♪ HEY, WOW... ♪

♪ HERE'S HOW ♪

♪ COME AND READ ♪

♪ BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

Chorus: ♪ COME ON ♪

♪ COME IN ♪

♪ BEGIN ♪

♪ THE WORLD AWAITS ♪

Woman: ♪ BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

♪ BETWEEN THE COVERS OF A BOOK ♪

♪ IT'S TIME TO LOOK BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

♪ BEHOLD THE TALES BEYOND THE TAILS ♪

Chorus: ♪ BEHIND THE DOOR ♪

♪ BECOME, EXPLORE ♪

♪ COME IN BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

♪ BEGIN BETWEEN THE LIONS ♪

♪ BE HERE BETWEEN THE LIONS! ♪

THAT'S SILENT "E."

DON'T SAY IT.

WHAT IS IT, CLEO DEAR?

A STRONG, UNUSUAL SCENT.

IT IS CHICKEN?

( squawks )

OOH, SORRY.

OOH.

NO, NO, IT ISN'T THE CHICKEN.

( sniffs )

NO, I SMELL

THE STRONG, UNUSUAL SCENT OF...

( gasps ): A WRITER IN DISTRESS.

OH, WOE IS ME.

WOE, WOE, WOE.

MORE WOE THAN YOU KNOW.

OODLES AND OODLES OF WOE.

YOU!

YOU'RE YOU, AREN'T YOU?

BABS CAPLAN, THE WRITER, RIGHT?

WRONG--

BABS CAPLAN, THE USED-TO-BE-A-WRITER.

BABS ISN'T A WRITER ANYMORE.

WHAT? WHY? WHY?

Both: YES, WHY?

WHY?

I'LL TELL YOU WHY.

I HAVE RUN OUT OF IDEAS.

MY HEAD IS TOTALLY EMPTY, AND SO IS MY NOTEBOOK.

OH, NO, SAY IT ISN'T SO.

YOU ARE SO GREAT

SO BRILLIANT, SO CLEVER.

AND DON'T FORGET ENDLESSLY ENTERTAINING.

BUT ALAS, IT IS NO MORE

UNLESS I COULD FIND... INSPIRATION.

HMM...

( gasps )

LET ME BE YOUR INSPIRATION.

YOU?

I FIND CHICKENS VERY INSPIRING.

ME, TOO.

OH, HOW MY MUSE HAS FAILED ME

SENDING ME A CHICKEN WHEN I NEED IDEAS.

I NEED IDEAS!

( whoosh )

( thud )

( all squeal )

Chicken: THE SKY IS FALLING.

NEVER MIND.

TRICKY TONGUE TWISTERS.

THANK YOU, MUSE.

( Lionel and Leona panting )

WHOA, SORRY ABOUT THE BOOK.

WE WERE UP IN THE BALCONY, AND, UH...

MY SISTER-- SHE KNOCKED IT OFF.

YOU KNOCKED IT, NOT ME.

TRYING TO BLAME A LITTLE CUB--

SHOCKING!

OH, BUT THANK YOU, LITTLE CUBLETS.

I WILL WRITE ONE OF THESE.

BUT FIRST, WHAT IS A "TWONG TISTER"?

( all laugh )

Others: TONGUE TWISTER!

IT'S A POEM OR LINE OF WORDS THAT'S SO HARD TO SAY

YOUR TONGUE GETS ALL TWISTED UP.

YEAH, AND THE FASTER YOU SAY IT

THE HARDER IT GETS.

FOR MOST PEOPLE.

NOT ME

FOR I AM THE KING OF TONGUE TWISTERS.

MY TONGUE NEVER GETS TWISTED

NO MATTER HOW FAST I SAY THEM.

YOUR "TWONG" NEVER GETS "TISTED"?

MY TONGUE NEVER GETS TWISTED.

COME ON, I'LL READ YOU SOME.

OOH, WAIT FOR ME, WAIT FOR ME.

OKAY, HERE WE GO.

( clears throat )

Lionel: THIS IS CALLED "PETER PIPER'S PEPPER."

Lionel ( reciting ):

OH, FASTER.

DO IT FASTER.

( exhales )

NO PROBLEM.

Lionel ( faster ):

TONGUE STILL NOT TWISTING.

OKAY, FASTER, FASTER.

PIECE OF CAKE.

WARP SPEED!

Lionel: MAKE IT SO, MAKE IT SO, MAKE IT SO.

