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Sora sat on the town fountain in the town of Wartwood, watching the anthropomorphic frogs go past. He turned to the fourth wall.
"The world of Amphibia, home to walking talking frogs, toads, newts, and more. Their world always had a lot of crazy history. And every now and then, an unnatural story pops up, even by Amphibia standards. And one spooky evening, an old story would come up. And that was also during a time when Amphibia had three girls visit their world after coming across a mystical music box. And as we all know, those girls were best friends Sasha Waybright, Marcy Wu, and Anne Boonchuy, the last one being the lucky one to hear about the story..."
The sun was slowly setting over Wartwood. Everyone was finishing up their daily routines as they were getting ready to wind down for the night.
As they did, fog slowly started rolling towards the town.
"Blimey, look at that fog…" said Wally.
"Looks pretty thick tonight." said Felicia.
"You know what this means…" Stumpy said ominously. "Dark things are a-coming…"
"Well, we'd better get inside before they do!" Toadstool said.
"I will primp and perfect your bed sir!" said Toadie, hopping to it.
And everyone went into their homes.
At the Plantar Farm, Hop Pop had just put Bessie away to bed. Bessie chirped in appreciation.
"Rest up well Bessie. We got a day full of hard work tomorrow." Hopediah said gently as he closed the door.
Inside his house, Anne was showing Polly videos on her phone. Sprig and Ivy were looking over the Plantar family tree they had found in the secret room weeks earlier. Ivy was spending the night with her boyfriend and his froggy family.
Hop Pop entered the house. "Fog is rolling in kids." he said as he closed the door. "So no night adventures tonight."
"Aw man but those are the best kind!" Sprig pouted. "Especially when the fireflies are out. It makes the scenery so… whimsical…"
"Cheer up Sprig, we can still have fun indoors." smiled Ivy.
"Yeah especially looking over these videos Anne's showing us." Polly added.
"Check out this one called 'Break Dance Fail' on TikTok." Anne said.
She held up a phone to show a man in his early 20's spinning on his back while holding his legs… only to end up on a slippery floor which sent him crashing through the caution sign and into a table full of china that fell on top of of him.
Polly laughed hysterically. "Man I love these human fail things." she said.
Sprig looked out the window. "Boy it sure is foggy out tonight." he said. "Even more so than on our most foggiest days."
"You know that that means…" Hop Pop said mysteriously.
"Ah yes." Ivy grinned. "The Phantom Frog is coming to town…"
Anne was confused, yet intrigued. "Frog Phantom?" she asked.
"It's more of a title for a late townsfolk person that used to live in these parts," said Hop Pop. "An old legend from Wartwood back in the day."
"How far back in the day are we talking?" Anne asked.
"Back when I was younger than I already am." Hop Pop replied sitting on the couch.
"Mind if you tell it to me?" Anne asked. "I could use some stories from the town."
"Well it's a bit of a spooky tale." said Sprig.
"Spooky is putting it lightly Sprig."
Everyone yelped as they looked over and they saw Maddie in the doorway with a basket of bread.
"Maddie?! Where did you come from?!" exclaimed Sprig.
"And are you trying to give us heart attacks?!" shouted Polly.
"Not really." came the raspy reply. "I came to drop off your bread from the bakery. And you forgot to lock the door."
"Dang it." Hop Pop groaned.
"Anyways, the Phantom Frog is an old tale long before our generation's time." said Maddie, setting the basket on the table. "Allow me and your grandpa to tell you."
And this was the story both of them told.
Wartood, 35 years ago:
The town of Wartwood wasn't as busy as it was today. The oldest of frogs were a lot younger and either active in their present or old jobs.
A young Hopediah Plantar was manning his stand of produce. A young Sadie Croaker came up.
"Hello Hopediah!" she greeted. "I'll take a basket of your finest carrots, peas, and squash." she set down a bag of coppers.
"Coming right up Mrs. C." Hopediah smiled as he took the money and set the produce order down for her.
As Mrs. Croaker left with her order, a young Sylvia Sundew came up.
"Hello Hoppy." she greeted. "One order of your finest lettuce."
Hopediah tossed up a head of lettuce. "Here you go Mrs. Sundew." he smiled.
Sylvia smiled and paid him. "Why thank you."
As Sylvia went back to the tea shop, a frog came up to Hopediah. He was slightly older than the orange frog. He was green with slick brown hair, wearing a green jacket, a red collared undershirt, a brown vest, gray pants, and a brown hat. Around him was a brown satchel.
"Hello Mr. Plantar. I see the produce stand is working well." he commented.
"Well well well, if it isn't Doug Marshland." Hopediah greeted.
