Zeegood and Zeebad (Magic Roundabout (DVD))

Member Name: belfin

Product:	Magic Roundabout (DVD)
Date:	06/12/05 (313 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: familiar lovable characters

Disadvantages: none really although the original animation suited better I thought.

The Magic Roundabout was created by Serge Danot in 1965 and there were over 500 episodes made. The translations were done by Eric Thompson (father of Emma) who worked as a presenter of Play School although he actually ended up making up his own stories to go with the pictures shown. Newer versions of this old show have Nigel Planer taking on the narration and adaptations - people will recognise his voice from playing Neil in the Young Ones. There were many opinions at the time these came out that it was all drug related and that Dylan's magic carrots were an alternative to magic mushrooms as he was always spaced out. Dougal sugar rush was compared to speed and the whole brightly coloured roundabout scene was meant to be similar to the flower power world of the drug filled 60s.

In this new version the characters are still lovable and very strange in this park where Zeebad has accidentally been released and everything is turning to ice. To save the Roundabout the gang have to travel far and wide to recover magic diamonds which will send Zeebad back to his prison so save the sun from being frozen. On their travels they have to battle through a temple in a jungle, over a volcano and across icy mountains and there are lots of difficulties along the way.

Dougal - who has always been my favourite character - is brought to life by the voice of Robbie Williams and he fits this role superbly. He'll do almost anything for the promise of sugar lumps from his friend Florence who he is most loyal to.

Florence is a little girl who is voiced by Kylie Minogue is very loyal to her friends and has to stay strong to help them overcome Zeebad as she and her friends are stuck inside the frozen Magic Roundabout.

Zebedee, the sensible springy one stays behind to guard the roundabout and keep Zeebad away from one of the diamonds. He is still a force to be reckoned with as you will see. He is voiced by Ian McKellan.

Ermintrude is a lovable pink cow who sings opera and thinks she is brilliant at this - of course that's not the case. She's not the brightest spark and thinks more about herself than the others but she does have her uses and I wouldn't have thought of Joanna Lumley to voice this character although it works surprisingly well.

Dylan is the rabbit who always appeared to be a little doped up in the original series and is still very laidback in this film where nothing appears to bother him. He loves playing guitar but there is more than meets the eye to this bunny who has a very determined side to him. He is voiced here by Bill Nighy.

Brian is the nervous snail who strangly appears to be in love with Ermintrude and has a lovely moment with her underneath the stars where they both agree how gorgeous she would be as a star herself - 'Always looking down on everyone' is the line that best describes this comparison and the funny thing is that Ermintrude not only agrees but thinks this is a good thing. Brilliantly voiced by Jim Broadbent who is the perfect match for Lumley. As the film goes on Brian overcomes his fears and finds the courage he thinks he lacks.

The new characters are the baddies Soldier Sam, voiced by Ray Winstone and Zeebad, voiced by Tom Baker. Zeebad has been locked up for over 1000 years but now that he's free he means to get revenge on his arch-rival Zebedee and seeks the help of Soldier Sam who seems very willing to serve Zeebad and join him in his nasty deeds but how much nonsense will he take before he turns against his master.

The team are help along the way by Train - voiced by Lee Evans -who strives to help them get the diamonds and find their way back to the roundabout.

Although a bit different to the original series the essence of the characters is still apparent and the comedy is a bit different but excellent all the same. It also has a reasonable good storyline to it which is something which often takes a back seat when old ideas are revamped. One of my favourite moments is in the temple where Ermintrude takes on a Mission Impossible style laser system. Another is Dylan's karate display.

Lots of funny moments and loads of action have to make this film a winner and well worth watching with the kids - I would say this was aimed at younger children although my teenagers enjoyed it too as did myself and my bloke.

The dvd has loads of extras like:-

The Magical Mysteries Quiz Game where you can test your knowledge on the film

Our Heroes and Villains Character Profiles where you can find out info on your favourites

Interviews with the cast members is very interesting and shows what they think of the characters they voice

The UK Premiere Footage Montage shows some of the action from the Premiere

Audio Commentary

Wallpaper and Screensavers for your pc which are easy to install and make for a fun desktop.

Great value for the fun filled dvd which you can now buy for £5.99 from Blah.com.

Summary: lots of fun and laughter in this dvd full of old favourites.