Doogal (Magical Roundabout) Movie Talkback

[judyindisguise]

So...how come I've found no reviews of this film? From any major film critic? From any newspaper? From even Rotten Tomatoes.com?

It's almost as if the film's producers didn't want anyone to review this film before it hit theatres in order to lure the innocent and kid-laden moviegoer!

Oh, wait...

Edited to add: Rotten Tomatoes just posted a few reviews (they sure as heck weren't there this morning). Here's the link:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1156283-doogal/

Especially scathing is the Hollywood Reporter's remark that the film was, indeed, not allowed to be screened by critics prior to release, a first for a children's film. And it added this comment regarding my favorite person Butch Hartman:

**Butch Hartman's American screenplay adaptation includes the usual quota of pop culture references (Blue Man Group, "CSI," etc.), but it's not surprising that neither the script nor the bland visuals exactly come up to Pixar levels. Indeed, the key frame animation, based on three-dimensional models, is rudimentary, with none of the characters proving visually arresting.**

So...has anyone here seen the film yet? Opinions?

[Daffy Dork]

I'm still on the fence about seeing it. I wish there were more reviews :shrug:

[Space Chief]

My Mom is a huge fan of this show, and it's too bad it apparently sucks.

I guess it's part of Hollywood's continuing scheme to destroy our childhoods.

[Dark Fact]

I've seen a few television ad spots for it but that's it. Not impressed with what I saw. I'll be amazed if this movie makes it into the top 3.

[Anyone00]

I wonder if the original English...er...British dub is better?

[Wussycat]

I wonder if the original English...er...British dub is better? It is, by far.

[Peter Paltridge]

I never heard of this until I opened the newspaper this morning and saw a print ad for it that said "NOW PLAYING." And I go to several animation websites besides this one.

Talk about one heck of a smokescreen. It must be REALLY bad.

[Dudley]

I heard about the movie when it came out in UK theaters. Since it's based on a british kids show, I didn't think it would come to the States.
Now that it did, did it really need a redub?

[Wussycat]

It's actually based on a French kids show which was dubbed in Britain. It also aired in the US as part of an old Nickelodeon show, Pinwheel.

[DarthGonzo]

The only place Doogal seems to be advertised is Nickelodeon, and as far as that goes the ads are relentless. I see them constantly.

[Mr Cat Dog]

The Magic Roundabout's been called Doogal? WHOA!

I knew it was going to be released in the US, but I didn't think they would change it that much, and to completely redub it as well? Wow! That's just a new low for the film industry... I mean, if kids can understand the accents in W&G, who's to say they won't understand the accents in TMR or Doogal, as it's now called!

Oh, from that RT review, it sounds like the whole script's been changed as well! There were certainly no CSI bits whe I saw the film last year! (It wasn't particularly good, mind you... but I'm still annoyed that Hollywood has screwed it up).

[Rasputin]

*siiiigh*...the bad old days are back, it seems.

[judyindisguise]

I've seen a few television ad spots for it but that's it. Not impressed with what I saw. I'll be amazed if this movie makes it into the top 3.

Your prediction was correct, sir. On opening day it barely made it into the top 10. Here's a link to ShowBizData, a box-office tracking website:

http://www.showbizdata.com/dailybox.cfm

That is an incredibly poor showing. "Doogal" didn't even make a million. Looks like this movie is a dog. (I'll spare us all any puns regarding "dog" and the movie's titular star).

[Anthonynotes]

It's actually based on a French kids show which was dubbed in Britain. It also aired in the US as part of an old Nickelodeon show, Pinwheel.

I thought that little dustmop looked familiar---and it ate sugar cubes, yes?

-B.
Having flashbacks to watching Pinwheel as a kid in the 80's...

[Zubby]

On Thursday's The Daily Show, the guest was Roger Ebert. John Stewart, who does one of the voices in Doogal, was openly mocking the film. Not a good sign when a well-known cast member bashes the film before it has opened.

The New York Times gave it an awful review in today's paper.

[judyindisguise]

Personally, I love the British sense of humor, which was one reason I loved "Wallace and Gromit" so much. I wonder if this movie would have been more enjoyable untouched by American hands, or if it is indeed too obscure for Yankee tastes?

[DarthGonzo]

Your prediction was correct, sir. On opening day it barely made it into the top 10. Here's a link to ShowBizData, a box-office tracking website:

http://www.showbizdata.com/dailybox.cfm

That is an incredibly poor showing. "Doogal" didn't even make a million. Looks like this movie is a dog. (I'll spare us all any puns regarding "dog" and the movie's titular star).