"Douglas Orville Marshland, known simply as Doug to his friends, was an archeologist." narrated Hop Pop. "He traveled around looking for ancient artifacts or specimens history had either forgotten or knew little about around the area."
"Morning Mr. P." Doug greeted politely in a deep but gentle tone. "Produce stand still running well. Gotta thank the family motto for that."
"Something I'm proud to live by." Hopediah said fondly. "How about you? Did you find anything new on your last trip down South?"
Doug smiled as he pulled something out of his satchel. It was a golden staff encrusted with jewels.
"I found this old beauty." Doug replied. "Rumor has it that this staff once belonged to a king outside of Amphibia. Because that was where I found it. This thing is so shiny yet dates back hundreds of years. At least according to the style."
"Ooh it's very shiny!" Hopediah said in awe. "Whaddya gonna do with it? Sell it for millions? You'd be richer than the king of Amphibia himself!"
Doug chuckled in amusement, pocketing the staff. "As much as I would love to, it'll be going to the museum." he replied. "The only things I would keep behind would be a steady pile of coppers to keep me fed and a roof over my head."
"As long as you're careful at least." Hopediah nodded. "So, you gonna take a break from your treasure hunting and fossil finding?"
"Nope." Doug replied. "I'm venturing out again tonight. A little mantis told me that there's a skeleton of a mutant mantis down south."
Hopediah frowned. "Well… you'd better be careful. Some of the large bugs are flying lower than usual. Fog is gonna start rolling in. And you know what they say about strange things happening in the fog."
"Do not worry Mr. Plantar, I'm always careful on my expeditions." Doug smiled.
"As long as you're safe out there…" Hopediah said.
"That night, I was cleaning up some gardening tools from the garden before heading for bed. I saw Ol' Dougie with a lantern and a sack full of adventuring supplies."
"Heading on your solo expedition Mr. Marshland?" Hopediah asked.
"Yep! I'll be back to get a crew to dig it up in the morning." Doug nodded. "See you then Mr. P!"
And Doug set off out of town.
"Little did your grandfather and the townsfolk know that that would be the last time any of them would see Douglas Marshland… alive."
Doug made his way through the forest, the fog thick as can be.
"Yeesh, Hopediah was right. This fog is thicker than Swampy's bog soup…" Doug muttered, trying to see with his lantern.
Odd howling noises suddenly sounded out in the mist.
"Hello? Who's there?" Doug asked.
No one replied.
The adventurous frog frowned. "Hello? I'm not looking to cause any trouble!" he called. "I'm just looking for a skeleton fossil!"
Doug wandered through the fog as the noises grew louder.
"Alright, alright, calm down Douglas, there's nothing to be afraid of… you're panicking over nothing…" he said to himself.
"They say that the spooky noises were just the wind in the dead of night… but given the eerie atmosphere - my kind of setting - Doug wouldn't have been focused on that. And that's what led him to certain doom…!"
As Doug attempted to regain his bearings, he didn't hear a rumbling noise above him. But by the time he did… It was already too late.
Doug looked up and gasped to see large rocks falling on top of him. He screamed and tried to run but he was too late. The rocks fell on top of Doug, killing him and smashing his lamp.
All was obscured by the fog.
Present:
Anne stared in shock. "Whoa…"
"'Whoa' is right!" said Ivy. "Shows how fog can be both cool and dangerous."
"How did the avalanche happen?" asked Anne.
"Heavy rainfall combined with giant moths knocking into the cliff sides at night." Sprig replied.
"When the fog cleared, we took a search party to find Doug." Hop Pop said. "We found the rockslide and his broken lamp. We dug around to see if we could find his body. But all we found was a torn bag, wrecked gear… and bits of blood."
Anne grimaced. "But there was no body at the scene?"
"They say that the fog claimed him after he perished." Maddie said mysteriously. "Like he became part of it in the next life."
"And every now and then whenever any of us go travelin' in the fog, they say that Doug's ghost is hiding within it." Hop Pop added. "No one knows what he would do if he came near them because they would run away screaming."
Flashback:
Several frogs were riding in a large wagon being pulled by a snail.
"Are we almost back to Wartwood?" a male frog asked.
"Yeah this fog is getting thicker and it's freaking me out!" said a female frog.
"Don't get your mucus in a twist, we're almost there!" said the driver before he paused. "I think…"
They then began to hear footsteps splash against the mud they were driving in, making them stop.
"Huh? Hey who's there?" the female frog asked.
The fog suddenly parted a little to reveal a faded frog standing in it. He stared blankly at them with dead eyes… and then slowly raised his arm, pointing at them.
The frogs gasped.
