Finding Nemo: Ariel's Adventure!

Chapter one:Prologue

MARLIN: Wow.

CORAL: Mm...

MARLIN: Wow.

CORAL: Mmmhmm...

[A pair of clownfish, Marlin and his mate Coral, look out from their tranquil anemone home on the Great Barrier Reef. It rests on the cliff face of the Drop-off, where the shallow water falls steeply to the deep. Light dances over everything as it sways with the rhythm of the undercurrent.]

MARLIN: Wow.

CORAL: Yes, Marlin. No, I see it. It's... beautiful.

MARLIN: So, Coral, when you said you wanted an ocean view, you didn't think you were going to get the whole ocean view, did you? Huh? [swims out of the anemone, before breathing deeply] Oh yeah. A fish can breathe out here! Did your man deliver? Or did he deliver?

[Coral rolls her eyes and smiles]

CORAL: My man delivered.

MARLIN: And it wasn't so easy.

CORAL: Because a lot of other clownfish had their eyes on this place...

MARLIN: You better believe they did! Every single one of them.

CORAL: Mm-hmm. You did good. And the neighborhood is awesome.

[Coral steers Marlin's focus back to the coral reef, where their neighbors, an array of multi-colored marine life, happily go about their business amidst the exotic foliage that blankets the reef. Marlin soaks it in and turns to Coral, who seems concerned]

MARLIN: So you do like it, don't you?

CORAL: No, no, no. I do. I do. I really do like it. [leads him out to the edge] But Marlin, I know the Drop-off is desirable with the great schools and the amazing view and all that. But do we really need so much space?

MARLIN: Coral, honey, these are our kids we're talking about. They deserve the best. Look, look, look... [swims into the anemone, before acting it out] They'll wake up, poke their little heads out and they see a whale passing right by their bedroom window!

CORAL: Shhh... You're going to wake the kids.

MARLIN: Oh right. Right.

[Marlin follows Coral down to a small grotto in the rock below. They peek in at a bed of fish eggs nestled within the rock. The nuclei of the eggs quiver at random]

CORAL: Aw, look. They're dreaming.

[Marlin and Coral, soon to be parents, lovingly observe their babies from the entrance of the grotto.]

CORAL: We still have to name them.

​MARLIN: You want to name all of them, right now? All right, we'll name, uh, this half Marlin Jr., and then this half Coral Jr. Okay, we're done.

[Marlin swims out of the grotto.]

CORAL: [ignores Marlin] I like Nemo.

[Upon hearing what Coral just said, Marlin then swims back to the grotto.]

MARLIN: Nemo? Well, we'll name one Nemo, but I'd like most of them to be Marlin Jr.

CORAL: Just think, in a couple of days, we're going to be parents.

MARLIN: Yeah... but what if they don't like me?

[Coral, having heard this before, leaves the grotto and swims back to the anemone. Marlin also leaves the grotto.]

CORAL: Marlin...

MARLIN: No, really.

CORAL: There's over four-hundred eggs. Odds are one of them is bound to like you.

[Coral goes inside the anemone, before settling on the anemone floor. She turns to find Marlin staring at her through the tendrils.]

CORAL: What?

MARLIN: You remember how we met?

CORAL: Well, I try not to.

MARLIN: Well, I remember.

[Marlin chases Coral around the inside of the anemone, threatening to kiss her.]

MARLIN: Excuse me, miss, can you check and see if there's a hook in my lip?

CORAL: [laughing] No, no! Get away! Marlin!

MARLIN: Well, you got to look a little closer because it's wiggling.

CORAL: Get away! Get away!

[Coral manages to swim outside of the anemone, but Marlin is right behind.]

MARLIN: There he is! Cutie's here!

[Marlin pokes out of the anemone and is startled to noticed some rather unusual activity going on from outside the anemone. As a matter of fact, there seemed to be little activity at all. The whole neighborhood seemed eerily empty, except for one last fish finding shelter in one of the bits of coral, as if some strange force was coming after them.]

MARLIN: Where did everybody go?

[Upon turning around, Marlin notices a motionless Coral, as well as a hungry barracuda, floating in the mirk, staring the two fish down. Marlin tries to whisper without moving.]

MARLIN: Coral, get inside the house, Coral.

[Marlin catches Coral glancing down at the eggs in the grotto.]

MARLIN: No. No, Coral. Don't. They'll be fine. Just get inside. You. Right now.

[Ignoring Marlin's order to hide, Coral swims down to the grotto to protect her eggs, as the barracuda charges against her.]

MARLIN: No! Ow!

[Marlin swims down and attempts to save Coral, but instead collides with the barracuda ― its jaws snap ― he dodges and slams into it again ― the barracuda's tail smacks him hard against the rock wall. Marlin falls limp into the anemone as the camera quickly fades into darkness.]

[The camera fades in on the anemone tendrils, swaying gently with the current. Marlin regains consciousness and quickly gets up.]

MARLIN: Coral!

[Marlin swims from the anemone and scans the darkness, only to see nothing but a vast empty dark blue void. He looks down and moves cautiously towards the moonlight grotto.]

MARLIN: Coral?

[Marlin looks inside the grotto, only to discover that it is empty. He then swims out of the grotto, looking for Coral.]

MARLIN: (gasps in sadness) Coral?

[Marlin then begins to realize the shocking truth: Coral and their eggs... are gone.]

MARLIN: No... no...

[Marlin swims aimlessly. All alone. Stunned. When he looks down, and notices a single fish egg lying exposed on the sand, quivering on a ledge below the grotto. Marlin gasps and swims towards the egg.]

MARLIN: There, there. It's okay, Daddy's here. Daddy's got you.

[Marlin gently cradles the egg in his fins and turns it over. The other side of the egg is revealed to be scarred, but intact.]

MARLIN: I promise, I will never let anything happen to you... Nemo.

[The camera cuts to a shot of the full moon from underneath the water's rippling surface as the opening credits play. Camera dissolves to the bright morning sun replacing the moon as we pull back inside the anemone home. Title: Finding Nemo:Ariel's Adventure]