The Love Bug

The Love Bug

1968 "Herbie will honk his way into your heart."
The Love Bug
The Love Bug

The Love Bug

6.5 | 1h47m | G | en | Fantasy

Down-on-his-luck race car driver Jim Douglas teams up with a little VW Bug that has a mind of its own, not realizing Herbie's worth until a sneaky rival plots to steal him.

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6.5 | 1h47m | G | en | Fantasy , Comedy , Family | More Info
Released: December. 23,1968 | Released Producted By: Walt Disney Productions , Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

Down-on-his-luck race car driver Jim Douglas teams up with a little VW Bug that has a mind of its own, not realizing Herbie's worth until a sneaky rival plots to steal him.

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Cast

Dean Jones , Michele Lee , David Tomlinson

Director

Carroll Clark

Producted By

Walt Disney Productions ,

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Reviews

davekeanu When it comes to live action Disney films I am not impressed but The love bug is by far one of my favorite Disney movies of all time. The characters are a likable and funny Herbie is my one of my favorite Disney characters of all time. He makes me laugh and cry. I really wish Disney would make another sequel to the Herbie series as I really enjoyed this movie and its sequels as well But I guess this is why it such a classic film. I was so happy when Disney finally released this movie on blue ray for the first and along with its three sequels. I have blue 1969 Volkswagen beetle and I love it very much and sometimes I feel like its alive like Herbie. This movie is defiantly masterpiece for a car film worth watching
ma-cortes Amusing and funny first installment with the ¨Wolkswagen Love Bug¨ racing the tracks . Love Bug's outing in which Herbie is racing in competitions , it is full of pranks and car stunts that are great fun to see . Agreeable Disney's love bug Wolkswagen plenty of action , slapdash , laughs and entertainment . This hilarious Herbie story concerns about The Love Bug falls 'hood-over-wheels' for a classy chassis! . It deals with a down-on-his-luck race car pilot named Jim Douglas (Dean Jones who also plays the role of the hippy in the drive-in scene), who lives in an old run-down fire mansion in San Francisco with his partner , an occasional alcoholic mechanic called Tennessee Steinmetz (Buddy Hackett) . One day, Jim goes to a car seller and surprisingly sees a rare Volkswagon Beetle with a unusual problem, it tends to drive on its own will . Then, Jim and Tennessee who dubbed the car "Herbie" fixed it and now is under control . After that , Jim used Herbie for notorious international races and he was rising to fame and fortune , turning more successful in racing . Later on , Thorndyke (David Tomlinson) wants Herbie back, but Jim refuses and Thorndyke wishes to compete against Jim in the races, then he sabotaged Herbie before a car race so , he can vanquish . As the backdrop in the race scenes is of the Riverside International Raceway . Then, a big race was coming up and Herbie, the Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own undergoes the famous international car race called EL Dorado but encountering all sorts of comical obstacles along the way . Jim and Tennessee along with Thorndyke's previous assistant named Carrol Bennet (Michelle Lee) , repaired Herbie before the race . The trio are determined to win Thorndyke in the El Dorado, but he will swindle and trap to make sure that they do not win . Fortunately, the couple of pilots have a sleeve in the form of Herbie , the fantastic car , as they take the magical Wolkswagen Bug with a mind of its own as both of them compete in the notorious race and attempt to beat . So the two rogue pilots (Joe Flynn , David Tomlinson) resort to all manner of cheats , legal or otherwise, to get it and are now attempting to get them back . There is one obstacle however : Herbie . Miraculous Herbie take them for a ride and stumbles into evil hoodlums who pursue through roads and race tracks . As always, Herbie the love bug , is helping the young couple (Dean Jones , Michelle Lee) find romance but encountering all sorts of hilarious problems along the way . Herbie with the number 53 intervenes in the biggest car race and win the Grand Prize , a challenge among top competitors circle the world's most famous racing circuits and quickly slipping in the ranking.This delightful Disney comedy displays great loads of amusement , fantastic race cars , slapstick , fun , giggles , chases are great fun to watch and being pretty entertaining . It's an enjoyable movie for kids and for those who enjoy cars racing round and round and bounds and leaps carried out by Herbie . Herbie The Love Bug was a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle deluxe ragtop sedan painted in Volkswagen L87 pearl white. Under normal circumstances, the interior would be a matching white. However, Herbie's interior was painted a special non-reflective grey color so the camera and studio lights would not reflect . The actors seem to enjoy immensely , as Dean Jones and Buddy Hackett play of sympathetic manner and the mean-spirited villains performed by David Tomlinson Joe Flynn are top notch. Colorful cinematography by Edward Colman and jolly soundtrack by George Bruns including the lively leitmotif , usual in the Herbie's series. This is a delightful film , this original entry is followed by ¨ Herbie rides again (1974)¨ also by Robert Stevenson and starred by Ken Berry , Stefanie Powers and Helen Hayes ; it's followed by ¨Herbie goes to Montecarlo¨ with Dean Jones , Don