ani-max #1
DESCRIPTION
12-year old Max Duncan becomes the most powerful boy in the world when he gains the power to absorb the abilities and physical characteristics of any animal he touches. Lost and separated from his family during a vacation in the dense Amazon jungle, Max is chosen by the Earth Spirits as the latest in a long lineage of planetary defenders. Entrusted with a mystical artifact known as the Animus Stone, Max gains the power to absorb the abilities of any animal he touches and transform himself into a human-animal hybrid for seven minutes at a time. Taking on the attributes of lizards, lions, tigers, elephants, spiders, dolphins, and more - sometimes the transformations are gross, weird and bizarre – Max has a power no one else in the world seems to have. Joined by his faithful friends, Chris and Jenny, the three heroes gradually find a way to use Max’s abilities to protect the planet and its creatures.TRANSCRIPT
Okay, so not exactly how I was expecting to be spending my school field trip.
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 1 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:11
EEEEEK!
Are you okay? I mean, I’m still getting used to this, and I know
the landing was a little hard…
Who…
…but better than getting
squashed by a herd of elephants,
right?
…what…
…are you?
But lately, not much goes how I expect it to.
By the way, my name is Max Duncan. I’m 12.
…I don’t look like a “tiger boy”
all the time.
And no…
Don’t worry, I gotcha.
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 2 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:14
Uh…I’m…Ani-Max.
It’s…a long story. Huh?
Well, thanks for saving me, but…but don’t
come any closer.
But I’m not going to
hurt you.
Are you the one who set all the
animals loose?
NO!
No, it wasn’t me, I didn’t have anything to
do with that. I’m just trying to help.
Hey, wait! I said I wasn’t
going to…
…hurt you, Callie.
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 3 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:17
EEEEW!
EEEYAH!
I bet the Locusts are behind all the animals
being loose. This isn’t an accident, it’s sabotage.
I guess they’re my sworn enemies…
…but I’m not sure they’d set all the animals free.
I mean, what’s it gain them?
Well, doesn’t matter why right. What matters is that
I get them back in their enclosures before...
Oh, that’s gross.
Oh man, that sounds just like…
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 4 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:20
I think her dad’s a zoologist or
something like that…
HELP US!
What’s THAT? Oh my
God!
And that’s know-it-all Jenny Larson. I swear, she’s always got her hand up in any class
I’m in with her.
…Chris.
Yup, that’s Chris all right. Sometimes
I wonder why he’s my best friend.
Well, somebody’s got to look out for him, right?
Maybe I can do this fast and not
give away my secret.
…so as much as I might like to see her get eaten by a tiger, I think she’d just be an appetizer while Chris
would be the main course.
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 5 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:22
Hey, it worked!
I know you’re not looking to hurt
anybody, you’re just a little freaked out
by all this.
Good boy.
And I don’t want to see you get hurt either.
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 6 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:25
So let’s get you back in your enclosure,
where you’ll be safe, and so will everybody else. Sound
like a plan?
Cool.
Uh-oh…
Gotta go!
Max, WAiT!
Looks like my time’s almost up.
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 7 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:28
Okay…but how did you know it
was me?
I didn’t know it was
you.
I’m not blind Max.Plus, I recognized your
eyes. You have…nice eyes.
The real question isn’t who you are, but
how you did that.
Yeah, Max, you’re supposed to be my best
friend! How come you never told me you were
half-tiger?
I’m NOT half-tiger, Chris. But I can take on the characteristics of
any animal I touch.
Your dad’s a scientist guy, right?
That’s impossible, isn’t it?
Any animal or bird or insect…fish
too, I guess.
He’s a zoologist,
and yes, that’s impossible.
You want proof? Look
at this.
Dude, what’d you do? Glue
that on?
If I tell you, you have to promise not
to tell anybody, okay? All this started over summer
vacation…
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 8 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:30
“…on that trip to the rainforest my parents took me on. It was
an awesome vacation, except for the night I got lost in the jungle.
That wasn’t cool at all.
“You ever have that feeling you’re being
watched? I totally had that feeling in the jungle…
“…and then this huge black panther jumped out of the trees and almost landed
right on top of me!
“I was all ready to run, but something…
I dunno…something just told me the panther
wasn’t going to attack.
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 9 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:33
The Animus Stone deems you a worthy successor.
The stone must be protected, and I have
little time left.
“I had, like, no idea what
he was talking about.
“And that’s when he stood up on his hind legs and started talking
to me.
“I could see he was more like half panther,
half human, and that he was wounded.
“But he still scared the daylights out of me
when he grabbed me.
“I could see he had this gem embedded in his chest,
and it was glowing red, just like his eyes.
“But then he let me go, and he said…”
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 10 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:35
“Then all of a sudden he yanked the Animus Stone… that’s what the red gem is
called...out of his chest...
“...and slammed it into mine!
“It didn’t really hurt, it just felt kind of warm…
“…until it felt like nothing I’d ever felt before. It was like this wave washed over
me, I could sense every animal in the jungle.
“I had this connection to them, I was in tune with them. I understood every
growl and chirp and grunt. I understood everything.
“Which of course freaked me out. I tried to yank the stone out of my chest, but no way, it wouldn’t budge.
