The Magic Roundabout (2005)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Directors:

Dave Borthwick
Jean Duval

Writers:

Serge Danot (characters)
Raolf Sanoussi (co-writer) ...

Release Date:

2 February 2005 (France)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Things Are About To Get Hairy.

Plot:

A group of friends embark on a dangerous journey in an effort to imprison their oppressor -- the evil wizard ZeeBad.

Plot Keywords:

CGI Film | Pet | Magician | Jack In The Box | Girl

Cast

Tom Baker	...	Zeebad (voice: English version)
Jim Broadbent	...	Brian (voice: English version)
Lee Evans	...	Train (voice: English version)
Joanna Lumley	...	Ermintrude (voice: English version)
Ian McKellen	...	Zebedee (voice: English version)
Kylie Minogue	...	Florence (voice)
Bill Nighy	...	Dylan (voice: English version)
Robbie Williams	...	Dougal (voice: English version)
Ray Winstone	...	Soldier Sam (voice: English version)
Daniella Loftus	...	Coral (voice: English version)
Ediz Mahmut	...	Basil (voice: English version)
Jimmy Hibbert	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Michel Galabru	...	Zabadie (voice: French version)
Dany Boon	...	Ambroise (voice: French version)
Valérie Lemercier	...	Azalée (voice: French version)

Also Known As:

Pollux - Le manège enchanté (France)
Sprung! The Magic Roundabout (USA)
The Magic Roundabout (UK)

Runtime:

France:85 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:M/4 | Ireland:G | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | Singapore:G

Company:

Action Films

Trivia:

Most of the character's lines were re-dubbed by American actors for the American release under the title "Doogal" (2006).

Goofs:

Continuity: After Train transports everyone across the narrow bridge over the lava, he slouches down to the ground in relief. In the next shot he is standing straight, looking normal.

Quotes:

ZeBadDee: Today, one soldier, tomorrow, the world! And then perhaps... three more soldiers!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Imagine Me & You (2005)

Soundtrack:

The Magic Roundabout

Nice!

My friends dragged me to see this with them for a joke. The cinema was full of kids and I was really embarrassed! But I definitely don't regret seeing it.

The plot was, unfortunately, the weakest part of the movie. It was just so Saturday-morning-cartoonish (complete with evil twins, magic diamonds and walking skeletons) that anyone in the cinema over the age of nine is unlikely to be interested. But anyone under that age will be delighted from start to finish.

It's the cast and music that really did it for me. Robbie Williams, despite his complete lack of experience as an actor, pulls off his role as Dougal with natural skill and emotion, which is pleasantly surprising. Jim Broadbent and Joanna Lumley seem to have great fun in their roles (as Brian the snail and Ermintrude the cow respectively) and Bill Nighy, well, lets just say there's no one else in the world who could've done Dylan the drug-addled bunny like he did ("no way man! I'm in, like, a higher state of unconsciousness..."). Kylie Minogue did well enough, but she only has about three lines. Tom Baker and Sir Ian Mackellen also seemed to enjoy giving very camp performances as the arch rival jack-in-the-boxes Zebedee and Zeebad (though Sir Ian sounded a little too much like Gandalf). The music, which seems to include vocal performances from Kylie and Robbie, is fantastic and well above average for a kids film today. If you've seen the film, I think you'll agree the soundtrack is a must-buy! But still, it's not all great. The plot is full of gaping holes, and while it mostly works with a very young audience in mind, the jokes aimed at adults are not laugh-out-loud funny, they just raise a knowing smile. There are some rather strange movie references too. It features references to Pulp Fiction, LoTR, and The Matrix (courtesy of some unexpected kung-fu fighting on Dylan's part) and I'll be damned if I saw a Dragon Ball Z reference in there! (Watch the scene where Zebad fights Zebedee for the first time - then again maybe it was just cheesy...) I never saw enough of the original 5 minute episodes to be a fan, but really, it seems very different from the original, so old-time fans may be disappointed, or maybe they'll appreciate seeing their old favourites in some new action-packed situations. It's up to them.

Yes, it falls flat in MANY places, but it's also got a childish, endearing charm that may make you wish you were seven again.