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Act 1[]
(The episode opens outside Walkerville Elementary. Cut to Ms. Frizzle's classroom as the students try putting together a giant globe.)
Students: (grunting)
Carlos: Okay. Hold this steady. Hey, DA, get your nose out of that book. We need help with this thing.
Dorothy Ann: Just a sec (2x) We've gotta follow the instructions or the whole thing is going to fall apart.
(The room starts shaking. Liz walks over to a small volcano. Suddenly, Ms. Frizzle emerges from the volcano.)
Ms. Frizzle: Wahoo! Good morning, class.
Students: Ms. Frizzle??
Arnold: Wow. A humanoidus eruptus. Huh? Wha-?
(The giant globe shakes and falls apart. Liz gets caught in a spring and bounces around the room.)
Carlos: Oh, man.
Dorothy Ann: Carlos, according to my research, (shows him her book) it looks to me that you need one more piece.
(Carlos closes the book.)
Carlos: If you didn't spend so much time reading and researching, you might actually do something! (hands her back the book)
Dorothy Ann: And if you spent more time researching, you would have known how to put this globe together.
(Ms. Frizzle catches Liz)
Ms. Frizzle: Got ya! (to Carlos and DA) I'm afraid you can't put that globe together until you have all the pieces.
Dorothy Ann: So there is a piece missing.
Carlos: I knew that.
(Ms. Frizzle shows a map of the world.)
Ms. Frizzle: Of course there's a piece missing. An island so new, it hasn't even been discovered yet.
Phoebe: How can there be a new island?
Wanda: Everything's already here.
Keesha: Yeah, the Earth never changes.
All three girls: Does it?
Ms. Frizzle: Actually, the earth is changing all the time, (her earrings light up) right under your very own feet.
Students: It is?
(Liz bounces across the room again.)
Dorothy Ann: Bet I can find a new island in one of my books. What's its name?
Ralphie: How can it have a name if it hasn't been discovered yet?
Carlos: Yeah. And besides, D.A., by the time you find a clue in all these books, we could discover this mystery island and name it ourselves.
Ms. Frizzle: What a positively explosive proposition, Carlos. Let's shake a leg, if you get my drift.
(Arnold worrying as usual, runs to the door.)
Arnold: Um, you're not suggesting another field trip, are you, Ms. Frizzle?
(Ms. Frizzle takes him by the shoulder.)
Ms. Frizzle: To the bus!
(Soon, everyone is on the bus as it heads out of town.)
Ms. Frizzle: This is your captain speaking. On behalf of my flight crew, I want to welcome you aboard Magic School Bus Airways. (She presses buttons and pulls the red lever.) Bus, do your stuff! (The bus transforms into a seaplane.) Here we go!
(The bus takes off and heads for the ocean.)
Ms. Frizzle: Class, at our present speed, the new island should be arriving... (notices black clouds) Ah! A lot sooner than I thought.
Arnold: The island should be arriving? (bites nails nervously)
Ms. Frizzle: In accordance with federal regulations, let me remind you that this is a non-nail-biting flight.
(Arnold stops biting his nails. Cut to a flock of seagulls surprised by the sight of a flying bus.)
Tim: When we find the island, what should we name it?
Carlos: Let's see. (imagines himself dressed like Christopher Columbus) I now declare this island, which I alone have discovered, to be Carlos Island.
Dorothy Ann: Forget it. (Carlos' fantasy cloud disappears.) That's a silly name for an island.
Carlos: What would you call it? "According-To-My-Research Island?" Ha ha!
Dorothy Ann: That's too clunky. Wait a minute! I've got a book of names in here.
Carlos: You can't even think of a name without looking it up.
Dorothy Ann: Let's see. We could call it "Paradise Island." No, too predictable. (As she tries deciding what to call the island, Ms. Frizzle shows Liz where the island is.) Then there's always "Gilligan's Island." No that's already taken. (Liz spots where the smoke is coming from through a spyglass. The bus flies past the smoke clouds.)
