Season 1; Episode 2: Ape Foo Young

Season 1; Episode 2: Ape Foo Young

Welcome again to another review of Donkey Kong Country! We'll be going over the second episode, by production order, Ape Foo Young.

Much like the first episode, we open up to another overview shot of Cranky's cabin, with another organ riff playing. We once again see Cranky playing away on the keys, while singing about how being old doesn't mean he still can't jam.

Who are you talking to?

Cranky moves away from the organ, and the tune goes into a guitar solo. Cranky Kong begins to dance, even though there is clearly nobody playing any sort of instrument now. Oh, that darn background music.

"Yeah, Wrinkly! Keep strumming away!"

In the background window, we can see some Kritters lurking about, and Klump and King K. Rool peek up and see what's happening. They're amused just by how ridiculous Cranky looks right now.

"We should totally upload this to Youtube!"

As it so happens, the Kremlings are currently surrounding the cabin, ready to launch a suprise attack. It's good to know that they've learned from last episode.

Cranky continues singing and dancing, until his hunch-back gives out.

So much for being old.

Klump barges in from the door, with two Kritters appearing out of nowhere, and King K. Rool demands the Coconut from Cranky. Cranky refuses to, and threatens all of them. However, his back starts to ache again, while King K. Rool tells his crew to tie Cranky against a pole.

They apparently had no rope, since they instead hung Cranky from a golden Donkey Kong statue.

Hello statue that will not have any importance until Season 2.

King K. Rool has somehow gotten the Crystal Coconut safe open, and is about to snatch it, that is until Donkey Kong is heard telling Cranky to open the door for him and Diddy. Upon hearing him, K. Rool orders his baddies to quickly hide.

Donkey Kong kicks the doors open, with so much force, and completely flattens King K. Rool, who was hiding beside the left door.

Oh the wonders of 3D animation!

Donkey Kong apparently wants Cranky's vacuum cleaner, since he's having Candy visiting his pad later. For whatever reason, Cranky can't seem to speak. I'm not sure if this is because he's choking from his vest, or the writers needed an excuse to keep Donkey and Diddy from finding the Kremlings.

Oh, and I really love this pan right here.

Well done animators.

Donkey and Diddy completely ignore Cranky hanging from a statue, and somehow interpret his mumbling as cupboard, and kitchen. Although, I'm pretty sure Donkey is just hungry, as he always is.

Diddy checks the cupboard, and is brought down by a bunch of books and bottles. Donkey scans the fridge, asking Cranky if he has any bananas.

There isn't even anything in there!

While the two are too occupied to notice them, the Kremlings sneak away, but not before one Kritter stomps on K. Rool's chest. King K. Rool gets up, still flat as a pancake, and swerves away. All the while Cranky tries to get a single sentence out.

About as flat as his character. Actually, that's a bit too much.

Rummaging through the pile of books and potions, Diddy manages to find his vacuum. Why was such a huge vacuum in the cupboard? Who knows. Also, Diddy's line is cut short from a cutaway. Oops!

With having taking Cranky's vacuum cleaner, the two depart, while Donkey fusses over how grumbly Cranky was. Oh, so they did see Cranky struggling. And they didn't even bother helping him? Jerks.

Cranky is finally able to speak again, and complains that if he were 40 years younger, he would've beaten the crap out of those Kremlings. He throws his cane to the Crystal Coconut safe, causing it to open, and it displays a hologram of an ape.

Sheesh. What happened, Cranky?

This hologram is apparently Cranky's younger self. So wait, is this a caricature of what Cranky used to be, or is this literally past Cranky talking to his elder-self? Either way, it doesn't make sense.

Cranky's vest finally rips from the tension, and he falls right on the floor. Younger Cranky laughs at his own agony, which makes elder Cranky to tell him to buzz off. He does so, and then right after, Cranky tells him to come back. Uhhh.

Younger Cranky comes back, saying that his older self has lost his sense of humor. Cranky agrees with this statement, and then comes up with the idea to mix up some humor for himself. In actuality, he's actually conjuring a youth-potion.

His younger self tells him some of the ingredients, and the rest finally comes back to Cranky. Seems as though he's made this potion before. Although, I'm pretty sure all you would get with chocolate syrup, powdered yo-yos, jelly beans, and macaroni-and-cheese, is a disgusting mess.

