Barnes & Noble

Incredibly, in a movie year that included The Graduate, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Romeo and Juliet, Rosemary's Baby, Yellow Submarine, Planet of the Apes, and Academy Award winner Oliver!, 1968's top-grossing film was The Love Bug. Disney's live-action fantasy showcased a Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own: a rubber-burning, wheelie-popping pre-New Beetle that sees the good in the heart of an arrogant, washed-up race car driver (Dean Jones) and saves him. The oily villains here are David Tomlinson, the neglectful dad in Mary Poppins, and Joe Flynn, the perpetually flustered Capt. Binghampton from McHale's Navy. Meanwhile, Jones's pit crew features Buddy Hackett, as the spiritually attuned welding artist Tennessee Steinmetz, and Michele Lee, a spunky girlfriend who doesn't take a backseat to the guys. Set in San Francisco, this film's images of hippies and beatniks (look closely -- one of them is played by Jones) are dated to be sure, but the scenes of "the little car" taking control of the wheel and playing matchmaker are still irresistible. You can expect to get a lot of mileage out of this revved-up DVD. The full tank of features includes archival footage of the film's production and publicity ("Love Bug Day at Disneyland"), breezy commentary by Jones and Hackett, and an endearingly perky Lee, who points out some continuity errors. Highly recommended. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

Those who worried that the Disney studio would collapse without the presence of the late Uncle Walt were put at ease when the profits starting rolling in for The Love Bug. The "star" is Herbie, a lovable little Volkswagen with a personality all its own. Abused by a bad guy race-car driver (David Tomlinson), Herbie is rescued by a good guy racer (Dean Jones). Out of gratitude, Herbie enables the luckless good guy to win one race after another. The real fun begins when the ruthless hot-rodder connives to get Herbie back through fair means or foul. Based on a story by Gordon Buford, The Love Bug inspired two equally lucrative sequels, Herbie Rides Again and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 786936192445
• Source: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: THX-Supervised Mastering, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English
• Time: 1:48:00
• Sales Rank: 2,358

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