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Herbie the Volkswagon is one of my childhood favorites and this is the movie I discovered Him.

Seeing this movie again, I ended up loving it all over again and think it is a pretty good family movie.

A weird thing about this movie is that even though it was filmed in 1973, it looks like it was made in the mid sixties. I guess it was Stephanie Powers's character's sense of style and the heavy use of sets and rear projection.

The Volkswagon beatle has always had a persona to it and the Herbie movies highlight it.

"The Love Bug" and "Herbie Rides Again" are great examples of the child like spirit of Disney at their best.

In the first movie, Herbie was a real personality and he could be jealous, angry, depressed or suicidal and even intoxicated. The viewer saw that there was a special bond between car and owner. But in this sequel, again set in San Francisco, the bond is with Helen Hayes and Herbie instead of the man. Stephanie Powers as the love interest is too violent and aggressive, and her character played against the wimpy Ken Berry comes across as downright harsh--there is no chemistry between them (unlike Dean Jones and Michelle Lee in the original film). In various scenes, she is seen assaulting Berry.In one scene they are having lunch at Fisherman's Wharf and she stands up and smacks him in the face with a lobster ("He's YOUR uncle?!") Is this really supposed to be funny?

But in this uninspired sequel, the real star is Helen Hayes--not the car and certainly not with Ken Berry, who merely becomes a supporting character in this. Helen Hayes, as an old lady battling a developer, is seen in various life-threatening situations in the movie. In various surreal scenes, Haye's character is knitting while riding Herbie,impervious to the danger around her as Herbie scales a skyscraper or rides atop the Golden Gate Bridge. She is sickeningly sacharrin sweet but she plays her scenes well.

The climax of this movie is weak, and it is really a collection of surreal scenes involving Herbie and Helen Hayes. There is no romance and no racing, both of which were key elements which made the original such a success. This movie was made in the transitional period, between the really great Disney classics like "Mary Poppins" and the excellent productions that Disney puts out today. The movie and plot are very predictable as is the inevitable outcome. Naturally, there's no way that the outcome is realistic as city zoning laws forbid houses in a district of skyscrapers.

"The Love Bug" runs this entry a very close second, but the energy of "Herbie Rides Again" makes it perfect for kids. There are many great scenes and sequences that appeal to the younger set, and the normally 'bo-ring' opening credits are spiced up with stock footage of buildings being demolished. That immediately made me pay attention when I was a little whipper-snapper!

Disney should have stopped this series at this point. The next film, "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo," was pedestrian, and only saving grace was that it, A) features Don Knotts, and B) is 1,000 times better than "Herbie Goes Bananas," the only good thing about which is the whacky title.

Willoughby Whitfield comes to work for his uncle Alonzo Hawk in a development company. His first job is to force the owner of an old fire station to shift off land earmarked for development. However Willoughby makes friends with the owners, including their eccentric car Herbie, and finds out about his Uncle's dirty tricks to move the residents on and joins with them to stop his uncle.

This is a late Herbie movie – but really his appeal never goes away (they just remade The Love Bug). However here much has changed since his original appearance. Here the story doesn't involve him that much until the last half – up till then it could easily be any movie, and his scenes feel forced into the plot. That's not to say it's not good – but the story isn't as interesting as his race-car incarnation. There are some funny bits, like the dream sequence of Mr Hawk, but even the silly stuff that has Herbie driving up suspension bridges will please kids!

Also where `Herbie Goes Bananas' benefited from a good support cast – this has no one to speak of. Not only has Dean Jones left (a big, big loss to the film) but no-one is good enough to provide any human interest. Berry makes a dull figure who can't do comedy, and Stefanie Powers is only of interest because, well, because it's Stefanie Powers! The only interest comes from Wynn's bellowing bad guy and Hayes' sweet grandmother. Herbie is OK but he is in charge the whole time and has maybe lost a touch of the `lovable little guy' appeal that he had in The Love Bug.

Overall kids will love it, and it isn't a bad Herbie movie – it's just not as good as the first couple. But really – you know what to expect and it delivers nothing more.

Robert Stevenson returned to direct this sequel to "The Love Bug" that sees Helen Hayes star as Grandma Steinmetz, who has temporary custody of Herbie in her firehouse home, who comes in handy when crooked businessman Alonzo Hawk(played once again by Keenan Wynn from the previous two flubber films) wants to buy her out, but after she refuses, uses nefarious means to force her out. Ken Berry and Stefanie Powers costar as friends who wind up helping her fight Hawk. Hayes is amusing, though it's a pity that none of the previous three leads returned, and this film is just a bit too silly for its own good, especially the finale.