The Love Bug (Special Edition)
by Robert Stevenson
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Buddy Hackett, David Tomlinson, Dean Jones, Joe Flynn, Michele LeeDirector: Robert Stevenson
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Cinematographer: Edward Colman
Editor: Cotton Warburton
Producer: Bill Walsh
Writer: Bill Walsh
Writer: Don DaGradi
Writer: Gordon Buford
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.75:1
Running Time: 108 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-05-20
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Product features:
- LOVE BUG, THE: SPECIAL EDITION 2-DISC (DVD MOVIE)
Movie Reviews of The Love Bug (Special Edition)
Movie Review: One of the Disney Legends!
Summary: 5 Stars
Down-on-his-luck racecar driver Jim Douglas is desperate to make a comeback. In the meantime though, he just needs some cheap, honest transportation. While perusing the merchandise at a local, upscale dealership, Jim's interest in a friendly saleswoman and his immediate disliking for the stuffy proprietor bring him to the defense of a mistreated little Volkswagen bug. Jim is only interested in a powerful car though, and he returns to his rundown San Francisco firehouse without the knowledge that the little car is following him home. The next day, Jim finds himself trapped into purchasing the VW beetle, and only his housemate, eccentric artist and mechanic Tennessee Steinmetz, is happy about the deal. Tennessee is the first to recognize that there is something special in the little car; that it has a life and mind of its own. Scoffing at the concept, Jim tries to make the most of the situation but immediately has trouble controlling the bug. He attempts to return the car, to no avail, but he does get the chance to spend some quality time with Carole, the saleslady he was eyeing before. Jim also makes a discovery about the little car. It's fast. It's VERY fast! Suddenly, Jim is inspired to enter the car into the racing circuit, himself behind the wheel of course! Soon, Jim and Herbie (as Tennessee has dubbed the little VW bug), are tearing up the tracks, and Carole and her boss, Peter Thorndyke, take notice. While Herbie the car begins playing matchmaker to Jim and Carole, Thorndyke begins plotting to outdo the winning team on the racecourse. More immediate trouble arises between Jim and Herbie though, when Jim continues to deny Herbie's sentience and not only takes credit for the car's ability to win races, but also attempts to trade up for a more powerful vehicle. Emotionally destroyed, Herbie attempts to drive himself off the Golden Gate Bridge, and only Jim's acceptance of the little car's magic and love saves the day! Their problems are not over yet though. When Herbie accidentally destroys a local Chinese businessman's roadside stand, Jim is too broke to pay for the damages. The businessman, Mr. Wu, takes possession of Herbie, and the only way Jim and his crew can get their little friend back is to beat Peter Thorndyke in one crazy and hilarious open-road race!
"The Love Bug" is one of those films that perfectly exemplifies the term, "Disney Magic." What other studio could take a story about a car with a mind and heart of its own and turn it into the top-grossing film of 1969! Disney Legend Dean Jones was tailor-made for the role of Jim Douglas, the late Buddy Hackett was born to play lovable Tennessee Steinmetz, and Michelle Lee was the perfect leading-lady for this very unique film! And, who can forget the late, great David Tomlinson, another Disney Legend who added his perfect flair to all three Disney Masterpieces he co-starred in! David is an unforgettably bumbling villain in this charming family classic, with good ol' Joe Flynn cracking us up at his side! With yet another Disney Legend, Robert Stevenson, at the helm, Disney's traditional and glorious Peter Ellenshaw matte effects, wonderful music, fantastic stunts, terrific performances, and tons of magic and heart in the form of childlike Herbie the Volkswagen, it's easy to understand why "The Love Bug" became a major Disney classic that spawned five, yes, FIVE wonderful sequels and a short-lived television series! One of the sequels is a TV movie from 1997 that is repeatedly referred to as a remake, even by the Disney historian on this DVD's bonus disc, which is a pet peeve of mine, I must admit. People also constantly refer to the recent and wonderful Lindsay Lohan sequel as a remake, which just drives me nuts! Let it be known that I am a HUGE Herbie fan! I still dream of the day when I'll own and drive a replica of Herbie the Love Bug myself! I have a large remote-control Herbie, a Herbie beanie, all the DVDs, and other collectibles. I'm a big fan! That's one of the great things about this two-disc set! It's made for the fans! Among the extras is a featurette about hardcore Herbie fans who talk about how they made their own Herbies! We also get footage of the Love Bug Day at Disneyland, where fans decorated their own Volkswagens for a big parade and contest to win a Herbie of their own from Dean Jones! We get a featurette on the many lives of Herbie (unfortunately, all extra features were made before "Herbie: Fully Loaded," but this disc is great about mentioning ALL the other Herbie films that came before it) and one of interviews with the stars, in addition to radio spots and sound studio features. There are also two deleted scenes represented by stills, art, and script pages, a featurette on the Disney sound effects master that worked on "The Love Bug," plenty of art, document, merchandise, and photo galleries, a 1969 montage on what Disney was up to that year, a featurette on where Herbie can be found today, a screenplay excerpt with film comparison, and a fantastic behind-the-scenes promo starring Dean Jones and the rest of the "Love Bug" cast! All this can be found on Disc 2, but even Disc 1 has its extras! In addition to the glorious widescreen presentation of the film itself, Disc 1 of "The Love Bug" Special Edition includes Disney's classic short, "Suzie, the Little Blue Coupe," the story about a little car that, like Herbie, has a life of her own. Disc 1 also has feature commentary with none-other than Dean Jones and Buddy Hackett, and a separately recorded Michelle Lee commentary is spliced in! It's very enjoyable to watch, even if Buddy is more interested in discussing his fascinating experiences in show business outside of the Disney Studios (Dean Jones reigns him in when he can) and Michelle Lee is more focused on how "cute" she looked in `69.
For Herbie or Disney fanatics, this 2-disc set is a must own. In fact, the "Herbie the Love Bug Collection" 4-film boxed set is a must own! And, if you still can't get enough, pick up sequel number five, also titled "The Love Bug," on VHS. It stars B-film fave Bruce Campbell and is the one source for Herbie's secret origin story! You may find it to be a hokey TV movie in comparison to the others, but it DOES include the tearful reunion of Jim Douglas (played, as always, by Dean Jones) and Herbie the Love Bug! You also MUST SEE "Herbie: Fully Loaded," probably the second best film in the franchise (even if I've always LOVED "Herbie Goes Bananas"). Enjoy them all, and let's hope we see the Dean Jones TV series and the Bruce Campbell film hit DVD format someday soon too!
Summary of The Love Bug (Special Edition)
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