Come from beyond to expel the night
Should they fight or embrace the fall
Their choice will determine the fate of all.
The Calamity Trio,[1] also known as the Calamity Girls[2] or Warriors of Amphibia, are a trio of "chosen heroes" that were destined to save Amphibia from the "worst versions of themselves". The trio represented the Calamity Box's stones, and consisted of three teenage human girls from Los Angeles, California each carrying a trait from the Calamity Gems: Anne Boonchuy (the blue gem of heart and responsibility), Sasha Waybright (the red gem of strength and persistence), and Marcy Wu (the green gem of wit and humility).
During their time in Amphibia, the trio would mostly be disassembled and separated, or only two out of three would be together, as Sasha would spend her time hiding as a wanted criminal during Anne and the Plantars' road trip to Amphibia, and Marcy would be captured by King Andrias during the War of Amphibia, briefly controlled by the Core as a host body.
After months spent in Amphibia growing and coming to terms with themselves, the girls eventually reunite and their bond becomes stronger than before. With new resolve, they use the massive power of the Calamity gems, becoming the destined heroes of Amphibia, to come together and fight the Core, defeating it and saving Amphibia.
Background[]
The olm prophecy of the three stars[]
The Stars of the Trio
Over 10,000 years ago, a god-like entity calling itself the Guardian provided the Amphibians with three gems as a test to see if a mortal proved responsible with the gems' unlimited power.[3] The ancestral rulers of Newtopia, however, were corrupted by their interests, and citing the gems were proof that they were destined to become conquerors, they grafted the gems into the Calamity Box, thereby enabling them to travel to different worlds to enslave them.[4] The newts would later preserve their minds inside the ageless hivemind known as the Core, a being created from the knowledge they obtained on the interdimensional creatures that embodied the "worst version of Amphibians".[5]
Over a thousand years prior to the beginning of the series, Leif, the royal gardener of Newtopia, received a vision of a grim fate befalling Amphibia. She fled from the city of Newtopia, bringing the Calamity Box to the Mother Olm, the oldest and wisest of the olms, in order to determine what to do with it.[6] After Leif brought the box to Earth in safety, Mother Olm foresaw a prophecy of "three stars", a trio of people from another world would come to eradicate the Core and save Amphibia from the tyranny.[7] An additional clause to the prophecy offered the trio the choice to forego these powers and the responsibilities should they wish to avoid it, by forfeiting their powers through the rituals of the three temples.[8]
A normal life[]
The three girls a day before the adventures of their lives.
Over a thousand years later, the stars of the prophecy would come to be in three girls from Los Angeles, California: Anne Boonchuy, Sasha Waybright, and Marcy Wu. The trio would be first made during their kindergarten years when Sasha joined Marcy and Anne after protecting them from bullies, forming the friendship they would have for thirteen years.[9] The three of them would spend their lives doing antics such as frequent sleepovers and school pranks. Over time, however, their bond would gradually sour, as Anne would go on to become submissive to Sasha and Marcy's demands,[10] Sasha would grow manipulative and demeaning toward Anne,[10] and Marcy would feel isolated from Anne and Sasha not sharing her interests,[11] even as they tried to keep their friendship intact.