"IT'S A GHOST!" an elderly female frog shouted.
"Why's he pointing at us?!" asked the male frog.
"We must be GHOST PREY!" shrieked the younger female frog.
"Get us out of here you big galoot!" the elderly frog shouted to the snail.
The snail chirped in fright and took off in the opposite direction, nearly knocking his driver off his shell.
The ghost of Doug Marshland stared at them before the fog engulfed him and disappeared.
Present:
"And that's why on the foggiest of nights, none of us venture out into, well, just about anywhere outside of Wartwood." said Hop Pop.
"Otherwise, if not the fog, the ghost of Douglas Marshland will come and claim us as his victims." Maddie added. "They call him, the Phantom Frog as he fades into the foggy air without a trace…" She laughed creepily.
"An actual ghost haunting Wartwood huh?" Anne mused. "That sounds a bit far-fetched."
"What about walking talking frogs, giant bugs, and the dark arts?" Sprig quizzed.
"Fair point my dude." Anne nodded. "To be honest, it would be kinda cool to see the ghost."
"OH no you don't!" Hop Pop said firmly. "Ghost or no ghost, going out into the fog is dangerous! You don't know what could come for you out of nowhere!"
"Which is why I'm spending the night here too." Maddie said. "Dad said it would be safer after our last delivery for the day."
"Yeah I guess it is a good decision." sighed Anne.
"Ah don't sweat it Anne." smiled Ivy. "We won't let the fog ruin our night. We can always have fun inside."
"Meh, I suppose that's true." Anne conceded. "Anyone wanna play a game?"
"FROG POKER!" Polly shouted, slamming a stack of cards down. "You're ALL mine now!" she said evilly.
Anne and the frogs gulped.
Night soon broke over the town of Wartwood. Everyone was tucked in their beds inside their houses - or under a bridge in Wally's case.
In the Plantar home, Anne, Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop all slept in their rooms with Ivy and Maddie bunking on either end of the couch.
Anne was snoring while sleeping soundly… when she thought she heard a noise from outside.
"Wha…?" she mumbled, getting up.
Anne slipped on her shoe and quietly made her way up from the basement with her phone. She then heard the noise again. And this time is was followed by a hiss.
This time it woke Maddie and Ivy up.
"Ugh… what's going on?" Maddie groaned.
"Yeah!... I'm trying to rest up before sparring tomorrow…" groaned Ivy.
"I think there's someone outside." Anne said. "That's the second sound tonight."
The two female frogs got off the couch.
"Think it's Bessie?" Ivy asked. "Maybe she's sleep slithering."
"Nah she hasn't done that since she was in her 20's." said Anne. "Her book said so. And she doesn't hiss."
Suddenly they heard it again.
"I saw it head into town!"
The girls yelped and turned to see Sprig standing by the stairs. Polly hopped down beside him, night mask in her flipper.
"Geez Sprig you trying to give us a froggin' heart attack?!" exclaimed Ivy. "That's usually Maddie's job." She paused. "No offense."
"None taken." came the raspy reply.
"Whoever's out there thinks they can disturb our homeland? Well they are mistaken!" Sprig said determinedly.
"You got that right!" said Ivy. "Let's chase the little sucker away!"
"Yeah! I want my beauty sleep!" Polly snarled, throwing her sleeping mask on the ground.
"I wouldn't mind using a few curses to put this guy in his place." Maddie shrugged, holding up a curse.
"Should we get Hop Pop up?" asked Anne.
"Nah he had slug-alamode for dessert." Sprig said. "They'll be out cold all night."
"Plus he did say not to go out in the fog." Polly added. "But I think he would make an acception if his farming work is threatened."
"Come on we're wasting moonlight!" Ivy said, opening the door.
Anne turned on the flashlight app on her phone and they walked/hopped into the night.
But when they did, they ended up entering the fog. While it was obviously inevitable, it seemed to be extra thick.
"Stay close." advised Anne. "We don't wanna get separated."
"You got that right." Polly said. "This fog is thicker than the scents of a swamp!"
Suddenly they heard a hissing noise.
"What was that?!" asked Sprig.
"Sounds like the little trespasser is near…" Maddie said with narrowed eyes.
The hissing grew louder… and louder… and louder…
Suddenly, Anne felt something knock into her. She shouted in alarm as she fell over, her phone flashlight shining on a mantis the size of the frogs.
"Whoa! Night Mantis!" Sprig said in surprise.
"So that's who was out in the garden making those noises!" said Ivy.
"It's really called a 'Night Mantis'?" Anne asked.
"They do only come out at night. Especially to feed." Maddie said. "Guess this one smelled the vegetables in Mr. Plantar's garden."
