Corduroy

The only movie to make my daughter cry. She is a tough kid who rarely gets scared at any kid's movie .We loved the book Corduroy and my husband thought it would be a great idea to watch this version available at our local library. Strange is all I can say about it. Instead of the normal music that would accompany a children's program... Corduroy walks around the store late at night to music reminiscent of a horror movie. The representation of Corduroy is a person in a large bear suit who doesn't speak. Creepy to say the least. At one point Corduroy falls from pulling off a button. In this version I believe director had seen too many Tony Scott action flicks because the bear/man drops and rolls out of the way nearly missing a falling lamp.(it's over the top funny). But again it wasn't for my daughter... the music, poor production values and weird characterizations freaked her out. It looks like it was shot as an industrial video. Don't rent it.

The video is very true to the book. If you are looking for this video, try checking out the children's department of your local library. We found a copy in the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Children's collection.

My daughter just loves this film. It a little over 16 minutes long and you may find it included on tapes with other children's programming.

Terry J. Wood

Pittsburgh, PA

I remember watching Corduroy as a child, and I loved it. That little stuffed bear was the most amazing thing, and I was shocked that they managed to get a stuffed bear to walk around like this. I watch it today, and I'm still amazed at how well this was done. It seems like it would be tricky to constantly switch from a stuffed bear to a costume character, but it's a seamless change. The story is short, but sweet, and it's a perfect way to spend 30 minutes.

A little girl goes with her mother to a toy store and has her eye on the perfect bear. Her mother doesn't let her buy it because it's missing a button from it's corduroy overalls. When the store closes, Corduroy the bear goes on an adventure trying to find his missing button in a big department store. He goes riding on a train, and travels as far as the sporting department. Meanwhile the night watchmen at the store constantly hears the noises from the bear and wonders what it could be.

This is just a charming short film. It's interesting to watch a short from the perspective of a stuffed animal, and how small objects look big. It's almost like a realistic version of Toy Story. It seems like it would be hard to make a short film with next to no talking that kids would enjoy, but they did an excellent job. Corduroy is a cute character, and the direction is excellent, and I guess the writing is good, despite the lack of dialogue. The sets are amazing, and the costumed actor playing Corduroy does a good job. It's hard to come up with compliments for this movie, and even hard to find faults, because this is just the quintessential children's short film.

My rating: **** out of ****. 25 mins. Not rated.

I remember watching a movie about a bear named Corduroy Bear and what happened after he noticed he lost a button on his overalls. This must be it. I can't find any other movies that were produced close to the time I was in first grade (when I first saw it). Pretty good frame-by-frame animation considering the year it was made. If only I could find a tape of this I'd be happy.

My rating if I could: 4 out of 4.

My daughter and I absolutely adore this book, but what makes the book so special are the sweet thoughts/words of Corduroy. This movie doesn't represent that at all (via thoughts or spoken word). There is movement from the bear, but there isn't enough expression from the movement to represent the missing dialogue. I feel like omitting the very dialogue that makes the book special made what could've been a fantastic nod to the beloved children's book fall very flat.

These lines MADE the book the heartwarming classic it is and shouldn't have been left out:

"I like you the way you are, but you'll be more comfortable with your shoulder strap fastened."

"This must be a home. I've always wanted a home."

"You must be a friend. I've always wanted a friend."