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In Search of Ancient Blunders Re-Rant

Reviewed: 01/15/2011
Additional Commentary: 11/17/2021

An Upside Down Pyramid & Don Karnage Committing Grand Theft Pyramid? GET ALL THIS!!


Original Airdate: 01/30/1991 (Syndication), Episode #49 (TaleSpin DVD Volume 2, Disc 3), Episode #49 (Production Order).

In Search Of Ancient Blunders Notes
In Search Of Ancient Blunders Transcript

(2020 Gregory Weagle Says: This might one of the few episodes in the series where the Production Order and the episode order all match up together!) So, we got past the worst of the disc three episodes and head into some of the best of the entire volume by writers you would normally not think of writing awesome episodes out of their asses; nor have Kit Cloudkicker in them in this case. (2015 Gregory Weagle Says: Geez; after Flight Of The Snowduck, you still deny that Steve Roberts can be a good writer? For shame 2010 me! Anyhow; the plot of this is Baloo and WildCat deliver a tablet to the Ministry of Culture, whose life work is to find the pyramid of King Utmost, whose pyramid is the floor of the airport. Yeah; the pyramid is upside down. Then all hell breaks loose as a mummy and Don Karnage get in the way while Mira and company try to solve the mystery of the pyramid.) This is Mark Lungo's most favorite episode in DTVA and after seeing it before; it's not hard to understand why. (Mira is one of the really great characters out there at the time. Long story short: She had class, she wasn't nearly the jerk Rebecca is, she is awesome and in this episode, she really gave the mummy a piece of her mind. She was another one of many one shot characters in this show that earned a regular rotation position by the sheer force of the writer's will; but since the triangle dynamic had to be retained no matter what; and that Michael Eisner was milking Baloo for what it was worth; none of them got elevated. If is one of the biggest weakness of this show, much more so than Baloo being Fred Flintstone-ish in terms of plots for him.) Does this one still measure up? Let's rant on shall we...?!

This episode is written by Steve Roberts. The story is edited by Duane Capizzi. (Known for being the writer and story editor (in that order) for Flight Of The Snowduck.) The animation is done by Walt Disney Animation Japan Inc./Hanho Heung Up Company Limited.


We begin this one in the skies as the clouds seperate to show us the ocean below. We then see the SeaDuck fly as Baloo wonders why they haven't been to Aridia yet. Baloo wants the position and WildCat turns the map around and looks down at the ocean near the clouds and proclaims that they are way high in the air. Baloo then grabs the map and realizes that WildCat was reading it upside down. HAHA! (Thus giving the angle away even though it's such a throwaway spot that no one would notice nor care. (2020 Gregory Weagle Says: WildCat and Daddy Pig, seperated at birth, too!)) Baloo blows WildCat off realizing why they didn't see any desert. Or why Baloo wishes Kit was in this episode too. I'm certain Ted wishes that too; knowing him. (This is another episode in which Kit Cloudkicker is not present; although in this one, I can fully accept Kit not being here. Mostly because there is no mention of Higher For Hire; and WildCat clearly was a part of Baloo's Air Service before the changeover to Higher For Hire, so this episode in storyline took place before Kit arrived on the scene anyway. This is a pre-Plunder and Lightning episode and can be accepted as such.) We go to the window shot as we see a tablet on the cockpit floor as Baloo states that they need to get the tablet to the Arida museum by 3:00 pm as WildCat states that Baloo will never work in this town again if he doesn't. Well; that is certainly a reasonable point there Mr. Puma. (A lot of these one shotters in this show wish Baloo was never Eisner's boytoy in those days either. Paranoia is a bad thing to happen to a CEO.) Baloo disagrees because he thinks Aridia will treat him like a king complete with dancing girls. I think even Aridia's hospitaltiy know better than allow someone who is capable of eating them out of house and home. The SeaDuck turns around on a dime and thus logically; we go to some mountain cliffs BEFORE HAPPY HOUR (sunset) as we pan east to the Iron Vulture and we see Don Karnage in the cockpit with the periscope proclaiming that either the SeaDuck is late to it's own ambush or they forgot to change their clock to Aridian Standard Time. I think it's the later; knowing the pirates general lack of direction. (Nope; in this case, it's WildCat's goofy sense of direction that the ambush is late.)

Don steals the green grapes from Dumptruck as Mad Dog checks his watch because he needs that tablet. Dumptruck asks if Don has a headache. HAHA! Don gleefully blows him off because it's not an aspirin tablet. See, drugs ARE allowed on DTVA. (Aspirin is a drug, even though it's one of the tamest drugs out there. So tame that it's considered medicine and not a drug due to that. So tame that kids can use it on par with adults. Once they start showing recreational goodies like "fishsticks" than you might see actual drugs.) That's because this is an ancient stone tablet which will lead him to the lost treasure of King Utmost. Karnage says in the audio: "King Atmost"; while TaleSpin fans have it as King Upmost which is more accurate in an ironic sense. (It's clearly Utmost since Mira later said that in the audio. (2020 Gregory Weagle Says:Ironically, Utmost is a motif for Ultraman.)) Mad Dog is putting grapes in a container on the floor as he asks how he is going to read it in some funny language. So that's where the Sailor Moon dubber got their funny symbols crap from? It all makes sense now. Okay; maybe not. (Here's another reason why Cloverway's dub of the "funny symbols" line was so horrible: The Sailor Guardians are babyfaces and not all that stupid. Mad Dog is a heel so therefore, him insulting another language (more so one he doesn't understand because he only saw a picture of a school once.) makes sense.) Don then reveals the banana yellow book of doom called "Anicent Hieroglyphics Made Easy". Man; those book writers need to know how to use their colors properly to sell that one. Banana yellow is not a color to be endeared with. (Behold more Engrish: The book cover says "Hyrogllyphics Made Easy." and completely removes the "Anicent" part of it.) Gibber is at the periscope and then whispers in Don Karnage's ear which always seems to get a funny reaction from Don Karnage. Not this time as Don takes to the periscope because here comes the SeaDuck at 2:25 as Don calls for ambush stations. HEE HEE! We cut to the sky shot of the SeaDuck flying above the abyss below as Baloo is nervous on the TMS background shot because someone might ambush him.