"Alright you! Be off!" said Sprig. "Shoo! Shoo! Our plants and veggies are not your buffet!"
The Night Mantis hissed dangerously at Sprig… until Ivy punched it in the jaw. This allowed Sprig to slap it across its face with his extended frog tongue and Maddie threw her curses against it, making it yelp in pain as it scurried off.
"Yeah that's right, run away ya big, dumb, hissing, scaredy bug! Ha ha ha!" Polly taunted.
"You freak me out sometimes ya pollywog." Anne said.
"Welp, we chased off the little trespasser!" Sprig said victoriously. "Let's head home!"
But they all paused when they looked around.
"Ok which way is home?" Sprig asked.
"I thought we came from behind." Anne said, shining her flashlight around.
"We did!" said Ivy. "Let's backtrack."
But as the 5 did, Sprig ended up running into a tree with an "Oof!"
He stumbled back, spitting out bark.
"Funny. I don't remember passing a tree." Sprig said, scratching his head.
Ivy tripped over something with a yelp. "And I don't remember that log there…"
"Ok it's official. We're lost." Maddie deadpanned.
"What?! We can't be lost!" Polly cried. "Not in this fog! The Phantom Frog could nab us!"
"It would be cool to be nabbed by a famous spirit." Maddie hummed until she saw everyone's deadpan expressions. "I mean, you know, the thrill of it before the actual death part,"
"Alright! Come on, let's stick together and try to retrace our steps." Anne said. "As long as we're together, we'll be fine. Worst case scenario we gotta fight off a giant bug."
"I'm up for that." Ivy grinned, cracking her knuckles.
Standing together, Anne and the five frogs walked slowly through the fog. But even with her phone flashlight shining their path, it was little help.
"How long have we been walking for?" Polly groaned.
"You've been hopping." Sprig corrected. "But yeah how long have we been doing this for?"
Anne checked the time on her phone. "Wow. I'm not sure how time works in this world, but we've been out of the house for at least 20 minutes."
"20 MINUTES!?" the quartet of frogs exclaimed.
"Gah! This place is like a maze!" Ivy groaned.
"Why did we even come out here!? Hop Pop was right about the fog being dangerous!" Polly exclaimed. "We can't see a freaking thing in front of us thanks to this STUPID FOG!"
Polly's shouts echoed around them.
"Wow. That was loud." Maddie commented. "Maybe we're in a canyon now."
"We're lost in a CANYON?!" Anne shouted, her voice echoing around them.
Sprig narrowed his eyes and held a hand above them as he surveyed their surroundings. Then, he caught a glimpse of something ahead.
"Hey there's something ahead!" he shouted.
The girls turned in Sprig's direction and narrowed their eyes.
They could almost make out the shape of a frog in the fog.
"Hello? Is someone there?" called Ivy.
A ribbit sounded out.
"Hey a fellow frog!" Polly grinned.
"Sir, we need your help!" Anne called. "We're lost! Do you know the way back to the Plantar House? Or even Wartwood?"
Maddie eyed the frog suspiciously. "Hold on a froggin' second…" she rasped. "Something looks familiar with that guy's form…"
"Whaddya talking about Mads?" Polly asked.
Then, some of the fog lifted to reveal an old male frog. His eyes stared at the group of five with a blank yet creepy expression.
"Who's that guy?" Polly asked.
Maddie looked at the frog all over and gasped. "Clothing from the olden days, green skin, appearing in the fog… IT'S THE PHANTOM FROG!"
Everyone gasped.
"That's Doug Marshland?!" exclaimed Anne.
"He is real!" cried Polly.
"RUN FOR IT!" Sprig yelled.
And the five yelled in terror as they ran away. Doug stared before he vanished into the fog.
"Where are we even running to?!" Polly yelled.
"Who cares?! As long as it's away from the ghost!" Anne said.
Suddenly they all ran into an object and landed on their backs. When they looked up, they saw that the fog had parted a bit to reveal an old, leafless, pointy tree. They groaned as they got up, rubbing their heads.
"Stupid tree…" groaned Ivy.
"Gah! I have had it with this fog!" yelled Anne.
Suddenly a creaking and cracking noise was heard. They all looked up and paled when they saw the tree was coming down towards them! The tree was so old that any rough movement could break it and knock it down. And the leafless branches were extra sharp.
The five kids gasped. But before they could get up, a rope suddenly snatched all five of them at once and yanked them away just as the old tree smashed onto the ground.
"Whoa! That was close!" said Ivy.
"That tree almost took our eyes out!" Sprig commented.
"Where did that rope come from?" asked Anne.
