- "See? You gotta tell the truth. 'Lies will get any man into trouble, but honesty is its own defense.' It's wrong to lie. And when you do, it feels like the weight of the world is on you!"
- — Jason
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| Moon Menace on Planet Tell-a-Lie! | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | |
| Produced by | |
| Written by | |
| Music by | |
| Distributed by |
Chordant Distribution Group (Christian market) |
| Released |
2002 (production year) |
| Runtime |
31 minutes |
| Previous episode | |
| Next episode | |
Moon Menace on Planet Tell-a-Lie! is the 6th and final episode for the first season of 3-2-1 Penguins!, which teaches a lesson in telling the truth.
Plot
In the attic, Jason is pretending to be a humonga gila monster rampaging through a small town made of cardboard boxes. Michelle is pretending to be the frightened citizens, albeit using a monotone voice. Jason takes a dartboard and rolls it across the attic and down the stairs where Grandmum catches it. Jason asks her if she is okay. Grandmum answers that she is fine. She says that she has not seen the dartboard in ages. Jason asks where it came from. Grandmum says that it was one of Granddad's prized possessions and a photo album tells the whole story.
After Jason gets the photo album, Grandmum starts to tell the story behind the dartboard. The story begins with Granddad participating in a dartboard tournament with the queen of England's guards. As the tournament was coming to an end, Granddad needed just one bulls-eye. The whole crowd was in a stir. Just as Granddad prepared to throw his final dart, the dartboard slipped from its position. Granddad threw that dart anyway and hit a bulls-eye. After Grandmum finishes telling the story, Michelle asks if she saw all this. Grandmum answers that she was the one who took the pictures for the London Evening Times. She shows Jason and Michelle a picture of her taking a picture of him. She also tells them that from then on, Granddad was called the king of darts. At the end of the photo album, there is a dart which Jason grabs. He and Michelle ask if they can play with it. Grandmum tells them that it is too dangerous and that they can when they are older. She then tells them to put the photo album back where they found it.
As soon as Grandmum goes downstairs, Jason takes the dart out and tells Michelle to set the dartboard on a step on the staircase. Michelle does so and asks what he is going to do. Jason replies that he is going to throw a bulls-eye. Michelle reminds him of what Grandmum told them. Jason brushes what Michelle said off and says that it would not hurt to throw only one dart. Michelle does not feel too good about this. Jason reassures her that he will be careful. He aims carefully when Grandmum asks them if they are coming downstairs. Jason throws the dart at the board. He does not get a bulls-eye, and the board falls off the staircase and breaks. Grandmum asks what that noise was. Jason tells Michelle not to tell Grandmum what really happened. Michelle replies that she is not going to lie. Jason begs her to not get him in trouble. Michelle points out that he was the one who broke it. Before their conversation can go on any longer, Grandmum walks upstairs and asks what happened to the dartboard. Jason lies that the dartboard just fell by itself and he did not throw a dart at it. Michelle ponders how to respond for a few seconds and agrees with what Jason said happened. Grandmum believes them because they know what the Good Book says. "Lies will get any man into trouble, but honesty is its own defense," she quotes. She says that means when you tell a lie, it may have looked like a good idea, but you end up with the feeling of carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. Before she goes downstairs, she tells Jason and Michelle to come down before their lunch gets cold. Michelle looks at Jason and says that she cannot believe he made her lie. Jason thinks about what she said as he goes upstairs.
Just as he puts the album back, he hits his head on the ship. The ship starts flying and Jason gets galeezeled aboard. Fidgel welcomes Jason aboard as he gets stuck in Kevin's collar. Midgel flies the ship out of the attic and into outer space.
While the ship is flying in outer space, Fidgel apologizes for galeezeling Jason so suddenly. Midgel says that there is an emergency on Planet Tell-a-Lie. When Jason asks where Zidgel is, Midgel answers that he is "preparing" for the mission. By "preparing," he means Zidgel is just in the bathroom trying on some glasses. The emergency that Midgel mentioned is that Tell-a-Lie's giant moon has gone out of its orbit and is falling at a swift rate. After Zidgel exits the bathroom, he tells Jason what Midgel and Fidgel already said. Midgel adds that this situation could cause a chain reaction, like a flood, a fire, a flood on fire, or the cable going out. Jason asks how a giant moon could just slip out of its orbit. Fidgel answers that since something like that could not occur naturally, it is caused by someone doing something they should not have. Midgel announces that they are approaching Tell-a-Lie. He asks how many points he needs. Fidgel looks at the score board and answers that he needs one more bulls-eye. Midgel ejects the landing gear which makes the ship work like a dartboard. The ship lands smack-dab in the middle. Fidgel comments on how Midgel's landing was a lucky shot as he and the rest of the crew exit the ship.
