A Masterpiece!

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

When i was younger I saw this movie and i thought I liked it but 7 years later i looked back in my life and realized it sucked. I looked it up and saw over 3,000 people agreed with me and i left it at that. Time passes and the movie was on HD Net and i decided to watch it and here is what I saw was wrong with it: 1. The movie makes so many references, the movie is full of references and the audience that this movie seems to be going after will definitely not know.The jokes that come with the references make you want to roll your eyes. 2.The animation is terrible the textures of the characters look exactingly so cheap. which is strange considering the amazing cast this movie has Ian McKellen, John Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, Whoopi Goldberg, Judi Dench, Chevy Chase, William H Macy, and Kevin Smith. you would think with such a cast the budget would have enough for a good animator, the entire time I was thinking how ugly it was and even the actual animation seemed lazy the snail(Brian) is almost always in the same position. 3. The story, jokes, and characters are confusing and terrible.When i say confusing I don't mean it's hard to follow, it just doesn't make since at all. I know i already complain about the jokes they are just so forced that they are terrible. The characters are incredibly 1-D you can put them any any other bad film and they could blend in, you could put them in the background and the movie would be better. Now the story and it's just weird I mean it doesn't make sense at all. There are many things to complain about (character designs are also strange and weird) and i cant talk about them all. The reason I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 is because i was fascinated in how bad it was i didn't immediately turn it off.

So many people seem to despise this movie and I just don't get it. It's campy and cheesy and predictable, but it's also FUN. My kids grew up watching DVDs of many of the older movies quoted and enacted and have seen most of the newer ones. We were entranced with the characters and the story the first time we watched it. After that it's become a game to fit the quote with the correct movie title... and later all the script around them. Of course all those movies were better... but there is brilliance in paying homage to so many of the greats in one movie. We've watched it dozens of times and it's always good for making us laugh. My kids have seen the British version and prefer the American - because they saw it first?

Seeing the horrible reputation this movie had, I avoided it like the plague while also thinking "It can't possibly be as bad as people say" so when it came on TV, I figured 'Hey, what better time to check it out?' And much to my surprise... it's just as bad as the critics and average viewers say it is.First of all, this movie had promise. It had a nice heartwarming theme and didn't try to be anything more than it could have been. It could have been wholesome family fun. It also has some rather interesting visuals, it's colourful and the character designs are actually pretty cool. The animations weren't exactly up-to-date for the time, but that's okay.Sadly, once the plot reveals itself, it goes downhill from there. First problem: It changes from a simple family film to a cheesy action movie spoof, turning away two different types of target audiences. Second problem: Pop culture references every freaking minute! This movie probably holds the record for the most frequently used unnecessary pop culture references ever seen in a movie, almost making 4kids look like good scriptwriters back when they dubbed One Piece. I mean, half this stuff they're referencing doesn't even exist in this world the movie's giving us.I guess something else I need to go into is Doogal himself, the puppy hero of this story. First of all, his voice was less annoying in the trailers, but all in all, it wouldn't have mattered. He's an unlikeable character. He's annoying, he's whiny, everything about him is just annoying. In one scene where a rather awesome character dies, he says "Oh no" in this very mellow-sounding voice like he doesn't care.As for the other characters: They're not bad characters. They're at least more tolerable than Doogal, but they're kinda hit-and-miss. Apparently, the snail has a copy of Halo in his shell.Back to the humour: A lot of it just feels forced beyond compare, and it's not just pop culture references, though those do pretty much prevent this from being funny. There are also some horrid puns and other bad dialogue that just make it almost... unbearable.Another thing that just gets me is that it seems like the writers are blatantly trying to point out every cliché this movie has, rushing the dialogue, forcing dramatic tension, and it all just feels pointless as it comes across as a bad joke rather than an actually emotional moment.All in all, Doogal had potential but turned out to be nothing more than pure garbage. I don't even think a kid would get half the "jokes" (I use that term very loosely!) in this. Overall, I give Doogal 1/10 for taking a descent idea and turning it into garbage.But wait! This review isn't over yet! There is one last thing I've forgotten to go into!Now, as disappointed as I was by this movie being just as bad as everyone else said it was, I was actually angered when I discovered that Doogal isn't even an original idea from the US. It's actually the Americanized dub of a British film called The Magic Roundabout, based off of a popular stop-motion cartoon of the same title. See, I just don't get why a British film should have to be dubbed into English if it's already in English, but I digress, this made me lose it.I can't exactly remember how or where as this was long ago, but I had the privilege of seeing the original film to see for myself if it was any better. To put it simply: It's MUCH better, but that's like saying Bush was a better leader than Hitler. *Insert booing here* Okay, okay, that's harsh, but nonetheless, to say The Magic Roundabout is much better than Doogal isn't saying much as 95% of the world's movies, even the bad ones, have also pulled it off.However, while Doogal was a festering pile of trash, Magic Roundabout is a descent family film and nothing more. British critics praised it for having a lot of the charm from the show but also got at it for its clichéd story and, yeah, how it changes from a simple family film to an action movie spoof.Let's talk about the good aspects now that the bad ones are out of the way: The unlikeable characters from the US remake are likable in the original version, even Doogal, but he's more tolerable than actually likable. The story is told better and it's easier to take seriously while throwing in a number of jokes that don't feel forced. (The snail's copy of Halo was originally a toothbrush, for example)Another thing: No horrid puns or pop culture references! That made this so much more tolerable. However, much like Doogal, the voice acting is a bit hit-and-miss. Some voices fit a LOT better while others I found better in the US dub.All in all, Magic Roundabout is nothing special, but it's a descent family film and if you watch Doogal first, you'll only find yourself liking it better. Sadly, the only way to see it in America is to order it off Ebay. (Unless there are US stores that sell this movie. I honestly wouldn't know as I live in Canadaland, which doesn't sell it!)Overall: Doogal- Score: 1/10 Recommendation: Wait for it to come on TV and see for yourself whether you'll like it or not. Would I get it on DVD?: NO!!!! Magic Roundabout- Score: 5/10 Recommendation: Find a section for it on Ebay, look at the price and think about whether you really wanna order it or not. It's not a must-see, so don't make any rash decisions. Would I get it on DVD?: This is a big maybe for me. I might but I doubt I will.