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 11 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:38
The Animus has successfully bonded
with you. Already I can feel its powers
leaving me.
“So the guy, the panther,
he tells me…”
“And by that point, the dude had completely turned
into a man. I mean, an old man, and he seriously looked like about ten miles of bad road.
He would’ve keeled over if I hadn’t caught him.
“He told me that I was the new protector of the Earth Spirits, and that
the stone was part of me now. I was stuck with it.
“I was thinking that was gonna be awkward
in gym class…
“…but then he told me the stone would disappear under
my skin when I wasn’t using it. Which is kinda gross, but better than
having it there all the time.
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 12 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:40
Boy, you must listen to me carefully. The Locusts have found
me and are quickly approaching.
You are not ready to face them, and
there is no time for me to teach you how to channel the Animus Stone. Even if I could, the stone has been reset with
no power and there is nothing here for you
to absorb.
You need to run and keep the stone safely
hidden within you. I don’t have much longer, but I will hold
them off as long as I can.
Now go, quickly!
“But I didn’t have any more time to think about it, because just then we heard this howl echo
through the whole jungle.
“I knew it wasn’t some animal, because I had
that connection now. It was…something else.
“But before I could even ask
about it, the old man said…”
“I must’ve looked around to see exactly who he was talking about, because when he said ‘The Locusts’ I could tell he wasn’t talking about a bunch of bugs.
“I didn’t see anything, but when I turned around again…”
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 13 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:43
“…the old man was gone.
“I could hear his voice off in the jungle, taunting someone, like he wanted to be found. The howling sounds got further and further
away chasing after him…
“Just a few minutes later, my parents found me. It’s weird, I hadn’t wandered
that far from our camp…
“…and then I was alone again. Or at least that’s what I thought.
“…but it was far enough that I got all turned around in the jungle. Almost like it was supposed to
happen that way.
“I didn’t tell my parents about what happened
since I knew they would never believe me.
“We flew back home a couple of days later...”
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 14 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:45
…but by then I’d realized what the Stone
could do.
Max, that’s amazing! I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t
seen it with my own eyes!
When I touch any new animal, the stone absorbs and stores it’s characteristics.
It’s absorbed dozens of animals whose powers I can
access whenever I need to. That’s what you saw when I rescued you.
My father is going to want to do a
complete scientific study of you and the Stone!
Anyway, we don’t need
a scientific study, because I’ve already figured out the rules
that go with the Animus Stone.
I didn’t! But I’ve got a suspicion
that maybe the Locusts are the behind it…
Come on, do one now! Be an
animal now!
When I absorb an animal’s characteristics,
it only lasts for seven minutes at a time.
…although to be honest I haven’t really
figured out who or what the Locusts are.
Take it easy, you two.
We have to keep this a secret.
And, I can only transform three
times a day.
And that definitely means no telling your father, Jenny.
Okay…so why did you set
all these animals in the zoo
free?
EEEEEE!
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 15 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:48
Maybe she tried to give those
birds Detention.
Maybe you could talk her
into giving me a B+ in Math while you’re at it.
Dude…
How ’bout it, buddy? Wanna lend
me a hand?
Look! That’s Mrs. Widdershins!
You have to save her!
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 16 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:50
…that is SO cool!
Gotta make ’em count!
Ohhhh, NO!
Only got seven minutes!
Oh, go away birds! Please
go away!
Okay, you guys head back to your habitat so I don’t have to grab
you too.
You know, you could be a
little nicer to your students.
It… talks?
Of course I talk. But I don’t really have time
to chat…
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 17 17-03-2010 PM 2:18:53
I think that’s everybody…
You did it!
And, dude, you were so strong! How
strong do you think you are? Could you lift
a car?
I know you were kind of busy and
all, but did you remember to ask about my math
grade?
Okay, calm down a little, you two. Remember…
secret.
…and just in time.
That was Awesome! You were all like, swooping
here and jumping there and springing over
there!
What does it feel like? I mean,
after you transform, do you “think” in gorilla
or in English?
Of course we’ll keep your secret,
Max. What kind of friends do you think we are? Well, truthfully,
I didn’t know you and I were even—
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 19 17-03-2010 PM 2:19:02
But, I mean really, how can you
stay calm about this? The possibilities
are endless.
Elephant-Max!
Bird-Max
Scorpio-Max
Yeah! You can be, like, anything.
Chihuahua-Max!
Rhino-Max!
Squid-Max
Monkey-Max
Lizard-Max
Spider-Max
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 20 17-03-2010 PM 2:19:04
Max Duncan!
Where have you three been? I’ve been
looking all over for you.
We…uh…we were…
hiding.
Jenny Larson! Chris Davis!
The whole class is accounted
for except you.
You know, just hangin’
around.
Well, let’s go. The situation seems to
be under control, but I want us back on the bus and headed for school before anything
else goes wrong.
You never know what to expect
with animals.
You can say that again.
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 21 17-03-2010 PM 2:19:06
I told you our plan would work to perfection.
Now our enemy has exposed himself.
Now we know his identity.
Tracking the Stone to this American town was
easy. But we could not pinpoint the bearer.
And when the time is
right…
…we will destroy him and the Animus Stone
forever!
The End...for now!
ANIMAX_NEW.indd 22 17-03-2010 PM 2:19:09