Esqua

The Studio 4 draft of ***Esqua*** was a planned 2012 American animated action-adventure film and was set to be directed by Anthony and Joseph Russo, David Bowers, Rob Letterman, Kirk DeMicco, Derek Drymon, Karey Kirkpatrick, and Simon J. Smith, with Joel Crawford serving as a co-director, for a debut. The film was set to be animated using a more up to date version of their custom software *Hotplate*, and was originally planned to be more graphic and realistic at the climax, likely to boosting up the films budget to $500 million. The film was supposed to enter production in October 2011 and was slated for a late-2012 release, which by the way wasn't delayed as a part of his plan to make his employees suffer more, set to be distributed by studio The Weinstein Company, like how Harvey intended, it was originally planned to have pop culture elements combined with an MCU [Marvel Cinematic Universe]-esque story.

Then on March 2011, months before it's originally planned announcement, production of the film shut down as it was announced that Brannon died from a brain tumour, alongside all of the planned projects being shelved, leaving their currently worked on project *Violetward* to be it's final movie to date, but that doesn't stop there, since December 2011, Riverbank Films' CEO, Daniel Price, picked the film from being vaulted and was rebranded entirely, and is now released on September 5, 2014, with a budget of $70 million with a worldwide total of $126 million, elements of the story, which is a secret for the employees, would be picked up by the crew at Riverbank for their film *Gatchaman*.

## Plot

Sonya and her goons invade a territory, as the original owners attempt to fight off against them, but failed as they were thrown off broad, Tibo and Oak step across the deck and retrieve the controller of the universe, Sonya plans to change everything and dares to conquer what she wanted to control, meanwhile, Esqua lives her life with a family, as she gets ready for school, Daniel, Kim and Clara approach her and chat on how are there daily routines, before Rita corners them and introduces herself, restraining her friends in a air cannon, while Esqua pleads for mercy, she gave Kim, Clara and Daniel a last word request, until Rita switches personalities, becoming a coward, runs away, but was tied to a rope instead of them, she was swung and stuffed into her own cannon, Rita was launched into the stratosphere where she was struck by a plane, and falls to her death in the playground, her dismangled body scared other teens, and officials were called, everyone had changed, Except for Esqua, Kim, Clara and Daniel, the former was accused for murder here in court, she was accused by degenerates and civilians, is exiled from ever going to the outside world, while hitching a ride in a boot of a truck, Esqua sensed what's wrong with the world, as she finds out when everyone was manipulated by Sonya's malicious intent,

she was tired of her parent's "groundings" considering them unrealistic, she storms into her room in chagrin, while she heard Daniel's scream of horror what appeared to be in a attic, searches for a ladder in her closet, climbing up to her family attic, Sonya left a fake betrayal and break up card, but Esqua was smart enough to know it was

Until she travels in a void, she speeds through other universes, a world of emptiness, gluttony, space humans, hormonal octopus and elephants coexisting, personality differences, a universe where air is replaced other other gasses, especially carbon dioxide, earthy smells, cigarette smoke, smelly and minty breaths and various, until she lands in Freetopia, where she meets Sky, Esqua introduces herself to Sky, who can morph to other objects, but Esqua offers Sky that were are her friends, Sky is bewildered, but he schemes a search for them, until they reunite in a apartment in Room 1562, realising it's where Sky lives, was dumbfounded, but had a choice to let them stay, suddenly the mayor, Axel, arrives at the apartment, bursting through his room door, holding Slack and Didi for hostage for committing accidental theft, Slack and Didi said they buyed something for free, but Sonya switched it the other way around, he orders Sky for them to be sent away or to stay, Sky said "It's not like they would do it, it is a bit unusual, but I… I know for sure who put it the unexpected direction Mr. Axel?" Herman, who interrupts the argument, begs they should not be proscribed from the apartment and tells him everything about an unknown force that does changes to everything unexpectedly, leaving Axel confused, letting the two go, they receive their chance back.

Sonya, unusually smart as Axel was told by Herman after his comment, glimpses on her disoriented but clever henchmen, having potential on their snarky plans, Sonya demands the duo, Tibo and Oak to find Axel, Tibo travels across the void, while Oak galloped his way, barged into his office without his consent, he almost scolds them into entering private property, but Oak distracts him, he tries to make a joke about taking off his trousers off after doing a wee-wee in his loo, Axel denies it to be funny, Tibo slams a pillow into Axel's head, Axel fights back, nevertheless battered Oak, leaving scars on him, he then swoops into rage, storming at him as he takes him down, pounded, Axel soon collapses and gains unconsciousness, Tibo delivers a punch to him, and returns to Sonya's lair via a void, Axel then wakes up to Sonya, who gets his attention, demonstrating her plans to erase Freetopia, declaring her hatred towards the city, she then tortures him.

Puffy, who joins the group, firsthands Esqua from his experience with Sonya, which questions her that Sonya was trying to pose herself as a jerk to everyone without claiming a reason, even to Esqua although she had no intent on being her arch-nemesis, while having no conflict with her, the team start to argue, but Esqua, Kim, Clara and Daniel, who sneak to Sky to stop the continuous noise, Sky steps in, he sets off a cracker, leaving everyone speechless, he compels the people that the minion invasion is impending, and addresses everyone to be prepared.

