Os Trapalhões no Reino da Fantasia

Os Trapalhões no Reino da Fantasia is a 1985 Brazilian live-action/animated movie directed by Dedé Santana, starring the comedy group of Os Trapalhões. It is the 29th film that's part of the Os Trapalhões movie franchise.

Plot
Os Trapalhões put on a show for the benefit of an orphanage run by Sister Maria (Xuxa Meneghel), who is facing financial difficulties. While performing the show, the ticket money is stolen. Didi, Dedé and Sister Maria chase the bandits, while Mussum and Zacarias continue with the show. The three go to the world of Beto Carrero, where the scenery of the Old West is recreated.

Why It Sucks

 * 1) It had one of the worst box-office performances of the quartet's movie franchise.
 * 2) The story is pretty generic for a Os Trapalhões film.
 * 3) It feels like it's rehasing different movie plots.
 * 4) Dedé Santana's direction isn't that good.
 * 5) Mediocre, overly-repeated gags, which are really just sketches from their TV show.
 * 6) Strangely, instead of asking for help with the real Trapalhões, Sister Maria talks with their comic book versions instead.
 * 7) Mussum and Zacarias are left out for the rest of the film.
 * 8) The movie randomly stops its plot to show a 20-minute animated sequence of cartoon versions of the quartet in a futuristic location, where they're on the run by a wizard with a crow puppet on his hand.
 * 9) * The segment feels like it was thrown-it-in at the last moment just to advertise the work of Mauricio de Sousa (who the quartet are friends with).
 * 10) ** It also has no connection to the rest of the film.
 * 11) *** Its story is as weak as this movie's.
 * 12) **** The animated portion of this film was one of the main factors for the greenlit of Os Trapalhões no Rabo do Cometa, which is just as bad as this film is.
 * 13) The movie's plot is halted once again when Didi, Dedé, and Sister Maria just so happened to end up at Beto Carrero (who is another friend of the quartet)'s park, which, again, feels like blatant propaganda.
 * 14) * Like in WIS#8, the moment again has no connection to the rest of the film.
 * 15) At one point in the movie, a carriage falls off a cliff, and somehow it explods, and bursts into flames.
 * 16) Xuxa's acting is bad, and her character is mostly seen making faces, and has an annoying accent.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) The quartet are at least still in-character on their performances.
 * 2) Some funny moments now and then.
 * 3) The acting (except Xuxa's) is generally good.
 * 4) Nice satire of AC/DC at one point in the movie.
 * 5) José Vasconcelos does a great voice impression with the wizard character, and his crow puppet sidekick.

Reception
Robledo Milani in his criticism of the website Papo de Cinema wrote: "With this screenplay that looks more like a patchwork and the weak direction of Dedé Santana, concerned only with repeating old jokes rather than providing something new to an audience that until then was The Trapalhões in the Fantasia Kingdom had one of the worst box-office performances of the group's productions in that period - even though it added almost 2 million spectators. Still, it was enough to keep repeating such dubious partnerships. Less served to give the public a break, for any more attentive spectator revealed something more serious: the exhaustion of a formula that, unfortunately, would have few original sighs to offer in the following years".

Trivia

 * It is the first film from Renato Aragão Produções Artísticas to be co-produced by Mauricio de Sousa Produções, the second is the following movie Os Trapalhões no Rabo do Cometa.
 * The latter film is a inversion of the former film (animated, with some live-action scenes, instead of the other way around).

Video