Ralphie: Looks like our game's gonna get rained out, Ms. Frizzle.
Ms. Frizzle: Oh, don't head for the dugout yet, Ralphie. Those aren't rainclouds. They're puffs of smoke and ash. Which means we are exactly where we need to be.
Phoebe: Gee, look at that stuff.
Carlos: (sniffs) It smells too. (turns to Arnold)
Arnold: Don't look at me.
(The bus runs into a cloud of smoke.)
Keesha: The windows are covered with ashes.
(The bus comes out of the clouds covered in ash.)
Bus: (coughs)
Ms. Frizzle: Put your seats in an upright position, class, and prepare for landing.
(Everyone adjusts their seats.)
Arnold: We can't land now. We can't see where we're going.
Ms. Frizzle: Don't worry, Arnold. We won't be landing for another few minutes. (Liz adjusts her seat, causing it to launch her out of it and onto her steering wheel, making the bus descend rapidly.) Whoops. Make that a few seconds.
Students: Whooooaaaaaaaaa!!!!
(Commercial break.)
Act 2[]
(After the commercial break, fade back to the bus as it keeps descending fast.)
Students: Whhooooaaaaaa!!!!!!
Ms. Frizzle: Not to worry, class. (The bus turns back to normal, but now has surfboards in place of the wheels.) Hang ten, bus!
(The bus starts surfing)
Wanda: Ha ha ha! Like, wow! Tubular!
(The bus wears a big grin on its bumper as it rides the waves.)
Dorothy Ann: We could call it "Empirical Island." Hm, not bad.
(The bus slows down and stops above a small crater under the waves. Ms. Frizzle gets out wearing Navy attire)
Ms. Frizzle: All ashore that's going ashore (blows whistle.)
(The students exit the bus. Dorothy Ann is the last to exit as she drags her book bag along.)
Tim: I don't see any shore, Ms. Frizzle.
(Indeed, there's nothing but ocean.)
Ms. Frizzle: That's because we're a tad early, Tim. (checks her watch.)
Class: Huh?
Ms. Frizzle: As I always say, get out there and explore!
(Ms. Frizzle brings out a raft)
Keesha: How does she do that?
Dorothy Ann: Not easily, I expect.
Carlos: Well, in the famous words of Ms. Frizzle, the early bird gets the island!
(Carlos hops onto the raft and splashes water onto the surfboard.)
Arnold: Watch it!
Wanda: Yikes!
Tim: Huh?
(The water knocks D.A.'s bookbag off.)
Dorothy Ann: Wait. Oh, no! (trips) Oops! My books! Oh!
(As Dorothy Ann jumps in the water, Ralphie grabs her legs. Keesha and Wanda hold him.)
Ralphie: I've got you!
Wanda: Come on, you weaselly wimps! Pull!
(Wanda, Keesha and Ralphie pull Dorothy Ann out of the ocean.)
Dorothy Ann: We have to go down there, Ms. Frizzle! I need my books to find that island!
Arnold: Wouldn't it be easier to go to a book store?
(Dorothy Ann runs to Ms. Frizzle.)
Dorothy Ann: Please, Ms. Frizzle! I'm nothing without my books! Me, books...books, me!
Ms. Frizzle: Class, prepare to dive. (She blows the whistle and all the students, except Carlos and Arnold, stay outside.) Coming, Carlos?
Carlos: Not me, Ms. Frizzle. I'd rather find that island than D.A's books.
Ms. Frizzle: Suit yourself. Anchors aweigh, mateys!
Arnold: If you don't mind, Ms. Frizzle, I'd rather keep as much water between me and the bottom of the ocean as possible.
Ms. Frizzle: A lofty idea, Arnold. Perhaps you can help Carlos person the life raft.
Arnold: If you insist. (he jumps into the raft)
Ms. Frizzle: And while you two are personing, (she hands them life vests) put these on. (Both boys do just that.)
