Toon Talk: The Love Bug DVD
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Feel free to skip over this really quite awful audio commentary and go straight to the Vault Disney-formatted second disc, which includes the bulk of the goodies, such as four outstanding featurettes (see below), a Production Gallery filled with publicity stills, concept art, storyboard drawings, comic book artwork, biographies of the cast and crew, poster galleries, screenplay excerpts, an Audio Archive of radio spots and ‘sound studios’, rare footage from a Behind the Scenes Promo (narrated by Jones) and of the Love Bug Day at Disneyland, a salute to The Man Who Gave Herbie His Voice (Disney sound man extraordinaire Jimmy McDonald), two Deleted Scenes and the original Theatrical Trailer, touting “The Screen’s First Four-Cylinder Star�?.

• The delight- and insight-filled main ‘making of’ documentary, That Loveable Bug, is a true treat for even the most casual of Herbie fans. Included in the many surprising revelations about the creation of The Love Bug are the various alternate titles considered (such as the cringe-worthy The Magic Volksy, Bettlebomb and Thunderbug), Dean Jones’ unlikely ‘other role’ in the film, and how Herbie got his name and number.
• Hosted by film historian/Walt Disney Imagineer/easily-the-biggest-Herbie-fan-who-ever-lived Hugh Chitwood (who, with his bald head, even resembles his beloved fixation), the second feature obsessively (in a good way) details The Many Lives of Herbie, from all three sequels (Herbie Rides Again in 1974, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo in 1977 and Herbie Goes Bananas in 1980) to his ‘live’ appearances (such as at “The Love Bug Day at Disneyland�? and in Disney on Parade, a show that I actually saw, all those many years ago, and still fondly remember), as well as the short-lived 1982 Herbie the Love Bug television series and the ill-advised Love Bug TV movie remake from 1997 (starring cult movie actor Bruce Campbell in a far cry from his Evil Dead movies). Chitwood (who is to Herbie what Leonard Maltin is to everything else Disney) knows his stuff, including such rare facts as the films’ original casting ideas (Yvette Mimieux, the later star of The Black Hole, as Carole in Love Bug; Walter Brennan, star of such Disney films as The Gnome-Mobile, in the role that would be recast with Helen Hayes in Rides Again after his death), Herbie’s visit to Grauman’s Chinese Theater (he is the only car to ‘leave his mark’ at the famous Hollywood landmark) and his appearances at Walt Disney World, both short-lived (I had no idea Herbie used to be a part of the Backlot Tour) and permanent (his own wing at the All-Star Movies Resort).
• Giving Chitwood a run for his money are the fans of #53 seen in Herbie Mania, two men whose love of the bug have inspired them to create their very own Herbie cars.
• Hugh is back in the Lost Treasures: Searching for Herbie feature, proving, with his exhaustive and extensive research into all the changes made to Herbie throughout his many cinematic incarnations over the years, as well as where the original Love Bug can be found now, that he truly is “The Master of All Things Herbie�?.

Toon Talk Rating: A-

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Toon Talk Trivia:

