Act I
Setup & commitment
Establish the story’s world, inner pressure, dramatic promise, and the choice that crosses into the central pursuit.
- 01
Opening Image
Peaceful reef home → sudden barracuda attack.
- 02
Ordinary World / Setup
Years later: over-protective Marlin fusses over son Nemo.
- 03
Inner Pressure / Wound
Loss of mate & eggs drives Marlin's fear of the ocean.
- 04
Theme in Motion
"If you never let anything happen to him, nothing will happen to him."
- 05
Inciting Incident
Nemo defies Marlin, touches "butt" boat, is captured by diver.
- 06
Refusal / Debate
Marlin panics, flounders; doesn't know how to pursue boat.
- 07
Guide / New Information
Meets forgetful but fearless Dory, who offers help.
- 08
Break into Act II (Stunning Surprise #1)
Marlin & Dory chase boat into the open ocean, leaving the reef behind.
Act II-A
Expansion & promise
Explore the premise, develop secondary threads, test the plan, and drive toward a central reversal or revelation.
- 09
Secondary / Parallel Thread
Nemo in Sydney fish-tank meets Gill & fellow captives; parallel escape plot.
- 10
Fun & Games
The shark meeting, anglerfish pursuit, mask recovery, jellyfish crossing, and East Australian Current deliver the ocean-road-movie promise.
- 11
First Pinch Point
The jellyfish field nearly kills Dory, showing that Marlin’s fear is not baseless even when it cannot guide every decision.
- 12
Approach to Inmost Cave
Marlin awakens among Crush’s turtles, sees relaxed parenting in action, and learns that news of the search can travel farther than he can.
- 13
Midpoint
News of Marlin’s journey reaches Nemo, inspiring him to block the filter successfully while Marlin begins to trust the ocean and Dory.
Act II-B
Contraction & cost
Turn early progress against the characters as pressure, reversals, consequences, and apparent defeat narrow their options.
- 14
Renewed Drive / Plan-in-Motion
The dentist replaces the filter while Marlin and Dory leave the current, become lost, and are swallowed by a whale.
- 15
Reversal / Setback
Nemo’s escape route closes, and inside the whale Marlin must choose whether to trust Dory’s reading of an unknowable situation.
- 16
Bad Guys Close In
The whale releases them into Sydney Harbour; Nigel carries them through the seagulls toward the dentist’s office.
- 17
Second Pinch Point
Marlin sees Nemo playing dead for Darla and mistakes the performance for his son’s actual death.
- 18
Apparent Defeat
Believing the search ended in failure, Marlin leaves the office and says goodbye to Dory.
- 19
All Is Lost (Stunning Surprise #2)
Gill sends Nemo through the drain, but Marlin is already swimming home convinced that he arrived too late.
Act III
Choice & resolution
Convert loss into a final choice, carry that choice through the climax, and show the resulting changed state.
- 20
Dark Night of the Soul
Marlin, grief-stricken, parts from Dory; Dory aimlessly adrift.
- 21
New Resolve / Break-into-Three
Nemo escapes down drain, bumps into Dory; she recalls address → father and son reunite; new mission to save caught fish.
- 22
Final Preparations / Road Back
Trio reaches fishing fleet; Dory snagged in massive net with hundreds of fish.
- 23
Final Battle / Climax
Nemo leads fish to "Swim down!"; collective effort snaps winch, frees everyone.
- 24
Self-Revelation / Final Choice
Marlin trusts Nemo's risky plan; Nemo proves capable hero, completing both arcs.
- 25
Denouement / Return with Elixir
Back on reef, Marlin relaxed, joking with drop-off parents; Nemo heads to school, confident.
- 26
Final Image
Marlin cheerfully sends Nemo into open water, reef vibrant—fear replaced by faith.