The Iron Vulture follows from behind and Don Karnage licks his chops. The Iron Vulture beak opens as Baloo yawns in the SeaDuck and then we cut back to Don Karnage in the Iron Vulture cutting a "You Cannot Do That On Television" promo. Gibber sets up the particle bullet gun to shoot; but when he says" fire"; we get smoke (AND THAT'S BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH, MOVIE RATING AND BAD AMBUSHES~!) and Don lands on his ass. Don asks how they went stop, Gibber whispers to him that they are stuck in the abyss and Don doesn't like it as we cut to the Iron Vulture stuck inbetween the gorge. HAHA! (Don Karnage's broken English is so funny that it should be an official language onto itself. Question now is: What do we call it? Karnageish? Carnageish?) We then see the SeaDuck fly casually across in front of the Iron Vulture as Baloo tells WildCat to keep his eyes peeled for welcoming parties and WildCat looks from the navigational side away from the Iron Vulture. HAHA! Man; the backgrounds were confusing because the Iron Vulture I thought was behind them; but was really coming across them. We head to the brick landing strip as the SeaDuck lands and we get the TMS brick ground with parallex scrolling with the Middle Eastern village in the background. Also, you know Walt Disney Animation Japan Inc. is animating since a piece of paper flies when we see the SeaDuck wheels land on the brick floor. The engines stop as WildCat asks if this is the welcoming party even though there is NO ONE...AND THE ROCK SAYS NO ONE around. Baloo thinks that they got tired of waiting and points to him and WildCat carrying the stone to the museum. I should note that there is the anhk cross on the far right of the tablet. We head outside as Baloo dragging the stone and WildCat sitting on top of it. HAHA! Who says WildCat is dumb? Answer: EVERYBODY~! (2020 Gregory Weagle Says: Ableist scum!) Baloo stops, WildCat jumps off as Baloo asks why it's so heavy and WildCat no sells. Baloo then turns around; grabs the tablet and WildCat sits on it again as Baloo drags it some more. HAHA! Baloo calls it tough going; but they will be waited on hand and foot before WildCat knows it.

I think WildCat already knows it Pop-A-Bear. AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (This is such a funny spot because it's funny to see Baloo actually have to do all the work. I love WildCat's antics and this actually shows that WildCat does have a legit brain. It might be a bit scrambled for goodness knows what reason, but it's there. Who says WildCat is dumb? Answer: Ableists.) We also see a hayball roll in for good measure as we cut to the wooden sign stating that the "Museum of Ancient History" is coming soon. Baloo repeats it for all the guys who are blind. At least they didn't wipe the sign clean like they do on 4Kid dubs and insult a lot of people in the process. (Just remember this: You want a full audience; you must be able to communicate through various means. That is what subtitles are for and that's why it's perfectly okay to repeat what we saw on a sign. Advice to critics: Look through a non-typical person's eyes and you'll see why these techinques exist. They are not horrible and insulting your IQ. Your doing that yourself by not realizing that it's not always about you.) The place looks deserted as WildCat jumps off before Baloo can turn around. WildCat asks if they should wait; but Baloo wants to try next door; so we go to a brick building with the sign "Ministry of Culture" as we pan east and see a fox furry with the Guy LaDouce outfit at her desk with the magic lens studying something or killing ants. I think the later is very unlikely considering the area. Baloo turns around and we see logic break number one for the episode: Mira apparently was studying nothing on the desk outside of a green piece of paper; but when Baloo and WildCat bring the tablet in and the female fox proclaims that they brought the tablet: there is a map on the desk and the background shows no window in the background whatsoever and it's completely wooden with wooden crates to the far left. Very inexcusable move there guys. (Yeah; I wish she was killing ants, that would have been foreshadowing with her epic rant on the mummy later on.) The fox furry gets out of the chair as she shakes hands with Baloo. She is Mira who is voiced by Liz Georges.

Anyhow; Mira is the State Archaeologist for the Minister of Culture. I should also point out that she has no last name; although TaleSpin fans have always referred to her as "Myra Foxworthy", even me. Why we would give her a last name related to "you might be a redneck" joke man Jeff Foxworthy is beyond me. (Yeah; the Foxworthy part was made up by Mark Lungo himself, just to play mind games on TaleSpin fanboys, including me. Although knowing the creators; you would never know because Jymn Magon is notorious for punish type names. Even funnier; we kept spelling Mira's name wrong all these years (Mark Lungo had the original script for this episode and it's Mira.), even though people thought Myra makes more sense than Mira. Interesting fact: Mira is a star in the constellation Cetus. While Myra (Ancient Greek: τα Μύρα [plural]) is an ancient Greek town in Lycia where the small town of Kale (Demre) is situated today in present day Antalya Province of Turkey. It was located on the river Myros (Demre Çay), in the fertile alluvial plain between Alaca Dağ, the Massikytos range and the Aegean Sea. The name was created by the 17th-century poet Fulke Greville 1st Barone Brooke (1554–1628). He possibly based it on Latin myrra meaning "myrrh". Myrrh is a fragrant resin obtained from a tree. Mira is a feminine given name with varying meanings. It is related to the Latin words for "wonder" and "wonderful."[1][2] In the various Slavic languages, it means "peace" and is often used as part of a longer name, such as Miroslava (masculine form: Miroslav) or Sławomira (masculine form: Slawomir). In Sanskrit, it means "ocean", "sea", "limit" or "boundary"[3] In Hebrew, it is a derivative of Miriam[4][5] or the female equivalent of Meir, meaning light.[6][7] ) She will also be the museum curator when it opens. (In fact, Mira does make more sense because she said wonderful among her first lines before introducing herself. So Mark Lungo was right all along.) Did I mention that TaleSpin had more diverse female roles than any show in DTVA? (Not anymore; not after all the Disney Channel shows like Fish Hooks and even Gravity Falls took over.)