• The Love Bug director Robert Stevenson was one of the most prolific directors at the Disney Studios, starting with Johnny Tremain and continuing with Old Yeller, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, Kidnapped (which he also wrote), The Absent-Minded Professor, In Search of the Castaways, Son of Flubber, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, Mary Poppins (Oscar nominated for Best Director), The Monkey’s Uncle, That Darn Cat!, The Gnome-Mobile, Blackbeard’s Ghost, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Herbie Rides Again, The Island at the Top of the World, One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing and The Shaggy D.A., as well as Zorro and My Dog, the Thief (also based on a Gordon Buford story) for television. He was named a Disney Legend in 2002.
• Co-writer Don DaGradi (another Disney Legend, 1991) started as a layout artist on such classic shorts as Der Fuerhrer’s Face and Hockey Homicide prior to moving on to the art department for the features Melody Time, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, Pollyanna, The Absent-Minded Professor and The Parent Trap. His writing career began with, ironically, Susie the Little Blue Coupe, and continued with Lady and the Tramp; Son of Flubber; Mary Poppins (Oscar nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay); Lt. Robinson Crusoe, U.S.N.; Blackbeard’s Ghost; Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Scandalous John.
• Producer/co-writer Bill Walsh (also a Disney Legend, Class of ’91) began his career at Disney as a producer, beginning with the popular television programs Davy Crockett and Spin and Marty. He soon began a prolific run as both producer and writer on such feature films as The Shaggy Dog; Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with a Circus; The Absent-Minded Professor; Bon Voyage!; Son of Flubber; Mary Poppins (receiving two Oscar nominations, for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay); That Darn Cat!; Lt. Robinson Crusoe, U.S.N.; Blackbeard’s Ghost; Bedknobs and Broomsticks; Scandalous John; Herbie Rides Again and One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing, as well as just producing Westward Ho the Wagons! and The World’s Greatest Athlete and just writing The Littlest Outlaw and The Misadventures of Merlin Jones.
• Yet another Disney Legend, Dean Jones first appeared in That Darn Cat!, followed by starring roles in some of the most beloved Disney live action films of all time: The Ugly Dachshund; Monkeys, Go Home!; Blackbeard’s Ghost; The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit; The Million Dollar Duck; Snowball Express; The Shaggy D.A. and, returning to his Love Bug role as Jim Douglas, in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, the Herbie the Love Bug television series and then in a cameo in the 1997 TV remake of The Love Bug. He also co-starred in the TV remake of The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and in the feature film remake of That Darn Cat!.
• David Tomlinson starred as Mr. George Banks in Mary Poppins and as Professor Emelius Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks. And he too is a Disney Legend, named in 2002.
• Buddy Hackett voiced Scuttle the Sea Gull in The Little Mermaid and its video sequel, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.
• Another Disney live action favorite, Joe Flynn (who played Thorndyke’s crony Havershaw), co-starred in the films Son of Flubber, The Barefoot Executive, The Million Dollar Duck and Superdad, and the television films My Dog, the Thief and The Wacky Zoo of Morgan City. He is best known though to Disney fans as Dean Higgins in the Dexter Riley trilogy (The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes; Now You See Him, Now You Don’t; The Strongest Man in the World) and as the voice of Mr. Snoops in The Rescuers.
• Benson Fong also appeared in The Strongest Man in the World.
• Well-known racecar driver Andy Granatelli made his one and only film appearance in The Love Bug.
• If that sassy carhop looks familiar, she should: that’s Iris Adrian, who can also be seen in various small roles in That Darn Cat!; The Barefoot Executive; Scandalous John; The Apple Dumpling Gang; The Shaggy D.A.; Freaky Friday; No Deposit, No Return; Gus and then back to the Herbie franchise with Herbie Goes Bananas, her final film role.
• The catchy “Love Bug Theme�? was composed by Disney music man (and, yes, Disney Legend!) George Bruns; Bruns is best known, among many other things, for co-writing the theme songs to Davy Crockett and Zorro and his Oscar-nominated score for Sleeping Beauty.
• According to the credits, one more Disney Legend, Wally Boag (famous for his long-time run in the Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland) also appears in The Love Bug, but where?

Coming Soon:

• Another Disney live action classic, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is now available in a special DVD edition.
• Bernard, Bianca and all of The Rescuers finally make their DVD debut.
• Go back to the jungle when The Jungle Book 2 comes to home video on June 10^th.
• Buckle your swashes for a high sea-fairing July: Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, the latest animated adventure from DreamWorks, sets sail on July 2^nd, followed by Disney’s own blood-thirsty buccaneers, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on July 9^th.

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-- Kirby C. Holt

Kirby, a former Walt Disney World Resort Cast Member (and Trivia Champ), is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. He is also an avid list maker and chronic ellipsis user ...

Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.

The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.

-- Posted June 9, 2003