Doug's 1st Movie (1999)

Despite having watched the cartoon series "Doug" almost religiously as a child, it took until adulthood for me to get around to viewing the feature-length movie adaptation spun off of that wonderfully rich, beguiling television classic. I myself am surprised not only for that reason, but also because if I loved it so much as an adult, I surely would have loved it so much as a kid as well. Along with pictures such as "A Boy Named Charlie Brown," this is one of those animated gems I wish I had seen earlier in my life."Doug" was originally on Nickelodeon, and then later appeared on Disney's network. Believe it or not, I adored both versions. The film, "Doug's 1st Movie," is akin to the Disney version. You know, Mayor White is now principal, Patti Mayonnaise has shorter hair, Connie is thinner, there's an obnoxious upperclassman competing with Doug for Patti's attention...there goes my inner-child! In the film, we finally get a load of the infamous Lucky Duck Lake Monster, which Doug Funnie and Skeeter Valentine have been soulfully searching for over the years. It's a set up that might as well have been a live-action picture. Except "Doug's 1st Movie" takes things in a different direction...as it should, since it is in the same tradition and mood as its source material. The plot, the characters, the drawing style is all played for heart and for laughs. Furthermore, just like the show, the film allows itself to balance between the two media so the gags do not overpower the more gentle, touching moments. And the film's occasional message toward real-world issues (pollution, for one) are not pretentious.Fans of the show will also be delighted in how well the film captures the memorable personalities of the characters. In 90-some minutes, we get almost all of the beloved traits and characteristics that the show made popular over the course of nine years. Doug is truly one of the better animated protagonists of recent years: whimsical, goodhearted, has soft spots. But the character does not wallow in his slightly silly manner and thereby render himself insufferable. Doug's fantasy moments, most of them depicting his romantic affections for Patti--a likable character--are oddball, but in the slightly bogus way everybody not only appreciates, but can recall from their own lives. Those secure enough to admit to it, anyway."Doug's 1st Movie" is also a fine aesthetic accomplishment. It's beautifully drawn, with a wide variety of colors here and there. That is partially because many of the characters do have purple, green, or blue tint to their skin. But it doesn't stop with there. The detail of the city, the sky, the water, the forest. There's a lot of detail; Doug and his co-stars do not merely stand against flat walls. Complimenting the show, it remains true to its source material in that regard as well. That comes to show just how much children have lost now that the show, as far as I know, has virtually vanished from television. True, it's now on DVD (the show, not the movie, unfortunately) but with so much poorly drawn and abysmally dull junk populating the children's programming guides, it really does beg Disney to reconsider their plans.I adored "Doug's 1st Movie" for a great many reasons, but the primary one was the way it recalled what it was like to be a child without making me feel as though I were sinking into immaturity. I have no guilty feelings in proclaiming that I liked this movie very much and am hoping to see a restored DVD release of it someday. And the song that plays over the credits is truly beautiful, something I cannot say of most songs I hear over animated films today.I personally was looking forward to "Doug's 2nd Movie."

I looked up this movie on Wikipedia a few weeks ago to see what it was about. When I read the plot summary, I honestly thought that somebody had trolled the page and typed in the weirdest s*** they could think of. Then, after checking IMDb's plot summary, I realized that it was ACTUALLY ABOUT A FRIENDLY MONSTER NAMED HERMAN MELVILLE. And the funny thing about this: I actually DID see this in theaters when it came out (back in '99, which made me 9 years old at the time), but I literally had NO memory of this movie. I remember everything else I've ever seen in theaters, to some degree, but not this one.The fact that this movie was SO ridiculous, yet SOOOOO forgettable is a testament to its quality. I was a fan of the show too (when it was on Nickelodeon, I hated what Disney did to it). Btw, "Doug's FIRST Movie"? Obviously, that title isn't descriptive enough; should've put "and only" somewhere in that title...

Personally, I think "Doug's 1st Movie" was boring and a waste of time. I think when the Doug TV Series was on Nick was good, then Disney came in. Probably kids from the ages of 4-9 will be able to sit through this movie, and maybe their parents, but nobody else. It was okay though I guess, I'm sure the younger kids probably liked it and it still has problems that everyone can relate to. But come on, what was up with that monster? And why did they have to show those people giving it a shot?(well, I felt sick!). I would give it 4 stars out of 10. And by the way, why was Disney's "Doug" TV series canceled that same year? And why the heck was the movie PG? Oh well!

This movie is awesome! It's really a great movie for all die-hard Doug fans (like me). Doug fans (as well as kids and adults, not to mention teenagers) will really like it. The movie answers all questions that Doug fans have like, is there really a monster in the lake? And will Doug and Patti get together? The animation is a step higher than the TV show which is great! I had teenage friend who saw it and laughed! It's funny, sweet and smart! Lots of fun to watch!