Saturday, July 7, 2018

Legend of the Three Caballeros, Episode Five: "No Man Is an Easter Island"


Ain't no party like a Moai party, 'cause...well, for obvious reasons.  But Let me repeat that: a MOAI party! They're called Moai! Not Moa! Jeez, episode.

That notwithstanding, this was an obvious, huge improvement on the last few. This involves lava lizards under Easter Island whom the Moai are supposed to keep down. It's a creative approach, and I enjoyed it, but what I really enjoyed was that it didn't devolve into the same kind of boring "stop the baddies" thing that the last few did.

Did I love the usual reductive Donald/Daisy stuff? Not hugely. Did I find the rationale for why DAISY MUST NEVER KNOW about the Caballeros a bit dubious? I did. But mostly, I liked it. Here are some other random observations about the episode:

-It's kind of disorienting when they're dropped off by Apollo, who had not appeared in the last episode.

-Love Ari cracking himself into pieces with a mallet and reconstituting as mini-Aris. In general, I think the less realistic the better with this show.

-And on that note, also love Sheldrake bursting into song to get rid of the Moai. The song itself isn't memorable, but it's great that it happened.

-Man, they sure do kill A LOT of sentient lizards. Does this have the highest body count of any episode of any Disney cartoon?

"You're like my brothers from a different mother and a different father from a different country that I recently just met!"

-Good Donald impression from Xandra.

-I know I said I like the unrealism, but I also like Donald trying to flush himself down the toilet and it obviously not working. Good messing around with expectations.

-"You hired my nieces to cook and clean for you." Well, now we know why they're hanging around for no apparent reason. Okay!

"And now they shall cover the world in fire!" I know it's pointless to ask, but one does have to wonder what exactly Felldrake WANTS, exactly. Just world domination? Destroying the world outright? It's a big hand-wavey in that "we need a bit villain, dammit" way.

-I can't say I care for the way they truncate the theme song and end on a crescendo that's not at all part of it and sounds jarringly out-of-place.

That's all! I'm keen to continue!

5 comments:

  1. There is *lots* to like about this episode! I liked basically everything on Easter Island: the moai, the fire lizards, the volcano queen, the way the volcano creatures including the queen turned to stone in the seawater, Ari's antics. Plus several of the details you mention. A very satisfying adventure, with fine art and good laughs. A distinctive and memorable fantasy setting/scenario.

    The only part of this episode I don't like is the Donald/Daisy stuff. And no, there is *no* real justification for why Donald can't tell Daisy. It's the "superhero's girlfriend" trope, and it makes no sense here. Why would Daisy be in danger if she knew? Would she then be a target for the villains? How would *they* know she knew? Plus, as I said on Feathery, Lois Lane's much-younger nieces are not in on the secret and helping Superman do his heroics. "My NIECES knew what was going on and you didn't tell me to PROTECT me?" Since there's no believable justification for needing to keep the Caballeros secret from Daisy, I find the set-up for conflict between her and Donald very artificial and annoying.

    BTW, I thought that "Donald hiring AMJ to cook & clean for him" was just a cover story for Daisy's benefit. They are actually sticking around to help the Caballeros, because what kid would not stick around?

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  2. I love the line "Ony forces of evil could make the Moai relax and have fun" (or something similiar... very cinical when you think about it)

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  3. "Man, they sure do kill A LOT of sentient lizards. Does this have the highest body count of any episode of any Disney cartoon?"

    Well if you analise Disney's Mulan she pretty much murders few hundrets of the Huns with a avalanche and one movie act later she adds their leader to her victim list by blowing the shit-out of him, making her the only Disney Princes with a body count - and a very large one to say the least - and if you add all the people the Huns killed in the movie (even if it was off screen you still briefly see the bodies) makes it more death in any Disney cartoon as far I can tell. Hurray!

    That lizard Queen sure was creepy btw.

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  4. GeoX, I just keep correcting you on names and I know it's probably getting annoying, but: there's Baron Sheldgoose, and there's Lord Felldrake. There is no Sheldrake.

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  5. To be fair, one could read Xandra's reasoning for keeping Daisy out of the loop as intentionally flimsy, hence Donald's anger and resentment at it.

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