Lights, Camera, Action! (TV special)

"Frights, Camera, Action!" is the ninth TV special produced for the Enchatria Girls cartoon series. The TV special ties into the Lights, Camera, Action!, Lights, Camera, Action! - Hollywood, and Lights, Camera, Action! - Red Carpet lines.
==Story==
A large part of the Enchatria High student body chooses to catch the new Sugar Majesty movie before classes one day. Lori Creaser is among them, even though she openly disapproves of the inaccuracy of the Sugar Majesty series and considers its leading actress, Veronica Von Murrays, a hack, going so far as to talk during the entire movie and ruin it for many of the students, leaving them annoyed with her. Her friends show her some patience and allow her to tell them the true story of the Sugar Court in Pennsylvania, which she grew up amidst. Lori enthusiastically explains that the vampires find their leader by listening to the Vampire's Heart, a magic artifact that can locate the rightful ruler and lights up in their presence. She adds that the Vampire's Heart has failed to lead the vampires to their new queen for four centuries and counting, though. Her friends agree that story is better than the one of the Sugar Majesty movies. However, that does not prevent Scarlett and Dory from teasing Lori afterwards.
Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, the Prime Minister and interim leader of the vampires, Lord Noah, has a problem. For four hundred years, the true queen and the Vampire's Heart have been missing, but only he knows. His own niece Elissabeth Murrays was supposed to rule, a fact only few know, but she fled when he tried to control her and no one knows her current whereabouts. Stoker has been pretending to be on the search for the true queen for centuries as a cover to continue his own reign. However, the Royal Court of Sugar Rush Dignitaries has grown tired of waiting and threatens to replace him if he can't present the rightful queen soon. Trying to win time, he claims he can do so within a week, which satisfies the dignitaries, who will be present for the queen's coronation, and if Noah has lied to them again, he's through. Aware he has to fake a queen, Lord Noah remembers Lori from centuries ago. That is, he remembers that she is weak and decides to make everyone believe her to be the queen so he can control her and continue his rule.
Lori continues to be ridiculed by Scralett and Dory until her outbursts anger Mr. Glennburg and he assigns her detention. Shortly after, Lord Noah arrives at Enchatria High and convinces Lori with a fake Vampire's Heart that she is the queen, while also ensuring the other vampire students, like Dory, respect Lori, or face severe consequences for their disrespect. Overjoyed but mostly dutiful, Lori agrees to return to Pennsylvania for her coronation in seven days but asks if her friends can come along. Neither Stoker nor Goodway object, and so Michelle, Rachel, and Judy join her on the journey. Clyde can't go with them, and the prospect of separation doesn't sit well with him and Lori both, but there's nothing to be done about it. After a long journey, the final portion is by train, during which Lori tells more about her past and reveals that the relations between her family and Stoker's are complicated and have been mostly dormant since everyone disappeared four centuries ago. Michelle notes that her father, Henry Vortex, was in Transylvania around that time. She herself seems to have more knowledge of the events at the time than is likely for her to know, but the group doesn't pay too much attention to it.
At Castle Sweet, the girls are overjoyed at first. Lori shows them all kinds of secret passages she remembers from her childhood and the group enjoys the luxuries of a royal lifestyle. The situation changes in an instant, though, when Lori is called to Noah's office and learns that she had been deceived. Noah openly shares his plans to use her as his puppet with her, arguing that Lori would benefit too and knowing that she is too weak to make a stand against him. Lori runs off crying to her friends, whom Stoker would have better not allowed to come. With their support, Lori decides to fight back and find the real queen for her people. Michelle and Lori deduce that there must be a clue to the who and where of the queen in Noah's office, and so Lori volunteers to distract Noah while the other three search the place for leads. Lori has no trouble with her part, but the office doors are guarded. Unexpected aid comes in the form of Woody who was not invited to Pennsylvania, but being a big fan of romance and drama, stowed along among the luggage. While the girls were exploring Castle Sweet, so was he, and he knows a passage that leads into Noah's office. Inside, the group finds a letter by Elissabeth Murrays taped to the back of a portrait of Lenny Creaser, who was her father's closest friend. She reveals that she is the next Sweet Queen and begs Lenny to help her escape Noah's control. She has to take the Sweet's Heart with her so she cannot be found when she flees, but she wishes for Lenny to take it from her and keep it safe. Evidently, Lenny never found the letter, but the group can use its clue — In the fog of doom, where the globe meets the tower, there is a follow-up letter waiting in the crown. — to find Elissabeth on their own. Michelle understands that "the fog of doom" refers to London, England, and so the group rushes out, gets Lori away from Noah, and uses a boat docked in an underground cavern to travel to London.
