King Julien is thrilled to see his parents again, but when they try to leave, Julien forces them to give him the childhood he never had, culminating in him recreating the dance recital his parents never showed up for.
Tropes:
- Aesop Amnesia: When his parents have seemingly abandoned him again, Julien shares a valuable lesson about how his friends are his true family, that he immediately discards when his parents show up after all.Maurice: What about all that stuff you just said about us being your family?Julien: That was back when I thought they were gone forever. Now they're back, and I'm free to blow off the valuable lesson I just learned!
- Call-Back: Teasing Maurice about being emotional, Julien makes Maurice cry by claiming his dying thoughts as he was about to die in the Mega Gecko explosion were of Maurice.
- Catapult Nightmare: Julien has a couple of these around his parents never seeing him dance.
- Character Development: Julien's parents slowly get into bonding with their son, going from wanting nothing to do with him and not wanting to touch him, to checking to see if he's alright when he gets injured.Julienne: Oh dear, do you have a fever?Julien: You're touching me, Mommy!Julienne: Of course, sweetie, just don't expect me to make a habit of it.Barty: We're just glad our little captain of industry is A-OK!Julien: You're resting your hand on my arm, Papi!
- Daddy Didn't Show: The last time Julien saw his parents was just before his dance recital. History threatens to repeat itself, but his parents decide to watch after all.
- Dream Within a Dream: All of Julien's catapult nightmares come with a second layer where a shark abruptly comes out of nowhere and eats him shortly after waking up.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Julien wants to impress his parents with his dance recital so badly he hires Tammy to be his choreographer despite the fact the he hates both Tammy and being told how to dance. Maurice brings this up when trying to convince his parents to stay.
- Running Gag: Julien's family bonding activities all end up with Julien falling off a cliff.Julien: (Falling off the cliff for the third time) Why do we keep doing activities next to this cliff?
- Shout-Out: One of Julien's dreams takes place in a Red Room where Mort speaks backwards.
- True Companions: When his parents' empty seats give Julien a panic attack that has him unable to perform, Tammy points out that Maurice and Clover are actually sitting in their place, giving Julien the confidence he needs to continue.