(Liz tries getting Ms. Frizzle's attention.)
Ms. Frizzle: Yes, Liz?
(Liz waves two flags.)
Ms. Frizzle: Good idea, Liz. As a certified teaching lizard, you're more than capable of handling the mission. Carry on.
(Liz picks up a sextant before hopping into the raft.)
Ms. Frizzle: Do your stuff, bus.
(The bus transforms into a submersible.)
Boys: Whoa.
Ms. Frizzle: Batten down the hatches.
(The bus dives down.)
Arnold: Don't be too long.
Carlos: Come on, Arnold. (pulls out a spyglass) Let's find that island before D.A. comes back.
Arnold: Don't you think we should wait here?
Carlos: He who hesitates is lost.
(Carlos starts rowing.)
Arnold: Lost. That's the word that bothers me.
Carlos: Come on, Arnold. Relax, will you?
Keesha: I had no idea the're we're mountains under the ocean.
Dorothy Ann: If I had my books, I could tell you all about underwater mountains.
Wanda: (To Dorothy Ann) Who needs books when you have the real thing?
(Dorothy Ann looks at the window and sees her book bag sink.)
Dorothy Ann: My bag! Ms. Frizzle, step on it!
Ms. Frizzle: You got it, D.A.. Going down.
(The submersible turns and goes down, goes around a whale and passes glowing jellyfish.)
Keesha: Is this the ocean floor?
Wanda: Wow!
Ms. Frizzle: Bottoms up, everybody!
Students: Whoa!/Wee! (laughs)
Dorothy Ann: Now where'd that book bag get to? There it goes!
Ralphie: I'll get it! (Swims into the broken ship and sees fish floating to each other) On second thought..
Dorothy Ann: Move aside, Ralphie. I've gotta get my bag. (Dorothy Ann swims to her bag where in the dark there's an sqiud.) Ah. Huh? (The squid appears and Dorothy Ann screams.)
Ralphie: Oh no! (The squid swims past Ralphie) Holy jumpin'!
Dorothy Ann: It's got my bag!
Ralphie: O-octo-octo (stammers) OCTOPUS!
Ms. Frizzle: Close, but no ink, Ralphie. It's a squid, not an octopus. A squid has ten tentacles, an octopus only has eight.
Ralphie: Then how come they don't call them octacles?
Ms. Frizzle: (laughs) Oh, good one, Ralphie. (Nudges Ralphie)
Dorothy Ann: I don't care how many tentacles it's gotten. It's got my books. Come back here! (She swims up)
Keesha: What's happening?
Students: It's an earthquake!!
Dorothy Ann: We're in trouble! Got it! Oh my! Oh no! My source of knowledge is... GONE!
Carlos: I tell ya, something's going on down there.
Arnold: Maybe, but it can't be an island because an island can't be underwater... is it?
Carlos: (sniffs) Arnold!
Arnold: It wasn't me!
Carlos & Arnold: Liz?
Arnold: It's coming from those bubbles.
Carlos: And there's D.A.'s bookbag.
Arnold: Great! See if there's a map back to school in it.
Carlos: Get real, Arnold. We have a chance to make history! Maybe there's something in here that can tell us what's going on.
Dorothy Ann: The bag fell this way, I saw it. I'm sure I did.
Ms. Frizzle: Cheer up, Dorothy Ann. There's more than one way to discover an island.
Wanda: And I'm getting cold!
Ms. Frizzle: The deeper the water, the colder it gets, Wanda.
Keesha: Even the bus is cold.
Phoebe: If the water so cold how come these funny-looking smoke stacks are so hot?
Ralphie: (laughs) Good joke, Phoebe. AH! (Smoke blows onto Ralhpie's helmet)
Students: (Laughs)
Dorothy Ann: Something must be heating these things underneath.
Ms. Frizzle: Is that revelation according to your research?
