it's not the end of the world.
Well, speak for yourself.
If Bert Hollis wins
that spelling bee,
I, for one, am going
to be so depressed,
I might sleep for a whole month.
- And I might eat all the
falafel in the fair all by myself.
- Oh, falafel, we
forgot to get some.
- Nuh uh, not me, Bert's still
back there talking smack.
I'll go tomorrow.
Besides, I don't have a spelling
bee to train for anymore.
I'm sorry guys.
You watch, next year will
be your year, both of you.
- As long as you win it
all this year, Jumbo,
I'm okay with that.
I second that, Jumbo or bust.
All hail Jumbo.
- Come on you two,
don't get carried away.
- Ha, I'll tell you who's
gonna get carried away,
Bert, I betcha he's
blowing his top
that you advanced to
the championship round.
- That's right, you're the
one animal in this jungle
who can defeat him at
pretty much anything.
And he knows it.
Oh, come on now.
I'm sure Bert's fine with
competing against me in the bee.
We're all adults
here, after all,
and it's just a contest.
- I tried, Bert, but the
judges wouldn't hear of it.
They said all animals
were now free to enter
and compete regardless of their
brain size or intelligence.
All animals?
What nincompoop came up with
that silly equality rubbish?
It'll be the end of
the bee as we know it.
- Nonsense, the only
thing that can end
the jungle spelling bee
is if I say it's over.
Remember, I funded the
bee in the first place,
and money makes the
world go 'round.
He who has the most money wins,
and nobody has more than I do.
I am the mogul of moguls,
the tycoon of tycoons,
the entrepreneur
of entrepreneurs,
the CEO of CEOs,
the amphibian of amphibians,
and I rule this land
with webbed feet
and a bullwhip tongue.
- I do like your
style, Uncle Ron.
- Mr. Hollis, Bert,
call me Mr. Hollis.
Right, sorry.
- Yes, well, remember,
the power position
is the only position, nephew.
And don't worry, we won't
let some floppy-eared,
droopy-trunked
elephant get in the way
of our new ventures and take
what's rightfully yours.
You're Bert Hollis,
next in line to inherit
my entire empire.
- I am, whoa, uncle
Ro-, I mean Mr. Hollis,
I had no idea.
My pops thinks he's set to
inherit the keys to your empire
when you retire.
Your father, ha!
That's the funniest joke
I've heard in a long time.
The only keys I'd give
your father are the keys
to this high-rises's
janitorial closet,
because that's the only
job he's fit for here.
- Ha, ha, ha, that's true,
Mr. Hollis, Pops is a loser,
Always has been, always will be.
He enjoys nature and lily pads,
sunshine and fresh water.
He knows nothing of
business and success.
- That's
right, Bert, he doesn't.
Your dad's always had
his head in the clouds
and his feet in the pond.
I tried to reason with
him, but some frogs
you just can't reach.
So you get your father,
luckily his kind
of idiocy skips a
generation, so I have you,
and you're a winner, nephew.
- Yes I am, just like
you Unc-, Mr. Hollis.
- Tell me what I
already know, kid.
In the business world, he
who finishes last loses.
And Hollises aren't losers.
No, we're not.
- While the rest of these
jungle beasts play checkers,
we play 3D chess.
- Yes, we do.
- And I've got
a little trick up my sleeve
that'll ensure nobody
but you wins that
spelling bee, Bert.
Nobody but you.
That's correct.
Okay, let's try
another one, ready?
- I'm ready.
- You asked for it,
this one's tricky.
- Hit me with your
best shot, Tiny.
- Oh, I'm gonna,
your word is pharaoh.
Ooh, good one.
Pharaoh, hmm,
P- H-A-R-
Careful Jumbo, think about it.
P- H-A-R-A-O-H, pharaoh,
- Wow.
- Correct.
Whew, that was a tough on.
- You've got this,
Jumbo, you've got it.
I'm telling you, there's
no way you can lose.
- Don't make me
overconfident, Tiny.
Overconfidence
leads to mistakes.
That's true, it does.
You may or may not
win this thing, Jumbo.
Your vocabulary's
elementary, and your skills
are marginal at best.
- Okay, now that's a little
too far the other way, Weldon.
- That's right, we
don't wanna make Jumbo
feel bad about himself
either, Weldon.
That'll accomplish nothing,
and you can bet Mr. Hollis
isn't browbeating Bert
about what a dummy he is.
That's true.
- Yeah, it's probably
an understatement.
I bet Hollis is spit
shining Bert's lily pad,
filling his head with
ridiculous flights of fancy
and wild ideas of grandeur.
- Now guys, Ron Hollis
is a jungle animal,
just like we are, with hopes,
dreams, likes, dislikes,
wants, and desires.
It's important that we
don't marginalize him
and paint him as
some kind of monster.
I'm sure that behind the scenes
he's a perfectly swell frog.
- I know exactly how
you feel, Mr. Hollis.
I hate elephants, too.
They're ugly, they
take up too much space,
and they smell funny.
- Right, they're an
embarrassment to jungle life,
a blight on the land.
They're not even
good for manual labor
since they were liberated
from those traveling shows
that at least used to
keep them contained.
- You know, I know a word
doctor who can handle
this problem, but
it'll cost you.
He doesn't come cheap.
Oh, I would hope not.
I must find a way to
knock Jumbo the elephant
out of contention,
and clear the way
for my nephew Bert
to win it all.
I see, well in that case,
why don't we just go
and see my friend now.
He can get sketchy when he's
surprised, but he knows me,
which greatly reduces
his chances of attacking.
Oh, well, that's good to know.
Take me to the word doctor.
I'll make him an offer
he cannot refuse.
Ugh, is it much
farther, Atticus?
I am parched, I'm an amphibian,
you know, we need water.
- You're telling me,
I'm a great white shark.
In this day and age of
manmade ponds, lakes,
creeks, and streams,
doesn't anybody realize
sharks do business, too?
- I'll tell you what, Atticus,
if this mysterious friend
of yours can help
torpedo Jumbo's chances
of winning that spelling
bee, I'll send in my workers
and carve that canal just
for you, free of charge.
You will?
Then consider it done.
I'll personally broker
this deal and make certain
it's a win-win for us all.
- Excellent, I'm
looking forward to it.
- Hollis, I think this
could be the beginning
of a beautiful partnership.
Who!?
Who dares breach my
sacred lair unannounced?
It's me, Magnus.
It's me, Atticus, your
old friend, remember?
Atticus, the shark?
The one and only.
How you been, killer?
Hungry.
Word got out that there's
a predator in these woods.
Now my prey's dried up.
I've had nothing to eat
but cucumbers and squash
for a whole week.
- Cucumbers and squash are
actually very nutritious.
One could thrive on the
nutrients they provide alone.
Who's this?
This is Ron Hollis, Magnus.
You might've heard of him,
the real estate tycoon
from the big city.
Smells like a frog to me.
That's because I am a frog,
more accurately, I am the frog.
I've cut every deal,
constructed every building,
had every worker in court,
every shot from here
to the Arctic pole
for probably as long
as you've been alive.
- Hmm, how much longer
do you suppose you'll
be alive, frog?
- Uh, Atticus, would you like
to clarify for your friend?
- Magnus, we're
here to ask a favor.
- No.
- No?
No!
What does he mean, no?
He, uh, he means no.
Sorry, one second.
I'm not familiar with that word.
What exactly is it referring to?
To your favor, frog.
The answer is no.
You don't come to my home
with your webbed hands out,
you come bearing gifts
and begging mercy,
or you don't come at all.
Whoa, Ron Hollis begging?
I don't think so.
Hollis, don't.
- And I'll tell you
another thing, car chaser,
if you think you're safe here,
you've got another thing coming.
I can snap my webbed fingers
and pave over this dump
in an afternoon, turn it
into a condor rescue facility
by tomorrow morning.
You got that?
- Sassy.
- You know it
I'm Ron Hollis, and that name
carries weight around here.
Oh, oh boy.
- You're entertaining, Ron
Hollis, you make me laugh.
I'll give you a second chance.
Oh, you give me a chance?
- Take the chance,
Hollis, take the chance.
- That's right, explain
this favor you seek.
Who knows, I might grant it.
Or I might bite you in two.
- Oh yeah?
- Yeah.
Frog's legs are some
of my favorite snacks.
Well, well, alright.
Alright.
- Alright, I don't want
to be bitten in two.
I want to make a deal.
Well played.
Out with it, frog.
- My nephew's competing in the
jungle spelling bee shortly,
and he's a lock to win.
In fact, he's never misspelled
a word in his whole life.
- Sounds like a
pretentious little brat.
Oh he is, he's horrible.
But, just like
me, he's a winner.
There's just one animal
standing in his way.
- If it's a wolf,
I can't help you.
We stick together.
- It's not a wolf,
it's an elephant.
An elephant, blech.
I hate elephants.
So do we.
That's right.
I mean, they taste good,
but that's about it.
- This elephant is
particularly annoying.
He's a nuisance to
the whole jungle,
and snooty, thinks
he knows it all.
- Yes, most of
those elephants do.
- Superiority
complexes, big heads.
- I want to stop him from
entering that spelling bee
with my nephew.
And, if he does have the
gall to get on stage,
I want him to be useless,
as dumb as a bag of rocks.
That's a tall order, frog.
Why should I help you?
- Because I can
help you, Magnus.
Your prey is dwindling, you're
about to starve out here.
Do business with me and
I'll see that you don't.
- Oh.
- Oh yes.
I'll make one call
and stock these woods
with more caribou, and
bison, and elk, and beaver
than you can shake your tail at.
Your plate will be full
enough for three lifetimes.
- Well, since you
put it that way,
the doctor is in.
Excellent.
- What say I prescribe
you a certain word
that will cause whomever
utters it to lose
their memory completely?
- I'd say that's
splendid, splendid indeed.
Very well then.
All you have to do is
get the subject to utter
this word aloud, and it is done.
What is the word, tell me.
I'll tell you.
But if I see no elk,
caribou, moose, beaver,
or the like in one
hour's time, I'll render
the word null and void.
Your elephant can say
it 100 times, shout it
from the treetops, it will
do nothing but sound good
rolling off his tongue.
Fair enough, what's the word?
You must say it first, frog,
but I can give you a
clue to point the way.
Here it is,
what is your favorite
thing to make?
- Hmm, my favorite thing
to make, of course, money!
- Goodness, you are
shallow, aren't you?
What, that's not it?
- Oh.
- Okay, give me one more try.
My favorite thing to
make, I know, a deal.
- Hi, Albert, how's
the fair been going?
It's great, Jumbo.
Attendance is up from last
year, and there's been
no falcon trouble
like that one time.
Oh, that's great.
Those falcons sure
stirred it up, boy.
Tell me about it.
We had to hand stitch all our
big top roofs back together.
- Tedious.
- What's that mean?
- Oh, it means tiresome
and monotonous.
Mo-no-to-what?
- Sorry, Albert, it means
long, slow, and dull.
Ah.
You and your big words,
I bet you can't wait for
the spelling bee, huh?
- No, it's gonna
be fun, for sure.
Think you're gonna win?
You never know.
- Well, Bert Hollis
says he knows.
He says he's unbeatable,
says his uncle's seen to it
that he can't lose.
Oh yeah?
Just how does he
plan to do that?
We'll all be up on
stage by ourselves,
and we'll either spell our
words correctly or we won't.
There's no way to cheat.
- Who said anything
about cheating, Jumbo?
- Topper, some
things never change.
I should've known you'd
be in the thick of things,
eavesdropping on conversations.
- I ain't
eavesdropping, big boy.
I've turned over a new leaf.
Is that so?
Not associating with
the falcons anymore, eh?
Nah, tent vandalism?
They think too small.
I'm on to bigger things.