At four days until the coronation, Lori contacts Elsa and the rest of her friends at school. She explains the situation and sends them a picture of Elissabeth Murrays from four hundred years ago so that they can help in the search through internet. At the same time in Pennsylvania, Lord Noah has realized that Lori has no intention of acting as fake queen and has escaped with her friends. Due to the fact that Michelle carelessly left a book open on a page about London when they were in his office, Noah knows where they are and orders his servant Ygor to bring back Lori to ensure his plan succeeds.
The group is welcomed in London by Rheneas, Rachel's older sister, who studies there to become a writer. She takes them to see the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London, as that's what the group thinks the riddle refers to, where Woody manages to grab the crown for a closer look. There is, however, no note inside. All they end up doing is attracting the attention of the zombie Yeoman Warders that guard the Crown Jewels until they return the crown to them so the guards can return to their posts. Rheneas asks what the clue was and upon hearing it realizes that the "crown" refers to the skull rather than jewelry and points the group at a statue of William Shakespeare near the Globe Theater. Michelle gets the skull and unlocks it, finding the next note. Elissabeth writes that London is no longer safe and that she'll travel further to New Orleans, where she hopes Dracula will finally meet her. She has included a map for his convenience. The group, along with Rheneas, immediately returns to their boat and sets sail for the USA, unaware Ygor is following them.
In New Orleans, the map and Michelle lead the group to a ghost ship named the Bijou on the Bayou. On board, they meet Honey Bride, who is getting footage for her student film. She reveals the Bayou Bijou to be a ship famous for its numerous big-name guests and performers. The actress Veronica Von Vamp, for instance, gave her first performance on the ship. Lori has little time to be annoyed at the mention of the actress she loathes, because Ygor hijacks the Bayou Bijou. The group appears caught at first, but Honey calls upon the alligators living in the bayou to form a bridge to the shore. They escape, but Ygor accidentally sinks the Bijou on the Bayou, meaning the ghost ship isn't accessible anymore until the next full moon. The fear that they have to wait a full month to go back to look for clues is erased by Honey, who has a close-up of an encased letter by Elissabeth left for Lenny among her footage on her camera. The letter reveals that Elissabeth gave the Vampire's Heart to someone both she and Lenny trust, which Michelle believes to be Veronica. Not only was she in New Orleans at the time, the movie poster for the next Sugar Majesty movie depicts her holding the Vampire's Heart. The group sets out for Hollywood, which Rheneas is very pleased with and which has Honey choosing to come along. Ygor continues to follow them and informs Lord Noah of their new destination. Tired of it all, and fed up with Ygor's repeated failures to bring Lori back to Pennsylvania, Noah transforms and heads off to Hollywood himself to capture Lori.
In Hollywood, Judy convinces the guard at the gates to allow them entrance to the studios. Soon, the group is witness to a minor accident involving the director Arantino and a makeup artist by the name of Valerie Evans. Arantino is alright, but Valerie has to rush to collect her material that has spilled on the ground. The group helps her out, which she thanks them for before hurrying along. The group continues on as well and is by sheer coincidence able to get Rheneas a job as co-writer of Super Stone, Honey a job as a camerawoman for Sofia Carson, and Woody a job as a janitor. Michelle locates Veronica's trailer, which the group gains access to with the help of Valerie, who has to do Veronica's makeup. All seems to be going well, but when asked about Elissabeth, Veronica refuses to help, explaining that she promised Elissabeth to keep her secret. Even a moving speech by Lori about duty and the well-being of the vampires doesn't convince Veronica to say anything. To make matters worse, the heart is not the actual thing, but a prop. The group is crestfallen, but Michelle urges them to continue looking here in Hollywood because she feels that Elissabeth can't be far off.
