Dot et le Kangourou

This film was repeatedly shown on british TV early on Saturday mornings, and I NEVER missed it. Boy did I love this film in the 80's whilst growing up. Well now nearly 30 (BOO HOO!!), nostalgia starts kicking in and I started to remember what I loved about the 80's. I remembered this movie and set off using the world wide web to track a copy down. I found help from a most unusual source, the director himself! Yoram Gross helped me obtain, via e-mails from Oz, a DVD copy. HOW COOL! Was I disapointed?

No............

The film looks dated, then so do I. Compared to the excellent CGI these days used for animated giants like Shrek and Toy Story this comes last in the egg and spoon race. But this film oodles charm. The story is very innocent, even compared to Shrek and Toy Story, and children will love it. Now I'm definately not one of those people who bang on about films causing kids to rebel and hurt, maim and kill folks. But if you are this film will only cause your kids to "jump in the pouch of a red kangaroo, hippety hoppety, hippety hop". I had not heard the songs for maybe 20 years yet still knew nearly every word. The way the animation is mixed with real time footage is charming and adds to the film, even if Roger Rabbit did it 100 times better. The animals are truly adorable and you warm to them all, exept the Bunyip which is just frightening enough for the age it's aimed at, still don't wanna meet one at 30 though!!!

So dated, yes. Fun, massively. Heart warming, definately. Memorable.........."Quack, quack, quack, quack, all we wanna do all day is quack.......quack, quack......QUACK!"

I totally agree. It was such a great adventure. Just the amazing idea of going around with different marsupials. I ALSO really got into Australian mammals in a big way as a kid because of this colourful set of films. Used to get up at 6 am to see this on the telly in Winter.

My ambition was to have those adventures, and through Dot anyone could.

That Bunyip, scary creature though!

As if the sounds and colours of the Australian bush aren't scary enough, the creepy rough animation over the old live action footage in the makes this one of those kids films that weird you out when you're not sure why.

I guess it's similar to Watership Down in it's beauty. As an adult watching, it's really quite a scary film, but when you're a child you simply don't pick up on what's so creepy about it.

I'm not sure that this film is worth watching unless you really love old, rough animated films of it's style. It's one of those movies that I watched all the time as a kid, and I still love it and get it out occasionally, but would someone who hadn't grown up with it understand? I'm not sure.

Dot is very annoying and her other adventures are simply crap (except, the gay mosquito in Dot and the Keeto still cracks me up.) I'm in love with the animation and sound of this film more than anything.

Well I must agree I haven't seen this in a long time since I was five, but now after seeing it again I understood everything.

If you play close attention you might learn something, it's fun while it lasts though you gotta admit the scene when they sing about the bunyip is creepy especially the background music for it.

But the rest is very enjoyable but fair enough although it doesn't exactly have a happy ending and it's a bit heart-wrenching when you do I should know after seeing it again when we got to the end, I couldn't help it, it was so sad it made me and my sister cry. Well who wouldn't at seeing how much Dot misses her friend already...

But there's a moral for those after seeing the end don't be sad for all we know someday those two friends will meet again and she's not gone forever and would't want her friend sad plus she'll live in your heart no matter what.

That's all that matters out of all the scale it's very lovely movie I suggest if kids are gonna watch this watch it with their folks for support and understanding

The first instalment in the Dot film series, 'Dot and the Kangaroo' is one of the better entries of that series of films, is one of Yoram Gross' better films and is one of the best overall examples of Australian animation. While not perfect, it is a lovely film and, while remembered fondly by those who saw it as a child, under-appreciated now.

It is agreed that the animation is not too great, lacking in vibrancy and the drawing does lack finesse. A good deal of it is also rather repetitive, particularly in some of the songs. Speaking of the songs, my feelings on them were mixed. The songs that don't really work, due to excessive cheesiness and pointlessness, is "Platypus Duet", "I'm a Frog" and "In the Kangaroo Pouch".

However, some of the songs do work. The best song is the sublime "Dreamtime" and "Quark Ducks" is pretty funny, the sometimes hilarious lyrics are easy to quote. "The Bunyip" is suitably creepy without being traumatising.

While the animation was not great on the most part, the live photographic backgrounds were very detailed and quite beautifully done. The script is funny, sometimes scary and heart-warming and the characters are engaging with a relatable titular character, a creepy villain and some other fun characters. The voice acting is good from the likes of Barbara Frawley, Spike Milligan and Ron Haddrick.

It is the story where 'Dot and the Kangaroo' most shines. Parts are fun and others are scary, but it's the charm and emotional heart that's particularly note-worthy, really warming the heart and moving even the most cynical of adults to at least a tear or two. The messaging is sincere and never preachy or tacked-on.

Overall, a lovely film and one of the better Dot films. A good example of Australian animation. 8/10 Bethany Cox