A brand-new, full-length, kid-friendly fantasy–adventure screenplay inspired by the themes you like—portal to a magical world, talking creatures, brave kids, a powerful protector, and a tyrant to defeat. Here it is, scene-wise with proper screenplay format and plenty of dialogue.
Title : DOORWAY OF DAWN
Genre: Family Fantasy/Adventure
Tone: Wonder, humor, courage
Target runtime: ~105–115 minutes (≈ 100–110
screenplay pages)
Logline
Three siblings step through a painted door into Avera, a world where time is stuck at eternal twilight. With a wisecracking mongoose and a playful phoenix as allies, they must restore the Heart of Dawn and outsmart the fear-weaving queen who feeds on shadows.
Main Characters
1. AANYA (12) – Oldest; sketchbook always in hand; careful but brave.
2. KABIR (10) – Curious, impulsive, jokes under pressure.
3. TARA (8) – Empath; “sunny” child who can hear animals’ feelings.
4. SURYANSH – A young phoenix; witty, warm, occasionally dramatic.
5. RUKKU – A street-smart mongoose; steals trinkets, steals scenes.
6. QUEEN NIVARA – The Night Weaver; traps time with living shadow-threads.
7. GENERAL KRAGG – Stone-plated rhino commander.
8. BHOOMI DADI – Ancient banyan-tree spirit; gentle and vast.
9. CAPTAIN PAVAN – Captain of the flying Kite-Ship Hawa Mahal.
10. JUGGAT – Shy clay giant with a soft heart.
ACT I – SETUP (pp. 1–25)
1. INT. GRANDMA’S HOUSE – AFTERNOON
Monsoon holidays. The power flickers. Aanya sketches; Kabir builds a cardboard “time machine”; Tara chats with a sparrow on the window.
GRANDMA (calling)
Meter room ka switch dhyan se! Varna phir andhera ho jayega.
They chase a rolling cricket ball down a passage to the old neighborhood Natraj Theatre, being renovated.
2. INT. NATRAJ THEATRE – BACKSTAGE – CONTINUOUS
They find a faded mural: a serene sunrise over a mountain door. Aanya wipes grime—hidden colors gleam.
TARA
Sun lag raha hai saans le raha ho.
KABIR (grinning)
Agar ye gate khul gaya na—main pehle jaaunga.
Aanya touches the painted door-handle. The mural glows, wind whooshes. The painted sun blinks.
3. INT./EXT. THRESHOLD – MOMENTS LATER
Paint becomes liquid light. They step through—
4. EXT. AVERA – TWILIT FOREST – CONTINUOUS
A sky forever between night and morning. Fireflies drift like stars fallen into trees.
A flamboyant phoenix, Suryansh, lands—feathers shimmer; he bows theatrically.
SURYANSH
Welcome, visitors! I’m Suryansh—bird, flame, and part-time tour guide. Tip jar
optional.
KABIR
Talking bird!
SURYANSH
Talking human!
From the bushes, a small mongoose, Rukku, snatches Kabir’s watch.
RUKKU
Finder’s fee!
AANYA
Hey! Wapas do!
5. EXPO: THE PROBLEM
Suryansh explains: Queen Nivara stole the Heart of Dawn—the crystal that turns night to day. Now time is stuck. Shadows grow longer; people are afraid. Only “Children from the Door of Paint” can free it.
TARA (softly)
Matlab subah kabhi aayegi hi nahin?
SURYANSH
Unless someone brave untangles the Night Weaver’s loom.
Reluctant Aanya wants to go home; Kabir wants adventure; Tara feels the forest’s sadness. They agree to help—if they can return by dinner.
SURYANSH
Avera’s time runs… differently. Dinner might still be hot.
ACT II – FUN & GAMES / MIDPOINT (pp. 26–80)
6. EXT. BANYAN GLADE – NIGHT-TWILIGHT
They meet Bhoomi Dadi (a banyan spirit). Roots lift like arms; her voice is leaves in wind.
BHOOMI DADI
The Heart of Dawn shattered into three shards—
1. Tear of Morning – guarded by Cloud Isles.
2. Amber Pulse – inside Echo Caves.
3. Saffron Spark – hidden in Nivara’s Loom of Night.
She warns: Shadows lie.
7. EXT. WIND DOCKS – NIGHT-TWILIGHT
At a cliff port, paper-and-bamboo kite-ships bob in the breeze. Captain Pavan welcomes them aboard the Hawa Mahal.
CAPTAIN PAVAN
Hold tight to the wind, and it will hold you back.
8. SKY SEQUENCE – THE CLOUD ISLES
Playful flying set-piece. Rukku “helps” steer; chaos; laughter.
They reach Cloud Isles, cottony landmasses with waterfalls that fall upward. Guardians: Cloud Goats (tiny wings). A riddle gate:
“What rises yet falls, is weightless yet can drown, is caught but not held?”
AANYA (thinking)
“Breath.”