( even faster ):

YOUR TONGUE STILL DOESN'T LOOK TISTED.

THAT'S BECAUSE I AM THE KING--

THE KING OF THE TONGUE TWISTERS.

NO ONE HAS EVER WRITTEN A TONGUE TWISTER

THAT I CAN'T SAY AT ANY SPEED.

NO ONE?

( coolly ): NO ONE.

WELL, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'LL DO.

SCATTER!

YOU'RE CRAMPING MY THOUGHTS.

♪ LIONEL, GO, LIONEL, GO LIONEL... ♪

CAN I HELP YOU?

I WANT TO SEE LIONEL'S TONGUE GET TWISTED.

HOW CAN YOU, A MERE CUB

HELP ME TO WRITE A TWONG TISTER?

TONGUE TWISTER.

YOU CAN STAY.

YEAH.

Announcer: AND NOW TWO PIGEONS PECK A PECK OF PEPPERS.

PECK, PECK, PECK.

PECK, PECK, PECK.

PECK A PECK OF PEPPERS. PECK A PECK OF PEPPERS.

PECK, PECK, PECK.

PECK, PECK, PECK.

PECK A PECK OF PEPPERS. PECK A PECK OF PEPPERS.

Announcer FASTER.

( both reciting faster )

OH, MY, HOW ENTERTAINING.

( continuing to recite faster )

Announcer: AND NOW, LOVERS OF THE VOWELS "A," "E," "I," "O," "U"

AND SOMETIMES "Y"

GIVE IT UP FOR MARTHA READER AND THE VOWELLES

SINGING THE SHORT "E" SOUND

FROM THEIR SENSATIONAL HIT WORD, "PEP."

( music playing; crowd cheering )

( singing repeated short "e" sound to soul tune )

( song ends; cheering and applause )

( sounding out words in computer-generated voices )

AND NOW A LITTLE POEM IN WHICH LETTERS CHANGE

AND MAKE SOMETHING VERY INTERESTING HAPPEN.

( clucking )

Man: ♪ THERE ONCE WAS A FARM BOY NAMED BEN ♪

♪ WHO MOANED, "I HAVE ONLY ONE HEN" ♪

♪ TILL HIS MOM PUT A "T" WHERE THAT "H" USED TO BE ♪

♪ NOW INSTEAD OF ONE HEN, BEN HAS TEN, OH, YEAH ♪

♪ INSTEAD OF ONE HEN, BEN HAS TEN! ♪

( song ends )

( gasps )

THE MONKEY POP-UP THEATER.

( audience murmuring )

( drum roll )

( music begins playing )

( monkeys singing )

♪ LET'S START WITH OUR FAVORITE VOWEL ♪

♪ A PRETTY GOOD PLACE TO START ♪

♪ IT'S AN "E" LIKE WE SEE IN "BEN" AND "HEN" ♪

♪ AND IT SOUNDS LIKE AN "EH" IN THE MIDDLE OF "TEN." ♪

♪ SO, ALL RIGHT, THEN ♪

♪ LET'S GO, MEN! ♪

( continues singing )

♪ HEY! WITH THE "S" AND "V" AND "T" AND "E" AND "T" AND "T" ♪

♪ HEY! WITH THE "T" AND "E" AND "S" AND "V" AND TEN CENTS! ♪

♪ HEY! WITH THE "S" AND "V" AND "T" AND "E" AND "T" AND "T" ♪

♪ HEY! WITH THE "T" AND "E" AND "S" AND "V" AND TEN TENTS! ♪

( audience cheering )

( monkeys hooting excitedly )

( laughing )

IT'S A GREAT DAY FOR A PARADE HERE ON VAN NESS STREET

AND FOR YOUNG MONICA MAXWELL.

HER BAND HAS WON THE AWARD FOR BEST DRESSED.

( gasps )

BUT WAIT A MINUTE.

WHAT'S THIS?

OH, NO!

IT'S THE EVIL "UN" PEOPLE.

HEAVENS TO BETSY!

THEY'RE PUTTING AN "UN" IN FRONT OF THE WORD "DRESSED."

MONICA'S IMPECCABLY DRESSED BAND

IS NOW ( gasps ) UNDRESSED!

BUT DESPAIR NOT, LITTLE MONICA.

THE HEROIC "RE" PEOPLE ARE HERE.

HOORAH!

MONICA AND HER BAND ARE REDRESSED.

