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
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 10th.
- 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 2nd, followed by Disney’s own blood-thirsty buccaneers, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on July 9th.
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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