"DOOGAL"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Chevy Chase as TRAIN Judi Dench as NARRATOR Jimmy Fallon as DYLAN Whoopi Goldberg as ERMINTRUDE Bill Hader as SOLDIER SAM William H. Macy as BRIAN Ian McKellen as ZEBEDEE Kylie Minogue as FLORENCE Kevin Smith as MOOSE Jon Stewart as ZEEBAD Daniel Tay as DOOGAL Rated G Studio: The Weinstein Company Directed by: Butch Hartman Back to DVD Review Home |  |
I have to admit that I wasn’t very impressed with “Doogal” when I saw it in the theatres. In fact, I kinda panned it. But part of my problem was that I went alone (as we critics do). I really should have taken a kid.
Now bringing a child to “Doogal” wouldn’t make it magically become a great movie, but I would see it in a slightly different light. A couple weeks after it was released, my parents took my two young sons (ages 2 and 4) to see the film. While my parents were less than impressed, my sons loved it.
Keep in mind that it doesn’t take a whole lot to impress a four-year-old. After all, he claims the best part of the film to be when the moose farted. Still, you can’t argue with the fact that it touched them both.
This reminds me of a discussion I had with an old newspaper editor about Barney the purple dinosaur. There was a live show coming to town, and I was assigned to cover the show. I made a disparaging comment to my editor about Barney, and he came back saying he used to feel the same way. However, he said his opinion changed after he had a daughter and saw what an impact the annoying dino had on her. He still didn’t like Barney, but he understood its purpose.
So, if asked whether “Doogal” is a good movie, I might still say no. However, if asked if it’s a good movie for kids, I will say this is undoubtedly true.
“Doogal” takes place in a magical world where everybody are friends. A spring-loaded wizard named Zebedee (Ian McKellen) has hidden his evil brother Zeebad (Jon Stewart) in a magical carousel. Apparently, it’s a thousand years old and still ticking. However, the mischievous dog Doogal (Daniel Tay) accidentally sets Zeebad free, and he emerges with a plan to freeze the world. In order to save their land, Doogal and his strange assortment of friends must track down magic diamonds to reseal Zeebad’s merry-go-round prison.
The original British version of the show was titled “The Magic Roundabout,” which was based on an old animated French television show. This was a huge hit throughout Europe, which was what helped draw Judi Dench in as the narrator.
Where “Doogal” stumbles is in the choice to redub the film. The original movie had great British character actors like Jim Broadbent, Joanna Lumley and Dr. Who himself, Tom Baker (my favorite). I’ve not seen the original British version, so I can’t make any comparisons. However, it is clear that many of the lines of dialogue were rewritten to make jokes and American pop culture references instead of holding true to the original piece. In the behind-the-scenes footage, we are treated to improv sessions with Kevin Smith, Chevy Chase and Jimmy Fallon.
Corey Edwards, the genius behind the Weinsteins’ other CGI film this year, was brought in to rewrite the American version. I have nothing against Edwards’ wit – in fact I think he did a brilliant job with “Hoodwinked.” However, there seemed to be more effort put into the lines as stand-alone jokes that the story is lost in a bizarre sea of pop culture irrelevancy.
Still, “Doogal” is a fun show for kids. Watching it on television with my sons running around the house is a vastly different experience than watching it in an empty theatre on opening day. I’m constantly reminded that I’m not the target audience for this film. Like “The Adventures of SharkBoy and LavaGirl,” this film loses its charm on anyone older than eight, so let’s be honest here... I’m not going to be the best judge of it.
The DVD comes with only one special feature – a “Making of Doogal” featurette. This was a source of disappointment for me because I would have really liked to see the original British version offered on the DVD as well.
Specifications: Dolby Sound. Fullscreen (1.33:1) and widescreen (1.78:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Spanish subtitles. English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