Sonya finds her target while Axel was bounded and gagged, swearing that one moment she would push too far, After moments of preparation, Sonya unleashes a large clan, but the Freetopians persist their confidence, After a huge brawl with the minions, Esqua saves Axel and has a duel with Sonya, who claims to be her arch-nemesis, Sonya plans to kill Esqua, the latter flees from her wrath on her, Esqua ends up hiding in a room where she finds the same room where Axel was previously trapped in, Sonya jumpscares her and was almost caught into her cell, but breaks free, kicking Sonya in the stomach, sending her in rage, she continuously rushes to her, but Esqua dodges her hits until she crosses a almost crumbling bridge, she made it, Clara, who later crosses the bridge after convincing Daniel to look after her, strengthens herself to Sonya, but she disarms her weapons, and sends her flying, landing unconscious, Sonya charges at the team, until the bridge breaks apart, sending her to her end, the minions rush from the hallways to where it came from, and grieve their losses, spreading them to each other on her doom, the heroes on the other hand felt like their mission was done, but suddenly, a multiversal explosion occurs, Tibo and Oak fall into the void as everything returns to normal, Esqua and the freetopians were praised for their heroism after hearing cheers from the citizens, returning to normal, her parents wondered where their daughter had been, but then the the heroes mourn over Clara's "death", until she was revived thanks to Sky, the townsfolk celebrate and Daniel proposes to Esqua, setting up a school prom where Puffy returns to his parents.

Meanwhile, Tibo and Oak, are awaken in a foggy, endless world resembling Shanghai and Tokyo combined, with lava as the ocean, the view were corpses of people that were alive instead while the ones that were living were dead, the colors of the city and sky were inverted, they storm through the city scared, as the two began to be quickly tired, but clueless on where is Sonya, suffering panic attacks, until a officer from animal control corners and imprison them in a bird cage, thrown in and sent tumbling into a endless basement where they are never seen again, Sonya's empowered soul survives, lost motivation and use for her old henchmen, persists on her evil plan, then continues to roam across earth, vacuuming herself into a decaying carcass at a cemetary, seeking her new plan with new minions on her belt.

***EDITORS NOTE: This was originally picked up from the Studio 4 Archives while working on 2024's Gatchaman, by Riverbank Films.***

## Characters

* Esqua Chavez, an idealistic, but mostly accident-prone, teenage girl who always wants to be on her own freedom. Her name is a portmanteau of "esquí" (which means "ski" in Spanish) and "aqua".
* Sky, a magical talkative ski cap that came from another dimension known as Freetopia.
* Herman, an inhabitant of Freetopia who helps Esqua.
* Slack, one of the inhabitants of Freetopia who follows with Herman.
* Didi, one of the inhabitants of Freetopia who follows with Herman.
* Axel, the elder of Freetopia.
* Daniel Park, Esqua's crush.
* Kim, Esqua's best friend.
* Clara, one of Esqua's friends.
* Madison Chavez, Esqua's mother.
* Evan Chavez, Esqua's father.
* Sonya, a mysterious woman and the goddess of Freetopia responsible for the origins of Sky.
* Ms. Williams, the teacher in Esqua's class at Worcester High School. Marion also voices Annie.
* Principal Thompson, the principal of Worcester High School.
* Foreman Fred.
* Rita, the school bully at Worcester High School.
* Libby.
* Tibo and Oak, two of Sonya's bodyguards.
* Spear.
* Puffy, Esqua's pet bird-like creature who was revealed to come from Freetopia at the end of the film.

No characters were ever casted in the film during production, except the characters were revealed.

## Trivia

* Sonya's henchmen were named:
	+ Kam
	+ Klarki
	+ Pant
	+ Pooshie
	+ Sangatanro
	+ Hoobieboob
	+ Wiggles
	+ Vachina
	+ Goldieswarm
	+ Watie
	+ Tubber
	+ Dunnp
	+ Wueddlopsa
	+ Polaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
	+ Seeeeeifffeee
	+ Turnuo
	+ Pa$\*#’o4(#77#
	+ Ching$$\*$$Moneh
	+ Downbatube
* The endless world was named Flappositess according to the story reel, a mixture of the words "flat", "planet", "opposite" and "endless", for the first two nouns, it also references a myth of the earth being flat.
	+ One noun wasn't used, and it was "overpopulated", speaking of it, the city has an indefinite count of people as originally pitched, but due to technological issues and a time-consuming span of the making, it was one of the reasons why the draft was cancelled.
	+ It was originally to be the first Studio 4 Animation to be distributed by The Weinstien Company.
	+ It was supposed to be accompanied with a short *The Broadways: Jackie's Huge Accident* which would've revolved around Jackie doing his usual daily routine, gets sent to hospital after slipping off a work environment building caused by leftover soap and miraculously survived a falling anvil.