Dorothy Ann: How could it be according to my research? I don't have my research.
Ms. Frizzle: Bingo! But if you keep asking questions, you'll keep getting answers.
Dorothy Ann: Huh?
Keesha: Hey D.A! Maybe your book sank down there! (Points to a submarine canyon)
Tim: I sure hope not. That looks like a canyon in the bottom of the ocean.
Ms. Frizzle: In the immortal words of our very own Ralphie,(slaps Ralphie's back) "You can't hit a home run unless you swing the bat." Back to the bus , team!
(The bus in it's submarine form sucks the class back in)
Dorothy Ann: I wonder if Carlos found the island yet.
Ms. Frizzle: Oh, before us? Not on your pigtails, D.A.
(Camera cuts to Arnold and Carlos in an inflatable boat)
Carlos: (Carlos is reading one of Dorothy Ann's books) "As the sea billowed around them, it seemed that the entire Earth was going to explode. Lars could feel the ocean floor, trembling beneath them. He could almost smell the crust melting."
Arnold: (looks at Carlos petrified) What are you reading? A cook book? (Looks down at the ocean) (Camera shows the rocks of the ocean)
Carlos: Listen to this, it says right here. The Earth's surface is made up of layered crust-like plates of rock. These plates normally move incredibly slowly but sometimes one plate jams under another one. When the plate slips, we can actually feels the Earth move!
Arnold: Carlos! You're starting to sound like Dorothy Ann!
Ms. Frizzle: I like to think of the world as a toasted bowling ball with a crust and we are right here on the edge of two pieces of crust like these and sometimes one piece gets shoved under the other. Oops.
Dorothy Ann: You created an earthquake!
Ralphie: Does that mean we're actually going down between those 2 plates of crust?
Dorothy Ann: We have to! That's where my books must be.
Tim: But there's no space between them. How can we get through? (The bus tries to get through but it can't)
Ms Frizzle: Show 'em, bus. It's action time! (The bus slims and goes through the rocks and everyone is squished.)
Dorothy Ann: This is terrific!
Tim: (Trying to push the roof up) Speak for yourself, DA!
Ms. Frizzle: Hang on, everybody!
Phoebe: I'm being squished!
Keesha: It's getting hot in here!
Dorothy Ann: The rocks around us are melting!
Ms. Frizzle: You bet they are, class!
Students: WE'RE MELTING!
(They eventually melt into the rock and there's a commercial break.)
Act 3[]
(After the commercial break, fade back to the in a magma chamber.)
Keesha: It's so hot, the earth's crust is melting.
Ms. Frizzle: It's supposed to melt, Keesha. I mean, my goodness, the deeper you go into the Earth, hoo! The hotter it gets, hoo! Anyone know what melted rock is called?
(Everyone is silent)
Ralphie: Rock juice?
Ms. Frizzle: Magma.
Phoebe: It must be 2,000 out there.
Keesha: So there's melted rock deep under the ocean? What's it all mean?
Dorothy Ann: (Thinking cloud shows what it all means) I think I know! Heat under the ocean floor, plunging plates of crust, melting rock under a mountain. (gasps) We're in an underwater volcano!
Keesha: A volcano?
Ralphie: Underwater?
Ms. Frizzle: Boingo, Dorothy Ann. And you figured it out all from your own observations. Welcome to the magma chamber. The heart of a volcano.
Ralphie: How do we get out of here?!
Ms. Frizzle: Out of a volcano? How do you suppose?
(Camera cuts to Carlos and Arnold)
Carlos: "And then and giant fountain of steam shot out of the water, followed by an explosion of-"
Arnold: Stop! I can't take it anymore! You have turned into Dorothy Ann.
Carlos: But, Arnold, it's all here in this book...
(Arnold imagines Carlos as Dorothy Ann with the change of hair.)
Carlos (with Dorothy Ann's voice): Smelly gases, fountains of steam...
