Plot[]
The day before the big soccer tournament, the guppies have a practice game. When Goby loses, he bursts into tears. Gil explains to Avi that Goby's a "cry guppy" and that older kids never cry. Avi takes these words to heart and doesn't even cry when he hurts his tail and can't play in the tournament. He keeps all of his bad feelings bottled up inside until his parents tell him that everyone needs to cry sometimes, even the older kids. Avi then lets all his feelings out in tears and he starts to feel a lot better afterwards. After the tournament is canceled due to rain, Gil starts to cry but he too embarrassed to admit it until Avi tells him that it's okay to let your feelings show.
Transcript[]
(Today is the practice football game. Everyone at the Bubbletucky School is practicing for tomorrow's tournament. Molly has the ball and she is about to make the winning goal.)
Molly: "I'm gonna make this goal!"
Avi: (steals the ball from her) "Not so fast, girl!"
He makes his way to the end, where Goby is ready and waiting.
Goby: "Nothing gets past the Goby Wall!"
Avi: "Oh yeah?"
He kicks the ball into the net and Goby fails to block it.
Mr. Grouper: (blows the whistle): "Goal!"
Oona: "Wow, Avi, you've gotta be the best soccer player in all of Bubbletucky!"
Gil: "Ha! Try the whole world!"
Deema: "Good game! You guys are gonna be great in tomorrow's soccer tournament."
(They hear Goby crying.)
Molly: "Hey Goby, are you all right?"
Goby: "I'm sorry, Molly."
Molly: "What are you sorry for?"
Goby: "For letting Little Fish score."
Molly: (smiles gently and lays a comforting hand on his back) "No big deal, Goby. You can't win them all!"
Gil: "Avi and I can, right buddy?"
Goby: "I know, but I really wanted to, and I was trying so hard and... and..." (bursts into tears)
Mr. Grouper: "Don't be sad, Goby. The thing that matters most is that you tried your best."
Mrs. Manriquez: "You kids have been running around all day. How about a big piece of cherry doodle cake?"
(Everyone cheers)
Mr. Grouper: "Goby, maybe you can help me fetch a slice for everyone, starting with a boy named Goby."
Goby: (smiles) "Okay, Mr. Grouper!"
Mrs. Manriquez: "All right, kids. It's getting late!"
(Everyone swims inside the school except for Avi and Gil, who remain behind)
Avi: "Gosh... Goby sure got upset when I scored."
Gil: "Ah, he's just a cry guppy! Come on, let's go find the soccer ball."
(Later after having their cherry doodle cake, the two boys hang around in the clearing next to the woods.)
Avi: "So, um, Gil...what is a cry guppy?"
Gil: "Someone who cries like a big baby. You know, like Goby!"
Avi: "So, it's a bad thing to cry?"
Gil: "Well, I guess it's okay if you're little. But big kids like me, we don't ever cry!"
Little Fish: "Well I don't cry either then."
(Avi looks around for their ball, then he notices it sitting by a tree. He swims over to get it when he hears a hissing sound and sees a snake coming out of a trash can. Frightened, he hides in the bushes.)
Gil: "What was that?"
Avi: "There's a snake in the woods!"
Gil: "Where is it?"
Avi: "Look! It's right there"
He points to it, but it's just a toy snake.
Avi: "Huh? Oh... scary, huh?"
Gil: (laughs) "Boy, you really had me going there for a second!" (notices Avi is sniffling) "Hey, you're not gonna cry now, are you?"
Avi: (trying to laugh it off) "No way! Big kids don't cry!"
Gil: "You got it! Come on, let's go!"
(Later, the kids are practicing again. Avi gets the ball, but he falls, tumbles end over end and hits the goalpost)
Avi: "OW!"
(Everyone rushes over to see if he's okay.)
Mr. Manriquez: "Avi, are you alright?"
Mrs. Manriquez: "Oh, I think you sprained your tail, sport."
Little FIsh: "Augh! Augh!"
Gil: "Aw, he's okay! Right, big boy?"
Little Fish: "Uh-huh..."
Mrs. Manriquez: "It looks to me like it really hurts honey."
Avi: "Nuh-uh! But I think I wanna go home now..."
Mrs. Manriquez; "Come on sweetheart."
(The scene cuts to Avi's room at night. Mr. and Mrs. Manriquez are examining his tail.)
Mrs. Manriquez: "Definitely sprained..."
Mr. Manriquez: (sighs and looks down at his son) "I'm sorry, Avi, but there's no way you'll be able to play in tomorrow's soccer tournament."
Avi: (upset) "But I have to play, Dad! I love soccer, and it's gonna be the biggest tournament of the year! And I can't let Gil down." (in a whiny voice) "He said I'm the best player in the whole world!"
Mr. Manriquez: "And you'll still be the best player when your tail heals."
Mrs. Manriquez: "I know it's disappointing, sweetie, but...'
Avi: "Maybe my tail isn't really sprained! Maybe it only looks sprained." (in a hopeful, tear-choked voice) "Maybe it'll be better by tomorrow! Maybe..." (gasps tearfully) "Maybe..."
Mr. Manriquez: "Avi, it's okay to be unhappy about this."
Mrs. Manriquez: "Sure. You can let it out and cry."
Avi; "No. I'm okay."
Mr. Grouper: "Well, if you say so. We'd better get something to wrap that tail with."
(The two adults leave the room.)