BOMB!!!

[Daffy Dork]

I'll just use this thread as a talkback....

So I was passing by my theater, was a rather boring day with no plans, and I bought a ticket.

And that's exactly what "Doogal" ended up being : A Time Killer. And nothing more.

First, let me get out of the way what I liked (don't worry, it's a short list...).

The animation was excellent. Very appealing and cute character designs and the movements and chases, etc. were very well animated. The backgrounds were a wonder. Whether it was the snowy winter wonder land, or the happy springtime, the backgrounds grabbed me in. (But there were too many other things that threw me right out)

The story was...thin. The theme of friendship was well executed, but the whole adventure became confusing. (But that was due more to one of the worst scripts ever.)

Okay..now for the bad.

First: The voices. This had to be the WORST casting job I've ever seen in an animared movie. Only one voice actually worked and that was Judi Dench as the narrator. Other than Jon Stewart and Whoopi Goldberg, the rest of the voices were monotone and boring to listen to. However, Whoopi Goldberg had to be the most AWFUL choice to play Ermintrude. Because she wasn't playing Ermintrude. She was playing Whoopi Goldberg in a cow's body. Now I've never seen the original, so I don't know Ermintrude's personality, but I'm positive she wasn't a b*tchy cow who sings gospel music. Honestly, where did they get the idea for that one? :confused: Jon Stewart did a typical villain voice, which was rather lame IMO. It wouldn't have been as bad if his dialogue was written better, but alas it wasn't.

Now for the worst part of the movie: The script. None of the characters were likable. The dialogue ranged from groan worthy, cheesy stuff, to embarassingly and supposedly funny crap. And as for the usual CGI animated movie nowadays, they pack in a billion done to death pop culture references.HAHA! They did Lord of the Rings! HAHA! Star Trek! You laughing yet?! Good because that's as funny as it gets.:rolleyes2 You have Doogal's candy obsession as sort of a joke, but it doesn't rise above "eh..it's cute...I guess..." You have characters complaining and overreacting in their terrible voices... Oh, that's funny too! Oh wait...no, annoying was the word I meant. And wait a second... There's a farting moose! Come on, guys! Farting!!!! It's brilliant!!!! :rolleyes2

So...was it a bad movie? YES.

However, the parts I liked were the parts left in from the original English version, and I would've paid DOUBLE to see the english version.

I'm giving this a 2/5 for now. Though it could very well be a 1/5

[Ackar]

The other day on the radio they talked with Whoopi Goldberg about the movie.

When they asked her what it was about she didn't seem to know. :sweat:

[Lychii]

About the pop culture refences from a BH fourm user...


I noticed many, many references to today's culture: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Ice Age, Finding Nemo, Austin Powers, Pirates of the Caribbean, Pimp My Ride (yes, there was, I think that was part of the teenage humor), The Little Engine Who Could... the list could go on and on!
A "pimp my ride" refence? Urgh, I know for a fact that wasn't in the original. Does a good movie need 1 billion pop culture refences? Like the old saying says, if it's not broken then don't try to fix it.

[Delthayre]

Poor Jon Stewart, I like him on The Daily Show and I'm keen to watch his job hosting the Oscars, but they had no business trying to replace Tom Baker with him. I haven't seen it (and I have no plans to that effect), but the casting seems ill considered and sometimes downright unfortunate just looking the cast list over.

[Nin-Nin69]

So is 2006 the year for freshman college quality 3D animation? Not to be negative or anything, but Curious George is the strongest animated movie released thus far and will be until Cars or the next definited movie comes out.

[tucsoncoyote]

Frankly I am looking at the Adverts and i have to Concur with the folks who think it's bad...

Heck this year i looks like Disney is going to have a lot of Good stuff compared to the other animation studios..and now that Pixar is back under Disney's wing, it is starting to look like Disney is finally going to have a few good solid hits and this will be the first time in a year since The Incredibles and before that The Lion King.

I mean I have Seen Eight Below and the Adverts for The Shaggy Dog (both of which are Live action and both of these Look far more interesting Especially The Shaggy Dog with Tim Allen in it).

But then we Look at Doogal and compare this to Hoodwinked and the Upcoming Cars that Pixar is cranking out this June, and I have to say that Doogal (in the original British form) is a lot better.. But the Americans have a way of Mucking things up, and I have to say that Doogal looks Tame and lame by comparison..and with VA's Like John Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, and Chevy Chase? I hate to say this but Doogal is a puppy compared even to Last Year's Valiant.

