Predictable eccentricity dumbs down ‘Doogal’
Where do I begin with this one? I think the only way people will see this film is if a strong 5-year-old drags them to the theater. From creator Serge Danot, this animated film takes us into a fictional fantasy world where everything is bizarre. Bizarre is usually a good thing. Bizarre brings something different. Sadly, in this case bizarre is too much of a good thing. Way too much.
In this weird fantasy world, there is this dog named Doogal and he’s best friends with a little girl named Florence. Doogal looks like a frizzy Bassett hound and serves as the main character to warm people’s hearts; although Doogal often let’s his selfishness get the best of him.
Florence is riding the magical carousel one day and Doogal causes a candy truck to crash into the carousel. This accident sets of an explosion which stops the carousel and unleashes an evil warlord from within it. The warlord’s name is Zeebad and he vows to rule the world by freezing the sun, covering the land in eternal winter. Sixty seconds later, Doogal sets off on a perilous journey with his animal friends to stop Zeebad from ruling the earth and to save Florence from freezing to death inside the carousel. (She becomes trapped once the carousel is encased in ice). Doogal’s group of traveling companions include a laid-back rabbit named Dylan, the sassy cow, Ermintrude, and a nerdy snail named Brian.
If this storyline sounds odd please keep in mind that this is the tip of the iceberg. Being a meager 85 minutes long, and using every trite punch line imaginable, this film gets disappointing and boring very fast. And it gets annoying even faster. It’s clear to see that the animated characters were created with the intent to touch your heart. Your heart, however, will only flinch with irritation because all the characters are so painfully two-dimensional.
“Doogal” is somewhat of a remake in that it was originally a recent British film called “The Magic Roundabout” and featured the voice talents of various British stars including Jim Broadbent, Joanna Lumley, and Robbie Williams. “Doogal” is the same film, it has just been re-recorded with the voices of American actors whom we might recognize more easily. These actors include Jimmy Fallon, Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Stewart, and Chevy Chase. Although these stars are all comedic geniuses in their own right, everyone fizzles for the simple fact that the story provides no emotion or believable development.
Co-directed by David Borthwick and Jean Duval, this film has the attention span of a rebellious toddler. Therefore, it seems only fitting that toddlers should watch it. (And they are probably the only audience members who would enjoy it.) Full of corny jokes and billions of pop culture clichés, it exhibits little creativity and bothersome sound editing (at times you hear voices speaking but see no mouths moving). There are bright colors and a smooth design but nothing you will remember the next day. Out of the ordinary? Yes. Original? No.
Casey T. Allen is a critic for the Utah Statesman. Comments can be sent to caseyal@cc.usu.edu.