I work for Mr. Hollis now.
And he told me to find you.
Mr. Hollis?
- Well, you found
me, what do you want?
- I don't want nothing,
Mr. Hollis does.
What does he want?
- He wants to see
you right away.
Whoa, that can't be good.
What's this about, Topper?
- He's got a business
proposal for ya,
an offer you can't refuse.
Oh no, I saw The Godfather.
Don't go, Jumbo, don't go.
Why, I've done nothing wrong.
Tell him I'll talk to him.
- He said he wants you
to meet him downtown
at the top-floor apartment
of his high-rise.
- Fine, when?
- As soon as you can.
Ah, Jumbo, be careful.
The city's a big,
bustling, dangerous place,
look both ways before
crossing the street,
and take everything that frog
says with a grain of salt.
City slickers are the
jungle's natural enemies.
- Don't listen to
this kid, Jumbo.
He works in a fair booth
for crying out loud.
It's his job to mislead ya.
What if Hollis likes your
style and wants to sponsor you?
Likes my style?
That's crazy, I
don't have any style.
Well, true, still,
that frog can open doors that
don't even exist out here.
Opportunity only
knocks one time, Jumbo.
You can either answer the
door, or let it pass you by.
Hmmm.
Nice place you have
here, Mr. Ho-, or Ron.
- Thank you, Jumbo, you'd blush
if I told you what it cost.
My only recourse was
to turn my company
into such a raging success
that money poured in
from every crack and crevice
until I could literally afford
anything in this world I wanted.
- Wow.
- And I do
mean anything, Jumbo.
- That sounds fun.
- It is.
You're not a dim beast, Jumbo.
You saw them out there,
hustling and bustling,
back and forth, to and fro,
keeping pace, racing the clock,
so mired in the rat race
that they can no longer
see the jungle from
their office windows,
so weighed down by pointless
burden and empty obligation
that they can't raise their
heads above their cubicles
to see anything around them.
It's no way to live.
It sure doesn't look like it.
- Yes, but animals like
yourself know otherwise.
You and my nephew here
see beyond the matrix
that's been constructed
for the lesser beings.
Your minds are free, therefore,
your potential is limitless.
That's right.
- Jumbo, what would
you say if I told you
I had a rare offer for you?
An offer I can't refuse?
Something like that.
- That didn't work out so
good for Meerkat Corleone.
Didn't it?
Depends on what
you consider good.
Ungrateful elephant.
What was that, Bert?
Always project
your voice, nephew.
Remember, address them like
you would in the boardroom
and they'll never
fail to fall in line
behind your force of will.
- But I've never been in
a boardroom, Mr. Hollis.
How would I know how
you address folks?
- It's your outside voice,
Bert, use your outside voice.
- Okay.
- As I was saying,
Jumbo, I have an exceptional
opportunity for you,
if you choose to accept.
Okay, I'm all ears.
- You can
say that again.
Please, Bert, hush.
What if I told you that
you and my nephew here
could share the
jungle-wide limelight
of a spelling bee tie.
- A tie?
- A tie?
- A tie, you're both clearly
the two front runners
to win that contest.
- I think I edge
him out, though.
Follow me here, Jumbo.
You two boys tie at the
end, following a nail-biter
of a contest.
The jungle audience will be
torn with half the animals
feeling you won, and
half feeling Bert won.
- You really think
half our animals
will be sympathetic to Bert?
- Hey.
- I do,
because we'll color it that way.
You boys will play
up the drama onstage,
stutter a word here,
hang on a pause there,
play the crowd like a fiddle
to up their investment
in the drama and pageantry.
- Mr. Hollis, are
you suggesting we rig
the spelling bee's outcome?
- Rig, no, rig is
such an ugly word.
Rig is for losers.
Don't think like a loser, Jumbo.
Remember, free mind
equals free body,
and free bodies take
lots of vacations
with all the money they make.
- Oh, okay.
- After the bee ends
in a dramatic tie, we'll be free
to book follow-up events
throughout the jungle and beyond.
I mean Friday night showdowns
at Macaw Square Garden,
Saturday night sellouts
at Capuchin Event Center.
The opportunities are endless.
It's an open ticket
to print money,
as opposed to a single,
clear-cut winner,
which will provide
a spike in interest
that dwindles the day after,
and is all but
forgotten a week later.
You know those animals'
attention spans.
We have something shiny,
and they'll forget
what they were
doing a second ago.
- Dummies.
- Hush, Bert.
Let our guest talk.
What do you say,
Jumbo, do we have a--
- A deal?
- Yes.
- No, wait, I was
asking, not agreeing.
It doesn't matter, it's
over, congratulations, Bert.
Your star will
soon rise, nephew,
to heights unimaginable.
- Sweet, I can't
wait, Uncle Ron.
- Mr. Hollis.
- Whatever.
- Thanks for the
offer, Mr. Hollis,
but I'd rather compete
fair and square.
I'm afraid I'll have to decline.
Decline all you want, Jumbo,
your destiny is written in stone
whether or not we have a--
Deal?
Hmm, I'll just show myself out.
You do that, jungle boy.
Yeah, see ya later, loser.
Uh, what just happened?
- You just won
that spelling bee.
The business world is deeper
than you realize, nephew.
There's levels to this.
Needless to say, you
won't have to worry
about that elephant anymore.
Come morning, he'll be lucky
if he remembers his
own name.
Sweet.
It was so weird, you guys.
No sooner did Mr.
Hollis invite me in
and compliment my skills
than both him and Bert
started mocking me and
laughing in my face.
They basically went from
asking me to do business
with them to kicking me
right back to the curb.
I'm so confused!
- Well, I can't think of any
better news than that, Jumbo.
The thought of you in
league with the Hollises
was making me physically ill.
- Yikes, well,
don't worry, Weldon.
The only involvement I'll
be having with the Hollises
is on stage at the spelling
bee in a couple days,
when I beat Bert
and claim my prize.
- Nice, we'll be front
and center, Jumbo,
cheering you on and watching
that cocky frog crumble.
Hey, what do you say we
head back to the fair,
get some falafel,
and play some games?
- That sounds fun,
Weldon, but I'm bushed.
It's hectic walking abound
downtown, my head's spinning.
I think I'm gonna lie
down and take a nap.
- You didn't have
anything to eat or drink
from the Hollises,
did you Jumbo?
- No, they didn't even offer
me a glass of water, why?
Oh, I was just curious.
I wouldn't put it past
those jerks to try
and feed you bad dates or
expired milk to make you sick
and force you to miss
the spelling bee.
- I wondered about that
myself as I was going there,
but Hollis was so
nice, then so strange.
I wonder what they
really wanted.
- Maybe they were
just feeling you out,
picking your brain to find
out how prepared you are,
or if they could glean
any training tips.
Yeah, maybe.
- The important thing is you're
back home safe and sound,
and ready to resume
training for the bee.
I'm gonna go back to the fair
with Weldon for a little bit.
You rest, when we get back,
we'll run flashcards and
quiz you on new words.
- Sounds good, thanks for
being understanding, you guys.
I just had to go see
what they wanted.
What a waste of time and effort,
I'll never do that again.
Amen to that.
Double amen, let's go, Weldon.
Sweet dreams, Jumbo.
Later guys.
Hey, Tiny, Weldon,
thank goodness you're here.
I've been dealing with
that insufferable jerk,
Bert Hollis, all afternoon.
Bert's back?
He was being a jerk
downtown this morning,
- Yeah, he and his creepy
uncle were giving Jumbo
a hard time at their place.
- Yeah, he's been bad mouthing
Jumbo all over the place,
talking about how he's
gonna win the spelling bee
and stick his prize up
that elephant's snout.
- What a lowdown
frog, I hate Bert.
- You're not alone,
everybody hates Bert.
Watch out for him in there.
He's been going up
to everyone he sees,
boasting and bragging.
Lots of folks are
starting to leave.
- Thanks for the warning,
Albert, we'll keep an eye out.
- Maybe I'll take my wing
upside his green head.
Ha, that I'd like to witness.
- No fighting, Weldon,
you're too good for that.
It would only sink you
down to Bert's level.
Yeah, you're right.
I'm a bird, we take the
high ground naturally.
Come on, Tiny, let's
find that falafel stand.
- Okay, hopefully the
line's not too long.
Hey, look who we have here.
Topper, a pig and a bird.
He leaves the droppings,
she rolls around in 'em.
Ew, disgusting.
- The only disgusting
things here
are your faces, you bullies.
- Yeah, why don't you
go make some friends
and stop harassing everyone.
- Because, birdbrain,
it's more fun to harass.
- Especially when you wimps
are so easily harrassable.
- That's right, I
mean look at you two.
You look like farm
animals, or worse.
When's the last time you
had manicures or pedicures?
- When's the last time
you accomplished anything
your rich uncle
didn't help you with?
- There they go again,
talking about your uncle
'cause they're jealous.
- That's the way
it goes, Topper.
The have nots hate the haves
just for having what they don't.
- No, everyone hates
you because you're
a mean little frog, Bert.
You'd have a jungle full of
friends who wouldn't care
a thing about your uncle
if only you were
cool, but you're not.
And you have never been.
Boo hoo, poo poo.
Why don't you go try your claws
at winning some stale
birdseed, fly boy.
That's about the nicest thing
you can get for yourself.
- Why don't you shut
up and tell your uncle
to buy your dad a new lily pad?
He's sinking into
the pond out there.
What did you say?
Uh, nothing.
- You wanna try
me, feather face?
No, I'm against fighting.
- 'Cause you don't
know how to fight.
Well...
- Just leave us alone, we
came to the fair to have fun,
not to argue with a couple
of jerks like you two.
- Okay, piggy, we'll
leave you alone.
You smell funny up close anyway.
Gross.
Give Jumbo my regards.
And if his memory
fails him, remind him
that I'm the soon-to-be
spelling champ.
If his memory fails him?
What's that supposed to mean?
Jumbo has a great memory.
- I don't know, Weldon, but
I'm worried those Hollises
may have played a mean
trick on our friend.
Okay audience, here he is,
the elephant we
all know and love,
the elephant with
so much potential,
the elephant who, in
a fair and just world,
will win this spelling
bee, hooves down.
Please give a warm
jungle welcome
to that intelligent
elephant, Jumbo.
- Hi everybody, it's
so nice to be here.
- Are you ready for
your first word, Jumbo?
Ready as I'll ever be.
Did you hear that folks?
He's as ready as he'll ever be.
Okay smartypants,
your word is loser.
Okay, loser,
L- O-, um,
Clock's ticking, Jumbo.
I know, I know.
Loser, L-O-O-S-E-R, loser.
Oh, oh my.
That's terribly incorrect.
That's all wrong.
That's not even the same word.
What a stupid mistake
that was, eh fans?
- I, I'm sorry, I don't
know what happened.
- That is without a
doubt the dumbest mistake
anyone's ever made on
our spelling bee stage
since we've been holding
jungle spelling bees.
I mean S-T-O-O-P-I-D, stupid.
No, no, it's not my fault.
I don't know what's wrong,
I can't think straight.
I can't think.
What a nightmare, felt so real.
- The annual jungle
spelling bee begins tomorrow
at high noon, and
its obvious outcome
is as predetermined
as one can be.
When all is said and
done, you will emerge
as the ultimate victor, Bert,
single-handedly
crushing the competition
in your webbed fist.
When that elephant wakes
up tomorrow morning
and tries to think of
the simplest thing,
he'll find his big brain
has turned to mush.
His mind will be rendered
completely useless.
Just think of it, nephew,
the marketing opportunities.
Bert dolls, Bert cereal boxes.
Bert t-shirts, Bert's debut
rap record.
- But Jumbo, it's
us, your best friends
in the whole jungle, we've
known each other forever.
What?
I've never seen
you two in my life.
