A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

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

Doug's 1st Movie (1999): Dir: Maurice Joyce / Voices: Thomas McHugh, Fred Newman, Chris Phillips, Frank Welker, Alice Playten: Every bit as flat in its animation as The Rugrats Movie, with a story that is every bit as stupid. Doug is a smart kid who shares a secret with his friend Skeeter (and no, it doesn't include a secret stash of pornography). They manage to snapshot a monster that is dwelling in the lake. The creature is friendly and only shown to the Mayor but they take him home when the lake is threatened with pollution. Doug must protect it from exploitation while explaining things to a potential girlfriend. Yes, the dating subplot might be beyond the audience this film is directed at but in all fairness any child should be smarter than the intelligence presented here. Predictable and stupid in every manner but director Maurice Joyce knows the cartoon well. Let's just hope that he doesn't suffer long for it. A character like Doug should be in a story better than this. His friend Skeeter is a moron. The Mayor is either drunk or on heavy cocaine if he accepts these things at face value. The villain should study the Bond films so that he can pick a bigger target, like the world. The animation will not impress adults but perhaps children will not care. It is done in the most simplistic forms. The purpose is just as the title states. It is Doug's first embarrassing act on film. Score: 1 / 10

Despite having watched the cartoon series "Doug" almost religiously as a child, it took until adulthood for me to get around to viewing the feature-length movie adaptation spun off of that wonderfully rich, beguiling television classic. I myself am surprised not only for that reason, but also because if I loved it so much as an adult, I surely would have loved it so much as a kid as well. Along with pictures such as "A Boy Named Charlie Brown," this is one of those animated gems I wish I had seen earlier in my life."Doug" was originally on Nickelodeon, and then later appeared on Disney's network. Believe it or not, I adored both versions. The film, "Doug's 1st Movie," is akin to the Disney version. You know, Mayor White is now principal, Patti Mayonnaise has shorter hair, Connie is thinner, there's an obnoxious upperclassman competing with Doug for Patti's attention...there goes my inner-child! In the film, we finally get a load of the infamous Lucky Duck Lake Monster, which Doug Funnie and Skeeter Valentine have been soulfully searching for over the years. It's a set up that might as well have been a live-action picture. Except "Doug's 1st Movie" takes things in a different direction...as it should, since it is in the same tradition and mood as its source material. The plot, the characters, the drawing style is all played for heart and for laughs. Furthermore, just like the show, the film allows itself to balance between the two media so the gags do not overpower the more gentle, touching moments. And the film's occasional message toward real-world issues (pollution, for one) are not pretentious.Fans of the show will also be delighted in how well the film captures the memorable personalities of the characters. In 90-some minutes, we get almost all of the beloved traits and characteristics that the show made popular over the course of nine years. Doug is truly one of the better animated protagonists of recent years: whimsical, goodhearted, has soft spots. But the character does not wallow in his slightly silly manner and thereby render himself insufferable. Doug's fantasy moments, most of them depicting his romantic affections for Patti--a likable character--are oddball, but in the slightly bogus way everybody not only appreciates, but can recall from their own lives. Those secure enough to admit to it, anyway."Doug's 1st Movie" is also a fine aesthetic accomplishment. It's beautifully drawn, with a wide variety of colors here and there. That is partially because many of the characters do have purple, green, or blue tint to their skin. But it doesn't stop with there. The detail of the city, the sky, the water, the forest. There's a lot of detail; Doug and his co-stars do not merely stand against flat walls. Complimenting the show, it remains true to its source material in that regard as well. That comes to show just how much children have lost now that the show, as far as I know, has virtually vanished from television. True, it's now on DVD (the show, not the movie, unfortunately) but with so much poorly drawn and abysmally dull junk populating the children's programming guides, it really does beg Disney to reconsider their plans.I adored "Doug's 1st Movie" for a great many reasons, but the primary one was the way it recalled what it was like to be a child without making me feel as though I were sinking into immaturity. I have no guilty feelings in proclaiming that I liked this movie very much and am hoping to see a restored DVD release of it someday. And the song that plays over the credits is truly beautiful, something I cannot say of most songs I hear over animated films today.I personally was looking forward to "Doug's 2nd Movie."

This is one of those kids' films that adults can't sit down and watch as well. Okay, it's got nice morals, but pleeeeease, no DOUG'S 2ND MOVIE !!!!! Boring attempt to stretch a tiny DOUG episode into a feature-length production...didn't work. 4/10

I don't process much working knowledge about Doug and his adventures. I think he started as a program on the Nickelodian cable channel. So, I have no idea if a lack of insight impaired my opinion ; I wondered why some people were green and blue. The story and animation are average. I imagine they are similar to the television show. Patti Mayonnaise reminded me of a cartoon version of Sandy Duncan. 2 out of 4 stars.