FIREFLY SOUL
based on the novel: Born with the Soul of a Firefly
The flutter of wings
The last burst of red-gold sun over the Pacific Ocean
A woman, lost
Childlike wonder, and infinite adventure, found
Betz Hill Hooper
betzhooper@hotmail.com
US - 707 977 0747
A heartening family fantasy adventure with a comical “Shrek” or “Bee Movie” like underlying adult twist.
Firefly Soul
A 50-year-old executive must overcome her festering woes to rescue a savvy band of teenage international fireflies who shrink her into their curative world and boldly proclaim her to be their prophesied savior.
A rare mix of childlike fantasy and comical adult retrospection, the mystical and practical elements of this fantastical family adventure merge into a single, lush, visionary world in which we are following the lead character of BETZ, a human born with the soul of a firefly, as she discovers and embraces her inner-self to save a high-minded community of fireflies.
Inspired by a true story
June, 1959, in a small town in northern California, Betz the baby girl is born with the soul of a firefly.
Far, far, away …
… hidden deep within the pathway between the seas, the first humans are moving into Panama’s remote Firefly Valley.
With the first humans, comes the first urbanization, threatening the clever fireflies of this tropical paradise…
… and the powerful magic they create.
Fifty years later …
… the fireflies have all but given up on the human prophesied to save them when Betz, the Executive, arrives in their dale.
But Betz is not the immediate savior the fireflies imagined her to be.
Full of fear and self-doubt, Betz is adrift, pining for a fairy tale, her light extinguished.
University firefly champion, PIPPITYSNYE, the lightest and brightest spiritual-warrior of all the Valley, is the first to realize Betz is not all the prophecy foretold and must lead her merry band of fireflies to make contact and put things right.
“Paying Love Forward”
On the brink of defeat, the fireflies cobble together a plan; to shrink the dispirited human and journey to her inner temple to reinstate her smile.
If the fireflies can get Betz’s smile back, maybe they can get her to share their story and save the species from obliteration.
“Heal Yourself to Help Others”
What People Are Saying …
“One of the most unique premises in recent memory. A competently written screenplay with heart and imagination to spare.”
— Scriptapalooza
“A wide variety of character types sets up the potential for considerable merchandising.”
— Page Awards, Judge TB
Terrified, Betz is unwilling to participate.
But after a brush with a shamanic JourneyCompanion Bee and his magical pair of yellow Hunter boots …
… a shrunken teenage Betz agrees to help …
… embarking with the fireflies on a metaphysical time travel adventure inside their awe-inspiring eight-limbed Tree containing an entire universe.
“The movement into a metaphysical journey recalls the work of Studio Ghibli, and I salute the boldness of that choice.”
— Page Awards, Judge TB
The cast of international characters they meet along the way exposes Betz and her adolescent companions to various customs and wisdom, which leave Betz no choice but to turn inward; to contemplate what is real, what is fiction, and what truly matters.
Back in Firefly Valley …
… some of the professors fall into a toxic state …
… opening the path for the human developer company and BATILDA, the sketchy sales rep who mutates into a contentious bat in the firefly realm, to advance closer to the Tree.
Eventually …
Betz and the fireflies arrive at her inner temple …
… where they experience her first memory …
… and she smiles.
Determined to save her new confidants, Betz begins to apply the teachings to her shattered reality …
… discovering her true calling is waiting for her back in the real world
… if only they can survive the perilous voyage home.
The mission and their survival are nearly foiled when BATilda attacks, scheming to ingest Betz, and assimilate her human DNA.
PippitySnye comes to the rescue, but Betz’s tiny firefly alter-ego is fatally wounded in the ensuing battle.
Right when Betz thinks she could never fall back into the hell she’s known so well for so long, she plummets.
And with no recovery in sight …
… Betz locks herself away, vowing to give up the fairy tale forever.
But then, out of her darkness …
Betz conjures PippitySnye, who returns to inhabit Betz’s heart.
Inspired back into action …
Betz wraps up her corporate career and publishes a blockbuster novel to highlight the plight of the fireflies and bring PippitySnye to life in a real world Foundation.
In the end …
Betz and her human son, together with the production team and the Foundation they’ve established, are building the PippitySnye Production Studio at their ranch in Firefly Valley, with the family-duo aiming to release the movie, blow the doors off the industry, and give back to the world.
Firefly Soul
(previously: Born with the Soul of a Firefly)
Semi-Finalist Top 100 Action/Adventure Table Read MyScreenPlay Competition (2021)
Quarter-Finalist Table Read MyScreenPlay Genre Competition (2022)
Quarter-Finalist ScreenCraft Family Screenplay Competition (2019)
“A clever idea with clear franchisable potential.”
Original
“A rare mix of childlike fantasy with comical adult retrospection”
Whimsical
Inspirational Fun
“The potential for considerable product placement and merchandising.”
Promising Commercial Results
US & International
We are an entrepreneurial mother and son team who live between Panama and Marin County, California.
Betz Hill Hooper
( Betz )
I ended my corporate sales career to finish my first novel, Born with the Soul of a Firefly, after eight years in the creation, and joined forces with Stuart Hooper, my son and respected media producer, to adapt the book into a feature screenplay.
PippitySnye Foundation for the Arts
Paying Love Forward in the real world.
Stuart Hooper
( BeanMan )
As a pioneering digital content creator working with some of the world’s largest travel companies, Stuart Hooper drives consistent dynamic brand content to millions of viewers across big platforms like YouTube and Broadcast TV, fortifying our marketing power.
Thank you for all of your time and consideration.
Betz Hill Hooper
betzhooper@hotmail.com
USA - 707 977 0747