"The Ballad of Hopediah Plantar" is the first segment of the second episode of the second season of Amphibia, and the forty-second episode overall.[3]
It premiered on July 18, 2020, alongside "Anne Hunter".
Synopsis
Hop Pop's efforts to be hailed as a hero backfire when he stands up to the wrong family.[4]
Plot
Sprig playing his fiddle.
While traversing through the desert, Sprig begins playing his fiddle about Hop Pop, much to Hop Pop's enjoyment. However, when Sprig mentions that Hop Pop cowered in fear and hid when the toads attacked, Hop Pop becomes angered as he felt that Sprig left out how he was the inspiration for the rebellion to begin with. They eventually come across Bittyburg, named so because the residents are minuscule frogs whom Anne and the Plantars tower over. As they greet the residents, a toad their size named Judro Hasselback arrives demanding money from the residents. With this, Hop Pop stands up to him and kicks him out of town, earning applause and praise from the Bitties.
Hop Pop coming back to stand up for the Bitties.
Hop Pop uses the opportunity to exaggerate his previous adventures, hyperbolically, but when the Bitties mention that the Hasselback Gang will arrive for revenge, Hop Pop is frightened as he had assumed it was only Judro. The Hasslebacks arrive almost immediately; consisting of Judro, Heathro, Ruth, Talbert Hasselback, and the Matriarch of the family of outlaws, Mama Hasselback. Hop Pop is challenged into removing Mama Hasselback from the town, which he is incapable of doing due to her size. Hop Pop is instantly knocked out and humiliated and he and his family are forced out of town, much to the Bitties' disappointment. As they head off back into the desert, Hop Pop has an epiphany. What he wanted was a song about himself when he should have been thinking about helping the townsfolk and he hatches a plan.
The Robot following the planters.
Hop Pop struts into town and threatens the gang, before proceeding to "attack" the Hasslebacks with his tongue. Meanwhile, situated atop a nearby rock is Anne and the Plantar children, who operate a sniper-like slingshot, flinging stones at the gang members just as Hop Pop's tongue hits them, making it appear as if his tongue was "made of iron". Mama catches on after seeing the reflection of Anne's telescope and catches the stone mid-air, before launching it back at Sprig and knocking him down. In fright, Hop Pop tries to flee, but after seeing the Bitties looking in fear and hearing Anne's words of wisdom echoing in his head, Hop Pop overcomes his fear and bravely stood his ground. However, the Hasslebacks promptly beat up Hop Pop. As he lies in defeat, the Bitties suddenly become furious; growing sharp teeth with their eyes turning red and attack the Hasslebacks. A child native named Bailey informs Hop Pop that he inspired them to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Freaked out by the suddenly violent Bitties, Anne and the Plantars race off back into the desert.
Elsewhere, the robot from the previous episode continues to trek through the desert.
