Video: The TRUE Secret of Monkey Island

[andygeers]

I've put together a YouTube video discussing some of the conspiracy theories about what Ron Gilbert meant by The Secret of Monkey Island.

It contains MAJOR spoilers to both SOMI and MI2:LR so don't watch if you haven't played them yet but intend to!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka07i6cp_0U

Hope you enjoy it!

[Hezus]

That is very interesting. I was always amazed by that sudden theme park ending of MI:2. The way you put it actually makes more sense of that.

Although on the other hand, why would Gilbert already reveal the theme park as the "secret" in MI:2 if he planned a third installment? Wouldn't it make sense to wait and only reveal the true secret in MI:3? This would indicate that there is actually more to it than just the themepark..

But as you mentioned.. Only Ron Gilbert knows.. I hope he will one day reveal his origional intentions for MI.

EDIT: Gilbert was there for the brainstorm for Tales of MI, so might be worth checking if you can find any clues in ToMI he might have left behind regarding the theme park plot.

[andygeers]

I wouldn't say that the ending of MI2 *entirely* gives the game away: I think there are still a lot of unexplained threads, and you're left with a reasonable amount of doubt. So I still think there's room for a "third" game.

[Majus]

Very well made!
Funny, when you pointed out the clues in the tunnels, I had the urge to play it again right now. The game is so scary and hugely atmospheric at this scene.

[Hezus]

I always interpreted the theme park ending as a voodoo trick made by LeChuck. If they walk away from the last scene you see Chuckies eyes glow, which indicates that the spirit of LeChuck is present inside him.

I think this is also how the developers of MI:3 (TCoMI) saw it, since LeChuck says something like "I dont know how you escaped my Carnival of the Damned.." when he sees Guybrush float by in the bumper car. I wonder if Gilbert passed on that info on to the new developers of TCoMI or that they worked without any of his guidance.

Since Gilbert left though, it's been hard to determine what is actually "canon". What was added later is pretty much interpretation from other developers. I would like to get my hands on Gilbert's origional script for MI3 though

[andygeers]

Originally Posted by Majus

Very well made!
Funny, when you pointed out the clues in the tunnels, I had the urge to play it again right now. The game is so scary and hugely atmospheric at this scene.

Thanks Majus, that means a lot coming from such a mighty animator as yourself!

[Hezus]

Andy, you might like this:

http://www.worldofmi.com/images/comi...I1Comic-48.jpg

It's a comic someone drew about SoMI. In the last panel (shadow!) you can see how the artist interpreted the story. Seems the Voodoo Lady warned Guybrush about how he'll discover things about his world, in this case that he's actually a child, maybe dreaming about it.

[andygeers]

Originally Posted by Hezus

Andy, you might like this:

http://www.worldofmi.com/images/comi...I1Comic-48.jpg

Wow, that is a cool comic! I included that scene in my video, since it seems like a pretty blatant clue that there's something going on.

[Little Writer]

I think he'll take that secret with him into his grave.

Unless they go ahead with the original idea for the third game and create some kind of giant rewind to negate everything that has happened since CMI, I doubt we'll ever get to see it.

Some kind of voodoo curse could probably achieve that, but rewinds like that have become such a cliché, I also doubt it'll be well received by the fans.

[puzzlebox]

That was quite amusing.

I enjoyed it - very well done, thanks for sharing!

[Icedhope]

Oooh...I love conspiracy theories, I have made quite a few of them myself.

[Mermaid]

Nicely done, really!
Actually, though, I recently read - I think it was on Ron's blog itself - that he wasn't really inspired by Disney Land's theme ride but by some book which name I forgot. Anyone else read that blog entry?

Anyhow, the many allusions to theme parks leave no doubt that there must be some connection. But as you said yourself, that does not necessarily have something to do with the secret itself (after all, why would it be called The Secret of Monkey Island, when it's Dinky and Melee Island which are connected by the tunnels)?