Sorry but I just can't Comprehend why they redubbed and reissued The British movie with this bad redub... sorry this is a No go for me.. after all if they had left things alone I think the kids would have enjoyed it.. but Like the formula says.. when you add in cult references and do it poorly, it's gonna flop faster then a fish out of water. Hoodwinked was a bit better but still had the same problems and in fact I think if Disney can learn from this.. we could start seeing movies that could actually make Disney Top Dog in Animation again. and that's saying a lot for the Former 2D animatin studio

Oh wait Disney is bringing back 2D animation.. so Stay tooned, cause I have a feeling this is gonna be a "Dog Eat Dog" World in terms of Animation.


nuff said.

:coyote:

[Wussycat]

Butch Hartman: Lots of CGI movies coming out lately! I should make one! Too bad they take so long to make... Wait! I'll just take a foreign one and quickly redub it! Genius!

[JMorgan]

So...how come I've found no reviews of this film? From any major film critic?

The "duty" thing in the commercials completely removed any whim they may have had of watching it? :P

[Leviathan]

Great, now you guys have gotten me interested in seeing Doogal ;)

And if what has been said about the film's quality is true, then we can expect Amid Amidi to unfavoribly comapre it to The Triplets of Belville, Mind Game, and Hair High on Cartoon Brew (like he did with Hoodwinked)

[PeppeRaskell1]

Doogal got roasted by the New York Post and the Daily News also. The Post said the "Gopher Broke" short and five other animated movie trailers "put it to shame."

I hope that when this flick comes out on DVD (probably next week!) they'll have the original French version, British version, and American version on the same disk, with maybe a few of those original 60's "Magic Roundabout" shorts as a bonus feature (it's gonna need 'em!)

PeppeRaskell1
"Stick a fork in that hot dog, he's done..."

[Skeeter]

Poor Jon Stewart, I like him on The Daily Show and I'm keen to watch his job hosting the Oscars, but they had no business trying to replace Tom Baker with him. I haven't seen it (and I have no plans to that effect), but the casting seems ill considered and sometimes downright unfortunate just looking the cast list over.

A-men.

-Kim

[Daffy Dork]

Doogal got roasted by the New York Post and the Daily News also. The Post said the "Gopher Broke" short and five other animated movie trailers "put it to shame."


I didn't find Gopher Broke that great. Seemed like a rip off of something Pixar would do only with poor timing and animation. Still better than Doogal though because at least I didn't have to sit through cringe worthy dialogue.

But the trailers shown before Doogal did put it to shame. (All of them were for animated movies, believe it or not)

[judyindisguise]

Since there are so few critics' reviews of this movie, I went to the user reviews at Yahoo. And WHOA. I'm not crazy about Butch Hartman but I hope he doesn't see those. It's kind of startling. A few of them are by what appears to be kids who went to a birthday party and part of the celebration involved taking them to see "Doogal". Some of them decided to post their reviews and wow. You know the saying "kids can be cruel"? Believe it!

[Lord Dalek]

The only thing that could have been more terrifying than this is Butch Hartman's all star redub of The Clangers...

Ah, who am I kidding.

[The Myst]

All I can say is that Jon Stewart's description of his character was godly and the fact that he couldn't keep from laughing while saying it just made it evenh better.

"I uh... I play an evil spring-- *Laughter*-- an evil spring that wants to freeze the world-- *Laughter*-- with ice that he shoots from his mustache! *Roaring laughter.*"

[Peter Paltridge]

It's actually based on a French kids show which was dubbed in Britain. It also aired in the US as part of an old Nickelodeon show, Pinwheel.
Get out..... If this was part of Pinwheel, I'd remember.

[Lord Dalek]

Get out..... If this was part of Pinwheel, I'd remember.Surprise! (http://www.johnnorrisbrown.com/classic-nick/pinwheel/magic.htm)

[Crash]

An all-star voice cast like that...and its getting bad reviews? Color me....totally, totally unsurprised.

Heh. Though now I am curious to see (hear) the brittish version.

[Rasputin]

Rather ironic, no? It was a British redub of a French TV show that made The Magic Roundabout such a cult classic, and yet it's an American redub of a British movie that's made "Doogal" such a critical failure.

Aaaaah...cosmic irony. The world is a better place for it.

[Iron G]

My mom dragged me to it opening day.