In 2019, on the day of Anne's thirteenth birthday, Marcy discovered the Calamity Box inside a dilapidated journal, before she was informed that her family was moving out of state. Marcy had desperately searched for a way to escape the world she was in order to be with her friends forever. When discovering the Calamity Box in a local thrift shop, Marcy had to text Sasha about it as a present for Anne's birthday.[4]
Transported to Amphibia[]
The girls are transported to Amphibia
When Sasha and Anne arrived at the thrift shop, Sasha and Marcy persuaded Anne to steal the Calamity Box. Later, while on a playground, Anne had curiously opened the box, only to be met with a blinding light, transporting the three to the magical and dangerous world of Amphibia, the stones' powers being transferred into the girls in the process (unknowingly to all three of them), beginning the Prophecy of the Three Stars.[12][10]
In the muddy forests of Valley of Wartwood, Anne had been initially feared and shunned by the frogs of the town as a freaky beast, as none of the frogs had ever encountered a human being before. However, after Anne had gained their trust by appealing and helping to them, the townsfolk had slowly begun to take Anne in as one of their own, while Anne had made her own genuine best friend, Sprig Plantar, in the process.[13]
Meanwhile, at Toad Tower, Sasha had been captured by Captain Grime and the Toad Army, held under the dungeons of Toad Tower, much to her annoyance.[12] However, after a brief encounter with a few massive herons while helping Grime defeat them, Sasha had gained Grime's trust, as Grime took Sasha in as his first lieutenant. Sasha made a vow to find Anne and Marcy, promising that they would find a way out of Amphibia, but would also begin to be corrupted by her greed and power of the toads.[14]
Finally, in the grand capital city of Newtopia, Marcy had been overjoyed to discover that the Calamity Box had worked, only to break her leg falling down a massive set of stairs in the process.[15] Heartwarmingly taken in by King Andrias, Marcy had been over pampered with luxurious quarters and living conditions, oblivious to what horrors and disgusting conditions Anne and Sasha had been coping with meanwhile for months.[8] The Core takes interest in Marcy as one of the girls of the prophecy, and at first, they demand Andrias to kill her then and there. Andrias instead bargains with the Core to spare Marcy for the time being, suggesting they use Marcy to drain her, Anne, and Sasha's powers into the gems through the temples' rituals, thereby she would be doing the work for them and nullify the prophecy.[8] Under the facade of a benevolent ruler, Andrias makes Marcy the Chief Ranger of Newtopia, making her none the wiser of his true plans.[4]
Hollow Reunions[]
Anne vs Sasha (Calamity Duel)
Months later, Anne would reunite with Sasha after bonding with the Plantars on numerous adventures in Wartwood. However, after discovering Sasha's dark plans to kill Hop Pop as he was the cause of a revolution in the Valley of Wartwood, Anne had turned on Sasha, as a battle on Toad Tower caused Anne and Sasha to both be separated once again, and Sasha, having been slashed in the face by Anne, now has a permanent scar.[10]
Weeks later, Anne would be happily reunited with Marcy after a perilous journey to Newtopia, much to Sprig's initial jealousy.[16]
The draining of powers[]
The Calamity Trio reunited in the Third Temple.
Anne and the Plantars, joined by Marcy, braved the first two temples,[17] but unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Anne retains part of the gem's power after the trip to the second temple due to rushing through the recharging process.[18] As part of their plot to take over Newtopia for the toads, Sasha and Grime stalked the group on their way to the third temple. There, Sasha put up a false front, claiming she wanted to make amends in order to gain Anne and Marcy's trust. While Anne remained cautious, the Calamity Trio, now reunited and thus complete, took on the third temple and recharged the red gem.[9]
The Calamity Trio reconcile.
After that, Anne invited Sasha and Grime to a dinner to bury the hatchet. They work together to take down a group of hornets which swarmed the area. Sasha, apologizing, says she's not sure if she wants to change because she likes the way she is, though Anne tells Sasha that while she knows it is difficult for her to change, she needs to accept the fact that Anne has indeed changed.[19] Seeing the truth in what Anne said, Sasha hugs her. The group then partakes in the Battle of the Bands, but lose to Grime.[20]
War in Amphibia[]
Anne and Sasha Rematch
Soon, the group heads on over to Newtopia to hand the charged box to King Andrias, but Sasha momentarily disrupts the occasion to schedule a surprise attack alongside Grime. Sasha, now in possession of the box, locks everyone else up, but Anne soon escapes. Seeing her friend hasn't changed one bit, Anne has an intense duel with Sasha while Sprig takes on Grime. Grime falls, and Sasha is defeated by Anne, just as Andrias escapes.
Anne and Sasha angered by Marcy's deception.