On the planet, Zidgel is looking for its inhabitants when something sharp lands on his foot. He cries out in pain and removes the object. He asks who threw that dart. The dart answers that it was him. He lands on Zidgel's foot again and Zidgel asks him what he is doing. The dart welcomes the crew to his planet. Zidgel introduces himself and his crew to the dart and tells him he would like to speak to the king. The dart claims that he is the king and he was out for a stroll with his subjects. Fidgel points out that he does not look like the king. The dart explains why he looks the way he does by claiming that he lost weight, shaved his mustache, had his nose shortened, and replaced his glasses with contact lenses. Zidgel informs the dart that their moon is falling towards their planet and something must be done before it is too late. The dart replies that it is not too late. Zidgel reassures him and the other two darts that there is no need to worry since danger is not that close and that all the floods and the fires will be taken care of. And they will also get their cable back. Midgel points up at the sky to let Zidgel know that the moon is closer than it was before. Zidgel gives up and says they are doomed as he orders the crew to go back to the ship. However, he will not be able to enter the ship since Midgel has the keys. Midgel tells the darts that they were just warning their king of the giant moon. The second dart claims that the first dart is not the king, he is the real king. Jason gets confused because the first dart said he was the king. The first dart denies ever saying that, while the second dart says that he did say that. As all this is going on, Zidgel returns to the crew and tells Midgel that he needs the keys. Midgel says that the second dart is claiming to be the king. Zidgel asks the second dart if he used to look anything like the king in the photograph. The second dart says that he did. However, a female dart claims that she is the king. Midgel calls for a huddle. In their huddle, Jason thinks that everyone on Tell-a-Lie is lying. Midgel asks why they are doing so and how they can find the real king. The crew concludes that if they can find the palace, they will find the king. Jason gets an idea on how to get to the palace. Jason asks the darts for the direction to the palace. The three darts answer that it is north, south, and east. The crew concludes that the palace is west and start heading in that direction.
While they are approaching the palace, the two darts say that the palace is bigger and blue. Fidgel tells them that the palace is the only tower on the planet. The three darts respond that they plan on building ten more towers. Zidgel tells Fidgel that one of the darts told him he was a handsome, brilliant leader. Fidgel replies that they do not tell the truth. Fidgel has been calculating the moon's rate of falling and finds out that it is not falling constantly, it is falling erratically.
At the palace, Midgel says that they still have no idea which dart is the king. Zidgel does the same thing that Jason did earlier and asks the darts where their king is. Some darts say he is this way, other darts say he is that way. Suddenly, the moon lands on the palace. The darts think their palace stopped the moon and start cheering. The first dart starts to brag about how only the strongest materials were used in the palace when the moon lowers even further, flattening the palace. The darts immediately panic when the palace flattens even further. Using his scanner, Fidgel discovers that the Tell-a-Lie citizens are doing something that is causing the moon to drop. Zidgel tells the darts that they are doing something that is causing the moon to fall. He orders them to name something they do frequently. A dart answers that they arm wrestle. Jason points out that they do not have arms. That dart responds that he did not say they were good at it. Fidgel says that there is a connection between the darts' speaking and the rate of the moon dropping. Zidgel tries to solve the problem by ordering all the darts to never speak again for the rest of their lives.
After Zidgel congratulates himself for doing a good job, the moon drops even further. Everyone wonders what should be done next. Jason tells the darts to stop lying and urges them to tell the truth. He repeats the Bible verse that Grandmum told him earlier and tells them that when they lie, it feels like the weight of the world is on them. Fidgel's scanner shows that the tower can only hold for three more lies. When Zidgel replies that he knew that, the moon lowers. Now the tower can only hold for two more lies. After Zidgel apologizes, he says that he normally does not tell fibs. His second lie causes the moon to drop even lower. Jason begs that no one tells a lie. After a short period of silence, the real king reveals himself, resulting in the moon rising. He tells everyone that what he did caused the moon to drop. The king revealed that there was a big, shiny red button that had a "Do not touch under any circumstances" sign, but he couldn't resist the urge to push it, so he decided to press it. That red button was what caused Planet Tell a Lie's moon to be released from its orbit. The king then says that he commanded the citizens to lie for him so that he will not get in trouble with the Federation. The female dart says that they then started lying constantly and feel awful for doing it. Jason replies that he knows how they feel. Fidgel eventually discovers that telling the truth makes the moon rise. Zidgel then urges everyone to tell the truth. In no time at all, everyone does just that and the moon is restored to its normal orbit. The king thanks the crew for saving Planet Tell-a-Lie. As a way of showing gratitude, the king prepared the ship for launching into space.
