A flat in the city
Siblings Hansel and Gretel play games together at home, but when a fight leads to a broken controller, Dad sends the two of them outside to get some fresh air. The kids secretly drop sweeties behind them as they go, to help them get back home.
A clearing in the woods
Once Dad leaves the children to play outside, another fight breaks out, drawing the attention of two Bird Watchers, who tell them to quieten down so they can hear the birds singing in the trees.
The birdsong inspires the group to dance, but when a playful Forest Spirit enters the clearing and sees rubbish on the ground, she scatters Hansel and Gretel’s treats into the wind. They chase after the spirit, leading them deeper into the woods.
Lost in the forest
As the two try to find their way home, they begin to eat their leftover sweeties, leaving wrappers all over the forest floor. The Forest Spirit reappears to teach the children the damage that littering can do, so they pick up what they’ve dropped and, still lost, follow the spirit once again.
They then come across a rubbish dump on the edge of the forest, which happens to be the home of a huge creature covered in rubbish. The Rubbish Monster thrashes angrily, scaring the two children who run away in terror.
A cottage in the woods
As they run away, the two come across a cottage in the heart of the forest, stumbling into two potted plants and breaking them in their panic. The cottage is home to an old lady who becomes furious with the two children, but upon realising how sorry and lost they are, decides to help them find their way back home. As a thank you, Hansel and Gretel fix the lady’s pots, clean up the mess and once the work is done, they set off together.
On their way back, they run into the Rubbish Monster again. The children become scared, but the Lady of the Wood shows them that the monster is kind at heart, he’s only grumpy because all the rubbish makes it hard for him to move around! The three decide to help the creature by removing the rubbish that’s piled up on his body and finding new uses for it.
Back home at last!
As they finally return home, they run to see Dad who’s so proud of everything they’ve learned. With the help of the Lady of the Woods, and the Bird Watchers they all plant flowers to create a garden, bringing a little bit of green to their city. Hansel and Gretel celebrate being able to use what they’ve learnt to make the world a little bit cleaner.