Elsewhere in the USA, the Sugar Majesty movies have caused a conflict among the female students at Enchatria High about which of the male love interests is hotter: Arnold or Edward, with Scarlett and Tawnya leading the opposing sides of the argument. Wendy, Abby, Zee, Gina, and even Clyde, Jimmy, and Keith stay out of it, but become worried as the argument escalates as more students side with Scarlett or Tawnya. The situation is getting vicious, so Layla organizes a Cute Court for the students to decide on who is the bigger hunk. Tara, who is explicitly not interested in either, is chosen as judge, Andy gets to be the bailiff, and Elsa is the court clerk. After a long debate, Tara asks Elsa for a scientific advice. It is then that Elsa makes a huge discovery: Arnold and Edward are played by the very same actor! Tara dismisses the case and the students end the fight. However, Elsa is not done yet comparing people, now that she has solved one thing this way. Taking the photo of Elissabeth that Lori sent her and a poster depicting Veronica Von Murrays, Elsa realizes that the two girls are the same person.
As the group keeps looking for Elissabeth, they stumble into the Sugary Majesty studio, where they are ambushed by Lord Stoker. He demands that Lori returns to Pennsylvania with him, but Veronica comes to Lori's aid by calling her security guards on Stoker. Lori once again begs Veronica to tell where Elissabeth is and Veronica chooses in her favor this time. Taking off her wig, she reveals that she is, in fact, Elissabeth. She asks Michelle to take her hand, which causes Michelle to light up. Elissabeth explains that the person she entrusted the Sweet's Heart to was Henry Steam, who in turn entrusted it to his daughter by building it into her system. Willing now to take on the responsibility of a queen, Elissabeth announces that she will make the premiere of her new movie tonight double as her coronation and everyone is invited. As an added incentive, Elissabeth disowns her uncle and banishes him from ever holding an official office in the vampire community ever again, having her security guards drag him out of the lot as Ygor chases after him with concern.
At the premiere, Lori is happily reunited with Clyde. Elissabeth holds a speech both to celebrate her acting successes and the honor of being the new Vampire Queen. She makes a point of thanking Lori for her efforts in setting things right in the vampire community. As such, right when Elissabeth is crowned, Lori is finally granted her full vampire powers. With the movie about to start, everyone heads into the theater. Just before it starts, Elissabeth shares with Lori her intent to shoot the next Sugar Majesty movie at Castle Sweet with her new crew: makeup artist Viperine, camerawoman Honey, and script writer Rheneas. Once it starts, Lori voices her newfound respect for the film, annoying the theater audience once more.
==Characters==
#Andy Tuffkowski
#Penelope
#Melody
#Sarah Duncan
#Tara Glimmer
#Layla Parton
#Murray Martin
#Oliver McQueen
#Abby Snowglode
#Zee Kazaam
#Clyde Finster
#Jimmy Stones
#Gina Miller
#Michelle Vortex
#Tawnya Finster
#Scarlett Ferris
#Lori Creaser
#Timy Plasience
#Woody Voodoo
#Judy von Puckett
#Keith Evans
#Wendy Wonders
#Elsa McMorgan
#Hewitt East
#Rachel Finster
#Jack Andrews
#Dory Gazette
#Ygor
#Lord Noah
#Royal Court of Sweet Dignitaries
#Kimberly
#Mr. Glenburg
#Ms. Goodway
#Julia Grant
#Elissabeth
#Squeaky nerd boy
#Rheneas Finster
#Male guards
#Female guards
#Jessica Piper
#Miranda Cameron
#Julie Grande
#Honey Bride
#Arantino
#Valerie Gorgon
#Ronnie Rivera
#Pamela McIvy
#Younglee Song
#Super Stone
#Hilary Duff
#Sofia Carson
#Anna Kendrick
#Tiki
#Kallie DeMew
#Suzy Fitzgerald
#Mindy Mars
#Norman
#Amy Blossom
#Bella Carson
#Donna Lucas
#Michael Chips
#Sandy Larson
#Captain Planet
#Cody Winds
#Wiz Kid
#Carly Kicks
#Sophia Cata
#Rosie Heart
#Tammy Match
#Valerie Skye
#Presley
#Courtney Crash
#Gabby Hazel
#Caroline Peach
#Patty Purby
==Notes==
===References===
* The posters that introduce the characters during the intro are adjustments of posters of the following movies: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (Lori), The Hunger Games (Rachel), Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (Michelle), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Elsa), and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Woody), Star Wars (Wendy), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Zee), Back to the Future (Abby). In addition to this, the poster at the end of the intro with them all together is a adjustment of the poster for the movie The Craft.