Once peace is seemingly restored, the giant newt king receives the box, but then, he reveals he is not willing to use the box for its intended purpose. To Andrias, its intended purpose is a glorious invasion of the multiverse, as he activates the box and simultaneously the factories to produce an army of Frobots within seconds. Andrias also reveals Marcy had knowledge about the Calamity Box's power from the start, and that she was the cause behind their transfer to Amphibia in the first place. Anne and Sasha are outraged and disgusted by Marcy separating them from their families, and despite Marcy insisting they remember the fun they had together in a new world, the two refuse to forgive her. Meanwhile, the Frobots close in on the castle, thus Sasha, Anne and Marcy fight together reluctantly as they take Andrias' forces on, but in the climax of the fight, Andrias mercilessly drops Sprig from a window. Anne is overcome with grief at the sight of Sprig's supposed death that the blue gem siphons some of its power to Anne, turning her into her Calamity form for the first time. Anne engages and nearly defeats Andrias, but after this brief moment with her powers, Anne becomes exhausted. The Plantars rescue her in time and Sasha, seeing Marcy take the box and opening a portal, holds Andrias off. Marcy is too late to enter the portal hereslf, as she is stabbed by Andrias' flaming sword, and Anne and the Plantars are sent back to LA, where they plan their next move while surviving the challenges of Earth.[4]
Leading the resistance[]
Soon, Marcy is taken down to a healing tank, and Sasha and Grime jump off the castle windows, landing on Joe Sparrow. They situate in Wartwood, where they establish the Wartwood Resistance after holding off a Frobot invasion.[21] Over time, Andrias would attack Amphibia and strip it of its resources and lush land, and the Resistance would grow in size.[5] Soon, Anne rejoins the fight as she joins the Resistance, and she and the Plantars would help them recruit more members and attack Andrias' forces.[22]
However, Marcy would be possessed by the Core during this time period, becoming "Darcy" under its influence.[5][6]
Mother Olm and the prophecy[]
Soon, Anne, with the tip from the vase as shown in "Temple Frogs", seek out the Mother of Olms through two banished olms named Lysil and Angwin, who lead them to the hidden olm city of Proteus. incidentally, there is a Frobot squad above with a drill, seeking to drill into the surface and above Proteus. After a series of misunderstandings with the guardian of Proteus, Parisia, the group decides to take the drill on themselves, later assisted by Lysil and Angwin.[23] Parisia, seeing (or at least hearing) the determination of the heroes, grants them the permission to visit Mother Olm, who after Anne, Sasha, Sprig and Polly endure a series of adventures inside her body just to rub cream on her brain, tells them the prophecy - the very same prophecy Andrias and the Core seek to halt before it comes into fruition.[7]
The final battle[]
Darcy taunts Anne and Sasha.
After weeks of battling, it is time for the final battle between the Wartwood Resistance and Andrias. While the Wartwood Resistance engages Andrias's Frobot defenses, the others head to the castle to free Marcy and get the box. However, they are halted by Lady Olivia and Yunan, who now have mind-control collars on them. After easily dispatching their collars using a bit of synchronization, Anne and Sasha head on over to get the Box, which turns out to be a fake. The Core, still in possession of Marcy's body, greets them ominously as they capture Anne, Sasha, and their friends. Soon, Andrias and Darcy open the portal over to Los Angeles, where invasion to Earth begins.[11]
Polly uses Frobo to free the shackles the group was trapped in, and Anne and Sasha, soon joined by Anne's parents and Mr. X, an old enemy of Anne's turned new ally, take on the Frobots. After regrouping at Saint James Middle School, the group heads off to fight off Andrias's forces. Soon, Andrias decides to go down and face Anne himself, equipped with a mech suit to duel against Anne's calamity form. Anne, now knowing her true purpose, takes him on with her calamity powers while Sasha and Grime engage Darcy. Anne and Sasha are severely weakened and Grime loses an arm, but Anne and Sasha, reinvigorated with energizing music, take their adversaries on again with new resolve.
Anne and Sasha are relieved Marcy is alive.
However, Anne and Sasha are weakened again while fighting their respective opponents. However, Anne, taking advantage of a distraction Sprig created by showing Andrias the letter from Leif, manages to destroy Andrias' suit, while Sasha simultaneously manages to cut off the cable connecting Marcy to the Core.[8] With both defeated, Marcy freed, and the trio reunited on much better terms once again, the castle returns to Newtopia, where the Core attaches itself to Amphibia's moon.[8][3]
Regaining the lost Calamity Powers
After attaching itself, the Core sets the moon on a collision course to Amphibia, intending to gain the Calamity Gems' power for itself. Mother Olm shows up and announces the prophecy is coming to pass. The girls are initially confident in the prophecy, until Mother Olm clarifies that the prophecy doesn't guarantee they will save Amphibia, rather it's a "call for help" from their respective gemstones to serve the girls in their hour of need. She also warns the girls that tapping into the remaining essence of the stones' power may also drain them of the power needed to return back to Earth. Realizing this, and with the prophecy about to be realized after all, Anne and the Calamity Trio decide to power up with the Box. However, Mother Olm confides to Anne if the stones do not have enough power to defeat the Core, there is a secret power within the stones that can vanquish any foe, but summoning such power will also bring the cost of the user's life.