Where do I begin with this. Where do I begin. Now, keep in mind I was forced to see this when it came out, since I was 14 at the time with a 3-year-old brother, so why not? I mean, I honestly went into the theater with optimistic expectations, hoping for an OK-to-decent film. In fact, I enjoyed the short right before the film a little bit. But then the film begins. When I heard that some human girl was friends with some stuffed animals, I expected something along the lines of Toy Story, you know, they just sit there, then spring to life when no one's around....then the film shows Doogal sneaking up to his owner....What happened afterward scarred me for life. This film still brings back awful memories 2 years after I saw it. I mean, the story's awful. In a nutshell, there's some carousal ride at the center of town, home to a bunch of children and stuffed animals, where some evil spring guy lives, and once Doogal sets him free, the town is freezed up, trapping the children, including Doogal's owner, and a snail just randomly says the stuffed animals need 3 crystals to stop him. No explanation of why the spring guy was put in a carousal, more importantly why that same carousal is STILL BEING USED when there's some bad guy in there, and why the 3 crystals are needed, or how they came into existence. What a bunch of plot holes for a film, and that's in the first 20 minutes. We're in for a good movie, ladies and gentlemen!Now, I'll be honest, my memory is a little fuzzy of what happens next, but I remember a slew of bad pop culture jokes that makes DreamWorks' references seem restrained in comparison, the group of stuffed animals nearly getting a crystal until Doogal messes it up, and a bunch of farting jokes, and when I saw it, the only jokes I heard any laughter in the theater were from the farting jokes, which is always a bad sign if that's the only joke type that even gets a chuckle.Now, some people know that this film was originally called The Magic Roundabout in the UK, based off of a cartoon series I believe, with, obviously, British actors, but when it came to the US in its current title, it was re-dubbed with celebrity actors, like Whoopi Goldberg and Jon Stewart, and I have to say, Jon Stewart is sadly the best actor here, with the other actors' talents going to waste here. I know these aren't the most helpless of actors, but you have to wonder what inspired them to do something like this.In conclusion, this is a really bad film from beginning to end, even if its audience was for kids, that's not a good excuse when you consider some of Dreamworks and Pixar's works. I know this isn't the worst movie of all time, but it's the worst I've seen, and I think I would explode if I saw anything worse than this piece of crap.