(Arnold shakes his head and Carlos returns to normal)
Carlos: Explosions of lava, Arnold, don't you understand? According to my research, we're floating on top of an undersea volcano.
(Liz jumps out of Arnold's arm)
Arnold: Yikes! I knew I should've stayed home today.
(Camera cuts to the kids in the volcano)
Wanda: The magma's rising!
Ralphie: We're gonna get blown sky-high!
(Dorothy Ann looks out the window then turns around)
Dorothy Ann: Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute!
(All of the kids except Arnold, Carlos and DA hug Ms. Frizzle)
Phoebe: Do we have that long?
Dorothy Ann: When all this molten rock shoots up out of the volcano and hits the air, it'll cool right?
Ms. Frizzle: Oh, absolutely.
Dorothy Ann: And when it cools, it'll harden into rock, right? New rock!
Ms. Frizzle: Eventually.
(The bus rumbles)
Dorothy Ann: So all that new rock will build up ontop of this underwater volcano until it sticks up out of the water enough to make a brand new island.
Ms. Frizzle: (laughs) Yes!
(The bus hits the top of the blocked volcano and rumbles and everybody wobbles)
Dorothy Ann: Oh no! We stopped rising.
Keesha: Something must be plugging up the volcano!
(Phoebe has her hands on her face)
Phoebe: And the magma's squeezing us!
(The bolts pop off)
Wanda: All we have to do to get out is give that rock a bear push!
(Camera zooms on Ralphie hugging Ms. Frizzle)
Ralphie: We don't have to do anything.
(Dorothy Ann puts her arm on Ralphie)
Dorothy Ann: Yes, we do, Ralphie! It's time to take chances, make mistakes!
(Ralphie hugs onto Ms. Frizzle tighter)
Ralphie: Get melted!
(Ms. Frizzle pulls a lever to reveal the class' anti-magma gear)
Ms. Frizzle: Into your anti-magma gear, everyone.
(The same thing Carlos reads is what is actually happening)
Carlos: According to this book, a lot gets blown out of a volcano when it erupts like volcanic ash-
Arnold: Volcanic ash?
Carlos: Pumice and rock-
Arnold: Pumice and rock?
Carlos: And lava.
Arnold: Lava!?
Carlos: Put that all together and you-
Arnold: Get me out of here!
(Carlos kayaking towards the Island)
Carlos: No, Arnold, you get Carlos Island!
(Camera cuts to the rest of the class trying to push out the rock)
Dorothy Ann: Push! This is a chance of a lifetime!
Ralphie: The end of a lifetime you mean!
Dorothy Ann: Push, Ralphie, don't let the pressure get to you!
(Keesha's helmet cracks)
Keesha: Huh? My helmet is cracking. Hurry!
Dorothy Ann: We can't budge it, Ms. Frizzle! We need help!
(Ms. Frizzle sits down, puts on a builder hat, presses a button which reveals a metal hand and pulls a spring plunger)
Ms. Frizzle: Come on, bus. Do your stuff!
(She lets go of the spring plunger and the metal hand punches the rock causing it to break a bit)
Wanda: It's working!
Ms. Frizzle: Play it again, bus! Yeah! (laughs)
(The metal hand punches the rock again and it breaks)
Dorothy Ann: It's ready to blow!
(Everyone including the bus gets sucked out of the volcano)
Dorothy Ann: Wahoo!
(The volcano explodes)
Carlos: Carlos Island is about to be born! Too bad DA's gonna miss it.
(Arnold is covering his eyes with his hands)
Arnold: I'd give anything to miss it.
(Camera shakes and the volcano erupts under water and lava shoots out. Carlos watches the eruption through binoculars whilst Arnold still has his eyes covered.)
Arnold: Is it over yet?
Carlos: It's just the beginning, Arnold. I can't believe it! The volcano is making new rock. It's actually making a new island! D.A.'sreally missing something.
(Dorothy Ann shoots out of the volcano)
Dorothy Ann: YEE-HAW!!