What are your names again?
It's me, Tiny.
And me, Weldon.
- That's not ringing
a bell you guys.
Oh no, this is terrible.
I know the Hollises are somehow
behind this, I just know it.
The Hollises?
Now, that sounds familiar.
- He remember the
Hollises, but not us?
This is crazy.
Something's not right.
This reeks of that
word doctor, Magnus.
I'm gonna go talk to him.
Who's Magnus?
I do not know you.
- Maybe we should
go talk to Magnus.
Right away.
We'll be back soon, Jumbo,
just take it easy and relax.
- If you two don't get
out of here right now,
I'm calling the jungle patrol.
Yikes, go, go!
- Hello, Mr. Magnus,
sorry to intrude.
We come in peace.
That's too bad.
I was looking forward to a
knockdown, drag-out brawl.
Not me, I'm a peaceful bird.
Hmph, too bad.
- Magnus, we're here to
ask you about our friend,
Jumbo the elephant.
What about him?
Well, he's not himself.
- Sounds like an
identity crisis,
lots of elephants get 'em.
- Yeah, but this is
particularly bad.
We spoke with him earlier
and everything was fine,
then he laid down for a nap,
and when he woke up,
he didn't remember us.
- That's right, he doesn't
even know who we are.
- Now that you
come to mention it,
I don't know who you are.
Who are you?
- My name's Tiny, and
this is my friend Weldon.
- What do you want from
me, Tiny and Weldon?
- Answers, do you
have anything to do
with our friend's memory loss?
- Me, why would I bother myself
with some jungle elephant?
- Maybe because Ron
Hollis offered you a deal.
- Ron Hollis, the
amphibian swindler?
I only do business with
reputable animals, my dear.
You're oinking under
the wrong tree.
- Please, Magnus, did you
at least hear about this?
Can you tell us anything?
'Fraid not, bacon.
Let's go, Tiny.
After what Hollis did, only
a fool would deal with him.
Wait a second, hold on.
What exactly did Hollis
do that would render one
foolish for dealing with him?
Um.
- Like you don't know, everyone
knows by now, right Tiny?
That's right.
Everyone knows about it.
- Well, I seem to be feeling
a big forgetful myself.
Why don't you two
refresh my memory?
- Oh, okay, go ahead
and tell him, Weldon.
What could it hurt now?
- That's true, what's done
is done, and fortunately.
Hollis bought up acres and
acres of our protected land
for his city company to develop.
He what?
That's right.
He plans to build strip
mall after strip mall
right here where we're standing.
This part of the jungle
might've been peaceful
up to now, but all
that's about to change,
and this habitat will
be destroyed forever.
- Bunk, I've heard
nothing of the sort.
- That's because it's all off
the books and under the table.
- Hollis knows what
he's doing is illegal,
but he's not about
to be stopped,
until it's too late, of course.
The monster.
That's what we said.
- Yeah, we said exactly
that, the monster.
- Come on, Tiny, we'll
keep asking around.
Thanks for your time, Magnus.
We're sorry to bother you.
Hold on a second, you two.
You're right, Hollis
offered me a deal
in exchange for casting
a curse that would erase
Jumbo's memory before
the spelling bee.
You cad.
How could you?
- I'm starving out
here, that's how.
- But Jumbo's never said a
cross word to you, Magnus.
He'd never hurt a fly.
Why would you do this to him?
Can you reverse
the curse on Jumbo?
- No.
- Oh.
I don't do junk magic, piggy.
My curses are the real
deal, irreversible.
However, it can be
countered with dedicated
memory exercises taught
by a master only.
Oh great, where in the jungle
will we ever find
a memory master?
- So you see, Jumbo,
we just have to find
some smartypants somewhere
who can guide you
through some
specialized exercises
to restore your memory.
Yeah, easy, right?
I don't know, you guys.
I'll take your word
for it that you know me
and we're good friends and all,
but I just don't
remember anything.
What did you call me?
What's my name again?
- Jumbo.
- Jumbo.
Ah, right.
- Listen, we have
to keep trying.
If we don't at least
try, we're sure to fail,
and all the good times
and the laughs we've had
will be lost forever.
And I don't know about you guys,
but I am not willing
to let that go.
I love you, Jumbo, we all do,
and we want you to get on stage
in that spelling bee and
win it like we know you can.
But most importantly,
we want our friend back.
Can we just give it
our best shot, please?
Oh, sure, why not?
- Yay!
- Yay!
- What are you guys
so happy about?
- I have no idea,
I really don't.
Who are you?
Ha, ha, very funny.
No, really, who are you?
- We're having an absolutely
dreadful day, Emmett.
The worst.
What's up, buddy?
You guys are weird, man.
- I know, right,
straight up cuckoo.
- Wanna hear a story you
won't believe, Emmett?
- Uh, why would I want to
hear it if I won't believe it?
- Because it's so crazy
somebody should write it down
and make a movie out
of it or something.
- It'd make a great
cartoon, for sure.
Okay, fine, you tell me yours,
then I'll tell you mine.
We'll see whose is crazier.
You have a wild story, too.
Sure do, and it's all true.
What's it about?
- It's about a million-year-old
dinosaur named Big T,
who lives deep in the jungle,
and has a memory that goes
back as far as time itself.
- Whoa.
- Whoa.
- He tells the future and
does ninja mind tricks,
and anyone who finds him
comes away enlightened
with deeper memory
and understanding
than they ever had
before, ha, ha, ha, ha.
Wow, sounds wild.
Yeah, sure does.
- I'm telling you
this is a sign, guys.
What are the odds that
Emmett would know exactly
the creature we need to talk to
at exactly the time we
need to talk to him.
- Astronomical at best,
and if this Big T is real,
he's the one who can restore
Jumbo's memory, no doubt.
We've gotta find him and fast,
everything depends on it.
I don't know you guys, I mean,
how do we find a
reclusive ancient dinosaur
who doesn't wanna be found?
Do we just, like, throw
out a slab of meat
and call, here dinosaur,
dinosaur, dinosaur, or what?
Hmm, that's not a bad idea.
But, we don't even
have any bait.
Unless we count Tiny
- You do
believe me that we're
best friends, right Jumbo?
I'm taking your word for it.
You've both been totally
nice to me so far.
If nothing else, we can
be new besties for sure.
Whew.
- Come on you guys, the
jungle's getting denser,
if there is an old
dinosaur out here,
this is looking more and
more like his kind of turf.
- Attention, ladies, gentlemen,
and animals of all stripes,
spots, and hides,
come one, come all.
- Wait, are you
carny barking now?
I thought this was my job.
- Shut up, Albert, this is
important, let my uncle talk.
- Here's your chance
to meet the frog
before he was famous,
and I mean, just before.
Come, shake the webbed
hand of Bert Hollis,
future spelling bee champion
of the entire animal kingdom.
Bert's never misspelled
a word in his whole life.
And spoiler alert,
ladies and gents,
he's not about to start now.
Oh boy.
Yeah, you tell 'em, Uncle Ron.
- That's Mr. Hollis
to you, nephew.
Come say hi to future
legend Bert Hollis,
live and in the flesh,
right here, right now.
Don't let this opportunity
pass you by, kids.
Bert's soon to be
a household name.
- You hear that,
Albert, household name.
Forget Siri, when folks
wanna know the answers
to life's mysteries from now
on, they'll call on Bert.
How impressive.
Darned right.
- And you all know me,
I am Mr. Ron Hollis,
Bert's beloved uncle.
Uh, like uncle, like nephew.
Did you hear that, Tiny?
Hear what?
- That sounds like
a dinosaur lurking.
Can Weldon still see us?
I don't know, let me look.
- The coast is clear,
you guys, keep going.
Wow, look at that view from
up here, it's majestic.
Boy, do I spend too
much time on the ground.
- Do you still hear
something, Jumbo?
- Thought I heard something
breathing, something big.
- It's probably just
the wind in the trees.
- Wow, look out, dinosaur
at 12 o'clock, dinosaur.
- Who dares disturb
my serene slumber?
We do, Big t.
Who's we, morsel?
- Oh, wow, I've never been
called a morsel before.
I feel funny.
- Please, Mr. T,
don't harm my friends.
- Aw, Jumbo, you
called us your friends.
- One thing right now,
do not call me Mr. T.
It's Big T, got it?
Yes, I got it, Big T, sir.
- Hey, you leave my friends
alone you big, ugly,
oh, whoa,.
- We don't mean to
bother you, Big T,
but a friend of ours said
you might be able to help us.
- A friend of yours told
you of my existence?
- Yes, and that you're
very old and wise.
Old?
Tell me, do I look old, morsel?
- See, it still
makes me feel funny.
- No, you don't look a
day over a half million.
Oh, really?
Well, I'm liking you three
more and more, go on.
Mr. Big T, uh,
I'm afraid my good
friends here have put
themselves in
danger today for me.
I'm the one who needs help,
and they're only trying
to find it for me.
If you're angry, please
don't take it out on them,
it's alL my fault that
we've disturbed you.
And I'd like to start
by saying, we're sorry.
Go on.
- My name's Jumbo and
I'm set to compete
in today's, wow, is it today?
In about an hour.
- I'm competing in today's
jungle spelling bee,
and I'm a really good speller.
He's, like, the best.
He was totally gonna win.
- Anyway, another contestant's
uncle struck a deal
with the jungle word
doctor and completely
erased my memory.
Wiped it clean.
- He can't even spell
his name, Big T.
- I see, you're as
dumb as riverbank moss.
Yeah, so, anyway, our friend,
Who he also doesn't remember.
- Yeah, nada, so
our friend told us
there's an ancient dinosaur
who lives deep in the jungle
with a memory as
old as time itself.
At your service.
- Yeah, and that
you could maybe,
if you were so inclined
and feeling gracious,
maybe, you know,
Gobble you up in one bite
and not spill a
drop on the ground?
Yikes, we're finished.
Well, ideally no.
- Mmhmm, lucky for you
lot, I already had lunch.
You have, whew.
Tell me, morsels.
So, so funny.
- What is the name of this
fellow competitor's uncle?
It's Ron Hollis, sir.
Ron Hollis?
I hate Ron Hollis.
You, you do?
- Yes, ever since
that dastardly frog
tried painting and
selling dinosaur eggs
to turn a buck during Easter,
I've counted him among
my moral enemies.
How despicable.
- Anything I can do
to help you, I shall
if it works against
Hollis in any way.
- Can you restore
Jumbo's memory, Big T?
I can indeed.
If you could win that
spelling bee and ensure
that any member of
the Hollis's bloodline
tastes nothing but bitter
defeat for eternity.
- Now that sounds like
a good deal to me.
Yes, Jumbo, say yes.
- Yes, if you can grant
me my memory, Big T,
I promise I'll go win that
spelling bee like a boss.
Very well, repeat after me.
- Amidst the mists
and fiercest frost,
with barest wrist
and stoutest boast,
he thrusts his fists
against the posts,
and still insists
he sees the ghosts.
- Amidst the mists
and fiercest frost,
with barest wrist
and stoutest boast,
he thrusts his fists
against the posts,
and still insists
he sees the ghosts.
- Good, now let's go over
some history lessons.
History lessons?
Okay, starting from?
From the beginning.
First, there was a big bang.
- Oh no, we're
gonna miss the bee.
This is it everybody.
Welcome one and
all to the platform
upon which dreams are made,
and some dreams broken.
Yes, indeed, it's
time once again
for the annual
jungle spelling bee.
Without further ado,
allow me to introduce
this year's contestants,
an illustrious, if motley,
crew of the animal kingdom's
most skilled wordsmiths.
Indeed, this group
is already the best,
and after today, we'll know
who's the best of the best.
Ha, just crown me now.
- Just a reminder, as
always, today's contest
is a single-elimination
tournament
to crown the best
speller in our land.