With Valeriana's assistance, the girls obtain the full powers of the gemstones and transform. Boosted by the gems' powers, the Calamity Trio fight back, assisted by the Frobot army, but even with their new powers, it is not enough to stop the Core's descent to Amphibia. Furthermore, Sasha and Marcy are quickly fading due to not being used to the Calamity Gems' power as Anne is. Seeing this, and remembering what Mother Olm said about the gems' hidden power, Anne makes the choice to face it solo using all three gems. Anne, using the secret spell, combines the three gems' powers and fires a beam at the moon, destroying it and the Core, thus saving Amphibia and fulfilling the prophecy. Anne, however, suffers severe injuries and passes on.[3]
Saying goodbye[]
The final goodbye
However, Anne is brought to a limbo-like dimension where she meets the Guardian of the gems, who has deemed her as worthy to be the new guardian. After a brief chat, Anne turns down the offer and asks to be returned to life, since she is still growing as a person, thus Anne is revived and given shards of the gems, which will be used to return home. After saying their tearful goodbyes, the Calamity Trio leaves Amphibia, and the Calamity Box fades away. The spot where the girls left becomes a shrine of the Calamity Trio from their signature weapons - a racket, Heron sword, and crossbow. After this, Amphibia would be rebuilt over the next nine months to its best in many years.[3][24]
A new life[]
Upon returning from Amphibia, the Trio retired to live regular lives. Ten years go by, Marcy would move away, but still keep in touch with Anne and Sasha while creating a web comic series, Sasha takes up psychology to be a children's therapist, and Anne works at an aquarium as herpetologist, remembering the times she was in Amphibia but coming to terms with the separation.[3]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The "Calamity Trio" was an unofficial nickname coined by fans. Although it was never mentioned in the series itself, it has been used by the crew of the series, who seem to have adopted it as the group's name.[1]
- Anne, Sasha and Marcy were featured in one of the first drawings creator Matt Braly ever did for Amphibia,[25] with Anne sleeping as Sasha holds her and Marcy on a couch at some point before the events of the series.[26] The drawing served as a way for Braly to remind himself that, "no matter what they went through on the show," Anne, Sasha, and Marcy would always care about each other.[27] The image was captioned with the words "Its complicated," which he revealed represented the complicated growth their dynamic would go through. Each of the trio played a role in what made their friendship toxic, but each of the three also played a role into repairing it into a healthy state. Upon breaking out of the dynamic, they had found themselves in by being separated into different Amphibian communities, Anne, Sasha, and Marcy grew into new people who were ready to reform their friendship.[25]
- The mural of the Calamity Trio can be seen behind the logo in the opening sequence. This mural depicts three warriors resembling the girls fighting a frog-like creature.
- This mural is in the first temple and on the ceiling of Mother Olm's chamber.
- Matt Braly confirmed in a tweet that the creature in the mural is symbolic of what Mother Olm mentioned to be "the worse version of ourselves" and not an actual creature.[28][29]
- This mural is in the first temple and on the ceiling of Mother Olm's chamber.
- All three girls all have voice actresses that are Asian-American, Anne's voice actress Brenda Song is of Thai and Hmong culture, Sasha's voice actress Anna Akana is of Japanese and Filipino culture, and Marcy's voice actress Haley Tju is of Chinese and Indonesian culture.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bensimon, Doug (May 15, 2022). "We can finally share them with you! The Calamity Trio #amphibiaspoilers" (Tweet). Twitter.
- ↑ Dan Siegel, Benjamin Siemon (writers) and Sabrina Alberghetti (director) (July 30, 2022). "Pizza vs. Fireworks". Chibiverse. Episode 1. Disney Channel (YouTube).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Adam Colás, Todd McClintock (writers) and Roxann Cole, Joe Johnston (directors) (May 14, 2022). "The Hardest Thing". Amphibia. Season 3. Episode 18. Disney Channel.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Michele Cavin, Jenava Mie (writers) and Kyler Spears, Jenn Strickland (directors) (May 24, 2021). "True Colors". Amphibia. Season 2. Episode 20. Disney Channel.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Jenava Mie (writer) and Jenn Strickland (director) (November 13, 2021). "Olivia & Yunan". Amphibia. Season 3. Episode 7B. Disney Channel.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Todd McClintock (writer) and Roxann Cole (director) (April 16, 2022). "The Core & The King". Amphibia. Season 3. Episode 14B. Disney Channel.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Michele Cavin (writer) and Joe Johnston (director) (April 9, 2022). "Mother of Olms". Amphibia. Season 3. Episode 13A. Disney Channel.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Gloria Shen, Jenava Mie, Michele Cavin (writers) and Roxann Cole, Joe Johnston, Jenn Strickland (directors) (May 7, 2022). "All In". Amphibia. Season 3. Episode 17. Disney Channel.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Gloria Shen (writer) and Jenn Strickland (director) (April 17, 2021). "The Third Temple". Amphibia. Season 2. Episode 18B. Disney Channel.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Matt Braly, Adam Colás, Jack Ferraiolo, Gloria Shen (writers) and Derek Kirk Kim, Kyler Spears, Bert Youn (directors) (July 18, 2019). "Reunion". Amphibia. Season 1. Episode 20. Disney Channel.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Adam Colás (writer) and Jenn Strickland (director) (April 30, 2022). "The Beginning of the End". Amphibia. Season 3. Episode 16B. Disney Channel.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Matt Braly, Jack Ferraiolo (writers) and Derek Kirk Kim (director) (June 17, 2019). "Best Fronds". Amphibia. Season 1. Episode 1B. Disney Channel.
