The Magic Roundabout (film)


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The Magic Roundabout
(Doogal in North America)
Directed by Dave Borthwick
Jean Duval
Frank Passingham
Produced by Claude Gorsky
Laurent Rodon
Pascal Rodon
Written by Paul Bassett
Raolf Sanoussi
Stephane Sanoussi
Butch Hartman (North America)
Narrated by Judi Dench
Starring UK:
Kylie Minogue
Joanna Lumley
Robbie Williams
Jim Broadbent
Bill Nighy
Ian McKellen
Tom Baker
Ray Winstone
Lee Evans
US:
Kylie Minogue
Whoopi Goldberg
Daniel Tay
William H. Macy
Jimmy Fallon
Ian McKellen
Jon Stewart
Bill Hader
Chevy Chase
Kevin Smith
Distributed by The Weinstein Company (North America)
Pathé (Europe)
20th Century Fox (UK DVD)
Alliance Films (Canada)
Universal Studios Home Entertainment (Canadian DVD)
Release date(s) February 11, 2005 (Europe)
February 24, 2006 (North America)
Running time 85 minutes (Europe)
78 minutes (North America)
Language English, French
Budget $20,000,000

The Magic Roundabout (released in France as Pollux, le manège enchanté and in North America with an amend form Doogal) is a film based on the television series of the same name. The film was released on February 11, 2005 in the United Kingdom and France, and on February 24, 2006 in North America.

Contents

Plot

The film begins with a shaggy, candy-loving dog named Dougal ("Doogal" in North American version) trying to get sweets from a candy cart. He goes so far as to place a tack in the road to pop its tire, thinking to be rewarded for watching the cart. After convincing the driver to leave, Dougal is trying to decide which candy he will request when he accidentally starts the cart up again and causes it to collide with the titular magic roundabout at the center of the village. A blue jack-in-the-box-like creature emerges from the top and flies away, snatching a decorative Foot Guard figurine from the roundabout before leaving. The roundabout freezes over, trapping repairman Mr. Rusty, Dougal's young owner Florence, and two other children named Basil and Coral within an icy cell.

The villagers are horrified by this development, therefore call upon the resident wizard, Zebedee, also a jack-in-the-box-like creature , for help. He explains that the roundabout acted as a mystical prison for the evil ice wizard Zeebad. With it broken Zeebad is free to work his magic on the world again (it is implied he started the first ice age). The only way to return Zeebad to his prison is to place three magic diamonds in the roundabout, or watch the world slowly freeze over again. Zebedee sends Dougal, Brian the cynical snail, Ermintrude the opera-singing cow, Dylan the hippie rabbit, and the magic Train to accomplish this mission.

Zeebad animates the Foot Guard figurine, Sergeant Sam, and enlists him to find the enchanted diamonds first, for with them Zeebad can freeze the sun itself. Meanwhile, Zebedee's fellowship makes camp in the icy mountains near Zeebad's old lair. Dougal wanders off during the night and is captured by Zeebad. Ermintrude breaks him out of his prison; after a short chase, Zebedee shows up to battle his evil counterpart. Zeebad gains the upper hand and overpowers Zebedee, freezing him and collapsing the cliff on which he stands.

Mourning their dispatcher as dead, Dougal and his friends embark to recover the diamonds. This task takes them to a lava-bordered volcano, an ancient temple filled with booby-traps and evil skeleton guards (at which point Dylan reveals an exceptional knowledge of several types of martial arts), and a final showdown with Zeebad, where it is revealed that Sergeant Sam had contained the third diamond in his chest. Zeebad obtains all three diamonds during the course of the film, and attempts to freeze the Sun. Ermintrude, Brian, Dylan, and finally Dougal intervene to stop him; when they have done so, Zeebad is imprisoned in the carousel again and Zebedee is restored to his friends. The ice surrounding the carousel melts, freeing the people trapped therein; of them, Florence is comatose and must be revived by a desperate Dougal. A moose, whose color had been changed from brown to blue by Zeebad in the earlier scenes of the film, is restored to his true color by Zebedee. Dougal, who vowed to give up sugar when it seemed all was lost, forgets his former pledge completely, but now realizes the true value of his friends and the good qualities of selflessness, courage, and humility.

British reception

The Magic Roundabout gained generally favourable reviews from critics in Britain, for retaining its charm from the original television series and its superb animation.[citation needed] While some critics questioned the update for today's children and its subtle drug references[citation needed], the reviews were mostly positive. The public also supported the film, and while some were disappointed on the nostalgia factor, their praise earned this film a total gross of 5.8 million pounds at the box office, as of April 2005[citation needed].