Baloo asks where to put it (because he's getting tired and Mira tells Baloo to put the tablet on the desk; so Baloo does that face down (Which the upside has nothing written on it...) and the desk literally gets crushed. HAHA! Sadly; the writing reappears in the next frame for logic break number two for the episode. Baloo blushes and apologizes for that. Mira doesn't mind though because this is the tablet of King Utmost. Disney Captions did screw up because in the audio Mira clearly said "Upmost" which makes for the irony of what is to come. (Nope; the audio has it as Utmost. Utmost means greatest by the way.) Also, it was found in a thrift shop and Baloo calls it on sale too as Mira calls this a great discovery. Baloo ribs WildCat as he wants some dinner now. Mira says goodbye and thanks them for their help. Baloo is stammering like an idiot because he wants dinner see and Mira apologizes as she decides to take them for some of their local delicacies. Ironically; the shot off-screen is the exact same one down to the poses from about thirty seconds earlier. Mira wants to take the tablet with her because she wants to translate it while eating see. Baloo proclaims that he'll allow him to take the tablet off her hands. (How nice of him. No, not really.) We get the scene changer (Number five of nine scene changers before the first commercial break I might add.) as we head to the Mexican Casbah Cafe which looks like a western/Mexican resturant. They all walk inside as Mira apologizes for the lack of taxis in Ardia. Baloo strains like mad and says that is all right. WildCat doesn't sit on the tablet this time by the way as everyone sits down at the table -- and Baloo has the tablet with him --as WildCat has the banana yellow menu asking Baloo about the lack of dancing girls. Baloo proclaims that they are dancing in another country as the chair breaks. Man; that is one weak chair. Logic break number three: WildCat's menu turns from yellow to blue which I don't mind since I hate the COLOR OF GEDO~! (Actually; the outside of the menu is blue while the inside of the menu is yellow.) Also; Aridia is not a night life village either. Baloo apologizes again as WildCat's menu turns back to banana yellow again. (Nope, the outside of the menu was blue and the inside was yellow. That said; there is a slight error in that a yellow upside down triangle is now on the menu when it wasn't originally.)

Wildcat states that Aridia has a rich culture. It's all entirely contained within the great pyramid of King Utmost; but the location is a mystery that no one has found. Baloo asks how he knew and WildCat claims that he read it in the menu. Of course the menu changes to blue again. (Outside menu blue; inside menu yellow. Also, WildCat sounds like me on Friends Among Friends trips.) Mira kneels down and starts translating that the tablet shows the location of the great pyramid. See; if she finds this pyramid; she can build the museum and help Aridia's sagging economy. She then calls for the waiter whom is an orange raccoon with a Fez like hat with yellow streamers and a black shirt with white cloth, for three inhouse specials. The orange raccoon waiter goes into the kitchen and then gets grabbed by the neck by Dumptruck without saying a word. (And we never saw him again. What a super jobber for life he is?!) We cut back to Baloo -- who has apparently found a more stable chair -- has the orange scarf on sulking that he is at least getting a free meal out of this. We then go to the double doors and see Dumptruck, Mad Dog and Gibber as waiters. Sadly; Gibbers boots and hat easily give them away and they trip and shatter more glass than ever before. Baloo takes off the scarf and he's gone sfor a five o'clock dental appointment. Riiiiggghhhtttt Pop-A-Bear. Mira thanks them for their help though as WildCat sees the "triplets" (HAHA!) pick up the dirty food. Baloo corrects them because they are not waiters, they are air pirates. Baloo then panics (Why?) as Dumptrucks touches Baloo's shoulder and demands the flyboy to hand over the tablet. Baloo says "sure thing" and gives the tablet to WildCat who staggers back. (I never understood why Baloo would panic after already realizing that they are air pirates. Force of habit, I guess.) Then Baloo grabs the wooden table and flings it at the heels despite only a few more glasses shattering. Mira and WildCat run stage right as Dumptruck blitzes them demanding the tablet or stone depending on what mood I was in when ranting this. Baloo gets in front of them and Dumptruck causually throws him away stage left to a MAN-SIZED bump. Baloo breaks a table; see stars; wants a best two out of three and squashes Mad Dog and Gibber. How about that?!

Then we see WildCat dodging punches from Dumptruck as Baloo comes up from behind and breaks a glass vase over Dumptruck's head. OUCH! Dumptruck no sells the shot and then Baloo shatters a plate over his head; then a lamp, then a wooden chair. Dumptruck no sells all and grabs Baloo as WildCat bails. (This is literally turning into a Three Stooges-equse street fight; because certainly, somehow; a wooden chair does more damage than glass. A wooden chair isn't as bad as a steel chair to the head; but it still has to hurt even someone with a brain made from solid bone.) Note that Mira has disappeared from the scene as Dumptruck is ready to MURDER Baloo with the Sunday Punch of Death and Dumptruck gets MURDERED by a...wait for it...a piano. HOLLY CRAP! Baloo looks up and we see Mira waving at him. Yeah; the most gentle babyface in the entire episode "kills" Dumptruck with a piano. That is just too funny. Dumptruck then breaks logic somehow in the next shot staggering punch drunk as WildCat dodges more punches before Baloo grabs Dumptruck. Baloo slides him on the bar table and Dumptruck slides out through a wooden barred window; but not before breaking more glasses and wine bottles to boot to an off-screen MAN-SIZED bump outside. (For anyone who thinks alcohol doesn't exist in this world; then what are all those bottles and wine glasses doing at the counter and behind said counter? Occam's Razor everyone; never assume that censorship takes place if they only show it and not say it. Visual evidence is more profound than audio evidence.) WildCat is still slipping around as Baloo comments on his footwork and WildCat thanks him because he's sliding on bean dip dropped on the floor. HAHA! Go figure that. Baloo goes over to Mira as she is using the magic lens on the tablet while Baloo proclaims that he's leaving. Mira asks him about making sense of coordinates and asks please to boot. HEE HEE! Baloo isn't thrilled on that one. We head to the brick landing strip as we get a sky shot of the babyfaces about twenty feet in front of the SeaDuck, which the coordinates point to right in front of the SeaDuck. Mira proclaims that this is the airport and doesn't understand why.