Cast
- Brenda Song as Anne Boonchuy
- Justin Felbinger as Sprig Plantar
- Bill Farmer as Hop Pop Plantar
- Amanda Leighton as Polly Plantar
- Jenifer Lewis as Mama Hasselback
- Keith Ferguson as Judro Hasselback
- Julian Edwards as Bailey
Additional voices
- Keith Ferguson as Heathro Hasselback, Talbert Hasselback, & Bailey's Dad
- Eden Riegel as Ruth Hasselback, Purple Dress Bittie, Braided Hair Bittie, & Bitties
- Sam Riegel as Scared Hat Bittie, Neckerchief Bittie, & Brown Slicked Hair Bittie
Other characters
Songs
Instrumental songs
Title in other languages
| Language | Title | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Latin American Spanish
|
La balada de Hopediah Plantar | The ballad of Hopediah Plantar | |
 Bulgarian
|
Балада за Хопатая Плантар | The Ballad of Hopediah Plantar | |
 German
|
Die Rache des Hopediah | The Revenge of Hopediah | |
 European Spanish
|
La balada de Saltorino Plantar | The ballad of Saltorino Plantar | |
 French
|
La ballade de Hopediah Plantar | The ballad of Hopediah Plantar | |
 Italian
|
La ballata di Hopediah Plantar | The Ballad of Hopediah Plantar | |
 Japanese
|
ヒーローの歌 | Hero song | |
 Korean
|
합팝 플랜터 이야기 | Story of Hop Pop Plantar | |
 Dutch
|
De ballade van Hopediah Plantar | The Ballad of Hopediah Plantar | |
 European Portuguese
|
A Balada do Hopediah Plantar | The Ballad of Hopediah Plantar | |
 Polish
|
Ballada o Hopadajaszu Motyce | The Ballad of Hopediah Plantar | |
 Thai
|
เพลงบัลลาดของฮ้อปเพอไดห์ แพลนเทอร์ | ||
 Vietnamese
|
Bài Hát Của Hopediah Plantar | Songs Of Hopediah Plantar |
Transcript
| For a full transcript of "The Ballad of Hopediah Plantar", click here. |
Gallery
Click here to view the gallery.
Trivia
- Viewership: This episode was watched by 0.22 million viewers on its premiere.[2]
- This along with "Anne Hunter" are the lowest viewed episodes of the series, with 0.22 million viewers.
- The previous lowest viewed episodes were "A Night at the Inn"/"Wally and Anne" and "Reunion", all of which got 0.34 million viewers in their first airings respectively.
- This episode along with "Anne Hunter" premiered exactly one year after "Reunion."
- These, along with "Handy Anne"/"Fort in the Road", are the only episodes to premiere on the anniversary of a previous episode.
- "The Ballad of Hopediah Plantar"/"Anne Hunter" is the only pairing in Season 2's "Journey to Newtopia" arc in which Newtopia is not mentioned in either segment.
- This along with "Anne Hunter" is the eighth episode following "Froggy Little Christmas", "All In", "The Hardest Thing", "The Three Armies"/"The Beginning of the End", "Newts in Tights"/"Fight or Flight", "Handy Anne"/"Fort in the Road", and "The New Normal" to have its score released.[5]
Continuity
- Polly mentions taking a picture of the South Tower after its destruction in "Reunion".
- Hop Pop mentions the events of "Toad Tax", "Hop-Popular", and "Reunion".
- The robot from the previous episode is revealed to be following Anne and the Plantars.
Allusions
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Sprig's ballad about Hop Pop at the Battle of Toad Tower references Sir Robin's minstrel whose song about Sir Robin focused largely on his cowardice.
- Hampster Dance: The 3-second music loop in Bittyburg may be a reference to one of the earliest Internet memes.
- Dollars Trilogy: When posing as a hero, Hop Pop dresses like Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" character from these spaghetti westerns.
- Alien: When the Bitties take down Mama Hassleback, one of them bursts out of her chest, referencing the scene when the alien embryo burst out of Kane's chest.
Errors
- When Sprig is singing his ballad about Hop-Pop and sings about Hop-Pop cowering away, he stops playing his fiddle. The fiddle is still heard being played however.
References
- ↑ Garner-Flexner, Andy. "Color design's file names". Andy Garner-Flexner's website.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Metcalf, Mitch (July 21, 2020). Top 150 Saturday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.18.2020. Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on 2020-07-22.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/DisneyTVA/status/1275473688796844032/photo/1
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Hill, TJ [@tjhill] (Jul 4, 2022). "Score snippets from #Amphibia Season 2, episode 2a: The Ballad of Hopediah Plantar!
https://youtu.be/pqXzhjzDBwQ
I got to utilize my whistling skills quite a bit for this one. I also learned how to play the spoons for the Bittyburg Tavern bit. One of my favorite eps from S2! #ost" (Tweet). Twitter. Archived from the original on 2022-07-08. Retrieved on 2022-07-08.