American Reception

In 2006, the film was released in the US as "Doogal". As of March 16, 2006, it grossed a total of 7.2 million dollars in the United States, which is considered exceptionally low by CGI animated film standards (the average domestic gross for a computer animated film is $134,571,721). In the North American version of the film, where audiences are unfamiliar with the series, the majority of original British voices have been replaced by celebrities more familiar to the American public, such as Jon Stewart and Chevy Chase. Only two original voices remained - those of Kylie Minogue and Ian McKellen. The US version also featured narration by Judi Dench and a new storyline made to accommodate multiple pop culture references and flatulence jokes (neither of which were present in the original release). Americans panned the movie. It has a 2.6/10 score on IMDb, a 7% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes [1], an F rating from Entertainment Weekly magazine, and is considered to be one of the worst animated films of all time. [2]

After being advertised for a short time, its distribution ceased, but is widely carried in United States retail outlets such as Safeway as a children's DVD in retail stores and rental shops. The original French/British version of the film is available in the US under the title Sprung! The Magic Roundabout.

Main characters and talents

Animals

  • Dougal/Doogal: sugar-loving Skye Terrier.
  • Dylan: guitar-playing hippie rabbit
  • Brian: bashful snail in love with Ermintrude
  • Ermintrude: opera-singing cow
  • The Moose: cautious interloper encountered up north, who periodically breaks wind in U.S. version. Turned blue by Zeebad; later helps Brian and Ermintrude find Dougal. Restored to natural color by Zebedee. He only speaks in the US dub.

Humans

  • Florence: girl/orphan who, when in danger, has faith in Dougal.
  • Basil and Coral: Florence's friends
  • Mr. Rusty the repairman: appears similar to the Mad Hatter of Alice in Wonderland.

Magical toy-beings

  • Zebedee: a good magician, uses warmth and love magic. Is essentially a jack-in-the-box, like Zeebad.
  • Zeebad Carpenter: evil ice sorcerer, uses cold magic. Like Zebedee, channels magic through his moustache.
  • Soldier Sam: Zeebad's slave, who holds one of the magic diamonds.
  • The Train: Not to be confused with Thomas the Tank Engine (although the latter is mentioned); always comes in the nick of time, though is slow, according to Ermintrude.

Voice teams

British character British actor French character French actor North American character North American actor
Florence Kylie Minogue Margote Vanessa Paradis Florence Kylie Minogue
Ermintrude Joanna Lumley Azalée Valérie Lemercier Ermintrude Whoopi Goldberg
Dougal Robbie Williams Pollux Henri Salvador Doogal Daniel Tay
Brian Jim Broadbent Ambroise Dany Boon Brian William H. Macy
Dylan Bill Nighy Cyral Eddy Mitchell Dylan James Arnold Taylor
Zebedee Ian McKellen Zébulon Elie Semoun Zebedee Ian McKellen
Zeebad Tom Baker Zabadie Michel Galabru Zeebad Jon Stewart
Soldier Sam Ray Winstone Sam Gérard Jugnot Soldier Sam Bill Hader
Train Lee Evans The Train Chevy Chase
Moose Michael Angelis Moose Kevin Smith
The Narrator Dame Judi Dench The Narrator Dame Judi Dench

Music

  1. Main Titles - Mark Thomas
  2. The Magic Roundabout - Kylie Minogue – VOCAL
  3. Meet Doogal - James Venable
  4. Magic – Pilot - VOCAL
  5. You Really Got Me - Bill Nighy & Catherine Bott - VOCAL
  6. Doogal the Mechanic - James Venable
  7. Zeebad Escapes - Mark Thomas
  8. Sam Marches - John M. Davis
  9. The Magic Roundabout - Andrea Remanda and Goldust – VOCAL
  10. Meet Zeebad - James Venable
  11. Setting Up Camp - Mark Thomas
  12. Spinning - Andrea Remanda and Goldust - VOCAL
  13. Duel Of The Springs 2 - Mark Thomas
  14. Simply Wonderful - Andrea Remanda and Goldust - VOCAL
  15. The What-a-Snails Waltz - Mark Thomas
  16. Zeebad Threatens - James Venable
  17. Train's Back - Mark Thomas
  18. Lost In The Cold - Mark Thomas
  19. See The City - Mark Thomas
  20. The Frozen City - Mark Thomas
  21. Frozen Florence - John M. Davis
  22. The End Of Zeebad - Mark Thomas
  23. Florence Awakes - Mark Thomas
  24. Sugar, Sugar - The Archies - VOCAL
  25. I Love To Boogie - T.Rex - VOCAL
  26. Lean Mean Machine - Andrea Remanda and Goldust - VOCAL
  27. Believe Yourself - Andrea Remanda and Goldust - VOCAL (Used during the scene with Dylan fighting the skeleton guards in the UK version)
  28. Bust This Joint - Andrea Remanda and Goldust - VOCAL

Sequel

A sequel is in development for a 2009 release date

See also

External links







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