What if Lantern Entertainment was founded in 1928?/Green Eggs and Ham

Green Eggs and Ham is a 2019 American animated film loosely based on the 1960 Dr. Seuss book of the same title. It was produced by Lantern Entertainment (aka Lantern Cartoon Studio), A Very Good Production, A Stern Talking To, Big Kid Pictures, and Gulfstream Entertainment, distributed by Netflix (all media) and Shout! Factory (Theatrical and Home Video), directed by Lawrence Gong and Piero Piluso and produced by Milos Brajovic.

It was a critical and commercial success, saving Lantern's cartoon division from closing down it's doors and leading to a sequel called Green Eggs and Ham: The Second Helping and a spin-off named Chickeraffe. However, a film about Chickeraffes was cancelled following DreamWorks' How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World's Oscar loss on February 9, 2020.

Plot
In the town of Glurfsburg, Sam-I-Am breaks into a zoo and liberates a Chickeraffe, a rare and endangered animal. Meanwhile, Guy-Am-I, an inventor, presents his invention, a self-flyer, to Snerz Co. so that he can win a ticket to Meepville. His invention fails while his fellow inventors all get to go. Michellee, a literal bean counter for the company, worries over her daughter E.B., who spends her days trying to be adventurous. E.B. learns of the Chickeraffe's escape and plans to catch it, but Michellee prevents her as they are headed to Meepville as well. McWinkle and Gluntz, two mysterious "BAD GUYS", try to find the thief while Hervnick Z. Snerz, the head businessman in Meepville wants the Chickeraffe for his pet collection. Guy stops by a diner and encounters Sam, who orders green eggs and ham. Despite voicing his distaste for the dish, Sam orders it for everyone in the diner. Guy ends up leaving, but accidentally takes Sam's identical suitcase. As he rests for the night in a motel, he finds that Sam's suitcase contains the Chickeraffe. The playful Chickeraffe proceeds to destroy the motel room and Guy tries to sequester the creature. Sam returns to his home, a run down isolated RV, and discovers that he has the wrong suitcase.

After getting a supposed earful from Snerz, the optimistic Gluntz learns that McWinkle plans to retire from the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S. business after they find the Chickeraffe and manage to trace it back to Sam's home just as Guy figures out where he lives. Guy is confronted by the two, but is rescued by Sam who steals their car and flees. Sam reveals that he is an animal liberator and that just like Guy is headed to Meepville. Not wanting to put up with him, Guy gets out in the middle of the desert. He flags down another car which just so happens to be driven by Michellee. She turns down picking him up, despite E.B.'s protests and Guy ends up hallucinating from the heat. He is rescued by Sam who once again offers him green eggs and ham, but he tells him that he will not have them in the car. Guy sleeps, but awakens to see Sam and the Chickeraffe running beside the car, which is heading towards a cliff.

Sam rescues Guy from the car as it lands in a lake and flattens the house of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. He reveals that he had to get rid of it so that it cannot be traced. They buy a couple of tickets for a train, forcing Guy to stay with Sam for a while longer. Michellee and E.B. also take the train as they head to Meepville. As the car is fished out of the water, McWinkle and Gluntz find evidence of the Chickeraffe being there and deduce that it is on a train. Snerz reveals that he wants the Chickeraffe to impress his cronies. Sam and Guy run into Michellee and E.B. where Sam orders them green eggs and ham. Later at night, Sam sneaks out with the Chickeraffe and runs into E.B. who learns of the creature's existence. She decides to name it Mr. Jenkins. Guy and Michellee bond in the Quiet Car as the narrator implies that they are developing feelings for one another. In the morning, Guy angrily tells Sam that he wants nothing to do with him anymore after E.B finds out about the Chickeraffe. As he gets off the train, he is confronted by McWinkle and Gluntz.