Avi: (holding back tears) "Big kids don't cry, big kids don't cry..." (shudders from the effort of stifling his sobs)
(The next day everyone is gathered at the school ready for the tournament)
Molly: "Mr. Grouper, we're going to be late for the tournament!"
Mrs. Manriquez: "Did anybody check the weather?"
Mr. Grouper: "Everything looks bright and blue to me! Looks like a perfect day to play soccer!"
(A soccer ball comes flying toward his face, but he dodges just in time. All the kids except Avi race outside, eager to get started)
Avi: "Have a good time, everybody..." (sighs heavily)
Gil: "Tough break Avi, but there'll be other games."
Avi: "Yeah, I guess."
Gil: "We'll win this one for you!" (rushes outside) "Hey, wait for me!"
Mrs. Manriquez: "Ready to go to the tournament, honey?"
Avi: "Me? Why should I go? I can't play."
Mrs. Manriquez: "No, but you can sit and watch, and cheer your friends on. They've worked just as hard as you, and you know they'd be cheering you on if they were in your position!"
Mr. Manriquez: "Hop aboard the Manriquez Express! You'll be riding in style."
Avi: "No, thanks, Dad. I don't want to go."
Mrs. Manriquez: "Still feeling a little blue, huh?"
Avi: "No, I'm a big kid. I just don't want to hurt my leg again."
(He swims slowly upstairs. His parents watch him go)
Mrs. Grouper: "I think that's one little guy who needs some mom-and-daddying."
Mr. Grouper: "Yeah. Better keep a close eye on him today."
(Later the big Bubbletucky Soccer Tournament is finally about to start)
Mr. Grouper: "Friends! Neighbors! Soccer fans! Who are, well, also my friends and my neighbors..." (chuckles) "Let the Bubbletucky Soccer Tournament begin!"
(The kids cheer, and Mr. Grouper blows the whistle. The boys from the rival team try to steal the ball from Gil, but he's too fast for them. Molly still manages to steal the ball and she makes the goal)
Mr. Grouper: "Goal!"
(The ball is put back in play. Mrs. Manriquez is cheering and clapping with Mr. Manriquez when something catches her eye. She glances up to see Avi watching the game from up above the bleachers)
Mrs. Manriquez: (nudges Mr. Manriquez) "Oh honey, look!"
(Meanwhile up in the bleachers, Avi is moping)
Avi: (sighs very sadly) "Big kids don't cry...they don't cry..." (takes a deep, calming breath, but ends up sighing deeply again) "Ah..." (bursts into song)
"It's just not fair that I can't play, my favorite game on a sunny day.
Watching everybody run and fly just makes makes me wanna...
But I'm not gonna... No siree not I.
So what do you do when you feel so bad? You just can't smile cuz you feel too sad.
Must be something else that I can try, cuz I'm not gonna... sure don't wanna...
No siree not I, cuz big kids we don't cry."
(At that moment, Mr. and Mrs. Manriquez swim over to him.)
Mrs. Manriquez: "Hey, Avi. Did you come out to what the game after all?"
Avi: "No. I came out..." (sniffles) "I came out here to watch the clouds...and be alone." (sniffles)
Molly: "You know, Avi, when clouds travel, they pick up on all kinds of things."
Avi: (sniffles) "What kinds of things, Mom?"
Mrs Manriquez: "Oh, water and smoke and dust. Maybe even a bad feeling or two."
(The sky becomes dark gray and we hear faint thunder.)
Mr. Manriquez: "Sounds to me like that cloud over there is feeling pretty sad."
Avi: "You think so?"
Mr. Manriquez: "Yep. Lots of bad feelings rolling and rumbling around in there."
Mrs. Manriquez: "Eventually.the cloud gets so full,that it has to let everything such as..."
(It starts pouring down rain)
Mrs. Manriquez: "Rain. That's what we call it when a cloud cries, isn't it Michael?"
Mr. Manriquez: "Yep. Clouds, little kids, big kids... even moms and dads sometimes need to cry."
(Avi starts bawling hard while his mom hugs him. Everyone on the field takes shelter)
Gil: "Hey, where's everybody going? It's just a little rain."
(Meanwhile Avi continues to cry)
Mr. Manriquez: Aww! Poor... little... guy!
(He starts to cry as well. It quickly stops raining and the sun shines brightly in the sky. Mrs. Manriquez gives Avi and Mr. Manriquez tissues and they both blow their noses)
Mrs. Manriquez: "Feeling better?"
Avi: "I do feel better, Mom."
Mrs. Manriquez: "So does the little cloud. After the cloud cries it feels so good that it builds..."
Avi: "A rainbow. That's what I feel inside me right now!"
(Everyone looks at the rainbow in amazement. Later that day Avi and his parents go back inside the school to see Mr. Grouper reading everyone a book)
Mr. Grouper: "And they all lived happily ever after."
Avi: "Hey, what's everyone doing back here?"
Deema: "They cancelled the rest of the tournament."
Molly: "And some of us took it a little bit harder than others..."
(Gil with his wet and messy hair comes in weeping)
Gil: "I really wanted to win one round. I was trying to score a goal... and it's not fair!" (cries)
Avi; "It's okay Gil. I know how you feel."
Gil: "I'm not really crying! These are raindrops."
Avi: "Don't be embarrassed. Big kids do cry when they need to."
Gil: "Really?"
Avi: "Sure. It's okay to cry."
Gil: "Well..." (Mr Grouper hands him a tissue)"Thank you...and I guess you were right."(blows into the tissue)