So here's the one where they go to
Nazca and become line drawings and have to fight Felldrake and
Sheldgoose like that, and meanwhile April May and June infiltrate
Sheldgoose's mansion to try to figure out what's up with the barrier.
Does that about cover it?
I like that title, but it's no lie:
this one is a substantial step down from the last few. The line
drawing business is reasonably cool-looking, I guess, and it DOES
come alive a bit in the aerial chase scene where everyone's drawing
cannons and whatnot to attack everyone else, but eh. It's mostly
pretty uninteresting. As is the infiltration sequence; it's great to
give AMJ a more prominent role and all, but it was not done in a
super-compelling way here. I didn't even care for the song; it felt
forced and unnecessary in a way that previous musical numbers
haven't. I guess I liked the intensely Midwestern Nazca guardian
lady. She and the monkey look really strange in the "real"
world.
Also: "If the earth is destroyed,
he will be too! He's evil, not insane!" I dunno, man: he
wanted to "cover the world in fire" back in the Easter
Island episode. Are you sure you've thought this through?
Yeeeaah this one stands alongside the third and fourth episodes as the weakest in the run; Thanks A Camelot merits mention too, but has more winning gags than those including some killer ones.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity because the drawing angle could have turned this into a visual tour de force, but it's not exploited enough. It is also the closest the series gets to giving José his own episode, but the monkey and guardian lady push him to the side. Wasn't a big fan of either, albeit that did make Don's irritation relatable and hilarious. Same goes for his pitiful drawing attempts; I have as much artistic talent as he does so all of those gags struck gold with me.
Things definitely ramp up with the next episodes, and I'm not just saying that because my home country is represented next!
Personaly I enjoy this one a lot and it's one of my top three favorite. I personaly found the song super cute and entire concept (while done before) very fun and charming.
ReplyDeleteHow do you feel about José is super gullible subplot? I think it was very funny.
I'm with Pan, here! One of my three favorite episodes. I like the whole magic chalk thing way more than you did. As Pan says, it's been done before, but I thought it was well done here and it kept me interested throughout. I've always enjoyed "the drawing comes alive" stories: I have a small collection of versions of the magic paintbrush/pen stories, which includes the John Lustig/Paco Rodriguez "Can You Imagine...Melvin?" And the drawing coming alive was also a callback to the classic Disney artistic animation. I don't remember if it actually happens in one of the Caballeros films, but I kinda think it does. Certainly the illustrations in the book come alive.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I wasn't bored at all by the drawing sequences. I thought they kept changing subjects and styles to keep it interesting. I *loved* the flying contraptions they drew for themselves. I thought the "Donald can't draw" element was funny.
I liked the song. I liked the focus on José. I liked the "economy of line" remark followed by the economic reference. And I liked the whole AMJ subplot a lot. Fun to finally have them be truly adventurous on their own.
And I love Jim Cummings as Sheldgoose Securite guards.
DeleteConcerning whether it appears in one of the Caballero films: you bet! Aquarello do Brazil, the short that debuts José in Saludos Amigos, is all about this idea, and does it more masterfully than anything else I've ever seen, at that, from a purely visual standpoint.
DeleteThanks, Achille! My copy of Saludos Amigos was on (sob shudder) videotape, which I no longer have the means to play. So I haven't seen it in a while! Anyway, the fact that it is used in the short that debuts José makes it particularly appropriate that in this episode the focus is more on José.
DeleteHeck, Jose even say "Remind me to show you my watercolors one day" to the monkey.
DeleteAll right, I just ordered a used copy of the Saludos Amigos/Three Caballeros DVD, so soon I will re-watch Saludos and then re-watch Nazca Race (if it's still on Youtube at that point). Nice callback line you caught, Pan!
DeleteThat depends on how many VHS tapes you have, but it might be cheaper to purchase a VHS-to-DVD transcoder than to replace very tape in your collection.
DeleteIncidentally, Aquarello do Brazil is available online (or at least signficant parts of it are) if you want to have a quick look, anyway.
I have to say I find Xandra's dynamic with the Caballeros incredidibly cute and endearing, particularly that moment where she holds Donald's hand in this episode. She's like a cool big sis with her three toddler brothers!
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