NOW A SCREEN
PLAY
by
Michael F. Bavota
SYNOPSIS
A love story written for animation is set in the beautiful Florida Everglades.
Man, in his quest to build houses has upset the delicate suntropical ecosystem. The population of endangered Florida panthers
is in serious trouble.
Felis is a strong wild male
Florida panther. The female Paseo is discovered in a cage in a broken down truck in the swamp. Mizpah, a sandhill crane takes
Felis to see Paseo. Felis investigates Paseo. He wants her to be free in the Everglades with him.
The
truck leaves the swamp. Felis and Mizpah set out on a journey across the Everglades to find Paseo. Nishan, a Florida black
bear joins the team. There are challenges and dangers along the way.
Mizpah locates Paseo. She
is captive at a circus in Naples. Mike is a large cat trainer at the circus. Lisa is the veterinarian. Mike and Lisa are working
on a relationship. Lisa receives a job offer in San Diego. Mike wants her to stay in Naples with him.
Felis
comes to Paseo's cage in the night. He tells her stories of the wild and life in the Everglades. They fall in love and Felis
pledges to get her free.
One night Felis discovers the cage door is unlocked. he crawls inside
to free Paseo. She is too afraid to leave. Felis stays with her for the night.
At morning
light Felis begs Paseo to leave the cage. She hesitates, and then finally leaves and follows Mizpah. Suddenly, the door slams
closed and breaks Felis' back legs. He is now trapped inside.
Paseo and Mizpah run into
the woods. Paseo insists on going back to find felis, but Mizpah pushes her onward to freedom.
Lisa
performs emergency surgery on Felis. Mike prepares for the worst outcome of losing both cats. Later, He and Lisa attempt to
find Paseo.
Felis pulls through. Mike is determined to rehabilitate the cat and return him to the the
wild so that he might lead them to Paseo.
Back in the Everglades, Paseo struggles to
survive in the wild. Mizpah returns to the circus in search of Felis, where a vicious bulldog attacks her. Felis is recovering.
Mike makes plans to return Felis to the Everglades.
It is nightfall in the swamp and Paseo is
in terrible pain. She is about to give birth. Amaryllis, a female boar arrives to help with the babies. The first cub is still
born, creating a panic in the night. In the meantime, two other healthy cubs are born.
Later,
Mike and Lisa arrive deep in the Everglades. They release Felis, but he he refuses to leave the cage. Finally he leaps through
the air and stands cautiously in the swamp. Suddenly Felis and Mike are attacked by two sickly male panthers. Lisa is left
with the emotional dilemma of shooting the attacker on Mike. The battle is fierce and the outcome intense, as the ending of
the story climaxes to an unexpected, yet happy conclusion. Felis and Paseo and their three new cubs survive, while Mike and
Lisa finda way to make their love for each other work.