[andygeers]

Originally Posted by Mermaid

Actually, though, I recently read - I think it was on Ron's blog itself - that he wasn't really inspired by Disney Land's theme ride but by some book which name I forgot. Anyone else read that blog entry?

It was "On Stranger Tides" by Tim Powers. But I think that was in addition to the Disneyland ride, not instead of. That's the beautiful thing about inspiration, it can be multi-faceted :-)

[Majus]

Originally Posted by Mermaid

(after all, why would it be called The Secret of Monkey Island, when it's Dinky and Melee Island which are connected by the tunnels)?

Woah, I totally missed that! The Theme-Park-Theories are very good, but the connection to Monkey Island itself is still missing. Good point!

[andygeers]

I guess it's also weird that Estevan says "Only LeChuck knows" the secret: odd that LeChuck should know that the world is an illusion if it's in Guybrush's head.

The other thing that makes me ponder, is that both LeChuck's ship and Captain Marley's ship "Elaine" were both sunk by mysterious storms whilst hunting for The Secret and for Big Whoop respectively. Coincidence?

And I often wonder why a dog shows up at the end of MI2 when you defeat LeChuck and carries his arm off.

PLUS... Ron's consulting on the new Tales of Monkey Island apparently highlighted Elaine's role in all this, and how she seems to always be 10 steps ahead of everybody and knows more than she lets on. And the straightforward "Themepark" theory doesn't really give any insight at all into her identity/significance.

Anyway, those are just some random thoughts of mine off the back of making this video!

[Majus]

Originally Posted by andygeers

I guess it's also weird that Estevan says "Only LeChuck knows" the secret: odd that LeChuck should know that the world is an illusion if it's in Guybrush's head.

You can ask LeChuck about the secret in »LeChuck’s Revenge«, when Guybrush is hanging over that acid-pit. He’ll answer that Guybrush will understand it quite soon. U-huh?

[Thriftweed Fancy Pants]

If you haven't read it already, then this thread would be of interest to you. It points out a few more reasons to believe that Guybrush is just a kid exploring a theme-park world. This is an interesting theory, but I find it strange that Ron would've essentially revealed the secret at the end of Monkey Island 2. Why not save it until Monkey Island 3?

[Little Writer]

Perhaps he's a kid in a theme-park pretending to be a pirate who's cursed to think he's a kid in a theme-park? An illusion in an illusion?

[Hayden]

I would personally hate it if I were to find that the whole monkey island world, story, characters etc. were just built around a little boy's imagination. It would ruin the whole thing for me, it just wouldn't be the same. I strongly agree with Hezus's theory (or at least strongly hope that it's correct):

Originally Posted by Hezus

I always interpreted the theme park ending as a voodoo trick made by LeChuck.

Either that, or the whole LeChuck's Revenge ending was just a joke or an attempt to confuse the MI fans.

[andygeers]

Originally Posted by haydenwce27

I would personally hate it if I were to find that the whole monkey island world, story, characters etc. were just built around a little boy's imagination. It would ruin the whole thing for me, it just wouldn't be the same.

I don't think you're alone in this sentiment - I've come across quite a few people expressing the same idea. I must confess though, I slightly struggle to understand exactly people feel this way - in what way does it diminish the experience?

Since reading through all of the feedback to this video, I've actually moved on quite a long way in my own thinking. I sense that a second video is called for at some future date :-) My current view is that even if this themepark thing is at least partly true, it's only a tiny fragment of the complete "secret" - it still leaves an awful lot of unanswered questions for me.

I need to keep mulling it over, but it's been quite insightful to look into a bit more of the background of the voodoo mythology, and what they believe about the afterlife, etc.

There's also one MAJOR clue that nobody ever seems to comment on: we know that Guybrush's parents are DEAD - their skeletons are sitting in the Lost and Found. So how come they're suddenly alive again in the themepark?