Gate opens; Tear of Morning glows. As Aanya lifts it, Clock Spiders (metallic, ticking) swarm—General Kragg leads stone rhinos.
KABIR
We’re on the wrong clock!
Suryansh burns a path; they escape on the kite-ship.
9. EXT. ECHO CAVES – LATER
Caverns that repeat feelings, not words. The tunnels hum with doubt: “You’re not brave enough.”
TARA (to walls)
We’re scared—par hum rukenge nahi.
A clay giant, Juggat, guards the Amber Pulse. He’s lonely; Tara holds his finger; his chest symbols glow.
JUGGAT
Friend?
They solve a cooperation puzzle: Aanya’s sketch maps the tunnels; Kabir times echo beats; Tara keeps Juggat calm. The second shard is theirs.
10. MONTAGE – TRAVEL & BONDING
- · Aanya teaching Suryansh to pose for sketches.
- · Kabir and Rukku pulling pranks.
- · Tara guiding lost fireflies home.
11. MIDPOINT – EXT. RIVER OF STILLNESS
They install two shards in a sun-dial pedestal—the sky brightens slightly. Hope!
Sudden ambush by Kragg. Kabir grabs the pedestal to keep it from falling—gets taken. Stakes flip.
AANYA (shaken)
We’re going after him.
SURYANSH
Into Nivara’s city? That’s shadow-soup with extra shadow.
AANYA
Then bring a spoon.
12. EXT. CITY OF THREADS – NIGHT-TWILIGHT
A labyrinth of black silk bridges and bell towers that never ring. Citizens move slowly, as if time tugs at their heels.
They infiltrate disguised as puppet performers. Aanya’s art skills shine; their show attracts a crowd and distracts the guards.
13. INT. DUNGEON – CONTINUOUS
Kabir jokes with a cellmate—a mouse scholar. A soft-hearted guard’s shadow betrays him; shadows whisper the prisoner’s fears.
KABIR (steady, to his own shadow)
I’m scared. But I’m still me.
Aanya & Tara free Kabir. Reunion hugs.
14. INT. LOOM OF NIGHT – LATER
A breathtaking hall. Nivara stands at a grand loom weaving dark silk; each strand is a captured fear. Saffron Spark glows in the loom’s core.
QUEEN NIVARA (cool, compelling)
Children. You think dawn saves everyone? Daylight reveals cracks. Night hides
pain kindly.
AANYA
Hiding isn’t healing.
NIVARA
Then prove it. Walk the Shadow Weave.
They must cross three “fear-bridges”—each tailored to them:
- · Aanya: A bridge of blank pages (fear of failing her art/family).
- · Kabir: A bridge of broken clocks (fear of messing up).
- · Tara: A bridge of silent animals (fear of losing connection).
Each uses growth learned so far:
- · Aanya draws her own stepping stones mid-air.
- · Kabir accepts he’ll make mistakes and keeps moving.
- · Tara sings a simple tune; silence cracks, a bird answers.
They reach the core; Saffron Spark is within grasp when—
Suryansh is netted
by shadow silk. Nivara’s voice darkens.
NIVARA
Give me the two shards, or I unmake the bird.
TARA (teary)
Please don’t hurt him.
SURYANSH (weak smile)
I’m a phoenix. Hurt is part of the job description.
Aanya pretends to hand over a shard but swaps in a sketched decoy (her drawing magic subtly real in Avera). It works for a beat—then fails. Alarms blare. They flee, empty-handed, leaving Suryansh captured.
LOW POINT: Hope dims. The city grows colder. Aanya feels she failed.
ACT III – PLAN, CLIMAX, RESOLUTION (pp. 81–110)
15. EXT. BHOOMI DADI’S GLADE – NIGHT-TWILIGHT
Regroup. Aanya breaks: “Main leader kyu bani? Main toh bas… sketch karti hoon.”
BHOOMI DADI
A drawing is a door, beti. You don’t copy the world—you open
it.
KABIR
New plan?
AANYA (eyes brightening)
We don’t fight shadows with swords. We rewire
them.
They devise a heist + performance using art, echoes, and friends.
16. HEIST MONTAGE – “THE DAWN REHEARSAL”
· Rukku steals guard keys with a juggling act.
· Juggat shapes clay mirror-masks.
· Captain Pavan rigs the Kite-Ship with reflective sails.
· Aanya sketches sun glyphs that can become real light for a moment.
17. INT. LOOM OF NIGHT – GRAND FINALE
Festival in the city square. The kids stage a shadow-puppet show about courage, drawing a huge crowd—and Nivara.
NIVARA (amused)
Will applause break my loom?
AANYA
Not applause. Attention.
On cue, Kite-Ship floats above, its sails throwing dawn-colored patterns into the hall. Tara plays her tune; Echo Caves answer from far away; the city itself hums.
Rukku unlocks Suryansh’s net. The phoenix crashes down, weak.
TARA (whispering to him)
Utho, please.
SURYANSH (raspy)
A phoenix hates being late for sunrise.