Baloo apologizes because he read the tablet right as we pan over to WildCat pointing to the upside down triangle proclaiming that this is where the pyramid is. Baloo blows him off because if that was true they would be standing on it. Then he gulps and catches himself as we zoom out to the sky shot. HAHA! See the pyramid is upside down; thus creating the irony of King Upmost. I swear to god; Disney Captions hates deaf people. (Nope; it's Utmost. Disney Captions got that right at least. Upmost means highest position.) Anyhow; we cut to ground level at the edge of the pyramid as Baloo and WildCat are digging sand asking if there are any pirate sighting while Mira gets to stand and watch. (Yeah; she gets to deal with the air pirates. Geez; I wonder if "homicide by piano" was the reason for this...) Mira states that the coast is clear as we see Baloo and WildCat have finished digging and we have the double doors with ancient writings and drawings on them. Baloo tries to push on the left side of the door; but no dice as Baloo calls to Mira on their being any password on the tablet. Mira climbs down the ladder stating that there isn't one that she saw. WildCat is also seen pushing on the right side of the door and he enters easily. HAHA! Baloo turns around and then panics as he runs in to find WildCat and then freefalls into the darkness below as Mira slowly walks inside. We pan down to Baloo's white eyes proclaiming that the next step is a lulu. I think Lulu from Final Fantasy X would like to punch Baloo in the face now. Also; note the mature lighting in this scene. Get used to it; there's a lot more where this came from. (What good would that do for Lulu? Nothing. It wasn't an insult 2010 me; so enough.) We fade to black and return to the a mound of sand as there is a periscope eye buzzing around and then out pops from the sand Don Karnage and Dumptruck and Gibber. Don spits out sand and then proclaims that if the pyramid will not come to Karnage; Karnage will come to the pyramid. (Wow; that was completely pointless. Where's Mad Dog? Having a smoke break already?)

Okay; let's cut back inside as Mira walks further inside and we have more mature lighting. Remember that this is a cartoon marketed to children; and wonder how Mr. Hardcore can sleep at night?! Mira is SHOCKED as the whole place is upside down. See the irony of it all folks?! King Upmost is upside down see. (No; it's Utmost 2010 Me.) We then cut to Baloo on the ceiling calling for WildCat and we see WildCat arrive walking on the floor. HAHA! Baloo blows him off and WildCat catches himself and free falls breaking some more clay vases off-screen with a MAN-SIZED bump. Well; I'm guessing BS&P has seen enough sick head smacks on stone bumps already. (Nah; this is TaleSpin and protecting heads is for wimps, see. I realize that they are just ink, paint and voice; but it still makes me cringe to see even imaginery characters taking these bumps for fear that a child might mimic it and get brain damage or worse. Most so when their bodies are still developing at this point.) Mira is amazed because everything is upside down. Mira even notices the statues are bolted to the ceiling and then corrects herself. Baloo wonders why anyone would build such a pyramid. WildCat's answer: Maybe they all walked on their hands. HAHA! Baloo thinks that they think like WildCat which wouldn't be the dumbest response I have heard out of him. Anyhow; we pan right as the babyfaces walk east. Mira warns the males about the place rife with secret traps. Baloo blows it off because no one would be crazy enough to put a trap on the ceiling as the ceiling trap door falls within their own feet and they free fall. HAHA! King Utmost is CRAZY BABEE! Baloo, WildCat and Mira fall down the slide into the bottomless pit and then they drop on their asses onto the ceiling in the top floor I do believe.

Originally; I ranted on this episode from a UK cut and this scene is still too funny since the commercial break in that cut happened around the trapdoor scene: Are those kids from Disney Club UK screaming for our heroes or are they really screaming because they saw the original pilot for Teamo Surpremo?! You the viewer decide! (Strange that they picked the commercial break for the Disney Club UK cut here since the actual commercial break is about a minute later. The answer to my question is obviously for the heroes because Teamo Supremo wasn't even in the pre-pitch stages until at least 2001. Even more amazing; Skate Lad looks like a prototype version of Kick Buttowski, only with braces and is Latino.) Everyone recovers as Mira notices another tablet which is propped against the wall and it's upside down of course and Baloo is not shocked to find out. Mira twists her hips and the tablet reads Beware of mummy. Keep reading for further details. Geez; King Utmost was the inventor of the disclaimer. AHHAHAHAHAHAHA! Baloo laughs that one up because he's afraid of boa constrictors (CONTINUITY from Jungle Book/For Whom The Bell Klangs since Kaa/Klang are boa constrictors.) but not mummies. Then here comes the mummy growling from behind Baloo's back. What a shock?! He also seems to gain the stock voice from "Scooby Doo Where Are You?"! I'm going to hazard a guess that it's an uncredited John Stephenson since he played most of the heels in that show. That actually ends the segment ten minutes in. (I'm almost sure it's either John Stephenson or Frank Welker in an uncredited role. Mark Lungo, are you listening? Do you know anything about this? Please e-mail me because I (and Neneko) would love to get to the bottom of this mystery. Anyhow; this was a great episode with some problems here and there with the animation; but the story is as good as it gets. Nine scenes in the first act is a bit much when the rest of the episode has four scenes total.)

After the commercial break; we have Baloo stunned as the mummy is growling behind his back. How utterly rude this mummy fellow is?! Wildcat notices who is a mummy and Baloo turns around and dodges two MAN-SIZED shots from the mummy and bails. Everyone bails into the next room and Baloo is not thrilled because this room has high ceilings. The mummy runs in and Baloo orders everyone up the stone column as the babyface climb up the column. Baloo's climb is much slower as WildCat and Mira manage to get up the stone catwalk as WildCat asks how Baloo mad the mummy mad and Baloo claims that he did nothing...AND THE ROCK SAYS NOTHING. That the mummy woke up on the wrong side of the sarcophagus. Yeah; a twelve letter word in a children's show, (Not a big deal. All cartoons do this; although this one has context and meaning to it; and it's not just there to make the characters look like smugasses.) this morning. That is a complex word meaning coffin by the way as Mira tries to grab Baloo's hand; but the mummy screws him by smashing the column into discs. Nice to see that even in this show; we can have Scooby Doo cartoon spots. At least this mummy is real; sort of (and not some musclehead wrapped in bandages as we'll see later on.). Baloo manages to jump on the mummy's back on the way down and it's MUMMY BULL RIDING as WildCat channels the powers of Molly because he wants to ride the mummy next. HAHA! Mira doesn't want him damaged because he's an historical artifact. Yeah; let's make Pop-A-Bear life more screwy Mira; that's always a cheap way to get you over. Like you need it anyway. (Yeah; there is a mummy who is probably trying to kill people for tresspassing in the pyramid and you are concerned with it's safety and well being despite being already dead?! Why must every babyface in this show have a crazy side of them?!) Baloo gleefully answers that one for me as Mira proclaims that they need to do something so WildCat bails and returns with the ANICENT LADDER OF HISTORY which he calls an accordin. HAHA! (I wondered where the writers got the angle of Michael Pacther Syndrome from for the Cro-Magnum P.I. skit in Raw Toonage from? Wow; who thought doing this angle with straight guy characters was such a good idea?)