Guy gets back on the train with McWinkle and Gluntz in hot pursuit. He makes it back to Sam and Mr. Jenkins where E.B. inadvertently reveals its existence to Michellee who gets upset at Guy for being lied to. Sam, Guy and Mr. Jenkins are forced to jump off of the train to escape the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S. and end up in a quarry. As McWinkle and Gluntz try to have the train turned around, they get kicked off for not having any tickets. Snerz invites his cronies to a met gala for his eventual Chickeraffe. E.B. runs off to see if Mr. Jenkins managed to escaped the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S., causing Michellee to put her on strict supervision. Sam and Guy learn that Mr. Jenkins likes to eat ties and spot a farm house in the distance. The house has no ties, but a fox named Michael who guards its green eggs and tries to impress Sandra, one of the hens, wears a tie. Michael is trying to vent his love for eggs and as he meditates, Sam and Guy break into his foxhole to steal his tie. They are successful, but open a closet full of green eggs. Michael spots them and furiously lunges at them. However, Michael breaks down and reveals his hopeless love of green eggs and his contradictory love for Sandra and Sam and Guy leave with the ties, promising not to say anything (though Michael mishears and tries to attack them).

As the sun sets, they spot a motel sign, but learn that it is actually in the middle of a junk pit and they get stuck. They find an exit, but it turns out to be a large tube of toxic sludge and they get trapped on a pile of trash. Guy reveals that all of his previous inventions have exploded and he has lost hope. The narrator reveals that Mr. Jenkins was separated from his mother. With Sam's encouragement, Guy builds a contraption and they escape. Meanwhile, Michellee and E.B. leave the train and drive to a B&B. E.B. becomes bored, especially when Michellee fails to grasp E.B.'s imaginative side. E.B. discovers that Michellee drew a perfect picture of the Chickeraffe as a way to make up for losing it. Sam, Guy and Mr. Jenkins arrive at a diner in Prinz Pazookle, but a woman's pet flea scares Mr. Jenkins and he breaks free from his suitcase and begins running amok in the restaurant.

Sam and Guy flee with Mr. Jenkins. With no money, they resort to working at the local carnival where they disguise themselves by switching hats as Randy and Dave while Mr. Jenkins hides as a prize. McWinkle and Gluntz learn that Sam and Guy are in Prinz Pazookle and head there to try and win Mr. Jenkins. Meanwhile, Michellee takes E.B. to see the world's smallest thermometer. When E.B. yelled her displeasure about how boring and selfish she can be, Michellee is filled with the gumption to take her to the carnival to prove her wrong. They get on a tilt-a-whirl ride just as Guy switches jobs with Sam and finds himself sending the two on a wild ride. Afterwards, Guy speaks with Michellee who once again gets upset at him for supposedly lying to him. The B.A.D.G.U.Y.S. try to make off with Mr. Jenkins, but Sam and Guy rescue him. E.B. gives the two a bruckle and they ship themselves to Shvizelton with McWinkle and Gluntz in hot pursuit. As Sam and Guy switch hats back, Sam suddenly gets arrested by police with Guy wondering what he should do next. Sam manages to escape his cuffs, but sees Guy and Mr. Jenkins leaving by taxi and he solemnly allows himself to be arrested.

Guy is hit with guilt over leaving Sam and he decides to go get him at the jail. McWinkle and Gluntz arrive in Shvizelton and after interrogating the locals learn that Sam was incarcerated. Sam meets his cell mate, a mouse that he names Squeaky who to himself speaks with a proper French accent, but to others communicates in unintelligible squeaking. He was arrested for stealing a small piece of cheese for himself and his family. Guy arrives and allows himself to be arrested as Squeaky reveals that he has dug a tunnel to escape. McWinkle and Gluntz arrive just in time to see the group grab their things and flee through the sewer system. The group manages to come out far from the prison as Squeaky leaves to reunite with his family. It begins to rain and they trek before encountering a cabin. However, Michellee is inside and will not let them in because they are fugitives.

