South Park: Imagination Land (2008)

Directed by: Trey Parker | 67 minutes | animation, comedy | Original voice cast: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Adrien Beard, Katharine Howell, Juan Kimmelini, Mona Marshall, Kyle McCulloch, April Stewart

Terrorists who attack the fantasy of the American people and Cartman who enforces wet balls through a civil procedure. To come up with something so ridiculous you have to be Trey Parker or Matt Stone. The “South Park” series wasn’t known for its sophisticated humor, but with this compilation of three Emmy-winning episodes, the golden duo is raising the bar for hilarious and crass scenes. Muslim terrorists beheading Care Bears, Smurfs taking up arms, forest creatures molesting Kurt Russell: ‘South Park: Imaginationland’ is by no means subtle. Very very funny.

In the midst of all the violent nonsense, the South Park makers shoot blanks at American terrorism policy and Al Gore’s climate activism, but to call them committed is going a bit too far. On the DVD commentary track, Parker and Stone frankly admit that they’ve scrapped political plot twists to make way for Cartman and his dry balls. However happy the intellectual branch of their supporters may be with sneering towards the War on Terror, at ‘South Park’ the bizarre humor is paramount. Fortunately, because the court scene where Cartman makes his plea for wet balls is a gem. Too bad for Kyle, but someone with such a slick orbit deserves a favorable jury verdict.

The greatest asset of ‘Imaginationland’ is the Christmas critters, who once started their South Park career as characters in the episode ‘Woodland Christmas Critters’. In ‘Imaginationland’ they are assigned a leading role. Literally, because heads are rolling. Freddy Krueger would be ashamed of the atrocities committed by these lovely characters; you almost feel guilty for laughing so hard. It’s not surprising that Comedy Central had the scenes with the forest creatures trimmed for television audiences, but in the movie version they have been restored to their full glory.

As a South Park fan you’re in the right place with ‘Imaginationland’. Film and television fanatics will also get their money’s worth. Full of references to ‘Star Wars’, ‘Stargate’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’, the film takes aim at directors like Michael Bay and M. Night Shyamalan and contains so many fantasy icons that it’s a sport to see them all. recognise. Finally, the makers also manage to forge the storylines about Cartman’s balls and the power of imagination into one whole. A matter of keeping all the balls in the air.

‘South Park: Imaginationland’ is delicious, hilarious, stupid nonsense. Just the way you like it!