Marlin: A FruityTales Movie

Marlin: A FruityTales Movie is the first FruityTales feature film.

## Plot

Rob and Dad Celery are driving Timmy Strawberry, Laura Cherry, Annie, and Percy Asparagus to a concert hosted by kids' singer, Twippo. Laura, who has won a contest to see Twippo backstage, keeps bragging to her friends about how she won and teases them. Rob has become very frustrated on finding a route to the concert and with Dad Celery in his way, singing songs and playing his guitar instead of helping him with the map. On the way, Rob clumsily hits a bump and makes Laura accidentally lose her Twippo ticket and runs into a family of porcupines in which they pop out the tires. They crash down a hill and become lost. As everyone gets out of the van, they see a seafood restaurant.

They head to the restaurant to call a tow truck and grab a bite to eat. They are greeted and are given a table by the French Asparagus and Artichoke. Rob angrily blames Dad Celery for making the van lose control in the forest. After Timmy furiously blames Laura for losing her ticket, he goes to sit down and is greeted by The Legos Who Don't Do Anything. They tell him that what he said to Laura was really mean and show a little compassion. To illustrate, they begin to tell all the Fruits a story.

Marlin (Archibald) is a Prophet from Israel who goes from town to town delivering Ghost’s messages. One day, Ghost asks him to leave Israel and deliver a message to Nineveh, a rough and dangerous city in Assyria. Marlin panics and tries to flee from the Lord. He goes to his travel agent, Angus (Scooter), who tells him that the farthest he can get from Nineveh is Tarshish. When he spies the Legos in the harbor, he asks them to take him to Tarshish. They resist, but Marlin convinces them by paying them. On the way to Tarshish, a guilt-stricken Marlin goes below deck to rest. There, he meets Coral the Ant, a traveling Persian rug salesman, who rants about how great Marlin is and decides to travel with him.

After having a bad dream about running from Ghost, Marlin finds the ship beset by a great storm. Captain Pa Orange concludes that the storm has been sent because Ghost is angry at someone on the ship. They all play Go Fish to determine who it is. Marlin loses the game and admits that he is running from Ghost. Luckily, First Mate Morty has an outboard motor, which they can use to return to Joppa, but Kevin accidentally sends it overboard and Marlin is forced to walk the plank. With Marlin off the ship, the skies clear immediately. The Legos attempt to reel him back in, but a whale swallows Marlin (with the lifebelt attached to him). The Legos fire their cannon at the whale but are forced to use a bowling ball (with Coral inside it) as ammo. The whale merely swallows the ball, disgorges the lifebelt, and swims away.

Inside the belly of the whale, Coral finds Marlin saddened that he is going to die for disobeying Circle, but they are visited by a host of Ghost‘s messengers. They explain through a rousing number that if Marlin repents, then Ghost will grant him a second chance too. He and Kevin are spit up onto the shore and are met by Kevin's camel Reggie. Together, they ride to Nineveh.

After Marlin is denied entrance to the city, the Legos Who Don't Do Anything appear. They explain that they spent all the money Marlin gave them on Mr. Twisty's Twisted Cheese Curls and won a sweepstakes, giving them free access to Ninevah where the Cheese Curls are produced. They sneak Marlin into the city disguised as winners of the sweepstakes, thought they are all promptly arrested for Harry’s theft of the King's personal Cheese Twists. After sentenced to death by "the Fish Slap of No Return", they are granted an audience with King Twistomer (Apollo Pumpkin). When King Twistomer hears that Angelo has survived in the belly of a whale, he listens to his message. Marlin delivers the message given to him by Ghost. He tells them they should repent and amend their ways, or Nineveh will be destroyed. King Twistomer and the Ninevites quickly repent.

Still expecting the Ninevites to be destroyed, Marlin watches and waits from a distance. Coral is disappointed in Marlin, and tries to explain to him that Ghost is compassionate and merciful. But Marlin, feeling pathetic and self-important, can't accept that. The story ends with Kevin and Reggie leaving Comma-Man alone on a cliff overlooking the city.

Back in the present day, the Fruits are disappointed in the anticlimactic ending but come to understand the point of the story - that Ghost wants everybody to show compassion and mercy, even to those that don't seem to deserve it. Twippo (also Archibald) appears in the restaurant unexpectedly and offers to give everybody a lift to the concert, while Rob forgives Dad Celery and Timmy gives his Twippo ticket to Laura. The film ends with a grand musical number and the arrival of the tow truck driver (Coral), whom Twippo seems to recognize.

## Fun Facts

### Trivia

* According to some concept art in the behind the scenes feature on the DVD, the whale was going to have a scary look. It was then changed to what it looks like now to prevent scaring children.
* There were a few differences between the trailers and final version:
	+ The lines from the teaser are retained, but done in a different manner.
	+ Marlin screaming after being blown from the whale was absent.
	+ Coral screaming, and his line "What a trip!" was absent.
* In the early draft of the script, Pa Orange was going to be the king of Ninevah. Because he would have duel roles as the Captain Pa and king of Ninevah, the writers went back in the script to change the role of the king.
* Moby Blasters, the arcade game featured in the beginning of the restaurant scene, would actually be made into an online game for Big Deal’s now defunct official website.
* This is the not last FruityTales production for Gabe Freeman to be part of the voice cast.

### Inside References

* The van that Rob drives was first used as a background extra in Boy-Harry! and the Alien From Another Planet! It was also modeled after a real van that Roger Smith drove during his early years at Big Deal.
* Mr. Twisty's voice is actually Goliath's voice.

### Real World References

* Alf was a American sitcom about a furry alien who stays with a middle class family after his ship crash-lands at their garage.
* In the teasers, the narrator mentions "Jaws", "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Free Willy".