Mira blows him off for that one, throws it to Baloo, who catches it and it falls on the necks of both fatasses. POW! POW! OUCH! OUCH! UGH......(Fifteen minutes later...) Okay; we play the old Three Stooges trick for a while. I cannot take Bubba Ray Dudley seriously using this at Wrestlemania 2000. (Because it's a goofy spot and Bubba is supposed to be a scoiopathic woman beater in storyline.) Baloo asks if he comes here often so the mummy punches the ladder rungs. HAHA! We see Baloo grab the ladder away, puts it propped against the statue, he climbs up as more ladder rungs are smashed by the mummy, then we jump cut to Baloo grabbing onto a bird statue -- which is upside down -- and the bolts die on him, literally. Baloo manages to climb up fast as lightning and the statue MURDERS the mummy on the way down. The statue crumbles to rocks, of course. (So much for trying to keep this heritage site from being destroyed. At least it's not with impunity like in most modern cartoons.) Mira and WildCat help Baloo up on the catwalk as Baloo thinks that he killed the mummy; but the UNDEAD POWER~ screws him good with the mummy rises from the rocks. HAHA! WildCat thinks that the mummy gets a lot of exercise. HAHA! More running and then they freefall into another hole trapdoor and we go pitch black as I do believe that this is the beginning of the "Chamber of Eternal Night" scene that Toon Disney cut out. (Yeah; probably the largest cut from Toon Disney ever in TaleSpin as Home Is Where The Heart Is was a cut by syndication in 1990. All because WildCat was striking matches.) The heroes gather their thoughts as Mira explains that they are in the "Eternal Chamber of Night". WildCat takes a match and lights it as Baloo comments. The match is TOO HOT and WildCat is forced to put it out. Baloo and WildCat agree to find the matchbox (which WildCat dropped on the floor), WildCat grabs onto something cold and wet which turns out to be Baloo's nose. Funny stuff as Baloo has found the matches and lights one as Baloo comments about kitchen sinks and WildCat actually shows one to my delight. HAHA! (Wow; actual random humor that was set up by Baloo's comment about WildCat getting the kitchen sink. Too bad that joke was already used in It Came From Beneath The SeaDuck.)

The match gets too hot once again and it goes out. Third degree burns ensue and now I'm starting to understand why this one minute plus scene was cut. Baloo attempts to light the match and we see the mummy appear from a column and he blows out the match before Baloo can see them. Must be a breeze as Mira asks if she can try and the mummy lights the match for them behind Baloo's back as Baloo comments about Mira's skill. Mira says she didn't do it as Baloo grabs the match. UH OH!! LIGHT BLUB OF BLOODY CLAIRY ensues as Baloo blows out the match, they run away into the next room and that's the end of the cut scene. This scene was cut out because of four matches being used by RESPONSIBLE ADULTS in a room with NO SUNLIGHT and NO ELECTRICTIY. Also, doesn't this cut just reinforce the stereotype that mentally ill/dimwitted people cannot light matches properly?! The scene wasn't really meant to be funny and it was needed to advance the plot. Thankfully; the whole scene is on the DVD including some additional cut lines. (Actually; in the Disney Channel version (and Toon Disney and iTunes version) when Baloo, WildCat and Mira bail; they run right into Don Karnage right away. So the freefall trapdoor shot was also cut out to boot. In other words, the cut doesn't hurt the plot in anyway; but it does make Disney look heartless when it comes to people with mental illness.) Anyhow; we run into Don Karnage stealing priceless stuff with the goons as Don asks who dropped in for a visit. Mira orders Dumptruck to put the vase he is holding down because it's priceless. Not a smart move Mira as Dumptruck drops the vase and it shatters on cue. HAHA! Don Karnage is not happy to hear nor see that one as Dumptruck's answer is that it is not worth anything. HAHA! I cannot argue with that overwhelming logic there Dumptruck. (Remember; in pirate speak, priceless means worthless. It's so obvious. Once Mira has some time; she should look into piracy's history and why words often mean different things to pirates. She should also study Karnageish just for fun and profit.) Then we hear the mummy roar as Baloo would love to chat; but there is a crazed mummy on their tails. Disney Captions missed the "crazed" part. Wonder if that was a BS&P decision? (Nope; Disney Captions would later address the mummy as crazed as well.)).

Don blows him off because he thinks Baloo thinks that Don Karnage is stupid in the head. See; he cannot be frightened with silliness about a mummy. Speaking of crazed mummies; here he comes now as Dumptruck and Mad Dog drop the jewels and they shatter as Baloo and the babyfaces bail stage left. The mummy stalks Don Karnage and Don blows off the mummy claiming that he cannot be fooled by a cheap costume. (So he has been watching Scooby Doo episodes and has a time machine.) Don brings out the REGAL CUTLASS as he calls for a new Band-Aid and the mummy thrusts and manages to get the sword out of Don's hands. Don is seriously screwed as he backs away and tries the weasel method. He wants to split the treasure fifty-fifty with him and the mummy no sells him giving the thumbs down. Gibber whispers in Don's ear and Don calls it a good idea and goes sixty-forty in favor of the mummy and that's his final offer. The mummy roars like mad pushing the heels away as Don Karnage gets up and orders his heel squad to get him and then runs away stage right like a scalded dog. HAHA! Good one Don as Mad Dog doesn't like it one bit. The mummy grabs Mad Dog and Dumptruck and throws them away in opposite direction as he stalks Don Karnage. We cut back to the babyface crawling under the narrow passageway stage left as Baloo notices the way out. Notice the logic break: Baloo points to a western block near the end; but when we cut to the outside; it's below the trapdoor. Baloo pushes on the block and the babyfaces climb out. WildCat then notices that the place looks familiar. Yeap; they are back where they started before the mummy chased them which is as good of a start to return as any. We then see Mira on her hands upside down trying to read the tablet as Baloo is upside down proclaiming that he wants to leave because the mummy could return at anytime. Mira doesn't want to leave because the hieroglyphics could tell them how to get rid of the mummy. Baloo proclaims that he has twisted his arm and the screen goes right side up on cue. Simple enough I guess. We head outside to the airport as Don Karnage and Gibber run out of the pyramid and Gibber whispers in Don Karnage's ear again as Don asks if there is an easier way to pillage the pyramid.

