It's a movie that scrounges so desperately for laughs, it features both a flatulent moose and a flatulent train.
Doogal (2006)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:47
Fresh:3
Rotten:44
Average Rating:3/10
Consensus: Overloaded with pop culture references, but lacking in compelling characters and plot, Doogal is too simpleminded even for the kiddies.
Runtime: 85 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: The origins of the characters in DOOGAL stretch back to 1964 and a TV program called THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT (or "Le Manège Enchanté" as its French creator Serge Danot called it). The show became a... The origins of the characters in DOOGAL stretch back to 1964 and a TV program called THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT (or "Le Manège Enchanté" as its French creator Serge Danot called it). The show became a popular staple on British television, and this full-length movie is the first attempt to acquaint American audiences with Danot's magical world. Zeebad (voiced by THE DAILY SHOW's Jon Stewart) is a recently escaped convict whose powers as a sorcerer are known throughout the land. While fleeing from prison, the embittered Zeebad decides to capture some mystical diamonds with the power to freeze the sun. Zeebad's devious dream is to freeze the entire globe as an act of revenge on those who imprisoned him. But he doesn't bank on the resilient forces of heroic canine Doogal (Daniel Tay) and his friends, a snail named Brian (William H. Macy), a hippie-ish rabbit called Dylan (Jimmy Fallon), and a loveable pink cow by the name of Ermintrude (Whoopi Goldberg). Together, they venture across the world in a desperate bid to find the ancient stones before the dastardly Zeebad gets his hands on them. Doogal and his friends scatter a few amusing references to popular culture into the plot as the story unfolds, and the animation is rendered in a style instantly familiar to fans of movies such as FINDING NEMO and HOODWINKED. Fans of the original television show who are looking for a fond, nostalgic experience won't find much to remind them of Danot's creation in DOOGAL, which is a fast-paced action romp aimed at a young audience. But for a new generation of fans this is a great way to get acquainted with a bunch of loveable characters who passed their 40th birthday on completion of the film. [More]
Starring: Ian McKellen, Tom Baker, Jim Broadbent, Joanna Lumley
Starring: Ian McKellen, Tom Baker, Jim Broadbent, Joanna Lumley, Kylie Minogue, Daniel Tay, Chevy Chase, Judi Dench, Jon Stewart, Kevin Smith, William H. Macy, Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon
Director: Frank Passingham, Dave Borthwick, Jean Duval
Director: Frank Passingham, Dave Borthwick, Jean Duval
Screenwriter: Paul Bassett Davis
Producer: Laurent Rodon
Composer: Mark Thomas
Studio: Weinstein Company
Reviews for Doogal
It's easily the worst kid's movie since Spy Kids 3-D, a confusing blur of a magical quest based on an ancient British stop-motion animation TV show.
Doogal has a few moments of wit, but they're largely lost thanks to inconsistent direction and an uncertainty about who or what the movie is for.
The titular canine hero has all the appeal of a talking bathmat. The animation is ugly, and the American re-write -- which, in typical Hollywood fashion, confuses topicality with humor, as if simply namedropping is enough -- adds nothing.
In Doogal, setting the world right again involves a badly paced quest for three diamonds, assorted jokes that don't land, and a daringly incoherent climactic confrontation.
Doogal is an exceeding lame animated feature about a bunch of kids trapped on a magical carousel -- but it's adults forced to sit through this slow-moving, G-rated Lord of the Rings knockoff who will be begging for mercy.
A dreadful animated movie stuffed with bad puns and little internal logic.
This is a movie that is trying so hard to be hip, it forces Stewart, as the villainous sorcerer, to rhapsodize about how he'll buy a blue Hummer once he takes over the world, which he punctuates with an awkward cry of 'Boo-yah!'
For kids the ending will be a surprise, hinging on terrifically suspenseful moments. Adults will just wonder why everything looks so cheaply thrown together.
Perhaps the key mistake in this telling is the move of a little boy-ized Doogal (voiced by child actor Daniel Tay, providing far different line readings than those of the grumpy, world-weary Dougal) to a sort of solo forefront.
If we keep saying, 'Yeah, it's lousy, but there's so much worse stuff out there,' and we keep sighing, rolling our eyes, and going anyway, we'll keep getting slapdash, manipulative product like this. Kids deserve better. So do dogs.
The animation has the low-budget CGI look of meticulous textures but movement as jerky and unpersuasive as Davey and Goliath.
The only positive thing that might come out of Doogal is the litany of self-deprecating jokes [Jon] Stewart will undoubtedly tell when he hosts the Oscars.
Poor visuals, a terrible story, and only fart jokes to entertain the kiddies.
completely devoid of charm, wit, humor, or a storyline that makes sense to anyone with even the most rudimentary of verbal skills
While offering children a valuable lesson about friendship, 'Doogal' will probably be viewed by some adults as an opportunity for a little nap.
Something tells me that the original dialogue, replaced here by references to M.C. Hammer and The Shining, would have added a little to the movie’s limited charms.
Latest News for Doogal
February 22, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Jim Carrey Aims to Terrify Moviegoers
Following a busy holiday weekend when five new releases opened nationwide, the crowded marketplace will now face another four new films invading multiplexes everywhere. More...
September 18, 2006:
Box Office Wrapup: Gridiron Gang #1, but Box Office Still Fumbles
Wrestler-turned-actor The Rock suffered the worst opening of his career with the football drama Gridiron Gang, but thanks to weak competition, it was still enough to capture the... More...
August 30, 2006:
"Crank," Wicker Man," "Idiocracy" Won't Be Screened For Critics -- Guess The Tomatometer!
The studios have been hiding movies from those pesky scribes all year long, but this time they've outdone themselves. This week, three movies won't be screened before getting... More...
August 09, 2006:
Critical Consensus: A Brave New "World," A "Step" Down, And No Screenings for "Pulse" and "Zoom"
This week at the movies, we've got Oliver Stone paying tribute to the heroes of 9/11 ("World Trade Center," starring Nicolas Cage); two youngsters trying to start a... More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