I want that hour and a half of my life back.

[Undrave]

tournicoti, tournicota...

http://www.meganimation.net/Animes/Images/Manege/manege1.jpg
http://www.meganimation.net/meganimation/Video/menege_enchante_debut.mpg (French opening I dug up)

See that's stuff like this that makes Hollywood look bad *shakes head*

When are they gonna realise that doing voices in a cartoon is not the same as acting in a live action movie and that you can't just take any 'star' (I use that loosely when dealing with Whoopi Goldberg) and place them in front of a mike and expect the end result to be good!

Plus British accents are so much cooler than American accents :D

Plus adding pop culture reference? Bleh -.- like that would make it popular...OVER DONE!

[Space Chief]

Plus adding pop culture reference? Bleh -.- like that would make it popular...OVER DONE!

Well, everyone knows us Americans aren't able to comprehend anything that doesn't have "American Idol" references in it.
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Dark Fact]

Seriously people...8th place!!! Can you name me any other kids animated movie that performed this terribly in theatres? :sweat:

[mastershake130]

I have not seen it but i am so not in the future.

doogal aka a ripoff of one of britans lamest movies.
these companies are so miserable for ideas
why did they go and con mcdonalds to do toys

i think the poster is way too ugly to see

[Bubblegum Girl]

I don't understand why did they change the title "Magic Roudabout" to "Doogal"? I mean "Magic Roundabout" sounds waaaaay better than "Doogal". :shrug: IMO The movie would have been better if America didn't redubbed it.

[PeppeRaskell1]

Seriously people...8th place!!! Can you name me any other kids animated movie that performed this terribly in theatres? :sweat:

Three letters: P-P-G...

[Bubblegum Girl]

Three letters: P-P-G...

And that was a really good movie IMO...

[PeppeRaskell1]

Seriously people...8th place!!! Can you name me any other kids animated movie that performed this terribly in theatres? :sweat:

Three letters: P-P-G...



http://www.meganimation.net/Animes/I...ge/manege1.jpg (http://www.meganimation.net/Animes/Images/Manege/manege1.jpg)
http://www.meganimation.net/meganima...ante_debut.mpg (http://www.meganimation.net/meganimation/Video/menege_enchante_debut.mpg) (French opening I dug up)

So that's what the opening really sounded like? Like I said a few posts above, an episode or two in its native language would make a great Bonus Feature for the DVD. That, plus the original French and British versions of Doogal would be the ONLY reason I'd even think of renting or buying the DVD...(emphasis on renting).

PeppeRaskell1
"Localization <rhymes with Tournacatucks>..."

[Lord Dalek]

Seriously people...8th place!!! Can you name me any other kids animated movie that performed this terribly in theatres? :sweat:Home On The Range?

[MonkeyFunk]

Plus adding pop culture reference? Bleh -.- like that would make it popular...OVER DONE!

The British dub of the original series added pop culture references, but they were generally wittier.


"My film will be the greatest picture ever made," said Dougal, modestly. "It will make Ben Hur look like an advertisement for Turkish Delight. It will make Ken Russell spit with jealousy."

[Wussycat]

The moose doesn't fart in the British version.

[Rasputin]

There's the crux of it all. Pop culture references are good so long as they're well done. It's leading head-first into an 'Americans can't do wit' stereotype taking that last quote into context.

[HellCat]

I remember hearing back during the UK release they were planning to localise it for other markets. I agree with everyone else- is it impossible for a CGI movie other than Pixar to go through America and not be bloated with tacky pop culture references? Releasing the film in the UK made sense as you at least have the nostalgia market (same with the awful Thunderbirds live action) but trying to pitch it to a market that lacks that is stupid.

[Dark Fact]

Home On The Range?
But that got 4th place, didn't it? Sure it wasn't in the top 3 but it did do much better than this movie.


Three letters: P-P-G...
I heard you the first time, Peppe! ;)

Yeah, good example!

[Undrave]

The Pokémon movies beside the first one didn't so so well when they were put in theatres no?

[Bevandera]

I don't understand why did they change the title "Magic Roudabout" to "Doogal"? I mean "Magic Roundabout" sounds waaaaay better than "Doogal". :shrug: IMO The movie would have been better if America didn't redubbed it.

This is the one change they made to this movie that I can understand (not to say I agree with it). Over here in the states the vast majority of the people don't know what a roundabout is, we refer to them as merry-go-rounds or carousels.

