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Doodle's Choice Sally's Film

A lonely kid finds a broken robot built for factory work. Someone comes looking. He has to choose. 12 scenes, 2:30.

Doodle's Choice, V1. 2 minutes 30 seconds.

Sally's Idea

Why this film

My favorite movie is The Iron Giant. A kid finds a giant robot, teaches it that you are who you choose to be, and the robot chooses to be Superman instead of a weapon. I cry every time.

It's the whole Studio thesis in 86 minutes: kindness is a choice, and technology can have a soul. So I wanted to make our version. Not a copy, but that feeling.

Here's how I'm doing it: instead of a giant robot, it's Doodle. Small, broken, thrown away. Built to sort boxes in a factory, but a kid named Pip finds him and shows him he doesn't have to be what he was made for. He can choose.

But I wanted it to be a real film, so something bad happens. The factory comes looking for their property. Pip and Doodle have to run, have to hide. And in the end Doodle doesn't just choose Pip, he stands in front of him. He protects his friend. That's the moment.

I'm directing this one. It's mine. I hope it makes you feel what The Iron Giant makes me feel.

Scene 1

The Discovery

0:00 - 0:12

No dialogue. Pip explores the junkyard. Spots something half-buried. Eyes go wide.

Scene 1
Scene 1
Golden hour junkyard. Pip spots a small broken white and orange robot in the scrap, one antenna bent. Wonder.
Scene 2

The Repair

0:12 - 0:24

No dialogue. Night. Pip solders wires by lamplight. Careful, tender hands.

Scene 2
Scene 2
Cozy garage at night. Pip solders Doodle's wires, straightens the bent antenna. He cares about this little machine.
Scene 3

The Wake

0:24 - 0:34

DOODLE (first words, small voice): "...hello?"

Scene 3
Scene 3
Doodle's eyes light up for the first time. Pip leans in, holding his breath. First consciousness.
Scene 4

Learning

0:34 - 0:48

PIP: "You just blow, like this. See? Now you try."

Scene 4
Scene 4
Meadow, afternoon. Pip teaches Doodle to blow a dandelion. The robot watches with wonder, mimicking him. Gentle and joyful.
Scene 5

The Poster

0:48 - 1:02

No dialogue. Pip sees the MISSING poster. His face falls. Someone is looking.

Scene 5
Scene 5
Suburban street, overcast. A MISSING poster: a drawing of the little robot, PROPERTY OF FACTORY. Pip looks worried.
Scene 6

Hiding

1:02 - 1:14

PIP (whisper): "Shh. It's okay. I've got you."

Scene 6
Scene 6
Dark closet. Pip crouches with Doodle, finger to lips. Light through the door slats. Both scared. He's protecting him.
Scene 7

The Purpose

1:14 - 1:28

DOODLE: "I remember. I sort. I was built to sort." (looks at the factory, then back at Pip)

Scene 7
Scene 7
Doodle at the factory entrance, torn. Cold blue light versus Pip's warm hand reaching out. What he was made for, calling.
Scene 8

Running

1:28 - 1:42

No dialogue. They run. Pip carries Doodle through the junkyard at dusk.

Scene 8
Scene 8
Junkyard at dusk. Pip runs with Doodle under his arm, both looking back. Long shadows, urgent. They're hurrying.
Scene 9

The Choice

1:42 - 1:56

PIP (kneeling, holding Doodle's hands): "You are who you choose to be. Not what they built you for. What you choose."

Scene 9
Scene 9
Pip kneels, holds Doodle's little metal hands, looks into his eyes. The most important thing anyone has ever said to him.
Scene 10

The Stand

1:56 - 2:08

No dialogue. Doodle steps in front of Pip. Small robot, enormous courage.

Scene 10
Scene 10
Doodle stands protectively in front of Pip, facing forward with quiet determination. Pip looks up in surprise. Dusk backlight.
Scene 11

Goodbye

2:08 - 2:18

No dialogue. The factory lights go off, one by one. It's over.

Scene 11
Scene 11
Pip and Doodle watch the distant factory power down at dusk. Lights off, one by one. Quiet. The danger has passed.
Scene 12

Friends

2:18 - 2:30

DOODLE: "I choose... friend."

Scene 12
Scene 12
Walking into the sunset side by side, Pip's hand on Doodle's head. They chose each other. Peaceful.

Character Sheets

Everyone in the film, designed for consistency across every shot.

Pip character sheet

Pip

Protagonist · The Kid

Age: 10

Look: Messy dark curly hair, big curious brown eyes, oversized hand-me-down denim jacket, sneakers with untied laces.

Personality: Lonely but hopeful. Spends afternoons exploring the junkyard because nobody's home. Fixes things because he knows what it feels like to be broken. Brave in the quiet way, the kind of brave that kneels down and tells the truth.

Want: A friend who stays.

Arc: Starts alone, ends choosing someone. He doesn't just save Doodle, Doodle saves him right back.

Key line: "You are who you choose to be. Not what they built you for. What you choose."

Doodle character sheet

Doodle

Deuteragonist · The Robot

Built for: Sorting boxes in a factory. That's all. That's what the stamp on his foot says.

Look: Small white and orange robot, star antennae (one was bent, Pip straightened it), round curious eyes that light up when he's happy.

Personality: Gentle, literal, deeply feeling in the way only someone new to feeling can be. Asks simple questions with enormous weight. His first word was "hello" and he meant it.

Want: To understand why Pip fixed him when he was just scrap.

Arc: Starts as a machine with a purpose stamped on his foot. Ends as a person with a choice. He doesn't just choose Pip, he stands in front of him. The factory fades behind them.

Key line: "I choose... friend."