Taco Trouble

Taco Trouble is a 2002 comedy adventure brickfilm by Dave Lennie and Andy Boyer. It is the fourth main installment in the Biff and Mario series (and listed as the eleventh film featuring them ) and was produced eight years after the preceding film, Heart of Darkness. It follows Mario Stradivarius as he attempts to rescue Biff Feedback and Savannah Shell from the somewhat-evil Doktor X. Taco Trouble has been regarded as a classic comedy brickfilm, noted for its offbeat style. The succeeding Biff and Mario film was Bork in 2004, and the events of Taco Trouble were eventually followed up on with the 2021 release of Taco Trouble 2: The Trial, which was originally written in 2003.

Plot
Mario Stradivarius is distraught when his friends Biff Feedback and Savannah Shell disappear. He asks a police officer about them, who is of no help. He purchases a taco from a Mexican food stall, paying little heed to a warning the attendant gives him in Spanish. Upon eating the taco, he immediately rushes to a public toilet and passes an extended bowel movement, the force of which demolishes the stalls. Back outside, a stranger interrupts him and tells him that Biff and Savannah are rumoured to be in El Morrow, and in trouble. After buying another taco, Mario goes to his car to drive there. Upon arrival, a crowd approaches Mario and dismantles and steals his car. Left sitting on the road, he is approached by Queen Jane Approximately, who offers him food and drink. When Mario explains his search to Jane, she decides to accompany him.

Meanwhile, Biff and Savannah are living in a box in El Morrow. Biff recognises the fabulous babe whom he had quested after in Oh Well, but she reveals she is now a destitute prostitute. Biff agrees with this assessment and leaves due to her smell. Later, Mario and Jane meet the fabulous babe. They ask her is she has seen Biff and Savannah and she tells them that a man kidnapped them, just as the kidnapper drives by. The kidnapper, the evil Doktor X, says to Biff and Savannah that he will perform terrible experiments on them. Mario and Queen Jane give chase in car, but fall behind when one of Mario's farts catches fire. They see Doktor X's castle ahead of them. Inside, Doktor X has his assistant Steve strap Biff and Savannah into the pleasure/pain device and demonstrates it on them.

Mario and Jane sneak into the castle and make their way past the guards down to the dungeon. They arrive just as Doktor X is about to demonstrate the device to its extremes. They free Biff and Savannah and Doktor X calls for Steve to summon the guards. The four engage in a lengthy battle with the guards, brutally slaughtering them all. Afterwards, Biff is grateful for Mario coming to his rescue. Doktor X and Steve escape in an aircraft and the four head back to town. Mario ponders what they have learned from this ordeal, but Biff is sick of Mario posing this question after each of their adventures. A brawl breaks out between the two, which Queen Jane and Savannah can do little to stop.

Cast

 * Dave Lennie as Mario Stradivarius, Biff Feedback, Doktor X, additional
 * Kari Smith-Boyer as Queen Jane Approximately
 * Heather Lennie as Savannah Shell
 * Lisa Mehta as Fabulous Babe
 * Jeff Laird
 * Kevin Reynen

Crew

 * Andy Boyer - Writer, Producer
 * Dave Lennie - Producer, Editor

Production
The script for the film stemmed from an idea to produce a violent fight scene set to "Take Five" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. However, the overall story originated from one written by Andy Boyer eight years prior.

Like its predecessors, Taco Trouble makes extensive use of practical special effects. Some particular highlights are the driving shot, which was achieved by placing the camera along with Mario in his car in an actual moving car, and the bleeding effects during the fight scene, which involved drilling holes in minifigures and inserting tubes into them for the blood to flow out of.

The film had a deleted scene in which Mario and Queen Jane attempt to get information on Biff and Savannah in "Steve's Pub", but Mario insults the bartender and a fight breaks out. This scene would have gone in place of the "Later..." title between the two scenes featuring the fabulous babe, but was omitted from the final film due to low quality animation.

Taco Trouble 2: The Trial
Main article: Taco Trouble 2: The Trial

In November 2003, Andy Boyer posted his script for a sequel to Taco Trouble, entitled Taco Trouble 2: The Trial, to the Brickfilms.com forums. This film was to be a comedic courtroom drama in which Biff and Mario are put on trial for the killings they committed during the original film. Boyer doubted the script would ever be produced due to it consisting almost entirely of dialogue, with no action.

On November 6, 2019, Seán and Brian Willis announced that they were working in collaboration with Boyer and Lennie to produce the long unmade sequel. The film was released on January 25, 2021.