Under the Boardwalk 2023

Under a busy New Jersey beach boardwalk, a tight-knit community of land hermit crabs shares space with a visiting crowd of sea crabs, and the two groups clash whenever their paths cross. The story centers on Armen, a timid land crab whose skittish nature keeps him mostly inside his own shell. He carries with him the memory of his parents’ death in a storm, and the rotting shell that keeps him company—home to a lively little organism named Anemone who brightens Armen’s days in small, hopeful ways. Armen’s anxiety is tested when three sturdy crabs—Manny, Bobby, and Jimmy—drag him to a club run by his uncle, Bruno, where the social world feels like uncharted water.

The night spins quickly from awkward introductions to trouble, as Armen’s first awkward spark with a visiting sea crab named Ramona ignites a spark that rhymes with danger. Ramona’s presence stirs something in Armen, but their budding connection is immediately threatened when a hot-headed sea crab named Mako and his crew push to claim Ramona and assert dominance over the land crabs. A scuffle erupts, Armen accidentally collides with Ramona, and the two groups are forced to confront their deep-seated grudges. The land crabs are eventually evicted from their turf, a blow that sends Armen into a sulk by the shoreline as a gauntlet is thrown down. In the moment of Armen’s retreat, Mako and his gang close in, stealing Armen’s shell, while Ramona bravely steps in to intervene—only to be swept away with Armen by a powerful high tide that devastates the crabbing world they know.

Separated and stranded, Armen ends up far down the beach, above the boardwalk, where a human collector spots him and he is whisked away to be sold as a pet. He’s fitted with an artificial shell, an ironic symbol of a fresh start that still feels hollow. Serendipity replays its hand when Armen finally reunites with Ramona. The two teams—land and sea crabs—must learn to work together to escape their captors and find a way back to their home. The journey becomes a mutual apprenticeship as they share their inner fears: Armen confesses that his habit of staying tucked away is a shield, while Ramona confides that she longs to break free from her overbearing mother, Val, who expects nothing less than perfection.

Along the way, Shelly—Ramona’s deaf sister—appears in the background of their struggle, reminding them of the stakes and offering a glimpse of a family that loves even when voice and visibility are limited. Bobby’s moral compass begins to shift as he questions his habit of relying on force against enemies, and he encounters Shelly, who helps him see a different path. A heated clash with Mako escalates when Bobby tries to intervene, and in the chaos, Mako’s side is dealt a brutal blow when Armen unintentionally causes a critical retaliation that snaps off Mako’s right arm. Mako vows revenge and tries to erase Armen from the story by spreading the lie that Armen is dead, even returning Armen’s shell along with a shell-shocked Anemone to seal the ruse. The land crabs respond by declaring war, a grim countdown that tests every crab’s resolve.

As the conflict deepens, Armen and Ramona’s bond grows from a tentative attraction into something stronger, even as two crabs they meet at a pet shop cast judgment on their relationship. The pressure mounts when Ramona begins to crumble from dehydration, collapsing near the water’s edge. Armen acts without hesitation, lifting her in his claws and carrying her toward where the waves meet the shore. The act of heroism stuns the onlookers from both sides and prompts a pause in hostilities: the crabs stop fighting to watch Armen guide Ramona into the sea, where she stirs, wakes, and finds the courage to kiss Armen in a moment of shared vulnerability. Their bravery is infectious, and the crowd behind them softens as a new sense of possibility takes root.

Back on the surface, Armen is praised for his courage, and Mako’s deception is exposed, ending the immediate threat to the fragile peace. To seal the reconciliation, Bobby accepts a new shell from Mako, a symbolic gesture of goodwill, while Armen makes a selfless choice by giving his own shell to a younger crab who needs it more. The two communities—land and sea crabs—begin to move past their differences, guided by a new ethic of cooperation and empathy that grows from Armen’s quiet courage and Ramona’s resilience. In the end, what started as a tense rivalry blossoms into a fragile harmony; the boardwalk hum becomes a reminder that courage, trust, and care for one another can bridge even the widest divides.