Hollywood has many animated masterpieces. But sometimes the writers do screw up with the overall story. Thankfully, they do have subplots worthy of attention.
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted – Vitaly Jumps Through Hoops
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted is the weakest link in the entire Madagascar franchise. The huge character roster coupled with its tendency to rely on done and dusted running gags were its bane. But despite the movie being a hit and a miss, one character subplot really was the movie’s redemption. Vitaly, the old tiger who was in charge of the circus, used to do an impossible act where he jumped through hoops that is impossible unless cartoon logic was involved. One day his luck ran out and he was badly burnt as well as humiliated. His passion is reignited when during the movie’s climax and Vitaly rediscovers his passion for hoop-jumping. His secret weapon – the hair conditioner!!
Hercules – Meg’s backstory Was Better Than The Entire Film
It is very hard to be interested in the story of a naïve, self-absorbed demi-God. But the plot has many subplots that keep the audiences engaged. Meg was a woman who sold her soul to Hades to save her lover, only for her lover to desert her later. She does not believe in love and is working for Hades to make Hercules drop his guard. In the end, she discovers her feelings for Hercules despite her reservations. She even breaks out into a song and screams “It’s too cliché” in a scene. But it is what it is. Meg‘s backstory gave the movie some much needed plot depth.
Happy Feet – Memphis’ Guilt Because He Dropped His Son As An Egg
Happy Feet is a movie that has a very strong first act but a kind of messy second act. Elijah Wood’s Mumble is an outcast within his penguin group. Nobody likes him because he likes to dance more than he likes to sing. Whenever Mumble does something, Memphis blames himself because he thinks he is to blame. Memphis dropped Mumble when he just an egg and then pretended it never happened. So he coaxes Mumble every time to fit in to hide his guilt. The movie ends with Mumble finally letting Memphis know there’s nothing wrong with him and he does not blame his father. The movie ends on a very good note thanks to the Memphis subplot.
Open Season – Beth Releases Boog Into The Wilderness
Open Season is a highly underrated flick that asks a very serious question. Is it okay to leave a bear that is too docile and domesticated, in the wild? Beth and Boog are pals. When Boog goes on an unexpected rampage, Beth has to fire the first tranquilizer shot to stop a trigger happy hunter from killing him. The story then takes a dark turn when Beth has to airlift into the middle of a forest and then leave him there to fend for himself. She never gets a chance to say goodbye to her friend and knows that Boog will probably not survive in the wild. It is a powerful scene that happens only 20 minutes into the movie.