That means your first mistake
is also your last mistake.
And now, our
contestants, first up,
welcome back that
masterful maestro
of the manuscript, Topper.
And next, the most adroit
alphabeteer, Rhonda.
Thirdly, that brilliant
bookworm, Harper.
And, and,
last but certainly
not least, Bert.
That's it, just Bert?
- We, uh, we seem to
be missing someone.
- Nope, not missing anybody,
chop, chop, let's do this.
First word, go.
We're one member short.
Oh dear, I was so looking
forward to his performance, too.
Well, you got me.
Let me show you what I can do.
Yeah, I'll show you
some real skills.
Sorry I'm late everybody.
- Here he is, by the
skin of his trunk,
that most experienced
elephant elocutionist, Jumbo.
Deja vu.
What are you, lost?
Scram, elephant, the
peanut trough's that way.
- Oh, I'm not lost, Bert,
I'm right where I belong.
It's you who are in trouble.
We'll see about that, chump.
First word goes to Topper.
Topper, the word is supersede.
- Ha, give me a hard
one, why don't ya.
Supersede,
S- U-P-E-R-C-E-D-E, supersede.
Boomstick, oo-ah.
I'm very sorry, Topper,
but that is incorrect.
What, no?
On my first word, no.
- The correct spelling
is S-U-P-E-R-S-E-D-E.
Please, exit the
stage, good sir,
and we hope to
see you next year.
- Yeah, you'll see
me after the show
if you ain't careful, pal.
- Well, as security makes
their way to the front,
the next word goes to Rhonda.
- Get your
hands off of me.
I said get off of me.
Rhonda, the word is liaison.
Phew, okay, liaison,
L- I-A-S-O-N, liaison.
Oh no.
- I'm so sorry, Rhonda, but,
as you may have surmised,
that is incorrect.
The proper spelling of
liaison is L-I-A-I-S-O-N.
We do hope to see you again.
Next word is for Harper.
Harper, the word is accordion.
- Got it, in fact, I have
one at home, ha, ha, ha, ha.
- Shocker.
- Accordion,
A- C-C-O-R-D-I-A-N, accordion.
Oh, I know, I know.
I'm very, very sorry, Harper.
Can I spell it right?
Just for my own
piece of mind, sir.
I'm moving after the summer,
and this was my
final spelling bee.
Beat it, you bum.
- Let him go out on a win,
Bert, what do you care?
- I'll let you go
out on a gurney
if you don't zip it, nosy.
Okay, Harper, okay.
The judges have conferred,
and you may take
one more, out-of-competition
crack at the word.
The floor is yours, my friend.
A- C-C-O-R-D-I-O-N, accordion.
- Correct,
congratulations, Harper,
and happy trails to you.
We hope to see
you again someday.
- Thanks everybody,
it's been a blast.
- Move it out, move
it out, move it out.
Oh my, we're down to our final
two contestants that quickly.
And here we go.
Bert, this next word
is yours, ambidextrous.
- Ha, you're gonna have to
get up earlier in the morning
to stump me, chief.
A- M-B-I-D-E-X-T-R-O-U-S,
ambidextrous.
Correct.
Jumbo, here we go.
The word is isthmus.
Ooh, okay.
Isthmus,
- Don't screw it up.
I- S-T-H-M-U-S, isthmus.
That is correct.
And also, the first
winning pair of the day,
you know what this means
everybody, it's a shootout.
Bang, bang, you're dead.
Take your best shot, Bert.
Your turn, Bert,
and the word is limousine.
Yeah, my favorite ride.
Matter of fact,
my uncle's got one
waiting for me right outside.
We're taking it to my
first autograph signing
tonight at Macaque Motors.
Everybody who didn't meet
me before the show today
is invited, but bring your cash,
'cause my signature's
not free anymore.
What was that word again?
The word is limousine, Bert.
Oh yeah, limousine,
L- I-M-O-S-I-N-E,
limousine, woohoo, boom,
I never miss baby, never.
I'm very happy, I mean,
sorry to say this, Bert,
but that is incorrect.
Wait, what?
- And that means
you are disqualified
from the spelling bee.
Please, exit the stage, chief.
Wait, no, that can't be.
Limousine, I spelled
it, I spelled it right.
I want a replay,
Uncle Ron, Uncle Ron?!
- Security, if you'll
see the contestant out.
Don't touch me.
I'm going, I'm going
Uncle Ron!
- Well, Jumbo, you're
the last animal standing.
The next correct spelling wins,
are you ready for
your next word?
I am, sir.
- Okay, and Jumbo,
congratulations.
Thank you, sir.
- The next word
is Tyrannosaurus.
Ha, what a coincidence.
Go Jumbo!
Win it all, buddy!
- You rock Jumbo,
do it for Big T!
- Tyrannosaurus,
T- Y-R-A-N-N-O-S-A-U-R-U-
S.
Yay!
Woohoo!
Yes, yes, yes!
Yeah!
- Ladies and gentlemen,
it is my distinct pleasure
to introduce to you the
spelling bee champion
of the animal kingdom, Jumbo.
I like this dream much better.
C- C-O-M-M-O-D-A-T-E, Accommodate.
- Wow, you nailed
it, Jumbo, correct.
- I could've sworn there was
another A in there somewhere.
Okay, smartytrunk,
try this one, rhythm.
Rhythm, hmm.
R- H-Y-T-H-M, rhythm.
Right again.
- Geez, that's some
kind of brain you have
in that noggin of yours, Jumbo.
Where on earth did
you learn those words?
- Yeah, where'd
you even hear them?
Jungle elephants
aren't exactly known
for their verbose delivery.
- True that, heck, nobody in
this jungle's really famous
for their smarts.
Cunning, yes, savagery, yes.
But brainpower,
nah, not so much.
You're a real standout, buddy.
Oh, thanks a bunch you guys.
It's true, folks around
here don't talk like that.
So I didn't hear those
words anyplace, I read them.
- You read 'em?
- You read 'em?
Yeah, I read them.
I studied the dictionary.
- The dictionary, that big
book with all the words?
That's the one, Weldon.
I almost got the
whole thing memorized
front to back,
and back to front.
- Whoa, now that's
dedication, crazy dedication.
Nah, I just love learning.
It's so fun to find new
and different facts,
and stuff you never
knew about before.
- Hmm, that does
sound kind of fun.
Oh, you'd be surprised.
Tiny, tell you what, go ahead,
throw me a word, any word.
I'll spell what comes
after it in the dictionary.
What comes after it,
you mean, one simple
word can connect
your brain with the
words next to it?
Totally, Weldon.
You'd be straight-up
surprised at the power
we possess in these
little brains of ours.
Well, I mean look at you.
You're an elephant,
your head's huge.
Gee, thanks buddy.
- No, I mean the brain in
there has to be five times
the size of mine.
10 times.
- Okay, let's not get
carried away, Tiny.
My point is some animals
have a natural leg up
at this sort of
thing, so to speak.
Or a wing up.
Or a wing up, but listen,
you ever hear the
term birdbrain?
They don't say that
about elephants.
Nuh uh, they say, he's got
a memory like an elephant,
because elephants are gigantic.
And a bigger skull
means a bigger brain,
and a bigger brain means
more ability to retain stuff
and a higher capacity
to memorize and learn.
- Memorizing and
learning are actually
two different things, Weldon.
Any monkey can memorize.
Semantics.
Hey, there we go, semantics.
Okay, hotshot, tell me the word
that comes after semantics.
And spell it, too.
Sure, it's semantogenic.
Uh, what?
- Semantogenic, it means
rising from impairment
in the use of language.
- And?
- And,
S- E-M-A-N-T-O-G-E-N-I-C,
semantogenic.
Unbelievable, he never misses.
- As far as we know, we
don't have a dictionary
in front of us.
He could be fibbing,
pulling our feathers, or tails.
- Weldon, I think it's safe
to say Jumbo's never knowingly
told a lie in his whole life.
His whole life, he's 62.
- And he's the nicest,
friendliest, most honest
and inquisitive animal
in our entire jungle.
Aw, thanks Tiny.
Eh, you're right, sorry Jumbo.
You're a shoo-in to
win that spelling bee.
I don't know why the
rest of us even try.
You're the smartest
animal we know
in this whole darned jungle.
- Oh stop, and just
like any one of us,
I can make mistakes,
I'm not perfect.
I forget stuff
all the time, too.
You do?
Of course I do.
Sometimes, if I'm tired,
or hungry, or irritated,
I can mess up
spelling my own name.
- Ha, even a birdbrain
can get that one.
J- U-M-B-O, Jumbo.
- Bert, do you have any idea
how many big-money endorsements
you can land with
a sound victory
in that silly jungle
spelling bee next week?
- Silly, but the
jungle spelling bee's
a big deal, Uncle Ron.
Animals migrate from far and
wide just to take part in it.
Heck, I've been studying
since I was a tadpole.
- That's because
you're a Hollis, Bert,
dedicated,
intelligent, ruthless.
And smart, too.
- Smart doesn't pay
the bills, nephew.
Aggression pays the bills.
Ah, aggression, my
favorite word, go.
- Aggression,
A- G-G-R-E-S-S-I-O-N, aggression.
- It sounds like a
cheerleader cheer.
Every time I hear it, I
envision a squad of female frogs
in H sweaters, shouting
and dancing in unison.
Very good, Bert.
True to your Hollis
lineage, you never fail.
Thanks, Uncle Ron.
- Please, Bert,
call me Mr. Hollis.
The spelling bee is coming
up fast and after you win,
I'll be doing many
interviews on your behalf,
about your skills, your
focus, your training,
I don't want some silly
gazelle in the press corps
to shout out, Ronny, over here.
Gotcha, will do, Mr. Hollis.
- Remember, authority
projects success, Bert,
and success begets authority.
Pick a word, go.
Go, G-O, go.
Bert, a bigger word, please,
something a bit more convoluted.
Yes, Mr. Hollis, convoluted,
C- O-N-V-O-L-U-T-E-D, convoluted.
- Excellent, nine-tenths
of animals out there
would flub that one.
You're a lock to
win it all, nephew,
a legend in the making.
Come now to my den.
We'll run flashcards
until sundown,
then you'll hydrate and rest.
- I got it under control
Unc-, I mean, Mr. Hollis.
Have you gotten a
load of the animals
that will competing
in that contest?
They're real dum-dums.
Like you said,
I'm a lock to win.
I'm a Hollis, I can't lose.
Careful nephew, careful.
Confidence is an
asset, for sure,
but arrogance can
easily work against us.
Arrogance, schmarrogance.
S- C-H-M-A-R-R-O-G-A-N-C-E,
schmarrogance.
- You remind me so much of
myself as a younger frog, Bert.
Thanks, Mr. Hollis.
And to tell you the
truth, I've always felt
more kinship with
you than with Pops.
- Well, I don't know where your
father came from, honestly.
He must've been adopted.
He certainly exhibits
none of the traits
of winning that you
and I possess, Bert.
- Pops is a loser,
L- O-S-E-R, loser.
He spends all day plucking
flies from his old lily pad.
And have you seen
that thing lately?
He hasn't washed it in years.
- Yes, well, hygiene was
never his strong suit.
As tadpoles, we used
to forage wild spinach
on the lake banks, but
your father would wait
outside the pet store
dumpster for the staff
to discard their
expired fish flakes.
Oh no!
- I'm afraid so, we'd
all stuff our bellies
full of organic goodies,
and there your dad would be,
hunkered down all
day in an alley,
munching on stale,
smelly shrimp flakes.
- Oh gag, I think
I'm gonna be sick.
- It's of no
consequence now, Bert.
- C-O-N-S-E-Q-U-E-N-C-E,
consequence.
Yes, yes, yes!
