Doogal

Now, let me start by saying I normally enjoy animated movies. They're refreshing, fun and a nice change of pace from the drugs/sex/violence/vulgarity of the majority of movies out there. Don't get me wrong, I like those things in movies, as well but sometimes you need a break from that.

With that said, Doogal was terrible. I didn't even know who to root for in this sorry excuse for animated fun. Lots of stars in the cast, so you'd think they'd put more into the writing. They re-used several jokes, many fart/burp jokes which even kids tire of. I didn't care about any of the characters and couldn't even tell why I should be cheering for the good/evil! It was nice to, like I said, watch something pure and non-offensive. But people making animated movies these days pay all their attention to graphics and smooth scene transition than they do to story lines and this movie was the perfect example. However, even THAT didn't work in this movie. The graphics seemed choppy and forced, almost as though I was "watching" a video game.

I'm no kid, so I can't really tell if a kid would enjoy this movie or not, but I'm assuming even the smartest of kids between the ages of 2-10 would be yawning half way through asking if it was almost over yet.

Looking for some good recent animation? Stay away from this one. Hoodwinked, Wallace & Gromit, etc. at least make an attempt at decent jokes and clever characters. Doogal was a distraction at best.

I'm always looking for a cute movie for my 6 year old son and the characters in the Doogal movie trailer looked adorable. Not to mention a cast of Chevy Chase, Jon Stewart and Whoopi Goldberg, how could one go wrong. Boy was I disappointed. It was terrible. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie this bad. Not only did the characters lack any personality whatsoever, the plot relied solely on corny one-liners referencing countless movies and television shows in every scene. Most of which, children didn't understand and parents just didn't find funny. The theater was empty and those that decided to stay until the end hardly laughed. Do yourself a favor and pass this movie up. Don't even buy the DVD.

AAARGH!!! Nobody told me that this U.S. version had been re-recorded WITH AN American CAST!!!!! Lines were definitely changed. The American cast always said "Carousel" instead of "Roundabout". I think that some references to "sugar" were changed to "candy" or "caramels".

The actors kept from the UK version of this movie (released under the title "THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT") were Judi Dench as the narrator, Ian McKellen as Zebedee and Kylie Minogue as Florence. All the other roles were substituted with the voices of American actors.

The kid who speaks Doogal (why did they change the spelling of this from "Dougal"?) is high pitched and annoying. Substituting the voice of Whoopi Goldberg for the voice of Joanna Lumley (Ermintrude the cow) was a bit strange. But what I thought was unforgivable was substituting the voice of Jon Stewart ("The Daily Show") for that of Tom Baker ("Doctor Who" (and many other roles)). This was the role of "Zeebad" the villainous enemy of Zebedee. There's even a scene where Zeebad and Zebedee have a wizardly duel, like Saruman and Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. But instead of Tom Baker facing Ian McKellen, it's Jon "The Daily Show" Stewart!!! Find a way to see the version with the British cast. Skip the one with the American cast.

Karl

I have been seeing films in theaters for over 50 years and this is only the second time I actually walked out during the movie. I am a big fan of quality animated films, from the early Disney up to the more recent Ice Age, Hoodwinked, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, etc., and the wonderful Miyazaki films. I thought, with this cast it has to be good. I mean it has Dame Judy Dench, William H. Macy, Whoopie Goldberg. All actors I greatly admire. Unfortunately, the film has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. There is no humor, adventure, interesting characters or anything else that would keep one interested. I kept saying to myself, it has to get better, but it never did. I finally had enough and walked out. I was not the only one to do so.

Rip-off plot was not funny at all. The dog was completely selfish and unlikeable. The voices(including the English ones left in the film after the dubbing) have no inflection and tone. The talent of Whoopi Goldberg was completely wasted on this "dog" of a movie. You know that the movie is bad when as an adult the only thing mildly amusing is a moose passing gas. There is no fun in this movie, my kids (age 4 and 7) were bored and they are not picky. Valient was a five star masterpiece compared to this schlock. It was an hour and a half of my life I will never get back! I will not go to another Weinstein animated film unless it has topped the charts for weeks - this is not even straight to video quality. Do not waste your hard earned money on this. Even if the kids are dying to see it, wait until it hits video stores next week and put it on while you are vacuuming.