Elena of Avalor- Series Overview

The place to talk about your favorite movies, tv series, cartoons, music and theater.
mrdent12
Posts: 4215
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2016 8:10 pm

Re: Elena of Avalor- Series Overview

Post by mrdent12 »

I always like the stories that are sort of bottle episodes. Elena gets pretty dark, for a kids show, near the end. So, fun episodes that don't try to add to a larger serialized plot are nice refreshers.
orion_989
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2022 5:17 pm

Re: Elena of Avalor- Series Overview

Post by orion_989 »

Hey! I remembered this set of posts just now, did you ever get round to finishing your rewatch of this show ? :D
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Elena of Avalor- Series Overview

Post by Jabroniville »

orion_989 wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2023 8:02 pm Hey! I remembered this set of posts just now, did you ever get round to finishing your rewatch of this show ? :D
Alas, I haven't watched it since last August. Actually completing my builds for the show kind of put a crimp in my watching it, especially as we're entering the era where I remember more of what happened, as it was more recent. Thanks for reminding me! I was thinking about it when some YouTuber released a long review of the series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcx5SeS ... el=AthenaP
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Elena of Avalor- Series Overview

Post by Jabroniville »

50) "Luna's Big Leap" LOL I finally watch a new episode and it's one of the Jacquin-focused ones. So in this one Luna, the least-focused-on of the Jacquins, is looking for a new job- The King's Guard in Vaellestrella. So it turns out this is Luna's big dream (that she just hasn't mentioned till now) after she uses her wits to locate and catch a frightened baby Jacquin who had entered Avalor by mistake. She convinces King Verago to give her a shot (via Disco) and gets her chance, but is paired up with the most experienced guard. And naturally Tornado is rude, humorless and demanding, shushing Luna repeatedly and lecturing her. Luna of course proves she needs help when she fails to catch one of three rapacious monsters who've gotten free- Tornado has to save her and catch it herself. The same thing happens again and Luna is all "WTF?" and complains to Elena, who is now the level-headed one and points out that Tornado IS the most experienced Guard and thus explaining how to do things is sort of the point. Luna again fails and nearly gets Elena killed this time, and Luna quits, realizing she doesn't have what it takes.

However, Tornado ends up trapped in spidersilk trying to catch the last creature, and Luna has no choice but to take over, this time actually listening to Tornado's advice and setting a trap- she is, however, able to use her own techniques to lure the beast in, copying what she did with the baby Jacquin with a bush full of berries. Tornado ends up impressed and Luna earns her position on the Guard. An interesting one overall, with our only "Luna Episode" of the series and the antagonistic Tornado isn't treated like some awful authority figure or a bully, but someone who is actually CORRECT and who should be listened to, as she has experience and is trying to share it. A lot of shows would have painted her as the villain who was being unreasonably harsh or cruel for no reason, and have Luna school her in "new ways".
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Elena of Avalor- Series Overview

Post by Jabroniville »

51) "Naomi Knows Best" A big one, where Ash finally meets the heroes! And it's ironically an "Elena doesn't listen episode" following the last one, where she implores someone ELSE to listen. Here, Naomi's intuition is ignored as she feels something is off when the nearby King Joaquin announces that Victor & Carla have been captured and that Elena should come pick them up. Naomi first finds it weird that he isn't bringing them TO Avalor, then points out he's starting his letter a different way than normal. Esteban (of course) disregards her advice and says it's too important to ignore, and Gabe SOMEWHAT says she's being paranoid but is good enough to agree to go with her to Corizo.

Naturally, it turns out Naomi was right- the letter reads differently because Joaquin was mind-controlled into writing it, and Elena, Esteban, Mateo & Joaquin are all captured. Ash's plan: to drain Elena of the magic she gained from being in the Amulet of Avalor for decades ("You may not survive. But you may rest easy knowing you have made me the most POWERFUL MALVAGO EVER!"). Naomi & Gabe spot what's going on, but are horribly outgunned. But AGAIN Naomi is ignored, as Gabe is sure they need to stop the villains before they get on the ship they need for the spell (the first ray of moonlight must hit the Scepter of Night's jewel), but he & Naomi are easily solo'd by Ash's power. Naomi manages to escape, chiding herself for always backing down and their hopeless chances, but Skyler & Miggs tell her she has been right about everything thus far, so needs to "Speak!" and trust her instincts- naturally, via song. Man I don't hear Chris Parnell singing much. Well, he's "Sing-Talking" for the most part, but still.

Anyways, Naomi comes up with a plan seeing Victor (the "weaker" of the two Malvagos, according to Ash) leading Gabe to the prison- she provokes him by repeating Ash's statements, and he blows up a wall of the jail trying to get at them, thus springing Mateo & Gabe- and when Gabe suggests a plan of attack, Naomi speaks up and informs him she's already come up with one- her confidence is all it takes to convince him. And the plan works flawlessly- Mateo "trips" and lures Carla away from the ritual spell, and distracts her from Naomi disarming her tambourita. Then Mateo bursts into the room and blasts the jewel, destroying it once and for all. Ash attacks in response, but is tripped up by Naomi's lasso and Gabe THROWS THE SWORD (in maybe the one instance of him actually using it on a bad guy until the Series Finale, because naturally he can't stab or slash people in a Disney show), piercing her tambourita. Defeated, she flees with Carla and escapes, leaving Victor imprisoned.