- Wow, get a load of all the
great species-specific snacks
being offered at our
jungle fair this year.
It's absolutely
out of this world.
I know, right, yum.
There's sprouts, jerky, grains,
fruits, and falafel, too.
- I haven't tried
falafel, is it good?
- Oh, it's the
bee's knees, Weldon.
Bee's knees, yuck.
It's just a figure of speech.
It means, good.
The best.
- The best would be
some fresh worms.
But I don't see a single
annelid, nematode,
platyhelminth,
nemertean, chaetognatha,
or priapulid anywhere.
- Wow, who said you were
birdbrained, Weldon?
I don't know that I
could spell a single one
of those big words.
And I definitely couldn't.
- Oh, neither could I, I
just know 'em by heart,
and taste, of course.
Worms are my most
favorite snack ever.
- We should tell
the fair organizers
that there are
birds in attendance.
I bet they'd bring
in some yummy worms
for you right away, buddy.
- I'm just happy
to be here, Tiny.
I might try some of that falafel
you guys were talking about.
It smells delicious.
- You can never go wrong
with some toasty falafel,
Weldon, trust me.
- Okay, listen up, it's time
for our annual spelling bee
qualifying round contest.
Alright you three, once
you receive your word,
there will be no talking,
and you'll have exactly
five seconds to
begin your spelling.
You will have one chance,
and one chance only,
to spell your word.
No doublebacks and no do-overs.
Be sure to speak slowly,
clearly, concisely,
and best of luck.
Spike, you're up first.
Uh, hi everybody.
Your word is commiserate.
- Commiserate, C-
O- M-M-I-S-S-E-R-A-T-E, uh, commiserate.
Sorry, Spike, Sorry.
- Oh.
- That is incorrect.
Thanks for trying little guy,
hope to see you next year.
Harper.
- I'm ready, let's do this.
Your word is vandalize.
I got this.
Vandalize, V-A-N-D-A-L-I-Z-E.
- Correct.
- Woo!
- We'll see you in the
spelling bee, Harper.
Woo!
Rhonda, are you ready?
I'm ready.
Your word is, handkerchief.
Ooh, handkerchief,
H- A-N-D-K-E-R-C-H-I-E-F,
handkerchief.
- Correct.
- Phew.
- We'll see you on stage
at the big show, Rhonda.
Thank you, thank you.
Aw, that's too bad for Spike.
- Less is more in
this case, Jumbo.
I'm sure he'll be
back next year.
- Alright, you guys,
there's no turning back now.
I signed up all three of us,
we're on after this next group.
Okay.
- Next, give a warm
jungle welcome to Della,
Eddie, and Bert Hollis.
- That's right,
right here, y'all.
To the victor goes
the spoils, boo-yah.
Modest as ever.
Just like a Hollis.
I hate that frog.
He picks on everyone
in school, too.
I hope he gets embarrassed.
- Everyone deserves a
fair chance, Weldon.
Besides, Bert's a
pretty strong speller.
Whatever, I don't trust him.
His uncle probably
paid off the judges.
Okay, first up is Della.
Hi all.
And your words is playwright.
Ha, don't mess up, Della.
No talking on stage, please.
- Playwright,
P- L-A-Y-R-I-G-H-T, playwright.
- So sorry, Della,
that is incorrect.
Oh, thanks for having me.
Buh-bye.
Eddie, are you ready?
Ready as I'll ever be.
That's not saying much.
- Once again, no
talking on stage.
Any further disobeying
of this rule
may result in disqualification.
Yeah, DQ him, throw him out.
Weldon, shh.
Yeah, hush buddy.
We don't wanna be thrown out.
We're up next.
Eddie, your word is weird.
And so are you.
No talking!
Weird, hmm,
I before E except after,
after, um,
Come on, spit it out.
Bert, quiet.
Weird, W-I-R-E-D, weird.
Wired, he spelled wired?
Come on man, is this
amateur night or what?
Bert Hollis, enough!
- Give me some
competition up here.
- We're very sorry, Eddie,
but that's incorrect.
W- E-I-R-D is the
correct spelling.
Oh, that's right.
I got nervous.
Excuses, excuses.
- That will be
quite enough, Bert.
Focus or step down.
- Bring it on,
ready when you are.
- I think we're all
ready for you to leave.
Your word is conscience.
- That's ironic, Bert
has no conscience.
Quiet in the audience, please.
Yeah, zip it lemmings.
- Bert, one more
outburst and you will be
disqualified on the spot.
Okay, okay, conscience,
C- O-N-S-C-I-E-N-C-E, conscience.
He did it.
Made it look easy.
It's fixed.
- Correct.
- Boom.
- We'll see you in the
championship round, Bert.
Good day to you.
Good day to you too, Jeeves.
Keep that trophy nice
and polished for me.
Ugh, what a jerk.
What an ego.
Bert's got issues.
- I told you guys
he was no good.
Moving on, thankfully.
Next up, please lend a
warm welcome to Jumbo,
Tiny, and Weldon.
That's us.
Here we go.
- Welcome you three,
Tiny, you're up first.
- Hi everybody.
- And your word is indict.
- Ooh, indict,
I- N-D-I-T-E, indict.
Sorry Tiny, that's incorrect.
Oh, darn.
Good luck guys.
Thanks Tiny.
Sorry to see you go.
Bye T.
Weldon, you're next.
I'm ready.
Your word is cemetery.
Cemetery, C-E-M-E-T-A-R-Y.
So sorry, Weldon.
The proper spelling of
cemetery is C-E-M-E-T-E-R-Y.
The last E is sometimes
substituted with an A,
but that is incorrect.
Thank you for competing.
Oh well, thanks everybody.
Knock 'em dead, Jumbo.
I'll try, Weldon.
- Okay, last but
not least, Jumbo.
Your word is millennium.
- Millennium,
that's a tough one.
- Jumbo's got it, he can
spell that in his sleep.
Can you spell it?
- I think so, M-I-L,
oh, I give up.
- Millennium,
M- I-L-L-E-N-N-I-U-M, millennium.
Correct.
- Yay!
- Yay!
- We very much look
forward to seeing you again
during the competition, Jumbo.
Thank you so much.
I look forward to
being there, bye.
You did it, Jumbo.
You were every bit
as fast and certain
as that big bully Bert.
- Yeah, I think you have
that spelling bee in the bag,
Jumbo, your memory's just
too good, you elephant, you.
You guys flatter me.
But seriously, the
bee's gonna be tough.
Just one slipup,
and you're finished.
Anyone can win it.
Well, I'm with Tiny.
My money's on you, pal.
- I'd have to say
the front runners
are easily you and Bert Hollis.
Ugh, anybody but Bert.
You've gotta win,
Jumbo, you have to.
I'll do my best, Weldon.
It's all any of us can ever do.
And if Bert wins, so be it,
it's not the end of the world.
Well, speak for yourself.
If Bert Hollis wins
that spelling bee,
I, for one, am going
to be so depressed,
I might sleep for a whole month.
- And I might eat all the
falafel in the fair all by myself.
- Oh, falafel, we
forgot to get some.
- Nuh uh, not me, Bert's still
back there talking smack.
I'll go tomorrow.
Besides, I don't have a spelling
bee to train for anymore.
I'm sorry guys.
You watch, next year will
be your year, both of you.
- As long as you win it
all this year, Jumbo,
I'm okay with that.
I second that, Jumbo or bust.
All hail Jumbo.
- Come on you two,
don't get carried away.
- Ha, I'll tell you who's
gonna get carried away,
Bert, I betcha he's
blowing his top
that you advanced to
the championship round.
- That's right, you're the
one animal in this jungle
who can defeat him at
pretty much anything.
And he knows it.
Oh, come on now.
I'm sure Bert's fine with
competing against me in the bee.
We're all adults
here, after all,
and it's just a contest.
- I tried, Bert, but the
judges wouldn't hear of it.
They said all animals
were now free to enter
and compete regardless of their
brain size or intelligence.
All animals?
What nincompoop came up with
that silly equality rubbish?
It'll be the end of
the bee as we know it.
- Nonsense, the only
thing that can end
the jungle spelling bee
is if I say it's over.
Remember, I funded the
bee in the first place,
and money makes the
world go 'round.
He who has the most money wins,
and nobody has more than I do.
I am the mogul of moguls,
the tycoon of tycoons,
the entrepreneur
of entrepreneurs,
the CEO of CEOs,
the amphibian of amphibians,
and I rule this land
with webbed feet
and a bullwhip tongue.
- I do like your
style, Uncle Ron.
- Mr. Hollis, Bert,
call me Mr. Hollis.
Right, sorry.
- Yes, well, remember,
the power position
is the only position, nephew.
And don't worry, we won't
let some floppy-eared,
droopy-trunked
elephant get in the way
of our new ventures and take
what's rightfully yours.
You're Bert Hollis,
next in line to inherit
my entire empire.
- I am, whoa, uncle
Ro-, I mean Mr. Hollis,
I had no idea.
My pops thinks he's set to
inherit the keys to your empire
when you retire.
Your father, ha!
That's the funniest joke
I've heard in a long time.
The only keys I'd give
your father are the keys
to this high-rises's
janitorial closet,
because that's the only
job he's fit for here.
- Ha, ha, ha, that's true,
Mr. Hollis, Pops is a loser,
Always has been, always will be.
He enjoys nature and lily pads,
sunshine and fresh water.
He knows nothing of
business and success.
- That's
right, Bert, he doesn't.
Your dad's always had
his head in the clouds
and his feet in the pond.
I tried to reason with
him, but some frogs
you just can't reach.
So you get your father,
luckily his kind
of idiocy skips a
generation, so I have you,
and you're a winner, nephew.
- Yes I am, just like
you Unc-, Mr. Hollis.
- Tell me what I
already know, kid.
In the business world, he
who finishes last loses.
And Hollises aren't losers.
No, we're not.
- While the rest of these
jungle beasts play checkers,
we play 3D chess.
- Yes, we do.
- And I've got
a little trick up my sleeve
that'll ensure nobody
but you wins that
spelling bee, Bert.
Nobody but you.
That's correct.
Okay, let's try
another one, ready?
- I'm ready.
- You asked for it,
this one's tricky.
- Hit me with your
best shot, Tiny.
- Oh, I'm gonna,
your word is pharaoh.
Ooh, good one.
Pharaoh, hmm,
P- H-A-R-
Careful Jumbo, think about it.
P- H-A-R-A-O-H, pharaoh,
- Wow.
- Correct.
Whew, that was a tough on.
- You've got this,
Jumbo, you've got it.
I'm telling you, there's
no way you can lose.
- Don't make me
overconfident, Tiny.
Overconfidence
leads to mistakes.
That's true, it does.
You may or may not
win this thing, Jumbo.
Your vocabulary's
elementary, and your skills
are marginal at best.
- Okay, now that's a little
too far the other way, Weldon.
- That's right, we
don't wanna make Jumbo
feel bad about himself
either, Weldon.
That'll accomplish nothing,
and you can bet Mr. Hollis
isn't browbeating Bert
about what a dummy he is.
That's true.
- Yeah, it's probably
an understatement.
I bet Hollis is spit
shining Bert's lily pad,
filling his head with
ridiculous flights of fancy
and wild ideas of grandeur.
- Now guys, Ron Hollis
is a jungle animal,
just like we are, with hopes,
dreams, likes, dislikes,
wants, and desires.
It's important that we
don't marginalize him
and paint him as
some kind of monster.
I'm sure that behind the scenes
he's a perfectly swell frog.
- I know exactly how
you feel, Mr. Hollis.
I hate elephants, too.
They're ugly, they
take up too much space,
and they smell funny.
- Right, they're an
embarrassment to jungle life,
a blight on the land.
They're not even
good for manual labor
since they were liberated
from those traveling shows
that at least used to
keep them contained.
