''The Love Bug'' is a 1997 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

adventure film, which premiered on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

as part of ''

The Wonderful World of Disney The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The pr ...

'' on November 30, 1997. The film starred Bruce Campbell and included a special appearance by Dean Jones, star of the original ''Love Bug'', tying it to the previous films and introduced an evil, black Volkswagen named Horace, the Hate Bug, giving the film a much darker tone than the other "

Herbie Herbie, the Love Bug is a fictional sentient 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, who has been featured in several Walt Disney motion pictures starting with the 1968 feature film ''The Love Bug''. He has a mind of his own and is capable of driving himself, ...

" films.The Love Bug (1997) - NYTimes.com
retrieved June 19, 2015 The fifth installment of ''The Love Bug'' film series, this film is part remake and part

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

, in that the events of the original 1968 film are repeated while the storyline plots to follow 1980's ''

Herbie Goes Bananas ''Herbie Goes Bananas'' is a 1980 American comedy adventure film and the fourth installment of ''The Love Bug'' film series made by Walt Disney Productions starring Herbie – the white Volkswagen racing Beetle with a mind of its own. Plot ...

''. The film also marks the first new appearance of Herbie in fifteen years, following Herbie's television series '' Herbie, the Love Bug'', which ran for five episodes.

Plot

The narrator, Jim Douglas ( Dean Jones), tells the story of

the Volkswagen Beetle. Herbie was owned by an egotistic race car driver and car dealer named Simon Moore III ( John Hannah), who did not treat Herbie very well. During a race, Simon called Herbie junk, which caused Herbie to rebel against him, and they ended up in last place. Simon was not pleased, and he threw out Herbie in a junkyard. Hank Cooper ( Bruce Campbell), a small-town mechanic who works in a local garage, enters a junk-car race, where drivers select a jalopy and attempt to start and race it. Hank ends up getting "last choice" and is forced to choose the only car left, the broken-down Herbie. Assisted by his "spiritually enlightened" but goofy friend Roddy, Hank manages to get Herbie started just before he is towed off the track. In appreciation of Hank's kindness, Herbie manages to win the race, trouncing such junkers as a Cadillac limousine and an early-model Corvair Monza convertible. The judges of the race – Donny Shotz ( Micky Dolenz), an auto customizer; Alex (

Alexandra Wentworth Alexandra "Ali" Wentworth (born January 12, 1965) is an American actress, comedian, author, and producer. Early life Wentworth's mother, Muffie Cabot (née Mabel Bryant Hobart), was Nancy Reagan's White House social secretary from 1981 to 1983 ...

), whom Hank used to date; and Simon – find it hard to believe that such a tiny car could run so fast, and Alex challenges Hank to prove that he didn't use any tricks during the race. Hank takes Alex for a ride, showing off Herbie's speed, and their relationship is re-kindled – with Herbie driving them to an isolated area and locking his doors, as he did with Jim Douglas and Carol Bennett in the first movie. Meanwhile, Roddy tells Hank that Herbie is special, and takes him to an automotive art show. At the show, Simon sees Herbie and attempts to discover why the car that failed him took Hank to victory. He discovers that Herbie was built by Dr. Gustav Stumpfel (

Harold Gould Harold Vernon Goldstein (December 10, 1923 – September 11, 2010), better known as Harold Gould, was an American character actor. He appeared as Martin Morgenstern on the sitcom ''Rhoda'' (1974–78) and Miles Webber on the sitcom ''The Golden ...

) shortly after World War II. He asks Dr. Stumpfel to create another car, one that is pure evil and black. He ends up naming the second car Horace, the Hate Bug, using the "magical ingredients" of a picture of Simon, along with Herbie's key. Simon orders Horace to find Herbie and destroy him, which Horace does, leaving Herbie a heap of crushed metal. Hank catches up with Herbie, but finds it's too late to save him, and Hank, Roddy, and Alex give Herbie a funeral. At the funeral, Herbie's former owner Jim Douglas arrives with Dr. Stumpfel. After examining Herbie's remains, Dr. Stumpfel informs them that he can be rebuilt, provided they use all of Herbie's original sheet metal. Hank gets Donny Shotz to reshape and repaint Herbie's sheet metal. Hank, Roddy, Alex, and Jim work to rebuild Herbie. When they have finished, Hank gives Jim the honor of trying to start him. Herbie starts on the first try, and sounds his horn, letting them know that he's the same car that they have come to know and love. Meanwhile, Simon challenges Hank to a race between Horace and Herbie. Although Simon makes every attempt to sabotage the race, Herbie manages to win after being cut in half by Horace's laser. Furious, Horace tries to destroy Herbie again by ramming him off a cliff, but ends up falling into the ravine himself. Simon and his partner Rupert are then arrested for illegally detonating explosives, driving an unregistered "devil car," and illegally dumping said car. The film ends with Hank and Alex, in love again, driving off in Herbie after finishing up on a magazine article about the little car.

Cast

* Bruce Campbell as Hank Cooper * John Hannah as Simon Moore III *

as Alex Davis * Kevin J. O'Connor as Roddy Martel *

Dana Gould Dana Gould (born August 24, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and voice artist who has been featured on HBO, Showtime, and Comedy Central. He voiced Hi Larious in the TV series ''Father of the Pride'' (2004–2005) and the ...

as Rupert *

as Dr. Gustav Stumpfel * Micky Dolenz as Donny Shotz * Dean Jones as Jim Douglas *

Clarence Williams III Clarence Williams III (August 21, 1939 – June 4, 2021) was an American actor. He played the character of Linc Hayes in the police television series ''The Mod Squad'' from 1968 to 1973. He also appeared in films such as '' Purple Rain'', '' 52 ...

as Chuck *

Jeff Garlin Jeffrey Garlin (born June 5, 1962) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Murray Goldberg, patriarch of the eponymous family in the ABC sitcom '' The Goldbergs'', and Jeff Greene on the HBO sitcom ''Curb Your ...

as Highway Patrolman

Home media

The film was released on VHS format throughout the United States and Canada. As of 2022, it is the only film in the Herbie series that isn't available on

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Love Bug, The 1997 television films 1997 films 1990s adventure comedy films 1990s English-language films American adventure comedy films Remakes of American films American sequel films 5 Films based on short fiction Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Los Angeles Television sequel films Disney television films Disney film remakes Walt Disney anthology television series episodes Films directed by Peyton Reed Films scored by Shirley Walker Television remakes of films 1990s American films