​FILMS

blinky bill: the movie

2015 review number 149:

Blinky Bill: The Movie: (Animated/Family): 66 out of 100: Based on the children's fictional character created by New Zealand-born Australian author Dorothy Wall, comes this feature-length production that will entertain children although the G rating is a little misleading for there are several scary scenes involving the villain The Cat (Rufus Sewell), which will likely frighten younger children. Originally published in 1933, the books have been much-loved by Australians over the years so adults will be able to accompany their children or grandchildren to reminisce.

 

Ryan Kwanten plays the beloved Blinky Bill who sets out to find his father (Richard Roxburgh) after he promised to return from an expedition to save animals at the Sea of White Dragons. After going missing for a year, his community is now being run by Cranklepot (Barry Otto) so Blinky Bill yearns for his father's return, not only to please himself and his mother (Deborah Mailman), but also to save his community from being renamed Goannasberg by the treacherous goanna, Cranklepot. On his journey, Blinky Bill befriends a koala named Nutsy (Robin McLeavy), on her way to being housed in a zoo. There is also the frilled-necked lizard named Jacko (David Wenham) who 'helps' them. All three must escape from the evil clutches of the cat who would love nothing better than to devour the koalas.

 

It's evident that this in an Australian production with the abundance of Australian colloquialisms which will not only confuse young children but also, international audiences. The dialogue gets bogged down with slang terminology. The highlight of the presentation of Australia would definitely be the background scenery, firstly in the forest in which Blinky Bill lives, and also in the outback when he is locating his father. The animation in these scenes is first-class. The rest of the animation is bright and colourful enough to appeal to younger audiences with the action scenes keeping children and adults entertained.

 

The characters are vividly brought to life by the voice cast with standouts being Sewell as the British villain, Wenham as the friendly lizard and Collette as two emu sisters. Kwanten presents a lovable main character for if his voice irritated, the hero wouldn't be as loved as he is here. The entire voice cast does their best with the dialogue although there could have been more depth to it, to bring the relationships between the characters to a more engaging level. When nearly everyone speaks in slang, the result is mildly amusing.

 

If you are a fan of Blinky Bill, you should appreciate the animation on offer. Be mindful though that young children will not always understand the dialogue and quite a few of the scary scenes could frighten. Adults will generally like the humour although there is a tendency to go overboard with the colloquialisms.

 

Featuring the voices of Ryan Kwanten, Toni Collette, David Wenham, Rufus Sewell, Richard Roxburgh, Deborah Mailman, Barry Otto and Barry Humphries

(91 minutes)

Parental advice: Low level violence

Additional scene during or after credits: Yes, after the credits Mayor Cranklepot has been 'relegated' to pushing the children animals on the swing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc9SSM8PuBc (Movie trailer)

(Reviewed on Wednesday 7th October, 2015)

 

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