"Like Mother, Like Moon Girl" is the eleventh episode of the Disney Channel and Marvel Animation series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.
Synopsis[]
Moon Girl becomes the face of a new initiative to revitalize the Lower East Side, but the effort starts to drastically change her neighborhood for the worse.
Plot[]
Lunella and Devil stop an out of control A.I. car while on their way to be awarded with Community Captain medals by the council president Diego Peña. Lunella is later informed by her mother Adria that now that Moon Girl is seen as an idol in the community, it is her job to set a good example and be a voice to the people, something that frightens Lunella. She is later called to the city council where Peña introduces her to Marty and Marcy Muzzler, who created a device that is capable of dampening sound. They are also revealed to be the owners of the car that Lunella stopped earlier. They plan to change the L.E.S. to be better and while Lunella is reluctant she agrees to make changes to improve the community.
Soon after, Lunella, Casey and Devil notice that street art is getting covered up and the typical street vendors are getting chased away in favor of vending machines with lame snacks. Lunella briefly stops a villain named Flying Fox, but is reprimanded for blaring music while fighting her. Lunella confronts Peña and the Muzzlers about the recent cease and desist orders and demands them to be dropped. However, Peña refuses as the Muzzlers are donating a lot of money and admits that Community Captain is just a title and that she has no power. The Muzzlers are revealed to want to transform the L.E.S. into a quieter town through extreme gentrification. Adria confronts Lunella, as Moon Girl, and scolds her for selling out the community.
At home, Lunella sulks and Adria talks to her. Under the guise of student council, Lunella is encouraged by Adria to use her voice to speak out. Now as Moon Girl, she teams up with Adria and the community to fight back against the Muzzlers after they cancel their block party. Peña finally stands up for himself and joins the community as the Muzzlers don flying gear to battle Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Despite using their sound dampener, Lunella and the community defeat them and she sends them straight to S.H.I.E.L.D. in their own A.I. car. Lunella thanks her mother for giving her the encouragement she needed and Adria admits that she reminds her of Moon Girl, though she is still oblivious to the fact that they are one and the same.
Cast[]
Main[]
- Diamond White as Lunella Lafayette/Moon Girl
- Fred Tatasciore as Devil Dinosaur
- Libe Barer as Casey Calderon
- Sasheer Zamata as Adria Lafayette, Flying Fox
- Alfre Woodard as Mimi Lafayette
- Luis Guzmán as President Council Diego Peña
- Omid Abtahi as Ahmed
- Paul Scheer as Marty Muzzler
- June Diane Raphael as Marcy Muzzler
- Laurence Fishburne as The Beyonder
Additional voices[]
- Kalen Aris Whitfield as Street Drummer, Falafel Vendor
- Bumper Robinson as Muzzlebot
Songs[]
- "In the House" by Loly Bea
- "The Wave" by Charles Jones and Jane Handcock
Trivia[]
- Morals:
- There is a difference between improving things for the better and changing everything that matters. Gentrification, the latter, is known to take away the diversity and culture of what makes a place unique and special.
- When you have a public platform, be careful how you use your voice. Sometimes the wrong word or action can have lasting consequences.
- On March 8, 2023, the episode was released early on Disney+.
- This episode introduces minor villain Flying Fox of the Animen who battled the Scarlet Spider.
- The Muzzlers appear to be parodies of Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman based on their clothing and outfits. They even posses a floating jacuzzi that resembles the classic bathtub design of the Fantasticar.
- At the block party, one of the food truck vendors resembles Vinsmoke Sanji from the popular anime and manga franchise One Piece.
- During the final fight, one of the extras in the crowd, standing right behind Adria when she reaches her hand out to Moon Girl, resembles Jake Long from American Dragon: Jake Long.
International premieres[]
- May 13, 2023 (Spain, Portugal)
