The Love Bug - 7 stars out of 10

The Love Bug - 7 stars out of 10

"The Love Bug" really caught me by surprise.  I remember loving this film as a kid, but it is not a kid's movie.  There is a lot of high brow humor and poignant thematic material that went right over my head 20 years ago and now resonate as an adult.  Even more amazing than its appeal for adults and children alike is Disney's ability to turn a car into a character that shows compassion, jealousy, and many other emotions (hmm, sound like another film of the computer animated variety that would appear 40 years later?)  The success begins with solid live actors, the most memorable being David Tomlinson (the father from "Mary Poppins") as Peter Thorndyke.  He is the perfect comic villain, just mean enough to make you root against him but unquestionably the funniest character of the film.  The irony is that the villain is not trying to harm any person; rather, he wants to destroy the car that "has it out for him."  Next we have our lead, played by Dean Jones.  His character undergoes the most changes by being humbled as a racecar driver, by falling in love, and by discovering the value of friendship (an ever-present theme in Disney films).  Solid performance.  Michele Lee's spunky character is my favorite as she serves two purposes - she is the love interest and she helps the lead to understand the value of friendship.  Buddy Hackett is the comic relief and is as entertaining as ever.  Finally, we have the hero - a Volkswagen Beetle.  Herbie is so much more than a car.  He has as many emotions as any character in any movie out there.  Even more impressive is the fact that he does not have facial expressions, so his "operators" had to portray his sadness, drunkenness, and jealousy through his "mannerisms" as he drives.  Only Disney could be so successful with this concept.  These multi-faceted characters are what elevate this film beyond a children's film.  It's a comedy, but instead of thinking "look at the silly car drive around," we are drawn to the moral and ethical dilemmas of its characters.  The film has many racing sequences, but they never feel monotonous since each of the short sequences has something to make it unique.  Just when the short sequences begin to feel monotonous, they throw in the gigantic racing finale.  Every aspect of the film adds to its atmosphere, including the San Francisco landscape and the fun musical score by George Bruns.  The music often resembles a car horn and always leaves a smile on my face.  Don't write this off just because "it's that movie with a goofy car" - there is a lot more to Herbie than meets the eye as this film will make you laugh, cry, and feel every emotion between!