Hmmm...this is all very familiar...here is my official review, to be posted on my Diego fanlisting:
"Cool Water for Ana the Anaconda"
Airdate: Jan/Feb 2006
Rating: ***** (out of five)
There's so much to say about this episode, but I'll begin with the most important: "Cool Water for Ana the Anaconda" is my favorite episode of "Go, Diego, Go!" (okay, I love "Rainforest Race" just as much, but that's an adventure, whereas "Ana" is a rescue). It's the episode that first got my attention and took me from being just a casual viewer to a devoted Diego fan. Ana is easily my favorite featured animal, next to Armadillo (again "Rainforest Race"). However, it's hard to talk about this episode without mentioning just how all of this happened and why.
Now, it's no secret that this is a controversial episode. In fact, I always wondered if it was actually scheduled to air a lot sooner than early 2006 as it features that weird stop-motion footage in the science desk computer otherwise only see in four of the earliest Diego episodes. By the time I heard about it, it had already aired, and by then the parental world had gone into a panic over Diego's latest rescue mission. Suddenly, this adorable, innocent preschool show was possibly looking at a banned episode.
Excuse me...what?????
Well, it seemed like forever until "Ana" aired again (early Feb. 2006), and in the mean time, this show was just getting cuter with every episode I saw. So, honestly, if no one had anything regarding their concern over Diego rescuing an anaconda, I wouldn't have noticed any difference between this episode and any other. So what it really came down to was just a lot people taking things out of context and refusing to let go of that horror-movie image that many of us have of snakes.
But knowing that, I just watched as Diego answered the distress call of a little anaconda whose river had dried up, and with no questions asked, immediately left the Rescue Center to get her out of the devastating dry-season heat and sun. Along the way, Diego assures her the Alicia is searching for the new river that all her anaconda friends have moved to and that he will get back into the cool water as soon as possible. He keeps her cool, carrying Ana on his shoulders and frequently stopping in the shade.
And somewhere between Diego asking us to sing "Nada, nada" to help Ana swim home and her happily exclaiming "�Mis amigas! �Mis Amigas!" when they finally arrive, this became my favorite episode. And if all of that wasn't adorable enough, Ana then slithers up out of the water and gives Diego a hug, and the anacondas wave good-bye to us from the water with their tails.
That's pretty good considering that I'm just as afraid of snakes as the next person.
Controversial or not, this episode illustrates a kind of innocence, empathy, and compassion as Diego teaches us the most important lesson of all in that it doesn't matter what kind of animal is in danger; he will always come to the rescue.
"Cool Water for Ana the Anaconda" just so happens to be airing tomorrow (Friday September 5th) @ 12:30 PM on Nick. Watch it! You have to see it to believe it! It's SOOOO CUTE!!!!!!