Back aboard the ship, Jason says that it does feel great to tell the truth. Midgel then begins the countdown before the ship gets launched. Before the countdown is finished, Zidgel is about to say something, but decides not to say it. When the countdown finishes, the ship gets launched into outer space like a dart.
At Grandmum's cottage, the dartboard is repaired. Michelle is going downstairs when Jason asks where she is going. Michelle says that she is going to tell Grandmum what really happened to the dartboard. Jason tells her that she is not going to tell because he is going to tell. Jason goes downstairs and tells Grandmum how the dartboard really broke. He tells her that when she came upstairs, he made Michelle lie for him. Michelle adds that she made the choice to lie, Jason did not make her do it. Both kids apologize for lying. Grandmum admires them for doing the right thing by telling the truth.
Later on that night, both Jason and Michelle ask God to forgive them for lying and to help them to always tell the truth. Michelle asks God's blessings for her mom, dad, and Grandmum. And Jason asks for God's blessing for Michelle, and even though he does not always act like it, he loves his twin sister and that is the truth.
At the Fabulous Comet Lounge, the penguins perform a song about The Legend of Galaxy Gus which also talks about telling the truth.
Characters
Locations
Quotes
- Zidgel: Good people of Tell-a-Lie, I respectfully ask that you all be silent. Well, there you have it! Citizens, we have discovered your problem! You will be happy to know that you will all be safe and sound, as long as none of you speak again for the rest of your lives, ever. Goodbye, you're welcome, and please don't worry, I know you are all cheering for me in your hearts. Problem solved, I'm a genius.
Home media
- Main article: Moon Menace on Planet Tell-a-Lie!/Home Video
Features
Trailer Appearances
Fun Facts
Explanations
- The story involving three kings and a donkey that Zidgel mentioned he heard somewhere is referencing the story of the birth of Jesus.
Trivia
- This is the last episode for a few things:
- The last 3-2-1 Penguins! episode to be released on VHS.
- The last episode animated by Jam Filled Toronto.
- The last episode to be distributed by both Warner Home Video and Chordant Distribution Group.
- The last episode to feature Mark Marten, Melissa Peterson, Ron Wells, Greg Mills, Page Hearn, Ron Smith, and Kymberly Mellen as the main characters. It is also the last episode to feature Hearn before his death in 2008.
- This is the only episode for a few things:
- The only episode in which Grandmum's face is shown.
- The only episode to be released in the Christian market and the Mass market on the same day.
- The only episode to not have a Penguins Karaoke on the DVD.
- According to the DVD-ROM, the script was revised on August 26, 2001.
- The verse quoted is "Proverbs 12:13".
- On the television airings, the Fabulous Comet Lounge scene was removed.
- "The Legend of Galaxy Gus" from Moon Menace on Planet Tell-a-Lie! along with "Fly By Might" from LarryBoy and the Angry Eyebrows show up as bonus shorts on the DVD release of The Wonderful World of Auto-Tainment!.
- "The Legend of Galaxy Gus" from Moon Menace on Planet Tell-a-Lie! also plays after "The Wonderful World of Auto-Tainment!" is done on the VHS release. It was before "Moon Menace on Planet Tell-a-Lie!" was released on July 1st, 2003.
- The concept of telling the truth had been already discussed in Larry-Boy! and the Fib from Outer Space!
Remarks
- The dartboard was already broken before it fell to the ground.
- It was never revealed what happened to the broken piece of the dartboard before Grandmum repaired it.
- There is no way that a bunch of tiny, armless darts are able to carry a big spaceship to their spaceport.
- The credits states that the video was released in 2002, but it did not come out until July 2003.
- It is likely that the video was intended to be released in 2002, but it got pushed back.
Goofs
- The Rockhopper disappears in the last frame after Jason gets galeezeled.
- While the first dart was lying that he changed his appearance, Midgel's left eye clips through when he blinks.
- In the Legend of Galaxy Gus, after the Squid attaches to Honcho's head and knocks his cowboy hat off, the hat disappears after a few shots.
Inside References
- The episode's plot is similar to the first episode, as a planet is doomed due to the inhabitants causing the problem.
- The crew huddling is similar to the second episode.
- Jason saying "What? What happened?" is a nod to one of Annie's lines from The Toy That Saved Christmas. Likewise, Michelle's line "What happened next?" is quite similar to what Bob said in God Wants Me to Forgive Them!?!.
Transcript
Credits
Gallery
