Review: The Casagrandes “How to Train Your Carl”

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Ronnie Anne, Sid, Carl, Adelaide, and CJ have all been invited to an overnight at the zoo. Sid’s mom set up the visit because she works there and has a pathetic need to impress the children by doing inappropriate things like riding an elephant around the park. Sid’s dad is also there to illegally drive the tour bus in a very fast manner. Sid’s parents obviously don’t give a damn about the rules.

So anyway, Carl ditches the group because he wants to see the Komodo dragon even though he was told he wasn’t allowed. A monkey also sneaks out of its habitat to follow Carl because it wants the beef jerky the boy has in his pockets. This unlikely duo goes on a series of misadventures, getting spat on, sprayed, and pooped on by a variety of animals on their way to the Komodo exhibit.

When they finally come face to face with the reptile, the monkey jumps into the enclosure to grab a piece of beef jerky that had fallen in. Luckily, Sid’s mom comes charging in and prevents the Komodo dragon from eating the monkey. As punishment, Carl has to work at the zoo for a few days to learn about the animals—which is kind of what he wanted in the first place.

Our Take

This was a relatively standard episode of The Casagrandes which showed off a seldom-seen setting of the city. Sid’s mom has always worked at the zoo, and it’s been mentioned a few times—especially since she’s always bringing rare animals home, which seems illegal—but we’ve never seen the woman in action.

Today we got to see Mrs. Becca Chang doing her thing, and it was a typical cartoon interpretation of a zookeeper that didn’t quite add up to its real life counterpart. It was entertaining enough for an exaggerated portrayal, but it didn’t exactly break any new ground.

Wikipedia tells me that Sid’s parents are played by Ken Jeong and Melissa Joan Hart. I’m never a huge fan when “regular” actors are given voice roles that don’t add to the overall experience. In movies like Aladdin, it makes sense for Robin Williams to play the genie because he infuses a lot of himself into the role. I don’t think this program is any stronger because of the inclusion of Jeong or Hart.

I wouldn’t recommend “How to Train Your Carl” to somebody who has never seen this show. There are plenty of above average episodes that better capture what The Casagrandes is truly about. This was more of a one-off, cartoonish farce. That being said, it wasn’t horrible either.