Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and his impoverished mother reluctantly sell their cow to a mysterious man in exchange for magic beans. The mother berates Jack for the trade, spanks him with a broom, and tosses the beans out the window. This odd exchange sets the tale in motion and promises a jump beyond their ordinary life.

Overnight, the beanstalk shoots up from the yard, leaving Jack and his dog Crosby stunned. A dress-clad mouse named Laura descends from the stalk and invites Jack to come along. Jack wakes to the sight and agrees to follow Laura, encouraged by Crosby's wide-eyed astonishment.

Jack, Crosby, and Laura climb the beanstalk and reach the top, entering the courtyard of a distant castle. They find the princess Margaret in a trance, staring at them as if waiting for visitors. The moment hints at a larger conflict brewing around the castle.

Margaret explains that her parents were killed by a Witch and that she is awaiting marriage to her beloved prince, Tulip. Jack learns that Tulip is actually a giant in disguise, and that Margaret is under a spell. This revelation sets the stage for Madame Hecuba's plot to seize control.

Madame Hecuba lures Jack into an upstairs dining hall and serves him soup meant to put him to sleep so she can eat him and gain youth. Tulip arrives, not very sharp, and the danger grows closer. Jack escapes just in time, leaving the witch fuming and vowing to capture him again.

Jack encounters a group of clothed mice—Nigel, Tammy, and George—and a talking harp. The harp explains that Madame Hecuba destroyed the king and queen and turned the castle's people into mice. The revelation deepens the quest to free the castle from the witch's control.

Inside the treasure room, Tulip arrives and Jack witnesses a golden hen laying a golden egg. Jack decides to grab as much treasure as he can and prepares to descend the beanstalk with the hen. He escapes by tricking Tulip into thinking he has fallen to his doom.

Jack descends the beanstalk with his loot and back home, where he and Crosby celebrate their fortune. Crosby then urges Jack to prevent the princess from marrying the giant. This renewed sense of purpose drives Jack to attempt a second ascent.

Jack climbs the beanstalk again, guided by the harp's warning that the spell over Margaret can be broken by a kiss from someone brave. He reaches the castle, determined to confront Madame Hecuba and the looming threat. The quest to free Margaret intensifies.

Jack crashes the mock wedding, kisses Margaret, and breaks the spell that bound her. Margaret returns to her true self and realizes her killer parents' murderer was the Witch. The Witch reacts with fury as her plans begin to unravel.

Madame Hecuba is destroyed, and the castle's people revert from mice to their human forms. The Witch's hold collapses, but the giant Tulip remains a threat and gives chase. The castle slowly returns to its former state as order begins to restore.

Jack and Crosby flee down the beanstalk as Tulip gives chase. They cut the beanstalk at the bottom to stop the giant, and Tulip falls to his death. The friends escape to safety with their loot and resolve to keep their new life.

Sometime later, Jack and Crosby look up to the clouds and think about their friends who remained in the sky. They share a quiet moment of memory and gratitude for their resilience and new bond. The story ends with a sense of hopeful memory and a future beyond poverty.