A good episode, and a very important one- the Jewel of Night is destroyed forever (and thus is gone from the show as a threat), Naomi's importance is elevated, and Ash is finally introduced to the heroes. Mateo puts over her threat big-time ("She's the most powerful Malvago I've ever seen") and the rift in the villainous family is only growing (Ash dissing Victor's power and then abandoning him to jail, promising weakly that "we'll come for him later"). Also, it's one of the few times we get Naomi/Gabe/Mateo all teaming up against a single foe, in one of their better showings of teamwork.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Elena of Avalor- Series Overview

Post by Jabroniville »

52) "Sister of Invention" We follow the defeat of Ash with Elena leading the team to the family cabin in Cordoba, but Isabel tags along despite Elena's instructions not to. This earns her a stern lecture (one of the few times we see Elena act as the "parent" to Isa in terms of discipline) but she's of course correct in realizing where Ash is going to go. BUT we're introduced to Ash's trainer, the evil wizard Zopilote. Harpy-like, he transforms from a vulture to a hunched-over creature (with four digits on each limb! What IS he?) and confronts his former student on her failure. Ash seems tambouritas so she & Carla can redouble their efforts (though Carla keeps reminding her to save Victor, who has been captured by the heroes), but Zopilote only has one spare, and gives Ash a puzzle-map to Takaina- the source of Maruvian magic.

So a lot of this becomes a Lore Dump- Takaina is the source of magic jewels and spells (and becomes much more important later). And Ash gives her origin story (via song, of course)- she sought out Zopilote after he attacked her village and stole everything- having stolen even her pet mice, he "taught" her that wicked always wins, and that she'd have to be as evil as he if she wanted power. And after she explains this (via song), the gang shows up and attacks- Ash is actually knocked down, but grabs Zopilote's own tambourita and it's a fight between her & Carla and the heroes- the heroes are a bit stunned, but Isabel shows up against orders again and gets involved- temporarily helping but then making things even WORSE, as Elena is left dangling over blue lava. The villains escape (helpfully so) and Isa has to make things right by using THE POWER OF SCIENCE to send a rope over via a lever she makes out of rocks, then using her bola invention to save Elena after THAT stops working- some pretty dramatic last-minute rescues there. Ultimately, Isa is allowed on the team (after a one-week grounding).

It's somewhat interesting that Ash becomes the main villain of Season 3 after FAILING in her first attempt. She is given a pretty big debut and a plan that nearly works (showing herself to be more competent than the other villains in the process) but is still defeated and has to flee. I guess they wanted an introduction, but also realized she needed to DO something.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Elena of Avalor- Series Overview

Post by Jabroniville »

53) "To Save a Sunbird" We finally pay off the "Elena's Scepter is damaged" story arc, as she gets it back, but it turns out there was a great cost- Huul of the Sunbirds is dying, having expended her magic fixing it! Elena & Zuzo figure out that the magic pool that freed her from the Amulet of Avalor can save Huul, and the other Sunbirds de-age her so she's now voiced by Kate Micucci (around when she was in EVERYTHING) and is hyper-energetic, endangering the mission to save her because she insists on wasting time visiting Avalor. Things get weird when she's turned to gold by Noblins and they have to make a potion to free her, there's a brief stopover so Elena can stop Carla from freeing Victor and has her arrested, etc.

Huul's "Glorious Now" is pretty catchy. It reminds me of Rent for some reason. Maybe combining the "live in the now" vibe with early '90s-sounding pop rock. Elena & the gang finally make it to the magical pool, but all the stalling has cost them- Huul has changed back to her elderly form and is fading away ("you've been a great friend, Elena..."). But Elena, as always, is DEFIANT, refusing to go down like this, and offers to dash down to the bottom of the pool to get the "Breath of Life" for her. Mateo, Zuzo and the Jacquins all protest, but Elena risks her life ("But Avalor NEEDS you!" "What kind of ruler would I be if I didn't do whatever it took to rescue a friend?"), gets the Breath, and saves Huul.

Of the show's episodes, this has some of the strongest "Filler" quotients (it majorly features a character who as yet has mostly been a gag, and is just "one of four", and has a guest star doing a quick VA as her younger self), yet of course the clever writers make it NOT so, simply by adding important plot developments in the process. Chiefly that Carla is captured and now Ash has to free her. It also shows the cost of Elena's magic- it isn't just some simple matter to fix it (and a few episodes of drama built around Elena NOT having her powerful weapon handy when her life was in danger)
Post Reply