Powdered Yo-Yos? Who makes these recipes?

The hologram goes away, while Cranky finishes up his potion. With a red beaker at hand, Cranky goes and drinks some, causing him to glow yellow, while spazzing about like a muppet.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!"

With a great big flash, Cranky is back to his youthful self, and is ready to go to King K. Rool's lair to show him and his goons who really rules the jungle!

I'm not exactly sure why he didn't just wish to be younger, but whatever.

Back at DK's pad, we see that Donkey is about to start cleaning, or as he interprets it, The Kongo Bongo Banana Field Grand Prix. He fires up the vacuum, and starts to run around like a mad ape. Diddy alerts Donkey not to get too crazy, but despite such warnings, Donkey goes right through the wall in his house, and falls right down to the sand below. Diddy comes over and sees that he has broken the vacuum cleaner.

I don't think the vacuum is the only thing that's broken, Diddy.

Transition to King K. Rool's lair, where we see King K. Rool telling Klump their location, and the Crystal Coconut. I'm pretty sure General Klump isn't that thick-minded, King.

Hey! The Kremlings actually fixed up that hole in the ceiling! I haven't seen this episode in a while, so I completely missed this, before I started writing this blog. The thing of it is, I'm pretty sure that this ceiling rupture never gets repaired in any following episode.

I'm really not sure why they decided to go with wood, considering their enemy's strength.

Well I'll be damned!

Anyway, Cranky barges in through the ceiling, shouting Banana Slamma, and is ready to knock out the two with his fists. Klump doesn't take to kindly to this threat, and pushes a button, which activates the elevator behind Cranky, as he warms up. Three armed Kritters successfully take Cranky hostage, leaving Cranky at the mercy of King K. Rool. I suppose going to take out an army with nothing but your two hands wasn't the smartest of ideas.

"Oops."

Back with Donkey and Diddy, they're heading back to Cranky's cabin to return the busted vacuum cleaner. As we know, Cranky isn't home, and Diddy takes this as an opportunity to stash away the vacuum so Cranky doesn't give them an earful. Donkey Kong simply hurls the vacuum into the cupboard pile, and exclaims that he wants a banana.

"DK, your two-Dimensional character is showing."

Despite the fact that he already checked Cranky's fridge earlier, Donkey Kong checks his fridge once more, and finds a red potion. The same red potion that Cranky used to become young, which has somehow found it's way into Cranky's fridge. Donkey asks Diddy if he wants to partake in some chugging, to which Diddy declines, and tells DK that he shouldn't either.

He probably stopped listening after 'No.'

Donkey ignores Diddy's warnings, and drinks the potion. Donkey Kong notes that the flavor is like Yo-Yos. I'm not sure how Yo-Yos can be distinguished from any other type of plastic, or how Donkey Kong actually knows what Yo-Yos taste like, but I digress.

Diddy tells Donkey that he's going to be late for his lunch date with Candy, and turns around for Donkey to follow him. We see an off-screen transformation, and the screen fades to black. Uh-oh.

We return to Donkey Kong's house, with Diddy noting that Candy hasn't arrived yet, so he shouldn't feel anxious. Then, this eldritch abomination makes the scene:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

This deformed CGI baby gorilla attempts to stand up, and then falls right on his bottom, causing him bawl. Diddy comes over and is confused over who this baby was, and where his buddy, DK, has gone. He calls for Donkey, seeing as Diddy knows he is incapable of caring for a child, only to get no response.

I hope Dixie doesn't take the news too hard.

Diddy shouts for Donkey Kong, and the baby responds to this by attempting to utter; 'Banana Slamma'. Diddy is able to figure out this baby-talk, and comes to the conclusion that this baby is indeed Donkey Kong. I think the insignia on the underwear-looking diaper was a sure give away, but that's just me.

Diddy figures that the drink that Donkey had drank back at Cranky's cabin at transformed him into his current infant state. Just as things couldn't get worse, Candy has just arrived and she's calling for DK, proclaiming that it's lunch time.

I did not need the mental image of Candy giving 'lunch' to baby Donkey Kong.

Apparently, Baby Kong (That's just what I'll call DK for now.) still has some memory of his adult self, since he's pretty joyous about Candy coming. Diddy states that Candy probably wouldn't want to spend her afternoon with a crying, half-pint version of DK, so he decides to deceive Candy.