"It came from the Phantom Frog…" Maddie said ominously, pointing.
Everyone looked behind… and saw Doug's spirit wrapping up the rope around his hand and then putting it in his bag. He smiled at the group.
"Did… did he just save us?" asked Polly.
"I think he did! If it wasn't for him, that tree would've taken our eyes out!" said Ivy.
"So the Phantom Frog is a good guy?" asked Sprig.
Anne looked back at the ghostly amphibian. "I… I think he did." she said. She smiled. "Thanks Mr. Marshland… say do you know the way back to Wartwood?"
Doug said nothing as he simply pointed to the right.
"Thanks Phantom Frog!" Sprig smiled.
"Looks like we all misunderstood you." Maddie said. "All those times people thought you were gonna kill them in ghostly vengeance, you were really just helping them."
Doug just smiled. He simply waved at the group as the fog surrounded him. Once it parted, he was gone.
"Goodbye Phantom Frog…" Maddie said ominously.
Everyone got up and walked in the direction the phantom pointed to. After a while of walking, Anne's phone light shone over the Plantar home.
"We made it!" Polly cheered.
"Finally! Home sweet home!" Sprig grinned.
"Man what an adventure!" Anne commented.
"We survived the fog and a ghost!" Ivy beamed.
"It was wicked." Maddie said simply. "Nothing could be scarier than a near death experience like that."
But when they opened the front door, they saw Hop Pop, in his pajamas, sitting on a chair. The lights were also on.
"Where the frog have you kids been?!" he exclaimed.
The kids yelped.
"Nevermind." Maddie muttered in fright.
"I thought I told you all not to go out in the fog! And what do you do? YOU GO OUT INTO THE FOG!" Hop Pop said crossly. "It's dangerous out there when you don't know what's lurking in it!"
"Hop Pop it's not what you think!" Sprig said quickly.
"We weren't trying to be reckless we swear!" said Anne.
"I'm listening…" Hop Pop said, folding his arms.
And Anne and the frogs spent the next 20 minutes telling the oldest frog what happened. And Hop Pop managed to calm down as he listened and was more amazed than disappointed.
"So all this time the Phantom Frog was a good guy after death? That is surprising…" he said.
"We're still sorry we went off in the fog in the first place." Anne apologized.
"You were right, we really did get lost in there." said Sprig.
"And we had no idea what or who we could run into." Polly added.
"And Maddie and I are sorry we scared you since we're your responsibility for the night." added Ivy.
Hop Pop managed to smile. "It's alright kids. You were only chasing off a pest from trying to mess up our produce for our stand." he said. "And you weren't trying to be reckless even though I did warn you."
"So… are we being punished?" Maddie asked, perplexed.
Hop Pop thought for a moment. "Well… you weren't trying to disobey me, just help out… tell you what, I'll let this slide IF you make me breakfast in the morning." he replied.
"DEAL!" the five immediately said.
The next morning, the five were at work in the kitchen. Hop Pop waited patiently at the table. When he thought they weren't looking, he snuck into the living room, went to his study, and pulled out a picture from a drawer.
It was a picture of him and Doug at the market, arms wrapped around each other like bros.
"Thank you Douglas…" Hop Pop said with a thankful smile. "Thank you for saving my kids…"
And he set the picture down and went back to the kitchen.
Outside the Plantar House, Sora watched Hop Pop head up to bed with a smile as he faced the fourth wall, walking through the garden.
"Ghosts are like people, good and bad. And you'd be surprised what happens when you come across a good ghost. I have myself with the likes of Duckworth and Zero. Amphibia may have a crazy history, but some members in that history are good people. And that was who our Phantom Frog was in life and is as, well, a phantom. Anne and the frogs were lucky that day. Consider yourself extremely lucky if a ghost manages to save you from a fate that got them in the past. After all, why should history repeat itself so grimly?"
(Amphibia Season 1 end credits plays)
CAST
Brenda Song as Anne
Justin Felbinger as Sprig
Bill Farmer as Hop Pop
Amanda Leighton as Polly
Katie Crown as Ivy
Jill Bartlett as Maddie
Lou Diamond Phillips as Doug Marshland/Phantom Frog
Stephen Root as Mayor Toadstool
Jack McBrayer as Toadie
James Patrick Stuart as One-Eyed Wally
Laila Berzins as Mrs. Croaker
Kaitlyn Robrock as Felicia
Mona Marshall as Sylvia
John DiMaggio as Stumpy
Dee Bradley Baker as Bessie
Haley Joel Osment as Sora
Additional Voices:
Corey Burton
Mitzi McCall
Rob Paulsen
Eden Riegel