ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ

IN A NUTSHELL...

The Story: The fondly remembered 60s French cartoon (voiced in the UK by Emma Thompson's dad, Eric) gets a 21st century makeover. The vocal talents of Robbie Williams, Tom Baker, Jim Broadbent, and Joanna Lumley are enlisted in this ambitious update for Dougal, Dylan, Zebedee, Ermintrude and Co.
UK Box Office: Β£5.866 million (end of April 2005)
Useless Fact: Vanessa Paradis appears in the French version of the film (called Pollux - Le Manège Enchanté)

THE REVIEWS...

"With some dazzling animation and a big-name voiceover cast, this is quite simply the must-see movie for families this half-term"

"The Magic Roundabout is surprisingly enjoyable... Lots of jokes, aimed at adults, are made about public transport and grass" (7/10)

"The genius is all in the celebrity casting which miraculously fails to detract from the relative innocence of the original"

"Spot-on for Brit tots too young for Harry Potter and too discerning for Tweenies" (3/5)

"Like a standard merry-go-round, The Magic Roundabout moves quickly but goes nowhere" (2/5)

"A curiously limp animated affair which may make children wonder why their parents have taken them to the cinema in the first place" (4/10)

"There are some things in this film which really do work quite nicely, though, and one is Robbie Williams" (2/5)

"For all its undeniable promise, this take on The Magic Roundabout is just plain disastrous in its execution" (27%)

"The entire fiasco is designed to please ageing nerds and rehab patients" (2/5)

"This well-meaning cartoon romp completely misses the point of the series it's based on"

"The roundabout has been revamped, and whatever magic there was has gone missing" (1/5)

"The CGI-animated The Magic Roundabout has most of the characters but none of the charm of the long-running TV puppet show"

WEB WATCH...

The Magic Roundabout
Official site

"I became really scared of animation when I was a kid"
Robbie Williams interview

"I'm not really capable of being evil"
Tom Baker interview

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