Why couldn't Diddy just tell Candy the truth? I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be mad by this inccident. Actually, nevermind, scratch that. Candy Kong always seems to get mad over the simplest of things in this show. Besides, we need something to fill up the plot.

Candy calls up again, saying that she's brought a 3-layer cake; Made entirely of bananas. This cake actually shows up a lot in this series. This show loves to re-use it's assets, which I'll be sure to note as this series goes on.

"Banana, Banana, Banana."

Diddy goes over to the elevator hole and starts to compliment Candy, in order to stall the inevitable. Candy doesn't buy any of Diddy's words, and asks if she's being stood-up. Baby Kong then begins to whine, and Diddy follows up Candy's words, subtly, with a joke to how Donkey Kong can't stand-up. Candy Kong grows more suspicious, and asks once more if Donkey Kong is there.

Diddy then says the elevator is not working, and that they're trapped, as well as Candy. That's some really bad house design, not having any escape route but an unreliable elevator. Actually, seeing as the elevator is down already, how did Diddy and Baby Kong get in the tree house in the first place?

Candy knows that Diddy is just lying, and decides to come up to see what's going on.

For someone with spaghetti-arms, she sure can pull a punch.

Candy arrives in the house, and Diddy tries in his best efforts not to let her see what Donkey Kong as become. By that, I mean he makes up another lie that DK has a suprise. Candy responds enthusiacstically. The delivery of Candy's line just always makes me grin.

Baby Kong makes some noise while in his storage chest, throwing lots of beakers and books.

Why does Donkey Kong have beakers, anyway?

Candy Kong questions what's going on, and that's when Baby Kong decides to reveal his ugly little head to Candy. Candy is adored by this infant, and asks who's baby it is. Baby Kong toddles over to Candy, and starts begging for her to play, as well as gaze belovingly at her.

Diddy tries to respond to Candy by claiming that's it's DK's. Candy is appalled by this.

"THIS SURE AS HELL BETTER NOT BE DK'S BABY."

Diddy then adds onto his sentence by saying that it is Donkey Kong's nephew. Candy is still confused by this, not aware that Donkey Kong had a nephew, to which Diddy answers that he does. Candy can't see the resemblance, but Diddy confirms that it's DK's nephew, after Baby Kong belches.

:downs:

Back with King K. Rool, he and Klump are surveillancing Cranky on a monitor, trying to identify just who this ape is. King K. Rool's questioning kind of contradicts a later reveal in Season 2, but I suppose the writers had not gotten that far.

Seeing as this ape supposedly has no record of being on the island, King K. Rool suggests that they could use him. Meanwhile, Cranky is just making insults, demanding that he be set free.

Hey look. He has beard.

We then join back with the trio, as Baby Kong dances around and acts dimwitted. Candy takes note over how adorable and stupid he looks.

Also, the DK insignia on his diaper somehow got mirrored.

How does this sort of animation error happen in a 3D cartoon?

Diddy Kong relates Candy's description to Donkey Kong, to which Candy responds by asking once again where Donkey Kong is. Diddy replies that he is around, and then whispers into Baby Kong's ear in hopes that DK is still able to understand him. He tells him that he will be going back to Cranky's cabin to get some help.

Diddy tells Candy that he's going out to fetch a banana for the baby, and Candy agrees to babysit, just incase Donkey Kong shows up. Diddy Kong leaves off-screen, as Candy approaches Baby Kong, who has been rummaging through his chest, and has pulled out a photo of Candy. The same picture of Candy's Head from last episode, and the one the was seen earlier in this episode.

Apparently Donkey Kong has two pictures of Candy's head.

"Goo-Goo-Gaa, this photo is possessed."

At K. Rool's Lair, Klump is marching along with four Kritters.

"Hip-Hup. Hip-Hup. Watchu' got?"
"Big fat butt."

From the rails, we can see that Cranky has gotten out from his cell, from using a large nail-file. For whatever reason, he tosses it backward, and the file lands directly on Klump's helmet, prompting him to look up. Whoops.

With their prisoner on the loose, Klump orders his Kritters to chase after him. The group splits, and we see that they have already managed to surround Cranky in their minecarts. The two corresponding carts bump into Cranky's, and a yellow flash is seen. It seems as though the youth potion has worn off, and just as the Kremlings are ready to blast Cranky with Klaptraps, Cranky offers a proposition for King K. Rool.

