As Aventuras da Turma da Mônica

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The Adventures of Monica's Gang (Portuguese: As Aventuras da Turma da Mônica) is a 1982 Brazilian animated film based on the Monica's Gang comic books, by Mauricio de Sousa.^[1] This was the first feature film based on Monica's Gang and which began production of the cartoon series based on the comics.

The film mixes animation with some scenes made in live-action interpreted by Mauricio de Sousa in his studio. The film shows 4 individual stories that end up linking through the characters interacting with Mauricio through phone calls.

The film debuted on December 23, 1982^[1] only in cinemas in the city of São Paulo, and in January of the following year in the city of Rio de Janeiro being distributed at the time by the extinct Embrafilme.

Plot[]

The film begins showing a live-action shoot focusing on Mauricio de Sousa working at his desk until he starts receiving phone calls from his characters: Monica, Jimmy Five, Smudge, Maggy, Franklin and Blu (at the same time that Mauricio also talks with the viewer presenting each of the characters) who just discovered that they would be in a film.

While Mauricio looks for inspiration to create the plot of the film, the film moves into the comics and focuses on the animated characters. The first story is focused on Jimmy Five and Smudge creating several plans to try to make a prank with Monica, but all the gadgets created by Jimmy Five eventually fail and turn against him in a style of humor similar to the Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner cartoons.

The second story is focused on Monica who goes to a costume party at the Franklin's house using a mouse costume, but ends up accidentally being shrunk by one of the Franklin's inventions and becomes friends with a little mouse that falls in love with her.

The third story is also focused on Monica, after being rejected by her friends (that are secretly preparing her birthday party) ends up getting sad and decides to run away from home to live as a hermit in the mountains.

The fourth story is a parody of the Star Wars series focused on Monica and Jimmy Five. In the story a mysterious robot similar to a rabbit is sent to Earth to dominate the planet by orders of his master Lorde Coelhão. The robot lands in the Jimmy Five's room and tries to attack him but all his attempts fail. The robot is not noticed by Jimmy Five until the two meet Monica and accidentally ends up abducting the two by stealing Monica's stuffed bunny. Monica ends up being imprisoned in a gift package while Jimmy Five meets Lorde Coelhão and his plan to conquer Earth. Jimmy Five flees inside a spaceship saving Monica and using the spaceship he manages to defeat Lorde Coelhão and his robots.

At the end of the film, Monica and Jimmy Five still inside the spaceship they landed in the Mauricio de Sousa's desk that also is with Smudge, Maggy, Franklin, Blu and Angel. All the characters wonder about the film which the cartoonist intended to do, but Mauricio says that no longer needs to make the film because it is done, referring indirectly to the stories that the viewer has just watched.

References[]