Gibber whispers in Don's ear again and Don calls it excellent as he orders Gibber to radio the Iron Vulture and tell them to bring the cables; which are completely big and fat. We return inside as Mira continues to translate the tablet as she deduces that the mummy was the foreman who built the pyramid (Which is a swevre because you would think that it was King Utmost who was the mummy...) and then the screen turns upside down. Mira deduces that he read the blueprint wrong and built the pyramid upside down. Wildcat calls it a great idea (HAHA!) as Baloo thinks that it's an ancestor of his.(WildCat is not amused and there is a big logic break: Mira is translating the tablet on the ceiling upside down for no reason whatsoever. She should be on the floor doing a handstand and then jump cut to her right side up. This is really the only major logic break in the episode.) No; the mummy looks nothing like Abyss from TNA; so stop asking me about it guys from Youtube. Then we get a zoom in shot of animation as we see King Utmost (Who is a parrot furry in royal Egyptian Gear) with a skull wand turn a dogsperson (One of a few in the entire series and he's a slave. (That is so ironic for a series that is as furry diverse as TaleSpin is.)) in peasent gear into a mummy. Mira explains that Utmost was so embarrassed that he placed a curse on the foreman and condemned him to stop anyone who stumbled on the shameful secret. And then King Utmost changes to Baloo and the mummy grabs him and throws him away stage left. HEE HEE! Mira calls the foreman a poor guy. I love real comments that aren't supposed to be real comments. Baloo isn't amused by that and want to skip to the part about getting rid of the mummy. Mira looks and proclaims that lifting the mummy's curse is easy: The pyramid must be right side up instead of upside down.

I don't know how anyone can confuse that; then again Youtube is full of surprises so I shouldn't be shocked. (Not anymore. Nowadays; it's Twitter that gives us surprises. Both good and bad. Youtube comments nowadays are mostly for little boys pretending to be tough guys accusing me of being a WWE sheep and approving of bunny rape which there was none. Even though my analogy to TNA being like a cockroach is not only accurate; but had absolutely nothing to do with WWE burying people. I only responded twice to this troll and I was done with this troll. Some are saying that he's Eric Young, but I'm not buying it. And I like Eric Young by the way; even though he was buried for years and years in TNA and only got the title because he was a poor man's version of Daniel Bryan. Yeah; I'm such a WWE sheep, I haven't watched WWE much in years; I've been watching mostly old archive footage from dead promotions, because I like history.) Appalled is a different matter; but whatever. Here comes the mummy as Baloo wants to start lifting now. WildCat walks backwards over the trapdoor, the mummy goes through it and freefalls into the "Chamber of Eternal Night". Wow; no wonder King Utmost cursed him forever. This foreman is dumber than WildCat ever was; which is saying something, all things considered. Baloo thinks WildCat did a great job, then the mummy grabs WildCat's knees, Baloo grabs WildCat on the rebound and they bail stage right. WildCat tells them to go left, they go left and that leads to the trapdoor leading to the outside door. Baloo asks how he knew and WildCat proclaims that they didn't ask. The mummy growls near the trapdoor as the babyface climb out. Mira asks if they should leave the air pirates there and Baloo asks if they are going to take the whole pyramid. If you need the ultimate example of a clueless jackass; just call Pop-A-Bear. Anyhow; they get outside and we hear rumbling as Baloo is flustered because the Iron Vulture is committing GRAND THEFT PYRAMID~ on the far shot. That ends the segment sixteen minutes in.

After the commercial break; we see the Iron Vulture committing Grand Theft Pyramid (I'm SHOCKED Rockstar hasn't created a video game series around it. I mean it is a refreshing change from Grand Theft Auto and there's enough sick stuff in that era to make it give the shock value it needs.) as the babyface climb onto the brick bottom and head towards the SeaDuck. Sadly; they are forced to stop as the mummy has made his own door (HA!) and rises from the pyramid from the floor. Baloo is not amused to see him as we cut to the cockpit as Don and Gibber are giddy because the lost treasure is his for the taking. The pyramid is pulled out like a turnip and the mummy sways off the ledge and freefalls. Normally; this is HOLY CRAP!; but this has been done before and he's undead so it doesn't have the same shock value as seeing Kit (nor Molly) do it. Don and Gibber sway in the cockpit; the babyfaces sway and Mad Dog and Dumptruck slide down further into the pyramid. We head back to the edge as WildCat and Mira look over and Mira feels bad for the undead foreman. Baloo feels bad for them (BOO! HISS!) and heads inside the SeaDuck as Mira wants Baloo to save the pyramid, Baloo concedes that he must and turns on the engines. The SeaDuck flies away and then we have a jump cut since the brick floor is gone despite them going up about ten feet. The SeaDuck flies around, Baloo grabs the transmitter and demands they drop the pyramid. Like I'm going to take Pop-A-Bear seriously. Don asks "or what" calling Baloo a "future victim". HA! Everyone is stumped on ideas and Baloo tells Don that he'll get back to him. HAHA! Gunfire ensues as some of them actually destroy the flight recorder wire inside the SeaDuck. (This angle went absolutely nowhere as there was sparking orange colors; but there was no real consequences and no one really mentioned why we should care about a flight recorder. One of the few times this show did something pointless.) Baloo complains as the SeaDuck manages to get above the Iron Vulture because all he wanted was a free meal and dancing girls. HAHA! See; he got jumped by pirates, chased by a crazed mummy (Wow; Disney Caption kept crazed this time.) and lost inside an upside down pyramid. I would call that a five star adventure Pop-A-Bear. Oh, and he is getting shot at as WildCat proclaims that he is having a great time too. HAHA!