Sam, Guy and Mr. Jenkins are forced to sit out in the rain where Sam realizes that Guy has a crush on Michellee. E.B. begs Michellee to let them stay indoors for the night and she finally caves. As McWinkle and Gluntz continue their search, Snerz hires the Goat to look for the Chickeraffe and sends his aid to go and recruit him. Sam has Guy hang out with E.B. to dry up Mr. Jenkins while he stays with Michellee to cook a vegan tofu version of green eggs and ham. Guy and E.B. have trouble using a giant bellows to dry Mr. Jenkins, so E.B. uses Michellee's jar of beans and accidentally launches it out of the roof and into the woods. The two jump after it while Sam distracts Michellee. E.B. learns that Guy likes her mom and they find Michellee's bean jar with Giroosters, the deadliest judgivores, and get chased by them. Guy uses his cynical criticism of them to get them to give them the jar back. Michellee panics when Sam accidentally reveals that they were in jail, but Guy and E.B. return in time to divert suspicion. Meanwhile, Goat takes the job of hunting the Chickeraffe.

The gang get ready to leave together to Meepville as Guy and Michellee grow close. When Guy spots Goat out in the front, Sam explains that he is dangerous and convinces him to let Michellee and E.B. leave ahead without them to protect them. Goat proceeds to attack the cabin as Guy and Sam distract him and escape with Mr. Jenkins. They end up climbing a snowy mountain where Goat kidnaps Mr. Jenkins. Seeing his friends in danger gives Mr. Jenkins the courage to fight back and toss Goat away up the mountain; allowing them to escape. They use Goat's credit card to buy bus tickets to Stovepipe Junction, which concerns Guy. Snerz gets interviewed for a magazine where he reveals that his love of animals stems from losing his pet Flemur which he blames his mother for. The interviewer meets with his mother and learns that Snerz loved the Flemur too much and it wanted to leave which the mother complied. McWinkle and Gluntz are saddened over not finding any leads until the former suddenly realizes Sam's love for green eggs and ham. As McWinkle and Gluntz zero in on Sam, Goat survives the avalanche and continues to hunt for the Chickeraffe.

Sam, Guy and Mr. Jenkins arrive and try to book a motel room where everyone seems to recognize Guy. It is revealed that Stovepipe Junction is Guy's birthplace and he was considered most likely to succeed in high school. Guy wants to avoid seeing his family as they consider him a failure and they try to enter his childhood tree house. They get caught, but contrary to Guy's claim, his family is fully supportive of his creative endeavors. He announces to them all that he is no longer inventing and that he is going to become a paint watcher and leaves to his tree house angrily. Sam goes to talk to Guy, who admits that he feels insecure around his family due to their successful achievements. Sam then reveals that he himself never had a family and lived most of his life in an orphanage (throughout the film he mentions his bizarre past with his mother, but that was all lies). The reason why he loves green eggs and ham is because he still remembers how his mother cooks them and he hoped to this day that once he find the right flavor from various diners he visited, he would find her as well. Guy feels better and apologizes. When Sam enters the house he calls Snerz, revealing that he is actually the one employed by Snerz to take the Chickeraffe to him from the very start.

A guilt ridden Sam tries to stall Guy who has bought tickets for the ferry to Meepville. McWinkle and Gluntz arrive at the Am-I household, but Sam and Guy manage to escape. It is at this point that McWinkle and Gluntz reveal that B.A.D.G.U.Y.S. is actually an acronym for Bureau of Animal Defense Glurfsburg Upper Yipville Section and have been trying to put the Chickeraffe in a zoo, and are enemies with Goat. After getting an earful from their boss, the Am-I's comply with them. Sam and Guy get on the ferry and run into Michellee and E.B. again. While E.B. is happy to see them, Michellee still is upset with Guy, even though he apologizes for splitting from them. As the ferry transforms into a submarine and dives, Guy and Michellee finally grow closer. Sam gets over his guilt after speaking with E.B. and decides to save Mr. Jenkins for real.

