Peter & the Wolf (2023) Movie Script
Beware,
for wolves come
in many disguises.
Once upon a time,
there was a boy called Peter.
He lived with his grandfather
in a cottage,
with a garden
surrounded by a high stone wall.
Outside the wall,
there was a meadow,
with a pond and a tall tree.
Beyond the meadow
was a deep, dark forest.
This is the story
of Peter and The Wolf.
There was a bird,
light and delicate,
with feathers of silk.
A silly duck with a broad bill
and large webbed feet.
A pussycat.
She is smooth,
but greedy and vain.
There is a big grey wolf
with sharp teeth
and sharp claws,
who is always hungry.
There are hunters
searching the woods,
firing their shotguns.
There is a wise old grandfather.
Now, he worries about Peter
all the time.
And of course, there is Peter.
Now, this is where
the story begins.
Early one morning,
when Peter
walked out of the house,
he opened the gate
and went into
the big green meadow.
On a branch of a tall tree
sat a pretty little bird.
"All is quiet
and beautiful this morning,"
she said delicately.
The bird was Peter's friend.
Peter had an idea.
He'd seen something
in his mother's old room
that would be perfect.
Just then, the silly duck
waddled out.
She was glad
the gate had been left open,
as there was a deep pond
in the meadow,
and she wanted to swim.
Seeing the duck,
the bird flew down
and sat next to her.
The bird,
who was very sweet, said,
"What kind of a bird are you
if you can't fly?"
"What kind of a bird are you..."
the duck said snappily,
"if you can't swim?"
And with that,
she hurriedly dived
into the pond.
All of this led to an argument.
They argued and argued.
The duck, as she splashed around
in the water,
the bird flying this way
and that.
Just then,
something caught Peter's eye.
Pussy.
Pussy was stalking
through the tall grass.
She thought to herself...
"That bird is busy arguing.
"I can probably get her now."
And on velvet paws,
she crept even closer.
"Look out!" shouted Peter.
Well, the duck
quacked angrily...
from the middle of the pond.
Pussy walked round and round,
looking up at the bird
and thinking...
"Is it worth climbing so high,
I wonder.
"By the time I get there,
she'd have flown away."
Here comes Grandfather.
He never liked Peter
to go out into the meadow.
Not really the place
for you, Grandson.
He said gravely.
You wouldn't know
what's out there.
Wolves and worse.
It's dangerous.
Peter, stay put.
Peter said nothing.
Of course, he wasn't afraid
of wolves,
but then, he really couldn't
argue with his grandfather.
"Go back to the house,"
said Grandfather.
Then he locked the gate
securely.
No sooner had Peter gone,
than a big grey wolf
came out of the dark forest.
Pussy turned and saw the wolf.
In a twinkle,
Pussy had scarpered up the tree.
And the duck
quacked hysterically,
but in her panic,
foolishly jumped out
of the pond.
The wolf saw the duck.
It went for her like a shot.
And no matter how hard,
how fast the duck tried to run,
she could not escape.
The wolf in hot pursuit,
nearer and nearer,
catching up, catching up!
And it got the duck
and swallowed her
hungrily, in one enormous gulp.
Now, this is how things stood.
Pussy was up a tree,
sitting on one branch.
The bird in the same tree,
on another branch...
but not too close to Pussy.
There was no great affection
between them.
The wolf walked round and round
beneath the tree,
staring at both of them
with greedy eyes,
licking its lips.
Peter saw it all.
Thinking, "So the wolf
wants to catch them.
"Not if I catch the wolf first.
"I'll trap the wolf. Yes!
"I'm not afraid
of the big bad wolf."
So Peter found a strong rope,
which he wrapped
round and round smoothly,
until he made a lasso.
He slipped it
through his fingers
and tried
one or two quick throws.
He went out noiselessly,
heaved himself up
onto the stone wall
over which one of the branches
of the tree stretched.
Silently, he climbed
into the tree.
He whispered to the bird,
"Be a good little birdie.
"Fly down
and tease the wolf a bit.
"Not too close.
"Just enough to keep it busy
for a moment or two."
The bird obeyed
and fluttered overhead,
almost touching the wolf.
The wolf leapt upwards,
snapping with huge sharp teeth.
Ever so gently,
Peter slipped the rope
over the wolf's tail.
Then he pulled the rope
with all his might.
Yes! The wolf was caught.
Caught by the tail,
the wolf went berserk,
jumping wildly,
trying to escape.
Then, Peter tied
his end of the rope
to the tree.
The more the wolf struggled,
the tighter the rope became!
"What do we do?"
said Peter.
Wolves come in many disguises.
The hunters
came striding into the woods
on the trail of the wolf.
Their shotguns poised and ready.
"Stop shooting!"
Peter shouted.
But the hunters
couldn't hear him.
Again he shouted.
Stop! Put away your guns.
Birdie and I
have caught the wolf.
The hunters jumped for joy.
They boasted,
but they never thought
to look closely
at the wolf in the sack.
And then...
The victory parade.
Peter at the head,
followed by the hunters
leading the wolf.
And at the rear of the parade,
Pussy and Grandfather.
Now, nothing is ever
the way they say it is.
Before the hunters arrived,
Peter and Grandfather
had tricked them.
What the hunters thought
was the wolf
was no wolf at all.
Above flew Birdie.
She was quite pleased
with herself.
Now, this is where
the story ends.
Are loved ones we've lost
ever really gone?
If you listen carefully,
you might just hear their call.