He thanks Baloo for bringing him along as Baloo proclaims that they are safe for a while near the Iron Vulture backside. (Oh that cooky WildCat; he is so goofy.) So we head to the catwalk as Gibber runs in and whispers something in Don's ear. Don thinks those fools can't outfox the fox (funny since Don Karnage is a fox/wolf hybrid no matter what Jymn Magon says that he's only a wolf. (Actually; he meant a red wolf which actually makes sense now. Jymn Magon has flip-flopped on canon for many years; but this one he got right.)) by hiding behind his backside (Nice word for ass by the way...) and orders Gibber (after some whispers) to bring out the great big gun that makes the loud kaboom-boom. HAHA! (Only Don Karnage can make something so threatening sound so funny.) Sadly; Baloo discovers that the boxwire has been snapped. This couldn't come at a worse time because the tailsection of the Iron Vulture opens and the cannon is pointed straight at them. WildCat tries to warn Baloo -- because he is down looking at the snapped wire -- in a riddle and Baloo wants nothing of it. WildCat states that it is very important, Baloo decides to give up on it and Baloo is screwed again. The cannon fires and the SeaDuck manages to dodge the blow. Baloo decides to lower the SeaDuck to the tip of the pyramid thinking that he will be safe down there, the mummy is still hanging on for dear life and apparently he jumps onto the SeaDuck. We then return to the cockpit as Wildcat has the torch mask on and the blow torch on his person as his plan is to torch those cables. Baloo praises him for thinking right side up and WildCat proclaims that after they are done; we can toast some marshmallows. HEE HEE! (Why not?! Toasting marshmallows is awesome. And you don't even need a campfire for this.) The Seaduck continues to fly around the bottom of the pyramid as we see WildCat on the wings using the blow torch on the cables as Baloo ask yells him how the progress is going and WildCat thinks he singed one. Baloo gives him the thumbs up and tells him to keep going. And then the mummy appears from behind WildCat and grabs him (while the blowtorch falls) and does what Dumptruck did to Kit in Plunder and Lightning Part Four (he throws WildCat off the wing by the way).

Wildcat manages to land on his feet right on the pyramid and opens the mask asking where the plane went. Baloo then notices WildCat is gone and so is the mummy for no apparent reason as Mira is really upset now because the pirates are stealing her life's work and the ruining the future of Aridia. I don't blame her; she is great and she's close to her crowning moment of awesome too. Mira asks what could be worse; and the mummy jumps down OUT OF NOWHERE right into the cockpit. I'm calling that one a logic break without question and there goes the perfect episode right there. (Actually no. The mummy ran off onto the roof out of sight. The logic break is that the mummy managed to get into the cockpit from the roof without smashing the roof first. This was not an "out of nowhere logic" break; this was a "not thinking through" logic break.) Mira is SHOCKED and Baloo asks if this guy ever knocks. No; but he breaks logic like no one else Pop-A-Bear as we see the SeaDuck fly up which causes the mummy to fall back; but they are now in front of the Iron Vulture. Finally, we come to one of the funniest moments in the entire series as we cut to inside the cockpit and Gibber whispers in Don's ear again. (Oh, here we go; one of the funniest sociopathic moments you'll ever see in a DTVA show.) The quotes if you please:

Don: {Calm.} The Seaduck has returned. Fire at will. {We zoom out as there is screaming and gunfire as a furry wolf in an orange sweater with a blue hat runs away stage left. Gibber whispers in Don's ear again.} No, do not fire at Will. He is my second mate. FIRE AT THE SEADUCK!

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! And Don is surprised that he cannot win? (Don Karnage can make sociopathy sound so funny. He just stands there acting like a professional and doesn't realize that these pirates do not get the difference between an verb and a pro-noun. I almost said "noun" for a second there. Dean Douglas is gonna shun me now.) We cut to outside as the SeaDuck is dodging more gunfire. We're up to 0.5 Trigun right now (and as of this writing; we now have thirteen of seventeen episodes where the guns were pulled out.) as Baloo is forced to return to the tip of the pyramid which brings the mummy back into the cockpit. Baloo cannot stand him; so he tries to fly the SeaDuck to the tail section of the Iron Vulture and he gets blasted by the cannons. Baloo flies the SeaDuck back down as he proclaims that it might be better to take their chances with the mummy; but the mummy stalks Baloo and Baloo reconsiders. HAHA! Mira then has a plan (Oh boy; here it comes, Mira's crowning moment of awesome.) and she blows the mummy off big time. The mummy stops and looks scared as Mira asks what the hell is his problem because it's not her fault the pyramid got built upside down and put the curse on him. Amen Mira. See; Mira is supposed to be this goody two-shoe lady (which she wears none) who's nice and then when pushed to her limits she gets all pissed off. That's why this is so awesome of her and why I prefer her over Katie Dodd despite the fan base she ultimately got. (Because Mira isn't a jerk. Her attitude here actually had impact and thus when the mummy heard it; it really had no choice. Which makes the mummy more enlightened than half of the population of the real world.) The mummy can only groan in despair as Mira asks him if he wants to stomp like an idiot; or give them a hand as the mummy mutters. Mira explains that the Air Pirates are committing GRAND THEFT PRYAMID and he would never allow that and so he should do his thing to get rid of them. (That was one epic rant there and here is the quotes from Mira:

Mira: Will you knock it off!! (The mummy does a timid groan.) What is your problem?! It's not our fault you built the lousy pyramid upside down! We didn't put the curse on you! (Another timid groan from the mummy.) We're trying to help you! You can stomp around all day growling like an idiot; or you can give us a hand! (The mummy is muttering now.) Now, look! That pirate's stealing the pyramid! Are you going to let him get away with that?!
The Mummy:
Uh-uh.
Mira:
Then get out there and do your thing!)