They arrive in Meepville and Michellee gives Guy her phone number. Goat appears and scares Sam and Guy back onto the boat. He causes it to capsize and even though they all escape, Goat grabs the briefcase and makes off with Mr. Jenkins. McWinkle and Gluntz catch up with Goat and manage to capture him. Sam and Guy arrive to get Mr. Jenkins back, but Guy gets caught. He learns about McWinkle and Gluntz's true purpose and is taken in to be questioned. He is told about Sam and his many aliases and his intent to sell Mr. Jenkins.

Michellee takes E.B. to the Hall of Walls, an art gallery, and E.B. learns that Michellee used to paint for a living, but gave it up once her husband died so that she can take care of her. Sam tries to break Guy out of holding, but he is still angry at him for lying and is further angered at being offered green eggs and ham again. Guy lashes out at Sam, viciously declaring that his mother did not want him because he doesn't fit in with her or anybody, but he quickly regrets it. Sam sadly leaves with Mr. Jenkins. A guilt-ridden and saddened Guy tells McWinkle and Gluntz that Snerz is buying the Chickeraffe; letting him go to his Paint Watching job. Snerz puts on his met gala as Michellee and E.B. attend. E.B. spots Sam at the gala and wanders backstage to discover, to her horror, that Sam is selling Mr. Jenkins to Snerz.

E.B. is heartbroken upon seeing Sam sell Mr. Jenkins to Snerz. She tries to break him out and ends up getting the attention of both Michellee and Guy, who went to investigate the noises coming from behind a wall he was watching paint dry from. Michellee sees Snerz's pet collection, and when Guy walks into the same room, she immediately accuses him of animal abuse, causing them to argue with one another. E.B. realizes that the Chickeraffe is actually a painted Girooster, which relieves Guy and Michellee.

They all escape just as Snerz realizes he has been "bamboozled". They find Sam at a cold air balloon port with plans to send Mr. Jenkins back home. Sam is still upset at Guy for what he said earlier and Guy makes it up to him by finally eating green eggs and ham, much to his own surprised enjoyment. McWinkle, Gluntz and Snerz arrive and chase the group up the port tower. Guy, Michellee, E.B., Sam, and Mr. Jenkins made it to Platform 71, and Snerz gets entrapped while McWinkle and Gluntz let them go upon learning of Sam's mission. The balloon gets hijacked by Goat and Guy uses his failed invention to save Mr. Jenkins and finally defeat Goat as well as receiving a kiss from Michellee. The next day, Sam and Guy are having green eggs and ham when Sam recognizes the taste as his mother's. He learns that the eggs come from East Flubria and he and Guy set off on another adventure.

Cast

 * Adam DeVine as Sam, a happy-go-lucky enthusiast of green eggs and ham.
 * Michael Douglas as Guy, a cantankerous inventor who dislikes green eggs and ham.
 * Keegan-Michael Key as Narrator
 * Eddie Izzard as Snerz, an arrogant businessman.
 * Jillian Bell as Gluntz, McWinkle's rookie sidekick.
 * Diane Keaton as Michellee, the overprotective mother of E.B.
 * Jeffrey Wright as McWinkle, a deadly serious member of BADGUY.
 * Ilana Glazer as E.B., a good-hearted girl and Michellee’s daughter.
 * Tracy Morgan as Michael, an eccentric fox
 * Daveed Diggs as Squeaky, a French-accented mouse.
 * John Turturro as Goat, a bounty hunter sent by Snerz.
 * Billy Eichner as Mr. Bigman, McWinkle and Gluntz's boss.
 * Dee Bradley Baker as Mr. Jenkins, the Chickeraffe.
 * Tom Kenny as The Red and Yellow Guy, the owner of the Glurfsburg Hotel.

Songs

 * "Back Flip" performed by Rivers Cuomo
 * "Hotel Anthem" performed by The Red and Yellow Guy
 * "Eggs and Ham of Doom" by Tom Kenny
 * "Surfing Good Time" performed by Queen
 * "Calm Your Eggs Down" performed by Tracy Morgan
 * "A Mouse's Life" by Daveed Diggs
 * "Carnival Worker" by Jillian Bell
 * "Back Flip Part Two" performed by Rivers Cuomo