Aanya sketches a giant paper sun mid-air; Kabir throws the two shards into it. Suryansh flares, ignites the sketch, turning paper-sun into real light. Nivara’s shadows writhe.
NIVARA (screams)
I will unspool you!
KABIR (to crowd)
Don’t be afraid of your fear! Dekho—hum bhi dar rahe hain!
Citizens turn toward the light, facing their shadows. The shadow-threads snap when their owners own the fear. Nivara weakens.
AANYA (to Nivara)
Night is beautiful—
—but dawn deserves its turn.
They reach the loom core. Tara places Saffron Spark—it refuses her touch… until she hums. The spark hums back.
TARA
It wants all of us.
Aanya, Kabir, Tara together seat the spark. Heart of Dawn re-forms—a blazing crystal.
NIVARA (desperate)
Without my night, the day will burn you.
SURYANSH (rising, now immense)
Dawn isn’t the end of night. It’s the promise
after.
He sheds feathers—each becomes a sun-glyph stitching cracks in the sky. The first sunrise in ages spills over Avera.
Nivara’s cloak falls; beneath is a tired woman, human, afraid.
NIVARA (small)
I kept them safe from the sting of seeing.
AANYA (gently)
Come see with us.
Nivara lowers her head. The city bells finally ring.
18. EXT. BANYAN GLADE – MORNING (REAL MORNING!)
Golden light. People laugh, cry, dance. Juggat bakes sun-warm clay bread. Rukku tries to sell “authentic dawn dust” in tiny bottles.
RUKKU
Limited edition! Only till noon!
Suryansh lands by the kids.
SURYANSH
The Heart is whole. Avera will keep turning.
KABIR
Hum… ghar jaayenge?
SURYANSH
Door’s ready when you are.
19. FAREWELL
Bhoomi Dadi gifts Aanya a charcoal twig that can draw “one true doorway” when used bravely.
BHOOMI DADI
Use it when you feel small.
20. INT./EXT. NATRAJ THEATRE – RETURN
They step back through the mural. Ceiling fan still spins; Grandma calls for dinner.
GRANDMA (O.S.)
Khane pe aao, heroes!
Aanya smiles, pockets the charcoal. On the mural, hidden in a corner, a tiny phoenix feather glints.
KABIR
Same time tomorrow?
AANYA
Maybe we just… draw our courage here too.
TARA (to the sparrow)
Kal subah milte hain.
FADE OUT.
SAMPLE DIALOGUE PAGES (select scenes)
SCENE 8 – Cloud Isles Riddle Gate
EXT. CLOUD ISLES – RIDDLE GATE – NIGHT-TWILIGHT
A stone arch floats above open sky. Symbols shimmer.
GATE (VO, layered voices)
What rises yet falls, is weightless yet can drown, is caught but not held?
KABIR
Soap bubbles? No—those pop.
AANYA (eyes on the kids’ chests)
…it’s Breath.
The symbols spin—click. The arch blossoms into a path of vapor.
RUKKU (aside)
Haan haan, sabko pata tha.
SCENE 14 – Loom of Night (fear bridges)
INT. LOOM OF NIGHT – FEAR BRIDGES – CONTINUOUS
AANYA faces a void of blank papers.
AANYA (shaking)
If I draw wrong—
(she inhales)
Drawing is how I walk.
She sketches a line; it becomes a solid stroke she steps onto. Another, another—she crosses.
KABIR’s path: broken ticking clocks.
KABIR
Okay, okay—main galtiyaan karunga.
Jab rukna mana ho, toh chalna banta hai!
He hops, stumbles, keeps moving.
TARA’s path: still animals—eyes closed.
TARA (soft song)
“Subah ki saans, raat ka geet—
Dono humare saath hain meet.”
One tail twitches, then many. They wake and guide her.
SCENE 17 – Climax
INT. LOOM OF NIGHT – CENTRAL HALL – NIGHT-TWILIGHT
Light patterns rain from the Kite-Ship sails.
NIVARA
You can’t take the dark out of people.
AANYA
We’re not taking it out. We’re turning
it.
Aanya flings the sketched paper sun upward; Suryansh ignites it; the hall floods with dawn. Shadows peel away.
KABIR (to crowd)
Look at your shade—and say: I see you.
(beat)
Phir dekho—woh tum ban jaata hai, dushman nahi.
Shadows soften, threads snap.
THEMES & NOTES
- · Courage is an action, not an absence of fear.
- · Art as agency: Aanya’s drawings literally open paths.
- · Community faces fear together: The climax needs the whole city, not just heroes.
- · Villain with a reason: Nivara’s fear stems from wanting to protect—twisted into control.
MUSIC & VISUAL IDEAS (for director/composer)
- · Leitmotif for Suryansh that starts playful, swells heroic at sunrise.
- · Twilight palette (indigo/teal) shifting to saffron/gold through the film.
- · Hand-drawn textures over VFX when Aanya’s sketches come alive.
0 Comments