- You know, I know a word
doctor who can handle
this problem, but
it'll cost you.
He doesn't come cheap.
Oh, I would hope not.
I must find a way to
knock Jumbo the elephant
out of contention,
and clear the way
for my nephew Bert
to win it all.
I see, well in that case,
why don't we just go
and see my friend now.
He can get sketchy when he's
surprised, but he knows me,
which greatly reduces
his chances of attacking.
Oh, well, that's good to know.
Take me to the word doctor.
I'll make him an offer
he cannot refuse.
Ugh, is it much
farther, Atticus?
I am parched, I'm an amphibian,
you know, we need water.
- You're telling me,
I'm a great white shark.
In this day and age of
manmade ponds, lakes,
creeks, and streams,
doesn't anybody realize
sharks do business, too?
- I'll tell you what, Atticus,
if this mysterious friend
of yours can help
torpedo Jumbo's chances
of winning that spelling
bee, I'll send in my workers
and carve that canal just
for you, free of charge.
You will?
Then consider it done.
I'll personally broker
this deal and make certain
it's a win-win for us all.
- Excellent, I'm
looking forward to it.
- Hollis, I think this
could be the beginning
of a beautiful partnership.
Who!?
Who dares breach my
sacred lair unannounced?
It's me, Magnus.
It's me, Atticus, your
old friend, remember?
Atticus, the shark?
The one and only.
How you been, killer?
Hungry.
Word got out that there's
a predator in these woods.
Now my prey's dried up.
I've had nothing to eat
but cucumbers and squash
for a whole week.
- Cucumbers and squash are
actually very nutritious.
One could thrive on the
nutrients they provide alone.
Who's this?
This is Ron Hollis, Magnus.
You might've heard of him,
the real estate tycoon
from the big city.
Smells like a frog to me.
That's because I am a frog,
more accurately, I am the frog.
I've cut every deal,
constructed every building,
had every worker in court,
every shot from here
to the Arctic pole
for probably as long
as you've been alive.
- Hmm, how much longer
do you suppose you'll
be alive, frog?
- Uh, Atticus, would you like
to clarify for your friend?
- Magnus, we're
here to ask a favor.
- No.
- No?
No!
What does he mean, no?
He, uh, he means no.
Sorry, one second.
I'm not familiar with that word.
What exactly is it referring to?
To your favor, frog.
The answer is no.
You don't come to my home
with your webbed hands out,
you come bearing gifts
and begging mercy,
or you don't come at all.
Whoa, Ron Hollis begging?
I don't think so.
Hollis, don't.
- And I'll tell you
another thing, car chaser,
if you think you're safe here,
you've got another thing coming.
I can snap my webbed fingers
and pave over this dump
in an afternoon, turn it
into a condor rescue facility
by tomorrow morning.
You got that?
- Sassy.
- You know it
I'm Ron Hollis, and that name
carries weight around here.
Oh, oh boy.
- You're entertaining, Ron
Hollis, you make me laugh.
I'll give you a second chance.
Oh, you give me a chance?
- Take the chance,
Hollis, take the chance.
- That's right, explain
this favor you seek.
Who knows, I might grant it.
Or I might bite you in two.
- Oh yeah?
- Yeah.
Frog's legs are some
of my favorite snacks.
Well, well, alright.
Alright.
- Alright, I don't want
to be bitten in two.
I want to make a deal.
Well played.
Out with it, frog.
- My nephew's competing in the
jungle spelling bee shortly,
and he's a lock to win.
In fact, he's never misspelled
a word in his whole life.
- Sounds like a
pretentious little brat.
Oh he is, he's horrible.
But, just like
me, he's a winner.
There's just one animal
standing in his way.
- If it's a wolf,
I can't help you.
We stick together.
- It's not a wolf,
it's an elephant.
An elephant, blech.
I hate elephants.
So do we.
That's right.
I mean, they taste good,
but that's about it.
- This elephant is
particularly annoying.
He's a nuisance to
the whole jungle,
and snooty, thinks
he knows it all.
- Yes, most of
those elephants do.
- Superiority
complexes, big heads.
- I want to stop him from
entering that spelling bee
with my nephew.
And, if he does have the
gall to get on stage,
I want him to be useless,
as dumb as a bag of rocks.
That's a tall order, frog.
Why should I help you?
- Because I can
help you, Magnus.
Your prey is dwindling, you're
about to starve out here.
Do business with me and
I'll see that you don't.
- Oh.
- Oh yes.
I'll make one call
and stock these woods
with more caribou, and
bison, and elk, and beaver
than you can shake your tail at.
Your plate will be full
enough for three lifetimes.
- Well, since you
put it that way,
the doctor is in.
Excellent.
- What say I prescribe
you a certain word
that will cause whomever
utters it to lose
their memory completely?
- I'd say that's
splendid, splendid indeed.
Very well then.
All you have to do is
get the subject to utter
this word aloud, and it is done.
What is the word, tell me.
I'll tell you.
But if I see no elk,
caribou, moose, beaver,
or the like in one
hour's time, I'll render
the word null and void.
Your elephant can say
it 100 times, shout it
from the treetops, it will
do nothing but sound good
rolling off his tongue.
Fair enough, what's the word?
You must say it first, frog,
but I can give you a
clue to point the way.
Here it is,
what is your favorite
thing to make?
- Hmm, my favorite thing
to make, of course, money!
- Goodness, you are
shallow, aren't you?
What, that's not it?
- Oh.
- Okay, give me one more try.
My favorite thing to
make, I know, a deal.
- Hi, Albert, how's
the fair been going?
It's great, Jumbo.
Attendance is up from last
year, and there's been
no falcon trouble
like that one time.
Oh, that's great.
Those falcons sure
stirred it up, boy.
Tell me about it.
We had to hand stitch all our
big top roofs back together.
- Tedious.
- What's that mean?
- Oh, it means tiresome
and monotonous.
Mo-no-to-what?
- Sorry, Albert, it means
long, slow, and dull.
Ah.
You and your big words,
I bet you can't wait for
the spelling bee, huh?
- No, it's gonna
be fun, for sure.
Think you're gonna win?
You never know.
- Well, Bert Hollis
says he knows.
He says he's unbeatable,
says his uncle's seen to it
that he can't lose.
Oh yeah?
Just how does he
plan to do that?
We'll all be up on
stage by ourselves,
and we'll either spell our
words correctly or we won't.
There's no way to cheat.
- Who said anything
about cheating, Jumbo?
- Topper, some
things never change.
I should've known you'd
be in the thick of things,
eavesdropping on conversations.
- I ain't
eavesdropping, big boy.
I've turned over a new leaf.
Is that so?
Not associating with
the falcons anymore, eh?
Nah, tent vandalism?
They think too small.
I'm on to bigger things.
I work for Mr. Hollis now.
And he told me to find you.
Mr. Hollis?
- Well, you found
me, what do you want?
- I don't want nothing,
Mr. Hollis does.
What does he want?
- He wants to see
you right away.
Whoa, that can't be good.
What's this about, Topper?
- He's got a business
proposal for ya,
an offer you can't refuse.
Oh no, I saw The Godfather.
Don't go, Jumbo, don't go.
Why, I've done nothing wrong.
Tell him I'll talk to him.
- He said he wants you
to meet him downtown
at the top-floor apartment
of his high-rise.
- Fine, when?
- As soon as you can.
Ah, Jumbo, be careful.
The city's a big,
bustling, dangerous place,
look both ways before
crossing the street,
and take everything that frog
says with a grain of salt.
City slickers are the
jungle's natural enemies.
- Don't listen to
this kid, Jumbo.
He works in a fair booth
for crying out loud.
It's his job to mislead ya.
What if Hollis likes your
style and wants to sponsor you?
Likes my style?
That's crazy, I
don't have any style.
Well, true, still,
that frog can open doors that
don't even exist out here.
Opportunity only
knocks one time, Jumbo.
You can either answer the
door, or let it pass you by.
Hmmm.
Nice place you have
here, Mr. Ho-, or Ron.
- Thank you, Jumbo, you'd blush
if I told you what it cost.
My only recourse was
to turn my company
into such a raging success
that money poured in
from every crack and crevice
until I could literally afford
anything in this world I wanted.
- Wow.
- And I do
mean anything, Jumbo.
- That sounds fun.
- It is.
You're not a dim beast, Jumbo.
You saw them out there,
hustling and bustling,
back and forth, to and fro,
keeping pace, racing the clock,
so mired in the rat race
that they can no longer
see the jungle from
their office windows,
so weighed down by pointless
burden and empty obligation
that they can't raise their
heads above their cubicles
to see anything around them.
It's no way to live.
It sure doesn't look like it.
- Yes, but animals like
yourself know otherwise.
You and my nephew here
see beyond the matrix
that's been constructed
for the lesser beings.
Your minds are free, therefore,
your potential is limitless.
That's right.
- Jumbo, what would
you say if I told you
I had a rare offer for you?
An offer I can't refuse?
Something like that.
- That didn't work out so
good for Meerkat Corleone.
Didn't it?
Depends on what
you consider good.
Ungrateful elephant.
What was that, Bert?
Always project
your voice, nephew.
Remember, address them like
you would in the boardroom
and they'll never
fail to fall in line
behind your force of will.
- But I've never been in
a boardroom, Mr. Hollis.
How would I know how
you address folks?
- It's your outside voice,
Bert, use your outside voice.
- Okay.
- As I was saying,
Jumbo, I have an exceptional
opportunity for you,
if you choose to accept.
Okay, I'm all ears.
- You can
say that again.
Please, Bert, hush.
What if I told you that
you and my nephew here
could share the
jungle-wide limelight
of a spelling bee tie.
- A tie?
- A tie?
- A tie, you're both clearly
the two front runners
to win that contest.
- I think I edge
him out, though.
Follow me here, Jumbo.
You two boys tie at the
end, following a nail-biter
of a contest.
The jungle audience will be
torn with half the animals
feeling you won, and
half feeling Bert won.
- You really think
half our animals
will be sympathetic to Bert?
- Hey.
- I do,
because we'll color it that way.
You boys will play
up the drama onstage,
stutter a word here,
hang on a pause there,
play the crowd like a fiddle
to up their investment
in the drama and pageantry.
- Mr. Hollis, are
you suggesting we rig
the spelling bee's outcome?
- Rig, no, rig is
such an ugly word.
Rig is for losers.
Don't think like a loser, Jumbo.
Remember, free mind
equals free body,
and free bodies take
lots of vacations
with all the money they make.
- Oh, okay.
- After the bee ends
in a dramatic tie, we'll be free
to book follow-up events
throughout the jungle and beyond.
I mean Friday night showdowns
at Macaw Square Garden,
Saturday night sellouts
at Capuchin Event Center.
The opportunities are endless.
It's an open ticket
to print money,
as opposed to a single,
clear-cut winner,
which will provide
a spike in interest
that dwindles the day after,
and is all but
forgotten a week later.
You know those animals'
attention spans.
We have something shiny,
and they'll forget
what they were
doing a second ago.
- Dummies.
- Hush, Bert.
Let our guest talk.
What do you say,
Jumbo, do we have a--
- A deal?
- Yes.
- No, wait, I was
asking, not agreeing.
It doesn't matter, it's
over, congratulations, Bert.
Your star will
soon rise, nephew,
to heights unimaginable.
- Sweet, I can't
wait, Uncle Ron.
- Mr. Hollis.
- Whatever.
- Thanks for the
offer, Mr. Hollis,
but I'd rather compete
fair and square.
I'm afraid I'll have to decline.
Decline all you want, Jumbo,
your destiny is written in stone
whether or not we have a--
Deal?
Hmm, I'll just show myself out.
You do that, jungle boy.
Yeah, see ya later, loser.