There's nothing
to be afraid of.
for wolves come
in many disguises.
Once upon a time,
there was a boy called Peter.
He lived with his grandfather
in a cottage,
with a garden
surrounded by a high stone wall.
Outside the wall,
there was a meadow,
with a pond and a tall tree.
Beyond the meadow
was a deep, dark forest.
This is the story
of Peter and The Wolf.
There was a bird,
light and delicate,
with feathers of silk.
A silly duck with a broad bill
and large webbed feet.
A pussycat.
She is smooth,
but greedy and vain.
There is a big grey wolf
with sharp teeth
and sharp claws,
who is always hungry.
There are hunters
searching the woods,
firing their shotguns.
There is a wise old grandfather.
Now, he worries about Peter
all the time.
And of course, there is Peter.
Now, this is where
the story begins.
Early one morning,
when Peter
walked out of the house,
he opened the gate
and went into
the big green meadow.
On a branch of a tall tree
sat a pretty little bird.
"All is quiet
and beautiful this morning,"
she said delicately.
The bird was Peter's friend.
Peter had an idea.
He'd seen something
in his mother's old room
that would be perfect.
Just then, the silly duck
waddled out.
She was glad
the gate had been left open,
as there was a deep pond
in the meadow,
and she wanted to swim.
Seeing the duck,
the bird flew down
and sat next to her.
The bird,
who was very sweet, said,
"What kind of a bird are you
if you can't fly?"
"What kind of a bird are you..."
the duck said snappily,
"if you can't swim?"
And with that,
she hurriedly dived
into the pond.
All of this led to an argument.
They argued and argued.
The duck, as she splashed around
in the water,
the bird flying this way
and that.
Just then,
something caught Peter's eye.
Pussy.
Pussy was stalking
through the tall grass.
She thought to herself...
"That bird is busy arguing.
"I can probably get her now."
And on velvet paws,
she crept even closer.
"Look out!" shouted Peter.
Well, the duck
quacked angrily...
from the middle of the pond.
Pussy walked round and round,
looking up at the bird
and thinking...
"Is it worth climbing so high,
I wonder.
"By the time I get there,
she'd have flown away."
Here comes Grandfather.
He never liked Peter
to go out into the meadow.
Not really the place
for you, Grandson.
He said gravely.
You wouldn't know
what's out there.
Wolves and worse.
It's dangerous.
Peter, stay put.
Peter said nothing.
Of course, he wasn't afraid
of wolves,
but then, he really couldn't
argue with his grandfather.
"Go back to the house,"
said Grandfather.
Then he locked the gate
securely.
No sooner had Peter gone,
than a big grey wolf
came out of the dark forest.
Pussy turned and saw the wolf.
In a twinkle,
Pussy had scarpered up the tree.
And the duck
quacked hysterically,
but in her panic,
foolishly jumped out
of the pond.
The wolf saw the duck.
It went for her like a shot.
And no matter how hard,
how fast the duck tried to run,
she could not escape.
The wolf in hot pursuit,
nearer and nearer,
catching up, catching up!
And it got the duck
and swallowed her
hungrily, in one enormous gulp.
Now, this is how things stood.
Pussy was up a tree,
sitting on one branch.
The bird in the same tree,
on another branch...
but not too close to Pussy.
There was no great affection
between them.
The wolf walked round and round
beneath the tree,
staring at both of them
with greedy eyes,
licking its lips.
Peter saw it all.
Thinking, "So the wolf
wants to catch them.
"Not if I catch the wolf first.
"I'll trap the wolf. Yes!
"I'm not afraid
of the big bad wolf."
So Peter found a strong rope,
which he wrapped
round and round smoothly,
until he made a lasso.
He slipped it
through his fingers
and tried
one or two quick throws.
He went out noiselessly,
heaved himself up
onto the stone wall
over which one of the branches
of the tree stretched.
Silently, he climbed
into the tree.
He whispered to the bird,
"Be a good little birdie.
"Fly down
and tease the wolf a bit.
"Not too close.
"Just enough to keep it busy
for a moment or two."
The bird obeyed
and fluttered overhead,
almost touching the wolf.
The wolf leapt upwards,
snapping with huge sharp teeth.
Ever so gently,
Peter slipped the rope
over the wolf's tail.
Then he pulled the rope
with all his might.
Yes! The wolf was caught.
Caught by the tail,
the wolf went berserk,
jumping wildly,
trying to escape.
Then, Peter tied
his end of the rope
to the tree.
The more the wolf struggled,
the tighter the rope became!
"What do we do?"
said Peter.
Wolves come in many disguises.
The hunters
came striding into the woods
on the trail of the wolf.
Their shotguns poised and ready.
"Stop shooting!"
Peter shouted.
But the hunters
couldn't hear him.
Again he shouted.
Stop! Put away your guns.
Birdie and I
have caught the wolf.
The hunters jumped for joy.
They boasted,
but they never thought
to look closely
at the wolf in the sack.
And then...
The victory parade.
Peter at the head,
followed by the hunters
leading the wolf.
And at the rear of the parade,
Pussy and Grandfather.
Now, nothing is ever
the way they say it is.
Before the hunters arrived,
Peter and Grandfather
had tricked them.
What the hunters thought
was the wolf
was no wolf at all.
Above flew Birdie.
She was quite pleased
with herself.
Now, this is where
the story ends.
Are loved ones we've lost
ever really gone?
If you listen carefully,
you might just hear their call.
There's nothing
to be afraid of.