"My musles..my strength...my face. I'm not a stud-muffin anymore."

Switch to another scene with Cranky and King K. Rool, Cranky offers the King his youth potion. However, King K. Rool doesn't want anything other than the Crystal Coconut, and declines. He then pushes a button, and sends Cranky away. What do you know. King K. Rool is actually being serious.

Cranky melodramatically yells out for Donkey Kong.

"Scooby Doo! Where are You?"

And then we reach our second musical segement, and OH GOD THAT VOICE.

This vine swinging animation is shitty, by the by.

Diddy Kong begins singing, and I'm pretty sure I'm right by saying that Diddy has just about the worst singing voice out of every character in this cartoon.

Diddy sings about heading to Cranky's cabin, to be the big hero and all that. Nothing really much to say about that.

Also, he does this really weird ground-pound-esque move.

Yeah, I don't get it.

Diddy arrives at the cabin, and hears King K. Rool's voice. He heads over to the window to see that King K. Rool and his goons have Cranky surrounded around the Crystal Coconut case, and K. Rool is demanding that Cranky opens it. Even though we clearly saw at the beginning of the episode that he had somehow already gotten it open. I guess someone at the animating department didn't look over the storyboard for that scene all too well.

Cranky Kong refuses, seeing as they're not threatening him with any weapons, and King K. Rool attempts to be menacing.

Roast Cranky for lunch? Ew. He probably tastes like old ham.

Upon witnessing the situation at hand, Diddy chickens out and leaves to go fetch Baby Kong. I swear, the writers of this show don't know whether to make Diddy competent or not. It seriously gets annoying seeing Diddy's smug-face winning, even though he did absolutely nothing.

At the Bluster Barrel Works, Candy has apparently taken Baby Kong, since Diddy never did show up in time to pick him up. After some baby talk, Bluster shows up and berates Candy for her language, and the fact that she clocked in almost 4 minutes late. He blames Donkey Kong for Candy's tardiness, but Candy nullifies his statement by saying that DK never showed up for their lunch date, and instead got stuck babysitting Baby Kong. Just like that, Baby Kong has disappeared from his barrel crib, and Candy panics.

Baby Kong has gotten on the conveyor belt, and is stuffed into a barrel.

"Banana Slamm-"

-SPLURT-

Candy Kong stops the machine, and gets Baby Kong out. She then puts him back in his crib, and shuts the lid.

Wait a minute...

How is he supposed to breathe?!

Bluster tells Candy to go back to work, and fires up the machine before leaving for the remainder of the episode.

Then, suddenly, Cranky arrives at the Barrel Works, in hologram form!

It's the ghost of Festival of Lights Day's past!!!

They don't take time to tell the viewer just how Cranky is talking in this hologram, but Cranky can use the Crystal Coconut to transport a spiritual version of himself to anywhere on the island. How he does this is shown in a later episode.

Wait, if he's appearing in a hologram, then that means he's using the Crystal Coconut. Why is King K. Rool allowing Cranky to use the Coconut? That means the case is open, and he hasn't taken it yet. What the crap?!

Anyway, Cranky asks Candy where Donkey Kong is. Candy tells him that she doesn't know, since she was seemingly stood-up, and instead got stuck babysitting his nephew. Cranky Kong tells Candy that Donkey Kong doesn't have a nephew, and Candy questions Cranky as to who the baby in the crib is.

Baby Kong pops out of the crib, and Cranky sees the resemblance between the baby and DK. Baby Kong tries to toy with Cranky, but Cranky just leaves. Cranky will no longer be important to this episode's plot from here on out.

"Rugrats!"

Baby Kong approaches Candy's machine, hops up and stomps on the buttons, and runs off to another area in the factory. With barrels producing too quick for any regulation, Candy Kong panics, and cries out for Baby Kong to come back.

After a commercial break, we come back to Candy still looking around for Baby Kong, and then Diddy arrives on the scene, wanting to pick up Baby Kong. The two then spot him in a barrel, and Diddy gives chase on the conveyor belt.

Wait, how did Diddy see him?

Diddy Kong gets lead on the outside conveyor belt, and sees that Baby Kong has gone bouncing away from the factory.

