Battle Creek

CHARLIE COOPER is a boyish and affable man who has always meant well. So how did he become the most hated man in Battle Creek, Michigan?

As plant manager for Spooner Mills, one of the largest cereal companies in the cereal capital of the world, Charlie has personally overseen three waves of layoffs, and is directly responsible for hundreds of families losing their livelihoods. As a result, he is the constant target of vandalism, threats, and flaming bags of shit thrown at his car.

In addition, he is in nearly constant conflict with ex-wife (and the love of his life), GINNY, over how to raise their son, ETHAN, a tragically nerdy ten year-old who insists he has a "beautiful singing voice." To top it off, Charlie's financial problems have him living in the home of his little sister, LIBBY, who runs an unsuccessful dot-com startup and lives with a gigantic but sweet-natured Great Dane named DANTE.

Desperate for a change, but financially anchored to the cereal business, Charlie and Libby see a chance to make a some serious dough when they find a vintage, and highly collectible, Magic Munchos cereal box in the attic. When Libby lists the box on eBay, the bidding instantly goes through the roof. Unfortunately, a hungry Dante rips open the box and scarfs down the contents before the auction is done.

Charlie is so furious with Libby that he takes the toy prize from the cereal box - a small tin horse - and flings it into the next room. But before you can say "a part of this nutritious breakfast," they hear a strange sound coming from the kitchen - clip-clop, clip clop! The tin horse has transformed into a real horse!

The horse escapes out the back door and Ethan chases it down the street into the darkness. When Charlie finally catches up to his son, they find themselves on the front lawn of SALLY ANN WHITMAN, a twentysomething single mother who Charlie fired earlier that same day. It is there that Charlie discovers two things: 1) Sally Ann is the mother of a young girl who suffers from autism and 2) the horse has vanished. Charlie leaves Sally Ann's house feeling worse about himself than ever, and knowing that he has to do something to help this young mother and her daughter if only to save his own soul.

When Ethan and Charlie return home, Libby greets them with another surprise. The antique cereal box which Dante tore wide open has magically repaired and sealed itself. After some initial skepticism, Charlie reopens the box, finds it refilled with cereal and a new prize – a small race car. When the small toy turns into a real race car, Charlie quickly realizes this is no joke – THE PRIZES INSIDE THE BOX ARE REAL!

Spy pen radios…X-Ray specs…cardboard records that transform any setting into an instant musical…

Moreover, the box seems to have a mind of its own, creating prizes that lead Charlie to the very people who need help the most – and it becomes clear that the prizes are intended to help the very people Charlie has wronged.

Soon, Charlie sets out on a mission get Sally Ann’s job back, and reunite her with her daughter who has been taken by Child Protective Services. He’ll battle the upper level executives who for years have used him as a pawn, government lackies, and the scores of people who hate him, as he tries to atone for his years of cowardice and corporate pencil-pushing.

But when Charlie tries to win back his ex-wife and help his own son through a crisis, he quickly discovers there is one caveat to the box’s power – Charlie cannot, under any circumstances, use the box to help himself. If he does, it will seal up forever, and Charlie will find himself unable to ever open the box again.

He’ll do whatever he can to save the people of Battle Creek, but will he be able to save himself and his own family? And if so, how? Choose Battle Creek and find out.