BLESS YOU, "RE" PEOPLE.

AND NOW THE WORD DOCTOR WITH DR. RUTH WORDHEIMER.

HELLO.

HERE'S DR. RUTH.

( creature shrieking )

IT MUST BE TIME FOR ANOTHER "LONG WORD FREAK-OUT."

( yelling )

DR. RUTH!

YOU GOT TO HELP ME!

I WAS READING A BOOK

AND EVERYTHING WAS GOING FINE, AND THEN I CAME TO THIS WORD.

LOOK!

LOOK HOW LONG IT IS!

I CAN'T READ IT.

I CAN'T!

( sobbing )

YES, YOU CAN.

NOW, TAKE A DEEP BREATH.

( breathes in )

START ON THE LEFT

AND TAKE IT

ONE PART OF THE WORD AT A TIME.

OKAY.

FOR YOU, DOCTOR.

( gulps )

IM...

PRESS...

IVE.

GOOD.

NOW, PUT THE PARTS TOGETHER.

OKAY.

IM... PRESS... IVE.

IMPRESS... IVE.

IMPRESSIVE!

"IMPRESSIVE"-- THAT'S RIGHT!

YOU GOT IT.

I GOT IT! I GOT IT!

OH, THANK YOU, DR. RUTH.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

I GOT IT, I GOT IT!

THAT WAS VERY IMPRESSIVE.

OOH, I AM GOOD!

NOW TWIST YOUR TONGUE AROUND THIS ONE.

BESS'S PET PESTERED FESS.

BESS'S PET PESTERED FESS.

BESTERED...

FESTERED...

BESTER'S... BESTER'S SOMETHING.

BESTER'S PET PESTERED FESS.

BESTER'S PET FET...

BESS'S...

BESTERED'S PET...

BESS'S PET PESTERED FESS, BESS'S PET PESTERED FESS.

BESS'S PET FESTERED FESS.

BESS'S PET PESTERED FESS, BESS'S PET PESTERED FESS

BESS'S PET FESTERED FESS.

TAKE THAT ONE OUT.

LOOK AT THEM.

THEY THINK THEY'RE WRITING A TONGUE TWISTER

THAT EVEN I, THE KING OF TONGUE TWISTERS, CAN'T SAY.

( laughs mockingly )

FOOLISH MORTALS.

THAT'S IT.

BABS CAPLAN HAS DONE IT.

( screams ): BABS HAS DONE IT!

OOH, SORRY.

OKAY, ALL RIGHT.

READ THAT FAST, MR. KING OF TONGUE TWISTERS.

IT'S CALLED "ZETER ZIZER'S ZEZZERS."

ZETER ZIZER'S ZEZZERS?

YES, BY BABS CAPLAN.

AND LEONA.

SEE, IT'S RIGHT THERE-- SMALL, BUT IMPORTANT.

OKAY, OKAY, LET ME AT IT.

ALL RIGHT.

OH, COME ON.

THAT'S TOO SLOW-- FASTER.

OKAY.

WE DID IT!

LIONEL'S TONGUE IS TWISTED.

YOUR TONGUE IS TWISTED.

NO! NO! NO!

YES, IT IS, LIONEL.

ARE YOU OKAY?

OH, MAY I SHAKE YOUR HAND?

ANOTHER LITERARY TRIUMPH.

YOU SEE WE TOOK ALL THE Ps

OUT OF PETER PIPER'S PEPPERS

AND PUT IT Zs

WHICH MAKES IT "ZETER ZIZER'S ZEZZERS."

VERY CLEVER, LEONA.

OH, HOLD IT.

OH, THIS WILL BE MY GREATEST BOOK.

YOU'RE ALL INVITED TO THE PUBLICATION PARTY...

HOLD IT.

BUT DO COME IN THE BACK.

THE FRONT WILL BE CROWDED WITH CELEBRITIES.

HOLD IT, HOLD IT, HOLD IT.

THIS ISN'T A REAL TONGUE TWISTER.

NOT REAL?

GASP!

IT IS SO REAL.

NO, IT ISN'T.

ZETER ZIZER ZICKED A ZECK OF ZICKLED ZEZZERS?

( grunts indignantly )

WHAT'S A ZICKLED ZEZZER?

( both stammering )

IT'S A ZEZZER THAT'S BEEN ZICKLED.

EXACTLY-- IT'S A ZEZZER