The Legend of the Three Caballeros, Episode One: "Dope-a-Cabana"

Okay, the latest Ducktales episode is forthcoming, but somehow, I felt it was more urgent to get on THIS. I feel like I'm going insane: I JUST THIS MINUTE PRACTICALLY hear about this Three Caballeros show, and now bam, here it is? Wha?!? And it's Philippines-exclusive for the time being? Guh? Well, it IS true that after a fulfilling day of executing drug users, I like nothing more to sit down to some Disney cartoons. That was an unfair thing of me to say. But it's too late, dernit.

So anyway, the extent to which I'm able to cover this show is really strongly dependent on the extent to which I'm able to illicitly find episodes online. But I DO have the first and second, thanks to tip-offs from Pan Miluś, so let's take a look, shall we?

As I may or may not have mentioned at some point in the past, I'm a big of fan of The Three Caballeros. Psychedelic craziness to the max. I don't have anything against contemporary Disney movies, in particular (though I will never stop mourning their abandonment of cel-shaded-style "2-D"), but it is entirely impossible to picture them making such a willfully experimental, almost avant-garde movie these days.

Just the same, you have to think: it's not as though anyone watching the movie is a huge fan of José Carioca (the days of calling him "Joe" seem pretty definitively over) or Panchito Pistoles. I mean, why would you be? The characters really aren't the point. So what's the use? Don Rosa wrote his caballeros stories on the basis that Donald needed friends, a laudable instinct I guess, but as characters themselves, per se? Questionable.

So here's what happens here: Donald alienates Daisy by standing her up and loses his job as a barber (spare that hair!) when he gives a bad haircut to a kid whose mother appears to be Pete in drag. And then his house burns down, no thanks to the zany firemen who do nothing but hit stuff with axes (which is actually pretty darned funny). Boy, life's tough all over, eh?

But then! He learns that his great-grandfather Clinton Coot(!!!) has died, and he's inherited property. Or co-inherited it with José and Panchito, for reasons that may become clear. Oh, and the manager is the ever-popular Aracuan Bird, referred to as, I think, "Ari." Also, April May and June are there. And a crazy warrior woman is summoned! To be continued.

Yup, the episode is basically just setting up. It's difficult, so far, to get much of a bead on the characters they've introduced. About all you can say is that José is kinda louche, Panchito is crazy, and Ari is crazier (but in a very appealing way, I thought). And April May and June...well, possibly similar to the nephews in new Ducktales, but I'm hoping with slightly less millennial snark. At first I thought, huh, it's pretty darned strange to have these three appear outta nowhere, but then I thought, why the heck NOT? But, even compared to the other new characters, they really, really do next to nothing here, so it's difficult to say anything definitive.

I actually liked this a lot. It's fun, and--so far, at least--it lacks the kind of obnoxious jokiness that you often get in New Ducktales. The novelty is fun, and the comix references (in addition to Clinton Coot, there's a picture of Donald's parents) feel less pandering than they do in that OTHER show. Let us hope that it receives a US release very soon.