(Dorothy Ann lands on the raft and one of the paddles hit Liz and she goes flying towards the new island.)
Arnold: (Uncovers his eyes) D.A.! Where'd you come from?
Carlos: Huh? D.A., you just missed the coolest eruption you ever saw.
Dorothy Ann: I didn't miss it, I was part of it. (As she raises her arms smoke comes out and Arnold coughs)
Arnold: Where's everybody else?
(Everybody else lands on the raft)
Students: WEE!
Ralphie: (Takes his helmet off) Wow, what a ride!
Phoebe: (giggles) I like being erupted.
Arnold: But, where's Miss Frizzle?
(The bus, with Miss Frizzle in it, shoots out of the volcano)
Ms. Frizzle: Hi-Ho, everyone! WAHOO!
(The bus drops but then a parachute comes out)
Wanda: (Giving a thumbs up) Nice landing, Miss Frizzle.
Carlos: To Carlos Island.
Dorothy Ann: "Carlos Island"? You mean D.A. Island. I discovered it even without my books.
Arnold: But neither one of you landed there first, look!
(Liz stands on the island and puts a flag with her face on it)
Carlos and Dorothy Ann: Liz?
Student: (Laugh)
Carlos: Here's your book bag, D.A.. I never thought I'd say this... but I was really glad to have it.
Dorothy Ann: And I was really glad that I didn't have it for a change. What an experience! (Gets a book and pen) I think we should write a book about it, "Discovering Lizard Island by D.A. and Carlos"
Carlos: You mean "by Carlos and D.A."
Dorothy Ann: No, D.A. and Carlos.
Carlos: Carlos and D.A.!
Dorothy Ann: D.A and Carlos.
Carlos: Carlos and D.A.!
(Carlos and Dorothy Ann continue arguing in the background)
Ms. Frizzle: As I always say, "Unlike the earth, some things never change"
(The Magic School Bus: Blows Its Top ends.)
Producer Says[]
(The producer drives a golf cart)
Producer: So, Liz, how does it feel to have your very own island out here in the middle of nowhere?
(Telephone rings)
Producer: Oh, I don't believe this! I'm supposed to be on vacation! (Picks up the phone) Hello, Magic School Bus. Producer speaking.
Caller: Hello, I just saw your show on volcanoes and I've got to tell you, it was unbelievable!
Producer: I know, I know!
(Producer's device shows a clip from the episode showing the volcano erupting)
Caller: It take a lot longer than a few minutes for a volcano to grow from an undersea mountain to an island and it probably took thousands of years for that mountain to get as big as it was.
Producer: Exactly. But hey! We've only got a half an hour to tell the story.
Caller: I gotcha. (giggles) And I totally bought the connection between the erupting volcano and the making of an island.
Producer: Great! Then you knew that a volcano in the sea is just like a volcano on land.
Caller: No. But I do now! (Liz keeps missing the golf ball and the producer laughs at her) There's no fire in a volcano only heat so the water can't put it out, right?
Producer: You got it.
(Liz tries to hit the ball and misses again)
Caller: But not all volcanoes form where a plate gets pushed down into the crust.
(As the caller is speaking, the producers device demonstrates)
Producer: They don't?
Caller: Uh-uh. Some volcanoes form where plates pull apart and others are just over hot spots in the crust.
Producer: Okay... so maybe you didn't believe the part where the kids got so close to the volcano.
Caller: Oh come on! (giggles) It's television! We all know real kids don't go inside volcanoes or hang around on rafts when they're erupting. (Liz throws away the golf ball) No way.
Producer: (Laughs) I guess not. (The golf ball hits the producer) So what is it that you found so unbelievable?
Caller: That Liz just so happened to have a flag on her when he landed on the new island. (The golf ball gets into the hole)
Producer: (Laughs) That is pretty unbelievable. But don't forget, Liz isn't your ordinary lizard.