Uh, what just happened?
- You just won
that spelling bee.
The business world is deeper
than you realize, nephew.
There's levels to this.
Needless to say, you
won't have to worry
about that elephant anymore.
Come morning, he'll be lucky
if he remembers his
own name.
Sweet.
It was so weird, you guys.
No sooner did Mr.
Hollis invite me in
and compliment my skills
than both him and Bert
started mocking me and
laughing in my face.
They basically went from
asking me to do business
with them to kicking me
right back to the curb.
I'm so confused!
- Well, I can't think of any
better news than that, Jumbo.
The thought of you in
league with the Hollises
was making me physically ill.
- Yikes, well,
don't worry, Weldon.
The only involvement I'll
be having with the Hollises
is on stage at the spelling
bee in a couple days,
when I beat Bert
and claim my prize.
- Nice, we'll be front
and center, Jumbo,
cheering you on and watching
that cocky frog crumble.
Hey, what do you say we
head back to the fair,
get some falafel,
and play some games?
- That sounds fun,
Weldon, but I'm bushed.
It's hectic walking abound
downtown, my head's spinning.
I think I'm gonna lie
down and take a nap.
- You didn't have
anything to eat or drink
from the Hollises,
did you Jumbo?
- No, they didn't even offer
me a glass of water, why?
Oh, I was just curious.
I wouldn't put it past
those jerks to try
and feed you bad dates or
expired milk to make you sick
and force you to miss
the spelling bee.
- I wondered about that
myself as I was going there,
but Hollis was so
nice, then so strange.
I wonder what they
really wanted.
- Maybe they were
just feeling you out,
picking your brain to find
out how prepared you are,
or if they could glean
any training tips.
Yeah, maybe.
- The important thing is you're
back home safe and sound,
and ready to resume
training for the bee.
I'm gonna go back to the fair
with Weldon for a little bit.
You rest, when we get back,
we'll run flashcards and
quiz you on new words.
- Sounds good, thanks for
being understanding, you guys.
I just had to go see
what they wanted.
What a waste of time and effort,
I'll never do that again.
Amen to that.
Double amen, let's go, Weldon.
Sweet dreams, Jumbo.
Later guys.
Hey, Tiny, Weldon,
thank goodness you're here.
I've been dealing with
that insufferable jerk,
Bert Hollis, all afternoon.
Bert's back?
He was being a jerk
downtown this morning,
- Yeah, he and his creepy
uncle were giving Jumbo
a hard time at their place.
- Yeah, he's been bad mouthing
Jumbo all over the place,
talking about how he's
gonna win the spelling bee
and stick his prize up
that elephant's snout.
- What a lowdown
frog, I hate Bert.
- You're not alone,
everybody hates Bert.
Watch out for him in there.
He's been going up
to everyone he sees,
boasting and bragging.
Lots of folks are
starting to leave.
- Thanks for the warning,
Albert, we'll keep an eye out.
- Maybe I'll take my wing
upside his green head.
Ha, that I'd like to witness.
- No fighting, Weldon,
you're too good for that.
It would only sink you
down to Bert's level.
Yeah, you're right.
I'm a bird, we take the
high ground naturally.
Come on, Tiny, let's
find that falafel stand.
- Okay, hopefully the
line's not too long.
Hey, look who we have here.
Topper, a pig and a bird.
He leaves the droppings,
she rolls around in 'em.
Ew, disgusting.
- The only disgusting
things here
are your faces, you bullies.
- Yeah, why don't you
go make some friends
and stop harassing everyone.
- Because, birdbrain,
it's more fun to harass.
- Especially when you wimps
are so easily harrassable.
- That's right, I
mean look at you two.
You look like farm
animals, or worse.
When's the last time you
had manicures or pedicures?
- When's the last time
you accomplished anything
your rich uncle
didn't help you with?
- There they go again,
talking about your uncle
'cause they're jealous.
- That's the way
it goes, Topper.
The have nots hate the haves
just for having what they don't.
- No, everyone hates
you because you're
a mean little frog, Bert.
You'd have a jungle full of
friends who wouldn't care
a thing about your uncle
if only you were
cool, but you're not.
And you have never been.
Boo hoo, poo poo.
Why don't you go try your claws
at winning some stale
birdseed, fly boy.
That's about the nicest thing
you can get for yourself.
- Why don't you shut
up and tell your uncle
to buy your dad a new lily pad?
He's sinking into
the pond out there.
What did you say?
Uh, nothing.
- You wanna try
me, feather face?
No, I'm against fighting.
- 'Cause you don't
know how to fight.
Well...
- Just leave us alone, we
came to the fair to have fun,
not to argue with a couple
of jerks like you two.
- Okay, piggy, we'll
leave you alone.
You smell funny up close anyway.
Gross.
Give Jumbo my regards.
And if his memory
fails him, remind him
that I'm the soon-to-be
spelling champ.
If his memory fails him?
What's that supposed to mean?
Jumbo has a great memory.
- I don't know, Weldon, but
I'm worried those Hollises
may have played a mean
trick on our friend.
Okay audience, here he is,
the elephant we
all know and love,
the elephant with
so much potential,
the elephant who, in
a fair and just world,
will win this spelling
bee, hooves down.
Please give a warm
jungle welcome
to that intelligent
elephant, Jumbo.
- Hi everybody, it's
so nice to be here.
- Are you ready for
your first word, Jumbo?
Ready as I'll ever be.
Did you hear that folks?
He's as ready as he'll ever be.
Okay smartypants,
your word is loser.
Okay, loser,
L- O-, um,
Clock's ticking, Jumbo.
I know, I know.
Loser, L-O-O-S-E-R, loser.
Oh, oh my.
That's terribly incorrect.
That's all wrong.
That's not even the same word.
What a stupid mistake
that was, eh fans?
- I, I'm sorry, I don't
know what happened.
- That is without a
doubt the dumbest mistake
anyone's ever made on
our spelling bee stage
since we've been holding
jungle spelling bees.
I mean S-T-O-O-P-I-D, stupid.
No, no, it's not my fault.
I don't know what's wrong,
I can't think straight.
I can't think.
What a nightmare, felt so real.
- The annual jungle
spelling bee begins tomorrow
at high noon, and
its obvious outcome
is as predetermined
as one can be.
When all is said and
done, you will emerge
as the ultimate victor, Bert,
single-handedly
crushing the competition
in your webbed fist.
When that elephant wakes
up tomorrow morning
and tries to think of
the simplest thing,
he'll find his big brain
has turned to mush.
His mind will be rendered
completely useless.
Just think of it, nephew,
the marketing opportunities.
Bert dolls, Bert cereal boxes.
Bert t-shirts, Bert's debut
rap record.
- But Jumbo, it's
us, your best friends
in the whole jungle, we've
known each other forever.
What?
I've never seen
you two in my life.
What are your names again?
It's me, Tiny.
And me, Weldon.
- That's not ringing
a bell you guys.
Oh no, this is terrible.
I know the Hollises are somehow
behind this, I just know it.
The Hollises?
Now, that sounds familiar.
- He remember the
Hollises, but not us?
This is crazy.
Something's not right.
This reeks of that
word doctor, Magnus.
I'm gonna go talk to him.
Who's Magnus?
I do not know you.
- Maybe we should
go talk to Magnus.
Right away.
We'll be back soon, Jumbo,
just take it easy and relax.
- If you two don't get
out of here right now,
I'm calling the jungle patrol.
Yikes, go, go!
- Hello, Mr. Magnus,
sorry to intrude.
We come in peace.
That's too bad.
I was looking forward to a
knockdown, drag-out brawl.
Not me, I'm a peaceful bird.
Hmph, too bad.
- Magnus, we're here to
ask you about our friend,
Jumbo the elephant.
What about him?
Well, he's not himself.
- Sounds like an
identity crisis,
lots of elephants get 'em.
- Yeah, but this is
particularly bad.
We spoke with him earlier
and everything was fine,
then he laid down for a nap,
and when he woke up,
he didn't remember us.
- That's right, he doesn't
even know who we are.
- Now that you
come to mention it,
I don't know who you are.
Who are you?
- My name's Tiny, and
this is my friend Weldon.
- What do you want from
me, Tiny and Weldon?
- Answers, do you
have anything to do
with our friend's memory loss?
- Me, why would I bother myself
with some jungle elephant?
- Maybe because Ron
Hollis offered you a deal.
- Ron Hollis, the
amphibian swindler?
I only do business with
reputable animals, my dear.
You're oinking under
the wrong tree.
- Please, Magnus, did you
at least hear about this?
Can you tell us anything?
'Fraid not, bacon.
Let's go, Tiny.
After what Hollis did, only
a fool would deal with him.
Wait a second, hold on.
What exactly did Hollis
do that would render one
foolish for dealing with him?
Um.
- Like you don't know, everyone
knows by now, right Tiny?
That's right.
Everyone knows about it.
- Well, I seem to be feeling
a big forgetful myself.
Why don't you two
refresh my memory?
- Oh, okay, go ahead
and tell him, Weldon.
What could it hurt now?
- That's true, what's done
is done, and fortunately.
Hollis bought up acres and
acres of our protected land
for his city company to develop.
He what?
That's right.
He plans to build strip
mall after strip mall
right here where we're standing.
This part of the jungle
might've been peaceful
up to now, but all
that's about to change,
and this habitat will
be destroyed forever.
- Bunk, I've heard
nothing of the sort.
- That's because it's all off
the books and under the table.
- Hollis knows what
he's doing is illegal,
but he's not about
to be stopped,
until it's too late, of course.
The monster.
That's what we said.
- Yeah, we said exactly
that, the monster.
- Come on, Tiny, we'll
keep asking around.
Thanks for your time, Magnus.
We're sorry to bother you.
Hold on a second, you two.
You're right, Hollis
offered me a deal
in exchange for casting
a curse that would erase
Jumbo's memory before
the spelling bee.
You cad.
How could you?
- I'm starving out
here, that's how.
- But Jumbo's never said a
cross word to you, Magnus.
He'd never hurt a fly.
Why would you do this to him?
Can you reverse
the curse on Jumbo?
- No.
- Oh.
I don't do junk magic, piggy.
My curses are the real
deal, irreversible.
However, it can be
countered with dedicated
memory exercises taught
by a master only.
Oh great, where in the jungle
will we ever find
a memory master?
- So you see, Jumbo,
we just have to find
some smartypants somewhere
who can guide you
through some
specialized exercises
to restore your memory.
Yeah, easy, right?
I don't know, you guys.
I'll take your word
for it that you know me
and we're good friends and all,
but I just don't
remember anything.
What did you call me?
What's my name again?
- Jumbo.
- Jumbo.
Ah, right.
- Listen, we have
to keep trying.
If we don't at least
try, we're sure to fail,
and all the good times
and the laughs we've had
will be lost forever.
And I don't know about you guys,
but I am not willing
to let that go.
I love you, Jumbo, we all do,
and we want you to get on stage
in that spelling bee and
win it like we know you can.
But most importantly,
we want our friend back.
Can we just give it
our best shot, please?
Oh, sure, why not?
- Yay!
- Yay!
- What are you guys
so happy about?
- I have no idea,
I really don't.
Who are you?
Ha, ha, very funny.
No, really, who are you?
- We're having an absolutely
dreadful day, Emmett.
The worst.
What's up, buddy?
You guys are weird, man.
- I know, right,
straight up cuckoo.
- Wanna hear a story you
won't believe, Emmett?
- Uh, why would I want to
hear it if I won't believe it?
- Because it's so crazy
somebody should write it down
and make a movie out
of it or something.
- It'd make a great
cartoon, for sure.
Okay, fine, you tell me yours,
then I'll tell you mine.
We'll see whose is crazier.
You have a wild story, too.
Sure do, and it's all true.
What's it about?
