Pollux et le chat bleu

This is a review of the English dub.

Few films have had as much of an impact upon my life as Dougal and the Blue Cat, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't find an occasion quote one of it's innumerable classic lines and smile to myself amongst bemused company. The feature length edition of the classic French children's show, famously completely re-scripted by Eric Thompson upon it's exportation to Britain as the BBC were unwilling to pay extra for the original scripts, it tells the story of Dougal the talking dog and the trouble he and his friends get into when a mysterious blue cat named Buxton shows up with a hidden agenda.

The script is brimming with wit and invention, making reference to niche British places and concerns of the time (listen out for Brian the snail's quip about the train for one of the biggest laughs of the film). Voiced almost totally by the aforementioned Eric Thompson, he brings an array of voices packed with charm to each uniquely designed character, his voice seems made for storytelling, having a strangely absorbing affect that leaves the viewer hanging onto his every word resulting in endless howls of laughter but of course there is another voice to address. The eternally beautiful, queen of the sultry voice Fenella Fielding provides her vocal talents for the disembodied character of Madam Blue, Fielding is at once luscious and incredibly menacing, almost stealing the film out from under Thompson's nose for the scenes she's a part of... almost.

While the writing and voice work contribute much to it's irresistible charms the same must be said for the visuals. Each character is beautifully made and animated and placed into a world that I struggle to describe. I imagine surreal would be the best word to use, when I say surreal I mean it in the most magical sense, you find yourself racking your brain trying to imagine what ingenious mind could come up with such characters and backgrounds and such a stunning colour palette and to throw them all together with such success is another thing altogether.

This is a prime example of how to do a TV show as a film, it overcomes such a popularly problematic formula with pitch perfect pacing and at a nippy 85 minutes it's the exactly the right length. For me it really is the best animated film ever made and firmly in my top 5 films of all time, everything about it is spot on, if you haven't seen it do go and check it out, you won't be sorry.

I hope you enjoyed this review, thanks for taking the time to read it.

It doesn't get better. This is one of the classics that everyone should be watching right now!

If you never saw the five minutes long children's program "The Magic Roundabout" from the late sixties and early seventies, which appeared on TV every night just before the news, this will be completely lost on you.

If you know and love the characters, then you'll love this longer, darker movie. When Buxton the Blue Cat arrives in the magic garden, Dougal is no longer the centre of attention. Suspicious, Dougal does some investigating and is horrified by what he finds.

Full of topical (for the seventies) references, sarcasm and subtle drug references, no wonder this is a cult classic amongst students. It's great to hear the original voices from Eric Thompson (none of that disappointing 1980's remake stuff). Fenella Fielding is wonderfully cast as ....., well that would be telling !

Magic Roundabout characters in movie length story - action for kids - script for adults.

In this film, you can see how skillful Eric Thompson was in adapting the French (was it French?) scripts to suit both categories of his English audience.

The story itself is great, and on Magic Roundabout standards just a little dark, but the marvellous humour never lets up, from Dougall's belligerent cuckoo clock, Brian Snail racing, and beating the train, to the appearance of the superb Buxton, the Blue Cat (Hiss!).

All your favourite characters appear, plus a scarecrow who has been in the Guards, and a rather strange Owl.

An excellent little film - release it on DVD, please!

Why is this so much better than the recent offering? I'd like to say it's because it looks, feels, sounds, tastes, and smells like the original, but not all of those senses apply to a movie.

Eric Thompson was involved, so it is the same humour and wit. Dougal is the hero whom nobody believes when a real threat to peace in the garden arrives. Sounds just like the times we live in now (2005)! The garden is still the garden, but the new settings (including the Moon!) still look like they belong in the same universe. My favourite part is Fenella Fielding, but then she's related to me, so I admit to bias. I liked the Blue Cat too - he behaves as you would expect of him (without wishing to say what he does...), and it's interesting that there was no need to add new characters aside from the Blue Cat and the Blue Voice. No change of visual style. That's what I call a Real movie adaptation - it really is just like the TV series, but longer. My junior critics (aged 3 and 5) love both the Blue Cat and the 2005 Magic Roundabout movies, but when offered, they still watch the Blue Cat and old TV series...