Launch Day

Opening titles of Ron's Gone Wrong.

**Launch Day** is the first scene in *Ron's Gone Wrong*. Tech giant "Bubble" introduces the B-bot, a walking, talking, digital avatar made to be your "best friend out of the box", becoming a sensation with kids everywhere, no less than in the sleepy town of Nonsuch — where except for one kid, Barney Pudowski.

## Description

The first 30 seconds of the film are 20th Century Studios and TSG Entertainment production logos. At 35 seconds onwards is the Locksmith Animation logo, where the opening sting of the soundtrack "Future of Friendship" briefly plays.

### "My algorithm for friendship"

Seated in a valley is an architectural curiosity: the headquarters of the tech giant Bubble, a large transparent spherical building perched on the bridge of a hydroelectric dam. Crowds swarm through the entrance as the press enthusiastically covers the the launch event for their much anticipated next product.

Cut to a man, Marc Wydell, who asks:

He is fact alone, rehearsing from an autocue held by his robotic skateboard. "This is it. This is finally it," he tells himself, and then in a seamless cut, to an auditorium of thousands. The audience applauds, cheers, and chants Marc's name. He continues to explain that what he is about to unveil has been the culmination of all of Bubble's ambitions since its beginning as a start-up in a garage. Another man across the stage, Andrew Morris, interrupts: "My garage folks. My garage."

Marc continues, explaining what's coming goes beyond their phones, tablets, watches. It's a whole new level of connection, driven by "the algorithm for friendship". The Bubble bot. To invite someone to demonstrate, thousands of Bubble profiles spin past on the screen behind him and lands on "EllieB9", who emerges from the audience to come on stage to be the first owner of a B-bot.

The lights dim and a drone descends a heavenly column of light with B-bot in its sleek blue shell, placing it at the centre of the stage. Ellie walks up to it and is instructed to activate it, she carefully places her hand onto the shell, which elegantly cracks open. A white robotic body shivers to life, configuring itself against her Bubble profile, soon producing a simple smile: "Hi, Ellie!" skinning itself into the character Danger Bunny.

The crowd cheers and wows as the bot zips around the stage, cycling through the various skins available to it. Marc explains it has everything. Apps, photos, contacts, chat.

### "The Future of Friendship"

Ellie re-engages with her B-bot and picks out the music app. The bot shimmers to life and gives a little dance. As the soundtrack "The Future of Friendship" really picks up, and the hype becomes palpable. Her buddy goes prone and tells her to hop on, proceeding to zoom her around the stage. Marc assures the audience it's full of safety settings.

The real moment of awe comes when her B-bot produces a 360 degree immersive projection of Mars. Ellie loves space. The bot then skins itself to a monkey, hopping about, searching the audience for new friends. "This is why we're here" Marc explains, as the bot jumps into the audience and introduces her to Grace-May11 and Pete66, who too loves Danger Bunny and space. At the height of applause, Marc declares "Let's do this. Let's. Make. Friends!"

A short montage shows kids across the nation activating their B-bots, only to hold on a cut of a boy at the door: it's Barney Pudowski, who's off for another day at school.

### "Have you got eyes kid?!"

Barney rides his scooter down the road. It's the school run, and the streets in the town of Nonsuch are amok with kids and their B-bots. The gadget has become a sensation, but Barney is conspicuously without one. The boy's face lights up a little each time his attention is drawn to all the fun B-bot antics around him, whether it's zipping and leaping around with mid-air selfies, or dazzling light projections beneath the bridge.

Barney soon is riding his scooter past the local Bubble store to watch it open for the morning. Upon veering back onto the road, suddenly, a Bubble delivery driver slams his brakes right behind him! — "Have you got eyes kid?!" — the boy gives a rushed apology and quickly rides away. The driver steps out and notices the doors to back of his vehicle blow open and an unactivated B-bot fell out. He picks it up and inspects the scuffed, cracked shell with disappointment.

But here sets the stage for the rest of the story, for this seemingly forgettable stock loss mishap will soon change Barney's life forever, in a fate that proves to accidentally be the boy's doing from the very beginning.

### "To the dark side!"

Barney arrives, and circles of kids crowd the school gates with their B-bots. All features are on show: skins, music, messaging, and more, including curiously a queue of *Star Wars* themed robots helping their group of kids cross across the road chanting "to the dark side!"

He walks down the hallway and briefly glances into classroom with two pupils, one being Ava, a pop science fanatic who we see chatting about geology — "do you see how the magma from the upper mantle pushes up into the chamber" she says, as her B-bot projects onto the classroom board a schematic volcano. Moving on down the hallway is Rich, scuttling up a Bubble vending machine hidden on the corner and donning a monster mask as his two cronies, Alex and Jayden giggle down below.

Rich, scheming something devious, has his eyes on the school's social queen coming down the hall: Savannah Meades, and she's with her B-bot livestreaming, fashionably vlogging about plastics in the ocean... and her new hair style. Suddenly Rich leaps, yelling a violent groan and clawing the air! Savannah continues walking, "Lame, rich...", she says, unflinched by his jumpscare prank. Rich's B-bot rolls over to him and concludes his own livestream.

Barney rounds a corner and gets to his locker, putting away his lunch. Out of nowhere, a kid behind him yells about his latest B-bot game upgrade. The kid, Noah, unexpectedly summons his bot against another kid's with a furious simulated blast. Barney shrieks! Jumping, pacing, and accidentally spills the contents of his rucksack. Everyone around falls silent with stares, and Barney awkwardly apologises.

### "You... still didn't get a B-bot?"

Barney finds he accidentally tipped the contents of his rucksack. Savannah walks over, "wow, Barney, it's your birthday. You... still didn't get a B-bot?" she asks, noticing birthday invites all over the floor. Her B-bot comments he's having a party, which he dismisses with embarrassment, clearly none of this being his idea. He also apologetically notices he's visible in her livestream, which the girl shrugs off, "I have a filter for that", blanking him from the shot before walking off and ending her livestream anyway.

So Barney closes his locker and pauses to reflect, looking on at a vacant space in the school's B-bot charging rack.

*End of scene*