- ↑ Matt Braly, Jack Ferraiolo (writers) and Bert Youn (director) (June 17, 2019). "Anne or Beast?". Amphibia. Season 1. Episode 1A. Disney Channel.
- ↑ Matt Braly, Jack Ferraiolo (writers) and Bert Youn (director) (July 2, 2019). "Prison Break". Amphibia. Season 1. Episode 10B. Disney Channel.
- ↑ (September 30, 2021). "Marcy Theme Song Takeover". Disney Theme Song Takeover. Theme 3. Disney Channel (YouTube).
- ↑ Matt Braly, Adam Colás (writers) and Joe Johnston, Jenn Strickland (directors) (August 15, 2020). "Marcy at the Gates". Amphibia. Season 2. Episode 6. Disney Channel.
- ↑ Adam Colás, Todd McClintock (writers) and Kyler Spears, Jenn Strickland (directors) (March 20, 2021). "The First Temple". Amphibia. Season 2. Episode 14A. Disney Channel.
- ↑ Todd McClintock (writer) and Jenn Strickland (director) (April 10, 2021). "The Second Temple". Amphibia. Season 2. Episode 17A. Disney Channel.
- ↑ Adam Colás (writer) and Kyler Spears (director) (April 24, 2021). "The Dinner". Amphibia. Season 2. Episode 19A. Disney Channel.
- ↑ Todd McClintock (writer) and Joe Johnston (director) (April 24, 2021). "Battle of the Bands". Amphibia. Season 2. Episode 19B. Disney Channel.
- ↑ Jenava Mie (writer) and Joe Johnston (director) (October 9, 2021). "Turning Point". Amphibia. Season 3. Episode 2B. Disney Channel.
- ↑ Todd McClintock (writer) and Roxann Cole (director) (March 26, 2022). "Commander Anne". Amphibia. Season 3. Episode 11A. Disney Channel.
- ↑ Gloria Shen (writer) and Roxann Cole (director) (April 2, 2022). "Olm Town Road". Amphibia. Season 3. Episode 12B. Disney Channel.
- ↑ Braly, Matt [@Radrappy] (May 17, 2022). "the first time skip (before the chyron) is about 9 months give or take - thank you for all your reaction vids btw...I worked really hard to get you and many others (@IAmZamber, @EdDaWiz, @HopeMullinax, etc) early screeners of The Hardest Thing but it never worked out" (Tweet). Twitter. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved on 2022-05-17.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Johnson, Zach (May 5, 2022). "Matt Braly on the Ribbiting End of Disney Channel’s Amphibia". D23.
- ↑ Braly, Matt [@Radrappy] (May 5, 2022). "This is it - I had it hung on my wall for all 3 seasons. Very loose sketch from the very beginning" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2022-05-05. Retrieved 2023-03-24 – via Twitter.
- ↑ Braly, Matt [@Radrappy] (May 5, 2022). "It was honestly to remind myself that these 3 cared for each other no matter what they went through on the show" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2022-05-05. Retrieved 2023-03-24 – via Twitter.
- ↑ Bartolo, Zachary (April 9, 2022). "At last, the prophecy is revealed... | Amphibia S3E13: Mother of Olms" (Comment) (English). YouTube. Zachary Bartolo YouTube channel. Retrieved on 2022-04-11. “NOW I understand the frog monster in the mural! It's not the Core or some monster the girls are gonna fight, it's a symbolic representation of Amphibia's greed and corruption. The girls are fighting for Amphibia's soul!”
- ↑ Matt Braly on Twitter (Tweet). Twitter (April 9, 2022). Archived from the original on 2022-04-10. Retrieved on 2022-04-11. “I don’t normally comment on stuff like this because I believe it’s good to keep certain things vague/open…but there’s nothing that warms this creator’s heart more than when a clever fan hits the nail RIGHT on the head”