Knotts and Julie Sommers ; followed by ¨Herbie goes bananas¨ (1980 , or Herbie Torero) by Vincent McEveety starred by Charles Martin Smith and Cloris Leachman , among others and a 1997-for-television-movie with Bruce Campbell and John Hanna and a TV series , the most part filmed by Stevenson and Vincent McEveety and usually starred by Dean Jones . Furthermore recent version starred by Linsay Lohan , Justin Long and Matt Dillon , being directed by Angela Robinson. This first version " Love Bug ¨ results to be the best version , it is amusing story with lots of laughs but is a familiar film . The motion picture is correctly directed by Robert Stevenson . He's an usual craftsman from Disney productions who achieved for the famous company its greatest successes such as ¨Mary Poppins¨ , ¨Bednobs and broomsticks , ¨Gnome-mobile¨, ¨Herbie rides again¨ , ¨Absent-minded professor¨, ¨Son of Flubber¨, ¨Shaggy DA¨ , ¨That darn cat¨ , ¨One of our dinosaurs is missing¨ and many others . Rating : Acceptable , 6,5 , worthwhile watching . Amusing and engaging film with effective combination of primitive special effects , live action , adventure , fantasy and humor . The children will get a kick out of this typical Disney film ,it's a great fun to watch and there are loads of entertainment in this one . It' one of the best and funniest of ¨Herbie¨ series
fom4life 'The Love Bug', stars Herbie (the ''1963 VW bug) in his big motion picture debut. He goes on to have a lucrative but somewhat stereotyped role in motion pictures. All the movies which follow this one have him playing the same role. It's sad when non-living things get typecast. I know this bothered R2D2 quite a bit as profiled in the documentary 'Behind the Dome' (if I got the title right). Herbie goes on to star in 4 sequels, a re-made for TV movie and a short lived TV series.The title of the film seems to indicate that the main crux of the plot involves Herbie playing cupid to Dean Jones and Michelle Lee. Although the little bug does try to play matchmaker it's much more about Herbie being a race car, kinda like the Mach 5 in 'Speed Racer', accept that this car is alive. But actually the film is more than just a race car movie with silly Disney Moments; it's about the complex relationship between the driver and his car.The main comic hijinks steam from the story line that this VW bug is alive with a mind of its own. The car is alive in the same way the cars in 'Cars', are alive accept that Herbie doesn't have big eyes in his windshield and a mouth in its front bumper. An amazing little bonus feature, presents a old Disney cartoon with a 'Cars' looking car entitled by 'Susie, the Little Blue Coupe' narrated by Winnie the Pooh. Herbie looks more alive in the way the Knight 2000 looks alive accept that it is not due to artificial intelligence. Maybe it's possessed like 'Christine', or has the spirit of some person like in 'My Mother the Car'. Who knows? The movie never delves too deeply into why the car is alive, but it doesn't need to. The characters in the film and the audience are caught up in the reality of the situation and the reality takes root into their hearts and minds and questions about a car being alive is naturally accepted. The film also never gives questions it doesn't answer. It's a comedy and not an in-depth science fiction film and it treats the story as such.Unlike other Disney films it takes awhile for the characters to slowly believe that the car is actually alive. Certain incredible things are sometimes processed slowly. Christian faith can be like that to someone who comes to believe in it after believing in some other philosophy (such as atheism) for some time. Thus the story line proceeds at a natural pace. The comedy springs up from the characters and the situations that they are in as opposed to having wacky things happen just to get a cheap laugh.The whole cast, Dean Jones (lots of Disney films), Michelle Lee, Buddy Hacket, David Tomlinson (Mary Poppins), Joe Flynn (Macale's Navy) and Herbie (Herbie Fully Loaded) himself are delightful folks to hang out with for a couple hours. This is a film that defiantly deserves a place in the family library, right next to 'Cars'.
ccthemovieman-1 Sorry to sound like Scrooge, but after seeing these films once again in the late '90s, I did not particularly enjoy this late '60s Disney movie favorite, nor its sequels. I watched them when they came out and was mildly amused at that time, but these Herbie flicks did not age well. I can understand why they did a remake recently.I know it's a fantasy, but it just looks now so stupid it's almost beyond description. In a nutshell, we have a 40-horsepower VW bug that wins auto races because it's "alive," complete with a personality and - get this - a soul! Meanwhile, the driver of the race car (Dean Jones as the annoying "Jim Douglas") thinks he's responsible for the race victories. Well, at least that made sense. The film turns out to be a propaganda piece for Buddhism!! I kid you not!In fairness, Disney and other studios who have done animation have always made inanimate objects human-like and many times we laugh at that, myself included. So, I'm not really making fun of the premise but it just looks and sounds so dated 40 years later, especially the San Francisco hippie scenes."Herbie," by the way, was a likable "guy." It was good to see Benson Fong (Charlie Chan films) again, and Joe E. Ross (Bilko, Car 54, Where Are You?) and even goofy Buddy Hackett as "Tennessee Steinmetz." I always found it a shame, though, that humorous stand-up comics like Hackett and Don Rickles played so many stupid roles in these '60s films.