The mummy sells as he crashes above the roof of the SeaDuck and lands on the top of the pyramid. That actually makes more sense then when he entered at least. The mummy runs and finds WildCat on the top right side of the pyramid trying to snap one of the cable and having zero success. Those are TOUGH CABLES as the mummy grabs him and places him gently on the SeaDuck wing (Baloo's side). WildCat greets Baloo and they feel a sigh of relief as the mummy pulls the FAT CABLE right out of the pyramid with his bare hands. Don Karnage's plan is a complete failure and his hope chest is officially gone now. Mad Dog and Dumptruck finally manage to climb out of the entrance at last; but the mummy snaps the top left side rope away causing Mad Dog Dumptruck to slide right back into the pyramid and the pyramid and Iron Vulture to tilt 90 degrees. Don Karnage and Gibber are hanging on for dear life as Don wants to know what's going on as he even says posterior at this point and Gibber whispers into his ear. (Walt Disney Animation Japan makes a coloring mistake on Gibber's face I should point out...) Don commands that the rear engines be on full power. That is the last mistake as that causes the final two cables to snap violently and send the pyramid free-falling; standing right-side up as the curse is about to be broken as the mummy falls down to his certain death. (I'm certain that the mummy pulled out the final hook from the pyramid.) Don asks if the engines are still at full power and Gibber sells it. Umm; yeah. Don is finished as the Iron Vulture flies high into the sky. Baloo cuts a action/reaction promo as the pyramid finally lands with a MAN-SIZED bump right next to the "Museum of Ancient History", which the animators actually get right and Baloo's nightmare is over. (Which is disappointing because the mummy beating up Baloo would be a great story angle in itself.) Yes folks; the undead mummy is really dead for sure now and his soul can rest in peace.

We head to the "Museum of Ancient History" as we see various furries and reporters line up outside (I see the pig lady furry, Muffy Vanderscheemer among others...). We head inside the chamber as the mummy is in the coffin, Baloo takes his hat off and pays his last respects to him. Mira calls it the star attraction which is really creepy all things considered as Mira proclaims that they can take in enough to build a new airport. Baloo asks what else and Mira agrees to throw in the red carpet treatment and dancing girls as Baloo calls the deal solid. (Yeah; this is like all of those "make these promise and have to remind them" spots; but at least Baloo stopped at two here. Baloo tends to not know when to stop as evident in Save The Tiger!) Mira goes to the patrons and I notice that Seymour from "All Whale That Ends Whale" has returned for a cameo. Probably on probation as I also see a black crow and the usual suspect background characters. We then see WildCat upside down as Ed Gilbert does some of the best acting I have heard from him in this series as WildCat loves the place better this way. HAHA! We then cut to Mira with the public (Includes the dog bear from A Touch of Glass, and Professor O'Bowens I do believe.) as she tells them near the door that if you listen closely you can hear the voice of the pharaohs. Of course we hear Mad Dog and Dumptruck calling for Don Karnage as we see Mad Dog and Dumptruck walk down the halls asking for an answer and getting none whatsoever to finally end the episode at 21:21. Close; but no full monty due to the logic breaks. Mira is still awesome though and the creative irony of the episode makes this one one of the best of the entire series. **** ¾ (95%).

Final Note: This episode uses the prop font for the credits. There is no post-production producer for this episode though. (Rating is the same as always; although it's mostly for a few spots that went nowhere and were just there for show.)


THE REVIEW LINE

Mark Lungo loves this episode to death (since he keeps asking me to rant on it) and it is not hard to understand why. Mira is one of the best guest character babyface in all of TaleSpin (I still think Oscar Vandersnoot is the best guest character...) because she has a lot of things going for her that no other guest characters actually have in most animation:

[1.] She's female.
[2.] She has a lot of smarts. (But can still have brainfart moments like with Dumptruck dropping the vase earlier.)
[3.] She doesn't take crap from anyone. (And unlike Rebecca and to a lesser extent Katie; she's a really nice person to talk to.)
[4.] She's got some good strength despite her thin appearance. (She almost MURDERED Dumptruck with a piano. Need I say more?)
[5.] She doesn't act like a “talk down to you” feminist. (Dressing down the mummy doesn't count. Even a male would have done the same thing if he was in Mira's position.)

Why choose her over Kathy Dodd who had similar traits except for the “talk you down” feminist and her balkier appearance (Well to be fair to Kathy; at least she had a good reason to be difficult as DoucheBear and DudeLouieBro were acting like a bunch of sexists and love-crazed buffaloes (her words, not mine). I wouldn't blame her for talking down to them. Baloo was on his best behavior here at least.)? Well; I feel that the storyline here was a LOT more creative and clearly Steve Roberts was on to something when he wrote this. I mean, how many upside down pyramid stories do you see in animation? Ummm.. None. (I have seen a lot of episodes with an Egpytian theme; but none that has the whackiness of TaleSpin's and still be believable. (2020 Gregory Weagle Says: The upside down angle would reappear in Ducktales 2017 with an upside down version of Atlantis. Atlantis didn't appear on television for TaleSpin; but it did appear as a story in a French hardcover book.)) Everything about this episode was great and it slowly became one of my favorite non-Kit episode out there simply for storyline alone. Even more so; was the fact that they allowed the Fire At Will sequence in and that was much more intentional as a joke and equally more funny as a result. (It was more pointless than the Eternal Chamber of Night; but the gun firing was on a far shot and there were no guns shown. Doesn't matter anyway since Cinema 101 rules the roost in this case.) It's moments like this that make people like me happy that someone had some foresight for making this kind series and didn't listen to a bunch of arm-chair animation buffs (Merlin Jones) who are so bitter at a guy who broke promises that shouldn't have been made in the first place. (TESTIFY~! Yes; Michael Eisner made a lot of mistakes as CEO, and one of them was making a promise that was ultimately bad for business: Pleasing the people who wanted Disney to be just another arthouse. Yes; it would have been nice if Michael Eisner actually knew the product, but he did know children's television really well and made a killing of it while producing truly memorable entertainment, for better or for worse. At least between 1984-1993.) Sadly; a few logic breaks and coloring mistakes from Walt Disney Japan prevented a perfect episode but this episode still more than holds it's ground. (And we'll never see Mira ever again. The biggest shame of TaleSpin.) Next up is Louie's Last Stand which in my view is the best episode Chuck Tately ever wrote. So...

Thumbs way up for this episode and I'll see you next time.

 

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