Sweet lord, just look at those barrels.

It's like someone attached a bunch of thrusters to those barrels.

Back at the cabin, King K. Rool is seen gloating over his victory. He still hasn't left? Nevermind on Diddy being incompetent. Who takes this long to swipe a Macguffin?

"How long have we been standin' here?"
"I dunno. 20 minutes?"

The sound of an incoming barrel is heard, and sure enough, the barrel that Baby Kong is in comes barging inside. The barrel blasts open at the Coconut Pedestal, causing it to collapse, and the Crystal Coconut falls into Baby Kong's hands. Baby Kong is amazed by the jewel, and begins to bounce it around like a ball. I forgot. The Crystal Coconut is about as elastic as a super ball.

Also, I love the little smile that Cranky makes in this scene. It's a nice subtle detail.

Heh.

King K. Rool orders Baby Kong to give the Coconut to him, to which Baby Kong ignores. Diddy Kong comes in as well, and is speechless at the scene at hand.

This makes more sense in context.

Baby Kong passes Diddy the Crystal Coconut, and King K. Rool demands Diddy to pass it back. Diddy obviously refuses, and runs off, with Baby Kong following.

Congrats, K. Rool. You are literally incapable of stealing from a baby.

Hammy, pathetic villain at it's finest.

King K. Rool orders his goons to follow them, and we transition to DK's tree hut. We see a group of barrels hopping over to the house, apparently for camouflage. I don't see the point of that, though, since Klump calls up anyway, revealing himself.

Diddy actually responds to Klump (Why???), asking why they followed him. Klump demands the Crystal Coconut from Diddy, at which Diddy scoffs at. Once realizing that the barrels beside Klump are armed Kritters, he turns to Baby Kong for help. Baby Kong simply makes gun firing noises, to which Klump actually believes is real, so he orders the Kritters to fire away.

The Klaptraps are fired, and they begin chomping at the floor.

-Waka- -Waka- -Waka-

Diddy and Donkey are surrounded by a ring of these pests, and Klump and his crew spring up from the barrels, since apparently they had spring devices in them, and onto the tree house.

How did they get in the barrel, then?

The floor gives out after being eaten away by Klaptraps, and Diddy and Baby Kong fall down below. Looks like those Klaptraps backfired, huh?

Hm. No debris or anything. Also, where did the elevator hole go?

Diddy is dazed by the impact, and King K. Rool approaches the two, and asks Baby Kong for the Crystal Coconut.

Stranger Danger!

King K. Rool promises Baby Kong bananas in exchange, but Baby Kong refuses. K. Rool then tries to toy around with the baby, in attempt to get the Coconut, by playing off a football scenario. Baby Kong isn't amused by these shenanigans.

It's just a baby! Just take it!

King K. Rool finally snaps from all this, and orders the Coconut from the baby. Baby Kong declines, and with that being said, the potion finally wears off.

Klump and the Kritters retreat, while Diddy is over-joyed seeing Donkey Kong back to normal. With the adult Donkey Kong back, King K. Rool tries to talk his way out of a pummeling, but to no avail.

BANANA!

SLAMMA!

With a punch to the screen, we join an eye-swollen King K. Rool and Klump back at the lair, with K. Rool grieving over his loss.

All the while sitting on a comedically tiny stool, and with a red potion at hand.

I like to think of the stool as a metaphor.

This red potion is the same red potion that Cranky brewed up, and the Kremlings somehow got their claws on it. I'm not sure how, but they did.

Hoping to regain some of his spirit, King K. Rool drinks some of the potion. With a flash, King K. Rool seems to have vanished, leaving only his crown behind on the stool. Klump is confused as to where the King has gone.

The camera zooms up and into the crown, where we can see that King K. Rool has shrunk. I say shrunk, since he literally has shrunk down, with his cape, and oddly his crown, still intact.

"...Mommy?"

And thus ends the episode.

This episode had some really painful parts to watch through, and the plot revolving around King K. Rool and Baby Donkey Kong isn't all too interesting. It's just the Kremlings stalling, as Baby Kong gets into antics. Candy Kong is suprisingly bearable, but I can't say the same towards K. Rool and Diddy, and their behavior throughout the episode. This episode is pretty mediocre, but it does have some amusing bits scattered throughout.