A YOUNG BOY AND HIS BEST FRIEND ARE SENT ON A WONDROUS JOURNEY TO A TINY PLANET TO SAVE THE INHABITANTS AFTER A TERRIBLE HEAT WAVE DESTROYS THEIR LIFE-SUSTAINING FOOD SOURCE. ADAPTED FROM THE CLASSIC CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE SAME NAME.

SYNOPSIS:

When young David Topman sees an ad in the local newspaper asking for two boys to build a spaceship, he and his best friend, Chuck Masterson, quickly, and almost magically, construct one out of old tin and scrap wood and bring it to the address in the advertisement.

They are greeted by the wonderful and eccentric Mr. Tyco M. Bass, a marvelous inventor and scientist. In his attic observatory he shows the boys a tiny green planet, which he has named Ba- sidium X. He tells them he feels his people there are in trouble and that he would like the two of them to take off in their space- ship that night to help. His last instruction is to bring a mascot and to Never Doubt!

With excitement and trepidation, they take off from a moonlit beach on the California coast at midnight exactly.

David and Chuck land on Basidium, a lush and verdant world and are greeted by two funny little men who are trying in vain to figure out why the life-giving plant they need to survive has been wiped out. After meeting the regal ruler of Basidium - the Great Ta- they set off on an arduous journey to observe the slimy dead plants with their overwhelming stench. They return to the great hall of Ta and try desperately to come up with an answer that will save the gentle Basidiumites. C

Chuck accidentally hits on the solution when he decides he might as well enjoy some of the food he!s brought along and recognizes the smell in his hardboiled egg is the same smell of sulfur in the life-giving plants. They rush to the spaceship to grab David's hen- Mrs. Pennyfeather- the mascot they brought along. After handing her off to Ta and explaining how to prepare her eggs they are gratified to see the pale healthy green returning to their new friend's faces after just a few bites of hard-boiled eggs.

They take off for Earth just in time and take a magical trip back through the Milky Way. Just as they are approaching Earth, a fierce storm threatens to crash their ship or throw them completely off course. However, the little ship makes its way through the wind and rain and they land safely on the windswept beach and are greeted by an ecstatic Mr. Bass. He asks them to meet him at his home later that morning to tell him all about the journey.

After a few hours of sleep, David has breakfast with his Mom and realizes she's only pretending to believe his story. He rushes to the beach to find the precious necklace of Basidium stones given to them by Ta, only to discover the spaceship has been smashed to pieces by the fierce waves after they left the beach.

In tears, he sees Chuck and his grandfather, Captain Tom, coming to join him for the appointment with Mr. Bass. Chuck is dismayed to hear of the loss of the ship and leaves them to go back to the beach. David, his Mom, and Capt.Tom arrive at the eerily quiet house of Mr. Bass, where they find a small child who explains she saw Mr. Bass carried away into the sky by the storm! After this astonishing revelation, they search the house, finally coming upon a letter from Mr. Bass explaining that he's gone on an exciting adventure and expects never to return. He has left a last will and testament that leaves the house and all its wonderful inventions and observatory to Chuck and David so they might start a Young Astronomers Club on its premises. Chuck arrives triumphantly with Ta's necklace, found after scouring the tide pools. David and Chuck are left to look through their telescope and dream about visiting their friends on the little green planet once more.