* The names "Arnold" and "Edward" are based on well-known vampires. "Arnold" is the alter ego name of Dracula in Son of Dracula, the third of Universal's Dracula movies, named Arnold because Arnold is literally Dracula spelled backward. The name has since appeared in numerous vampire fiction. "Edward" is a play on "Edward", referring to Edward Cullen of the Twilight franchise.
* The zombie and crow guards that protect the Crown Jewels reference the real-life Yeoman Warders, also known as Beefeaters, who protect the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London with the Queen's Guard and feed the ravens that live at the Tower of London as well.
===Continuity===
* Lori once again mentions the incident that forced her family to flee Transylvania 400 years ago, which is further revealed to have occurred shortly after Elissabeth's disappearance.
* The ongoing plot that Lori lacks vampire powers comes to an end in this TV special.
* In Woody's Indiana Jones poster in the intro, there is a tombstone behind him that reads "R.I.P. F.S.", or the initials to Rest In Piece Wendy. This has been confirmed by the artist to be foreshadowing to "Fusion Magic!", where Frankie Stein actually "dies".http://byronleboe.tumblr.com/post/127500711817/so-heres-the-final-of-my-movie-poster-series
===Milestones===
* Elissabeth, Super Stone, Sofia Carson, Anna Kendrick, Honey Bride, Valerie Evans, Noah, Henry Steam, Ygor, and Arantino make their cartoon debuts. Rheneas Finster previously appeared in a picture in "13 Wishes", but this is her first appearance as a character.
* The Premiere Party and Dressing Room make their cartoon debut.
===Errors===
* When Lori has her outburst in the movie theater, the third row's characters' clothes are changed to their default outfits. Rachel should be wearing her clothes and Elsa her City of Nights fashion, but both wear their 'Basic' looks. Abby, Zee and Laya should be in their Picture Day clothes, but they are drawn to wear their 'School's Out' and 'Campus Stroll' fashion instead.
* When the moviegoers arrive at school, Gina suddenly wears her 'Basic' clothes while she previously wore her Picture Day outfit.
* During the Arnold vs. Edward fight in the cafeteria, Rochelle wears her Paris: City of Nights clothes in one shot.
* When Honey says "I've got girlfriends in low places", her lips do not actually move.
* During the scene in which Honey meets Sofia Carson and Anna Kendrick, the actor in the monster suit that uses Jimmy's model is purple in his first shot, but blue like Jimmy in his second shot.
* When Veronica confronts Noah, Viperine is drawn without her glasses in one shot.
* For the entire scene in which Elissabeth reveals that Michelle carried the Vampire's Heart with her all along, Michelle is missing her jacket. The same happens when they go into the caves.
* When Rheneas informs the characters about Super Stone she says "...the most famous scream-play writer in HollyWood" instead of Hollywood.
===Other===
* "Lights, Camera, Action!" became available on iTunes on March 12, had an exclusive theater premiere on March 16, was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 24, and finally aired on television on April 19.
* Hoodude's 3D model is updated from its backgrounder-ish previous look to resemble his 2D model, profile art, and doll better.
* The DVD of "Lights, Camera, Action!" contains three webisodes that likely are exclusive to the DVD until later in 2024: "Crime Scream Investigation", "Games Girls Play", and "Enchatria-morphoseas".
* The DVD of "Lights, Camera, Action!" contains bonus disc six episode that likely are: "Enchatria Girls Hawaiian Vacation", "Diary of a Bad Case", "Lori and the Haunted Locker", "Judy's Triple Trouble", "Cute as a Doll", and "Scarlett's Golden Glove"
==References==
Category:TV specials