[Lazyboi13]

Must of been a long redubbing procesess, this came out ages ago in England, probally allmost a year in fact, since the DVD came out August and there was a long theatre to the DVD transaction period.

I for one atleast was quite impressed my the trailer, didnt exctally look oscar winning but looked quite fun, but damn, you guys have really put me of now :sweat:

Renaming it "doogal" is a bit tacky as well :shrug:

and wtf are they up to replacing Tom Baker as a VA. Serosilly, Tom Baker is one of the best actors ever, and not to mention completly irraplacable :rolleyes:

EDIT: Looked on amazon(UK) and it seems that it came out in 2004 O_o

[Space Chief]

~BREAKING NEWS~

According to IMDB, Doogal is now the worst animated movie of all time!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0763304/

[Lord Dalek]

~BREAKING NEWS~

According to IMDB, Doogal is now the worst animated movie of all time!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0763304/Worse than Sinbad? That's a stretch!

[judyindisguise]

Worse than Sinbad? That's a stretch!

Those comments on IMDB are on a par with those on Yahoo. Last time I looked there, the overall grade was C+. Whew! The movie must really reek. Somebody should have curbed that puppy before it ever reached the eyes and ears of innocent moviegoers.

[Tea]

From the previews I coulda sworn this was being done by the same people who made "Hoodwinked."

[Tay the Cat]

From the previews I coulda sworn this was being done by the same people who made "Hoodwinked."
No, they simple did the redubbing process and nothing more.

Just like Disney was credited with making "Valiant" when they really didn't.

[Dudley]

Seriously people...8th place!!! Can you name me any other kids animated movie that performed this terribly in theatres? :sweat:

I think Teacher's Pet came in 10th place...

[Lychii]

Just like Disney was credited with making "Valiant" when they really didn't.
Seriously? I never knew that.

[Rasputin]

Seriously? I never knew that.

British! It's British! Made by us folk, 'twas!

...

Why am I proud of that?

[Vale]

I don't know, but you shouldn't be.

Anyway, I'm a waitress at a combination movie theater/restaurant, so I've had the opportunity to see much of Doogal (Mind you, I'd never actually sit down and watch the thing in its entirety). I've noticed a few factors that work to make it such a spectacular failure:

First, the dubbing. Words don't always match up to mouth movements; in one scene at the end that sticks out in my mind, Florence (the little girl) asks, "Are you ready, Doogal?" But her mouth only forms two syllables. It just looks ridiculous. I've scene better dubbing in the CGI scenes in Code Lyoko.

Also, it seems like some characters speak that probably weren't intended to in the original. I dunno, I just get the feeling the moose wasn't supposed to talk. Might be because HIS MOUTH NEVER MOVES.

Second, the humor. Too many pop culture references. And a farting moose? How are we supposed to take this movie even slightly seriously?

Third, the characters. I'll give the voice actors the benefit of the doubt; they might have been able to work better with decent dialogue (although they certaintly could have tried harder to synchronize their lines with the mouth movements). But there are some intrinsic problems here. Am I seriously looking at an evil spring that shoots ice balls from his mustache?

This is sad, because the CGI effects can be quite nice, and the backgrounds, I thought, were lovely. Why are good animators put to work on bad ideas? Who comes up with these things? I'm 18 years old, and I could produce a better idea for a movie in my sleep!

[Ashleigh]

:shrug:

Hoo boy. Where do I begin? I saw Doogal today, and yes, the dubbing was off, and yes, it had pop culture references coming out the wazoo, and yes, the plot was very simplistic. But I ENJOYED IT! It was a very nice movie, heck, reminded me of movies I watched all the time growing up. But I can address some common complaints:

-Bad dubbing: People, a lot of you guys like anime, right? Don't most animes have bad dubbing? And yet they're still popular in America. While I agree that replacing the original British voices with American voices was sort of pointless, I can defend it with two points: a. Jimmy Fallon needs to get work somewhere....jk, and b.British humor is very different from American humor. Maybe they thought there would be some things American viewers wouldn't get.
-Pop Culture References: Um, yeah, you can find those in pretty much any cartoon these days. Maybe they overdid it, but that's what made it funny.
-Simplistic plot: It WAS actually meant to be a movie for little kids. Heck, I only saw it because I took my little brother.

In short, fellow toon lovers, every cartoon movie can't be Shrek, Hoodwinked, Ice Age, or whatever, so just take Doogal for what it is. Thank you, and good night.

-I'm Ashleigh and I approved this message;)