- It's about a million-year-old
dinosaur named Big T,
who lives deep in the jungle,
and has a memory that goes
back as far as time itself.
- Whoa.
- Whoa.
- He tells the future and
does ninja mind tricks,
and anyone who finds him
comes away enlightened
with deeper memory
and understanding
than they ever had
before, ha, ha, ha, ha.
Wow, sounds wild.
Yeah, sure does.
- I'm telling you
this is a sign, guys.
What are the odds that
Emmett would know exactly
the creature we need to talk to
at exactly the time we
need to talk to him.
- Astronomical at best,
and if this Big T is real,
he's the one who can restore
Jumbo's memory, no doubt.
We've gotta find him and fast,
everything depends on it.
I don't know you guys, I mean,
how do we find a
reclusive ancient dinosaur
who doesn't wanna be found?
Do we just, like, throw
out a slab of meat
and call, here dinosaur,
dinosaur, dinosaur, or what?
Hmm, that's not a bad idea.
But, we don't even
have any bait.
Unless we count Tiny
- You do
believe me that we're
best friends, right Jumbo?
I'm taking your word for it.
You've both been totally
nice to me so far.
If nothing else, we can
be new besties for sure.
Whew.
- Come on you guys, the
jungle's getting denser,
if there is an old
dinosaur out here,
this is looking more and
more like his kind of turf.
- Attention, ladies, gentlemen,
and animals of all stripes,
spots, and hides,
come one, come all.
- Wait, are you
carny barking now?
I thought this was my job.
- Shut up, Albert, this is
important, let my uncle talk.
- Here's your chance
to meet the frog
before he was famous,
and I mean, just before.
Come, shake the webbed
hand of Bert Hollis,
future spelling bee champion
of the entire animal kingdom.
Bert's never misspelled
a word in his whole life.
And spoiler alert,
ladies and gents,
he's not about to start now.
Oh boy.
Yeah, you tell 'em, Uncle Ron.
- That's Mr. Hollis
to you, nephew.
Come say hi to future
legend Bert Hollis,
live and in the flesh,
right here, right now.
Don't let this opportunity
pass you by, kids.
Bert's soon to be
a household name.
- You hear that,
Albert, household name.
Forget Siri, when folks
wanna know the answers
to life's mysteries from now
on, they'll call on Bert.
How impressive.
Darned right.
- And you all know me,
I am Mr. Ron Hollis,
Bert's beloved uncle.
Uh, like uncle, like nephew.
Did you hear that, Tiny?
Hear what?
- That sounds like
a dinosaur lurking.
Can Weldon still see us?
I don't know, let me look.
- The coast is clear,
you guys, keep going.
Wow, look at that view from
up here, it's majestic.
Boy, do I spend too
much time on the ground.
- Do you still hear
something, Jumbo?
- Thought I heard something
breathing, something big.
- It's probably just
the wind in the trees.
- Wow, look out, dinosaur
at 12 o'clock, dinosaur.
- Who dares disturb
my serene slumber?
We do, Big t.
Who's we, morsel?
- Oh, wow, I've never been
called a morsel before.
I feel funny.
- Please, Mr. T,
don't harm my friends.
- Aw, Jumbo, you
called us your friends.
- One thing right now,
do not call me Mr. T.
It's Big T, got it?
Yes, I got it, Big T, sir.
- Hey, you leave my friends
alone you big, ugly,
oh, whoa,.
- We don't mean to
bother you, Big T,
but a friend of ours said
you might be able to help us.
- A friend of yours told
you of my existence?
- Yes, and that you're
very old and wise.
Old?
Tell me, do I look old, morsel?
- See, it still
makes me feel funny.
- No, you don't look a
day over a half million.
Oh, really?
Well, I'm liking you three
more and more, go on.
Mr. Big T, uh,
I'm afraid my good
friends here have put
themselves in
danger today for me.
I'm the one who needs help,
and they're only trying
to find it for me.
If you're angry, please
don't take it out on them,
it's alL my fault that
we've disturbed you.
And I'd like to start
by saying, we're sorry.
Go on.
- My name's Jumbo and
I'm set to compete
in today's, wow, is it today?
In about an hour.
- I'm competing in today's
jungle spelling bee,
and I'm a really good speller.
He's, like, the best.
He was totally gonna win.
- Anyway, another contestant's
uncle struck a deal
with the jungle word
doctor and completely
erased my memory.
Wiped it clean.
- He can't even spell
his name, Big T.
- I see, you're as
dumb as riverbank moss.
Yeah, so, anyway, our friend,
Who he also doesn't remember.
- Yeah, nada, so
our friend told us
there's an ancient dinosaur
who lives deep in the jungle
with a memory as
old as time itself.
At your service.
- Yeah, and that
you could maybe,
if you were so inclined
and feeling gracious,
maybe, you know,
Gobble you up in one bite
and not spill a
drop on the ground?
Yikes, we're finished.
Well, ideally no.
- Mmhmm, lucky for you
lot, I already had lunch.
You have, whew.
Tell me, morsels.
So, so funny.
- What is the name of this
fellow competitor's uncle?
It's Ron Hollis, sir.
Ron Hollis?
I hate Ron Hollis.
You, you do?
- Yes, ever since
that dastardly frog
tried painting and
selling dinosaur eggs
to turn a buck during Easter,
I've counted him among
my moral enemies.
How despicable.
- Anything I can do
to help you, I shall
if it works against
Hollis in any way.
- Can you restore
Jumbo's memory, Big T?
I can indeed.
If you could win that
spelling bee and ensure
that any member of
the Hollis's bloodline
tastes nothing but bitter
defeat for eternity.
- Now that sounds like
a good deal to me.
Yes, Jumbo, say yes.
- Yes, if you can grant
me my memory, Big T,
I promise I'll go win that
spelling bee like a boss.
Very well, repeat after me.
- Amidst the mists
and fiercest frost,
with barest wrist
and stoutest boast,
he thrusts his fists
against the posts,
and still insists
he sees the ghosts.
- Amidst the mists
and fiercest frost,
with barest wrist
and stoutest boast,
he thrusts his fists
against the posts,
and still insists
he sees the ghosts.
- Good, now let's go over
some history lessons.
History lessons?
Okay, starting from?
From the beginning.
First, there was a big bang.
- Oh no, we're
gonna miss the bee.
This is it everybody.
Welcome one and
all to the platform
upon which dreams are made,
and some dreams broken.
Yes, indeed, it's
time once again
for the annual
jungle spelling bee.
Without further ado,
allow me to introduce
this year's contestants,
an illustrious, if motley,
crew of the animal kingdom's
most skilled wordsmiths.
Indeed, this group
is already the best,
and after today, we'll know
who's the best of the best.
Ha, just crown me now.
- Just a reminder, as
always, today's contest
is a single-elimination
tournament
to crown the best
speller in our land.
That means your first mistake
is also your last mistake.
And now, our
contestants, first up,
welcome back that
masterful maestro
of the manuscript, Topper.
And next, the most adroit
alphabeteer, Rhonda.
Thirdly, that brilliant
bookworm, Harper.
And, and,
last but certainly
not least, Bert.
That's it, just Bert?
- We, uh, we seem to
be missing someone.
- Nope, not missing anybody,
chop, chop, let's do this.
First word, go.
We're one member short.
Oh dear, I was so looking
forward to his performance, too.
Well, you got me.
Let me show you what I can do.
Yeah, I'll show you
some real skills.
Sorry I'm late everybody.
- Here he is, by the
skin of his trunk,
that most experienced
elephant elocutionist, Jumbo.
Deja vu.
What are you, lost?
Scram, elephant, the
peanut trough's that way.
- Oh, I'm not lost, Bert,
I'm right where I belong.
It's you who are in trouble.
We'll see about that, chump.
First word goes to Topper.
Topper, the word is supersede.
- Ha, give me a hard
one, why don't ya.
Supersede,
S- U-P-E-R-C-E-D-E, supersede.
Boomstick, oo-ah.
I'm very sorry, Topper,
but that is incorrect.
What, no?
On my first word, no.
- The correct spelling
is S-U-P-E-R-S-E-D-E.
Please, exit the
stage, good sir,
and we hope to
see you next year.
- Yeah, you'll see
me after the show
if you ain't careful, pal.
- Well, as security makes
their way to the front,
the next word goes to Rhonda.
- Get your
hands off of me.
I said get off of me.
Rhonda, the word is liaison.
Phew, okay, liaison,
L- I-A-S-O-N, liaison.
Oh no.
- I'm so sorry, Rhonda, but,
as you may have surmised,
that is incorrect.
The proper spelling of
liaison is L-I-A-I-S-O-N.
We do hope to see you again.
Next word is for Harper.
Harper, the word is accordion.
- Got it, in fact, I have
one at home, ha, ha, ha, ha.
- Shocker.
- Accordion,
A- C-C-O-R-D-I-A-N, accordion.
Oh, I know, I know.
I'm very, very sorry, Harper.
Can I spell it right?
Just for my own
piece of mind, sir.
I'm moving after the summer,
and this was my
final spelling bee.
Beat it, you bum.
- Let him go out on a win,
Bert, what do you care?
- I'll let you go
out on a gurney
if you don't zip it, nosy.
Okay, Harper, okay.
The judges have conferred,
and you may take
one more, out-of-competition
crack at the word.
The floor is yours, my friend.
A- C-C-O-R-D-I-O-N, accordion.
- Correct,
congratulations, Harper,
and happy trails to you.
We hope to see
you again someday.
- Thanks everybody,
it's been a blast.
- Move it out, move
it out, move it out.
Oh my, we're down to our final
two contestants that quickly.
And here we go.
Bert, this next word
is yours, ambidextrous.
- Ha, you're gonna have to
get up earlier in the morning
to stump me, chief.
A- M-B-I-D-E-X-T-R-O-U-S,
ambidextrous.
Correct.
Jumbo, here we go.
The word is isthmus.
Ooh, okay.
Isthmus,
- Don't screw it up.
I- S-T-H-M-U-S, isthmus.
That is correct.
And also, the first
winning pair of the day,
you know what this means
everybody, it's a shootout.
Bang, bang, you're dead.
Take your best shot, Bert.
Your turn, Bert,
and the word is limousine.
Yeah, my favorite ride.
Matter of fact,
my uncle's got one
waiting for me right outside.
We're taking it to my
first autograph signing
tonight at Macaque Motors.
Everybody who didn't meet
me before the show today
is invited, but bring your cash,
'cause my signature's
not free anymore.
What was that word again?
The word is limousine, Bert.
Oh yeah, limousine,
L- I-M-O-S-I-N-E,
limousine, woohoo, boom,
I never miss baby, never.
I'm very happy, I mean,
sorry to say this, Bert,
but that is incorrect.
Wait, what?
- And that means
you are disqualified
from the spelling bee.
Please, exit the stage, chief.
Wait, no, that can't be.
Limousine, I spelled
it, I spelled it right.
I want a replay,
Uncle Ron, Uncle Ron?!
- Security, if you'll
see the contestant out.
Don't touch me.
I'm going, I'm going
Uncle Ron!
- Well, Jumbo, you're
the last animal standing.
The next correct spelling wins,
are you ready for
your next word?
I am, sir.
- Okay, and Jumbo,
congratulations.
Thank you, sir.
- The next word
is Tyrannosaurus.
Ha, what a coincidence.
Go Jumbo!
Win it all, buddy!
- You rock Jumbo,
do it for Big T!
- Tyrannosaurus,
T- Y-R-A-N-N-O-S-A-U-R-U-
S.
Yay!
Woohoo!
Yes, yes, yes!
Yeah!
- Ladies and gentlemen,
it is my distinct pleasure
to introduce to you the
spelling bee champion
of the animal kingdom, Jumbo.
I like this dream much better.