Chapter Text
🎬 Pre-Opening Scene — Holli’s Heartfelt Dressing Room Intro/ Creative Content Warning...for legal reasons.
The dressing room lights glow softer than usual tonight — not buzzing, not flickering, just warm. Holli Would sits in front of the mirror, but she isn’t touching up her makeup. She’s just… looking at herself. Like she’s trying to believe this moment is real.
She turns toward the audience with a small, genuine smile — the kind she never got to show on screen.
HOLLI
“You know… I’ve waited a long time for this. Longer than most Toons ever get. A chance to be seen the way I was meant to be. A chance to be more than a punchline or a poster.”
She smooths her white gloves, not out of vanity, but out of nerves.
HOLLI
“This story you’re about to read — it’s special. It’s a collaboration across time. Ralph Bakshi started this world, and Joe A. Verage is picking up the pieces with a whole lot of heart. And in a way together, they’re giving Cool World something it never had before.”
She laughs softly, almost shy.
HOLLI
“And I’m… excited. Really excited. Because for once, someone’s treating us — the Toons, the world, the ideas — with respect. With care. With the kind of attention you give something you actually believe in.”
She stands, taking a breath, steadying herself.
HOLLI
“Now, let’s be honest. Cool World was never meant for kids. And this version? It’s honest about the messy, grown‑up parts of life — the kind of stuff you need a little emotional maturity to handle. So if you’re sixteen or older, or whatever the rating ends up being… you’re welcome here.”
Her expression softens, sincere and open.
HOLLI
“We’re not doing this to shock you. We’re doing it because we respect you enough to tell the truth. To treat you like someone who can handle a story with teeth, heart, and a little heat.”
She reaches for the light switch, pausing just long enough to give one last smile.
HOLLI
“Thanks for giving us another chance. Really. Now let’s get this show on the road.”
The lights fade.
The story breathes in.
And the film reel starts to roll once more…this time with feeling!
(Opening Scene: Meet Kevin Daniels)
Setting: Early morning, Burbank, California in a generic apartment flat.
It’s important now that you have a clear idea of who Kevin Daniels is.
Kevin Daniels isn’t suave, he’s not a smooth operator…he’s also a bit of a dork, a real Clark Kent this guy.
So just please, leave your expectations of this story’s human protagonist at the door with its pompadours and leather jackets.
Kevin might be the only millennial in 2025 who wakes up to a Mickey Mouse alarm clock that plays the official Mickey Mouse March, you know…”Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me? M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!”
He turns it off gently as he gets out of bed and gets ready for work.
He makes sure he puts on his glasses with their round rims(the Japanese call them roidomegane, or so Kevin thought…he liked knowing about foreign cultures.)
Anyway his morning routine was simple: Shit, Shower, Shave if needed and choke down breakfast as he watched the early morning reruns of Wolfy And Madonna cartoons on TV as he tries to come up with new ideas for work to fill out his sketchbook aside from half-finished drawings.
He likes to look nice, but not overdo it. He throws on a plain T-shirt, khaki pants, a light hooded sweater, crew socks mostly hidden by his pants…and dress shoes(He likes how they make him feel important.
He stores all his art supplies, his paper and pencil sets and his ink pens and compasses and those sheets that help when you need to draw perfect circles in a briefcase, and just before he leaves…he looks back at his admittedly slightly messy apartment and says in his usual, always meek and unsure voice:
“Okay! I’m going now!”
The only thing that answers him is the lingering smell of coffee and the hum of the fridge.
Before he closes the door.
As Kevin drives to work, he doesn’t listen to pop or rap…so what does he listen to? The Blues Brothers, and he sings along to the timeless vocals of Joliet Jake and Elwood Blues…slightly off-key.
“Come on, baby don’t you wanna go. Back to that same old place, Sweet Home Chicago-Oh! Mornin’ Mrs. Gleeson!
Okay, left turn here…there we go…okay Kevin, you finally got that pitch meeting today that you’ve been basically begging for about…a month. Sure you wanted to get a job at Disney, Warner Bros. or even PlayKit Studios so you can work on real cartoons…but you know, you’re 25, you’re a rookie…so you settled, which is okay…and you’re talking to yourself like a weirdo in your car…actually you’re rambling which might be even worse.”
He pulls into the employee parking of Golden Reel Studios, a generic Burbank studio trying to compete with the big leagues.
He walks in, punches in…and heads to his desk to organize his pitch.
Shortly after he starts to work, he hears the gravelly voice of his boss Mr. Needmore walking down the hall.
Mr. Millard Needmore(Portrayed by Brian Doyle-Murray) was flanked as usual by accountants and assistants and yesmen.
“Somebody adjust my 6 O’ Clock meeting, I have a golf game with Eisner at 6.”
“Yes, Mr. Needmore.”
“Thompson. Get me a coffee. Black.”
“Yes, Mr. Needmore.”
Kevin was hoping to catch him.
“Oh, Mr. Needmore? Sir, if I could just have a word?”
Mr. Needmore and his gaggle stopped long enough to watch Kevin scurry from his desk to catch up to them.
“What is it Davis?”
“That’s Daniels, sir.”
“Don’t sass me, boy.”
Kevin…faltered a bit.
“Well, sir…I just wanted to thank you for agreeing to hear my pitch at 3 today, I’m sure you must be very busy…I-well I hope I don’t disappoint you.”
Mr. Needmore looked at Kevin as if he wasn’t worth his time.
“Listen Davis, I only agreed to hear this pitch of yours because we need ideas, and I’m desperate, and don’t forget it. Golden Reel needs an idea, and I need money, got it Davis.”
“Yes sir, and it’s Daniels. Anyway, I’m sure it can’t be any worse than my pitch last year.”
Mr. Needmore gave his gaggle a ‘Is this kid joking?’ before giving Kevin a car salesman grin
“God knows it can’t Davis…now do you mind getting back to work?”
“Oh! Yes sir, right away.”
Kevin awkwardly pushed his way through the gaggle, muttering apologies as he made his way back to his desk and sat down…he looked at his pitch materials:
A handful of character sketches, a few mock-ups…a half-finished synopsis…
He exhaled…and got back to work.
“Maybe today’s the day…”