The Three Stooges (2012) Plot Summary Explained

The Stooges were evicted after a disastrous cooking incident while brainstorming ideas to save their animated series. During their frantic attempt to come up with a new concept for their producer, they caused a kitchen catastrophe that resulted in their eviction, forcing them to seek new living quarters.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, their chaotic brainstorming session hints at their inability to handle simple tasks without disaster.

• eviction
• cooking incident
• the three stooges
• landlord

The Stooges agreed to collaborate with Professor Danforth primarily because they needed a place to live after being evicted. In exchange for helping him create an electronic animation device for their show, the professor offered to help them design a multifunctional military vehicle, combining their mutual needs into an unusual partnership.

Foreshadowing: Their desperate situation after eviction makes them willing to entertain any proposition, no matter how bizarre.

• professor danforth
• martian invasion
• collaboration
• housing

The butler was secretly a Martian spy who had infiltrated Earth by working as Professor Danforth's servant. He kept his alien identity hidden throughout the collaboration, using his position to assist the Martian invasion plan from within the professor's home.

Foreshadowing: The butler's polite demeanor and hidden activities foreshadow his true allegiance as the Martian threat becomes clearer.

• martian spy
• butler
• professor danforth
• alien

The Stooges accidentally acquired a nuclear depth bomb during their chaotic misadventures, completely mistaking it for a carburetor for their military vehicle. This absurd mix-up exemplifies their classic slapstick inability to recognize dangerous objects, and they unknowingly attached it to their vehicle's engine.

Foreshadowing: The communication failures and general confusion throughout the film set up this ridiculous misunderstanding.

• nuclear depth bomb
• carburetor
• military vehicle
• mix-up

During a test of their multifunctional military vehicle, the Stooges accidentally drove into a nuclear test zone. This happened because their vehicle had been equipped with the nuclear depth bomb they had mistaken for a carburetor, causing their operation to accelerate absurdly when they activated the engine.

Foreshadowing: The nuclear bomb attachment to their vehicle foreshadows the dangerous situation they would eventually encounter.

• nuclear test zone
• military vehicle
• bomb
• test drive

The Stooges confronted the invading Martians using their makeshift military vehicle equipped with the nuclear depth bomb. Through their signature slapstick comedy and wild escapades, they successfully dismantled the Martians' plan to destroy Earth and Disneyland, ultimately defeating the alien threat despite their clumsy methods.

Foreshadowing: Their unconventional vehicle and the bomb they accidentally acquired become crucial tools in the final confrontation.

• martian invasion
• earth
• disneyland
• defeat
• aliens

The Stooges' animated series, The Three Stooges Scrapbook, was at risk of cancellation because their producer was dissatisfied with their lack of new ideas. The trio was given an ultimatum: they had just ten days to present an engaging concept or the show would be canceled, putting their careers in jeopardy.

Foreshadowing: The opening scene establishes the pressure they face, which drives their desperate quest throughout the film.

• the three stooges scrapbook
• cancellation
• producer
• tv show

After successfully stopping the Martian invasion and protecting both Earth and Disneyland, the Stooges' heroic actions revitalized interest in their beloved series. Their triumphant adventure demonstrated their value not just as entertainers but as unexpected heroes, securing the future of The Three Stooges Scrapbook.

Foreshadowing: The film's happy ending reinforces that their adventure directly tied to their show's survival through the collaboration with Professor Danforth.

• disneyland
• tv show future
• heroes
• redemption

The electronic animation device was an innovative project the Stooges developed for their animated series as part of their collaboration with Professor Danforth. It was meant to modernize The Three Stooges Scrapbook and make their show more engaging to save it from cancellation.

Foreshadowing: This device represents their attempt to innovate their show, which connects to their overall goal of saving the series.

• electronic animation
• innovation
• animated series
• scrapbook