Taco Trouble 2: The Trial is a 2021 courtroom comedy brickfilm by Seán Willis, Brian Willis, Andy Boyer, and Dave Lennie. It is set over 15 years after the original Taco Trouble, and follows Biff Feedback and Mario Stradivarius being put on trial for murders they committed in that film.[1] It is the seventh main installment in Boyer and Lennie's Biff and Mario series, and the first since Breaking News in 2004.[2] It is based on a script originally written in 2003, which was slightly revised by Andy Boyer in 2018. It entered production as a result of Seán Willis establishing contact with Dave Lennie in order to interview him for the video The History of Brickfilms: 1990s, and during the interview, the idea of collaborating on the film was discussed.[3] The release of the film made Biff and Mario the longest running brickfilm series, with a span of over 30 years.
Plot[]
A narrator recaps the graphic murders of Doctor X's security guards in 2003, depicted in Taco Trouble.
In 2018, Judge Fryem starts a court hearing against Biff and Mario, for the murders of the five henchmen, to which they plead not guilty. The prosecutor (a monkey named Mr. Jingles) makes his case, claiming that Biff and Mario are godless perverts who smiled during the murders. When informed that the penalty would be death by execution (and not a fine of $100), Mario denies the accusations, claiming he was teaching crippled children to yodel on the night of the murders.
Mr. Jingles calls Gregory Henchman, a security guard impaled by a spear, to testify. The guard accuses Biff of impaling him, to which Biff inquires if he is gay. Doktor X is then called to the stand, and testifies how Mario slaughtered the janitorial crew. Mario asks Doctor X if he is gay, to which he divulges minor homosexuality, based on a drunk hookup as a young man.
Mario calls Biff to the stand. Biff claims he was smiling during the murders, not because he enjoyed it, but because he was high on crack. Mr. Jingles flings feces at Biff.
Mario calls Jesus Christ to the stand, who cleans the feces off of Biff. Jesus testifies that God's law is higher than man's law, and if one believes in Him, they will be forgiven. In desperation, Mr. Jingles asks if Jesus is gay.
In their closing statements, Mr. Jingles reaffirms his accusations. Biff claims the trial is "fake news, invented by the deep state liberal media." Mario asks for a presidential pardon.
Biff and Mario return to their two-wall house. Mario explains that Mr. Jingles was actually Doktor X's pet monkey, and that Doktor X was arrested, but escaped and has vowed revenge on the duo. They leave to go get bagels. And tacos.
Cast[]
- Dave Lennie as Biff, Mario, Doktor X, Jesus
- Jeff Laird as Judge Fryem
- Stephen E. Moellering as Mr. Jingles
- Chris Salt as Gregory Henchman
- Jay Silver as the opening narrator
- Jason Rowoldt as the bailiff
- Jordan Johnson as Gus
- Zach Macias as Ben
- James Morr as Mr. Tater
- Chris Salaises as Chris
- Forrest Whaley as LEGO Batman
- Sean Willets as Fred
- Seán Willis as The Skelly
- AoW-Gamer, Jeremy Borchers, Harry Bossert, Alex Buysse, Chris Boyer, James Cawood, Christian Colglazier, Jorden Davis, Rachel Dew, Ramsey Eassa, Edbound, ETR Films, Thomas Evans, Andreas Feix, Kristóf Fekete-Kovács, Andrew Foley, The Four Monkeys, France & Alex, Sam Futhey, Jared B. Gilbert, Guss Griswold, Joseph Hayden, Stijn Heirstrate, Paul Hollingsworth, Jared Johnson, Akash Jones, TheJumiFilm, JustDKFilms, Paweł Kamiński, Bruno Lefèvre, Bert Loos, Jonathan Mangiapane, Lucas Mass, John McErlean, Nathan Mellace, Al Nickels, William Osborne, Aled Owen, Ross Pearson, Nick Radulov, David Reino, Sebastian Segura, Chris St. Lawrence, Starwarsstudio100, Trevor Stevens, Lewis Townley, Tuucsu of Robukka, Jared Van Bever, Richard Van De Steenoven, Nathan Wells, Chris Wynn, and Ben Young as the audience
Crew[]
- Seán Willis - Animator, Editor, Cinematographer, Sets
- Brian Willis - 3D face tracking, Assistant cinematographer
- Andy Boyer - Writer, Producer
- Dave Lennie - Producer
- Loïc Desjardins - Composer, Audio assistance
- Ben Young - Additional effects
- Chris Wynn - Additional effects
- Zach Macias - Poster artist, Audio assistance
- Nate Swihart - Audio assistance
- Des Willis - Additional assistance
Awards[]
| Year | Competition | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Brickfilmer's Guild Film Festival | Best Brickfilm of Festival by Single Animator | Nominated |
| Best Story and Screenplay | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Nominated | ||
| Best Scenic Design | Won | ||
| Best Animation | Nominated | ||
| Best Visual Effects | Nominated | ||
| Best Sound Design | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Music Score | Nominated | ||
| Best Voice Acting | Nominated | ||
| BFG Member's Choice | Won | ||
| Brickstars | Top 10 (English) | Fifth place |
Behind the scenes gallery[]
Behind the scenes images are available in this gallery on Flickr.
References[]
| Biff and Mario series |
|---|
| Oh Well (1989) · TE (1990) · Heart of Darkness (1995) · Taco Trouble (2003) · Bork (2004) · Breaking News (2004) · Taco Trouble 2: The Trial (2021) Other: The Original Movie (1985) · America's Funniest Home Videos (1990) · Medieval Times (1991) · The Humpin' LEGOs (1995) · LEGO Slate #1 (1996) · LEGO Slate #2 (1996) · Johnny Cash: Were You There (2001) |