''Doug's 1st Movie'' is a 1999 American animated
comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
based on the television series ''
Doug''. Despite the film's title, it is the series finale of the show.
Directed by
Maurice Joyce, the film was produced by
Walt Disney Television Animation and
Jumbo Pictures with animation provided by Plus One Animation. It stars the regular television cast of Tom McHugh,
Fred Newman,
Chris Phillips,
Constance Shulman,
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...
,
Alice Playten, Guy Hadley, and
Doris Belack. It was released by
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing, and promotion for films produced and ...
under its
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film Film production company, production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios (division), the Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company. The st ...
label on March 26, 1999; an accompanying ''
Mickey Mouse Works
''Mickey Mouse Works'' (also known as ''Disney's Mickey Mouse Works'' or simply ''Mouse Works'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation featuring Mickey Mouse and his friends in a series of anima ...
'' short entitled ''Donald's Dynamite: Opera Box'' was also released with the film itself. The film received generally unfavorable reviews from critics, and no further films based on ''Doug'' were made.
Plot
BluffCo has been dumping waste into Lucky Duck Lake under the command of CEO Bill Bluff. This pollution
creates a friendly creature that is discovered by Doug Funnie and Skeeter Valentine. They bring the creature in Doug's house, where they name him
Herman Melville
Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works ar ...
after he tries to eat a copy of ''
Moby-Dick
''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 Epic (genre), epic novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is centered on the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler ...
''. Not wanting him to be discovered, they disguise him as a foreign exchange student called Hermione, causing Doug's love interest Patti Mayonnaise to become jealous from all the attention he gives him, leading school paper reporter Guy Graham to make a move on her. Meanwhile, Roger Klotz and his cronies, after learning about Herman, build a robot to kidnap him, but instead it becomes very overbearing toward Roger.
Doug and Skeeter show Herman to Mayor Tippy Dink, who warns them that Bluff will kill the story if they try to get it into the press. After being mocked by Guy in front of Patti, Doug calls a press announcement where he promises to expose what Bluff is doing to the lake. While initially dismissive, Guy finds a picture of Herman and realizes Doug is telling the truth. He notifies Bluff, who sends BluffCo agents to Doug's announcement posing as reporters to capture Herman. Doug sees through the ruse and calls off the conference, but Herman ends up being captured and Patti now believes Doug to be a liar. Doug realizes everything was his fault because he put Herman out of his own selfishness.
The next morning, in the school newspaper office, Doug finds an article by Guy detailing how Herman attacked students at the upcoming Valentine's Day dance and was killed by BluffCo agents. Realizing Guy and Bluff's plan to cover up the pollution, Doug and Skeeter recruit Roger and Al and Moo Sleech to help thwart it. On the night of the dance, Doug gave up his last chance to win Patti back in order to save Herman. The Sleech's reprogram Roger's robot to act like the monster in Guy's article, distracting everyone while Doug and Skeeter find Herman and sneak him out of the school in a giant Valentine's decoration.
Doug and Skeeter bring Herman to lake and release him into the fresh waters, where they are confronted and threatened by Bluff. However, Bluff's daughter Beebe and Mayor Dink overheard Bluff's tirade, and Beebe defends both Doug and Skeeter while Mayor Dink hints on revealing Bluff's practices to the government unless he discuss things over with her. Threatened with a potential lawsuit that could bankrupt him, Bluff concedes defeat by agreeing to have his company clean up Lucky Duck Lake. Herman reveals himself to Patti, who realized that Doug was telling the truth before dumping Guy for lying to her. After the gang says goodbye to Herman, Doug tries to reveal his feelings for Patti, only for Roger to suddenly appear, thanking him for reprogramming his robot, which then chases him away. The movie ends with everyone going back to the dance except for Doug, Patti, Skeeter, and Beebe, who dances with each other by the lake.
Voice cast
* Tom McHugh as Doug Funnie, Lincoln
*
Fred Newman as Skeeter Valentine, Mr. Dink, Porkchop, Ned
*
Chris Phillips as Roger Klotz, Boomer, Larry, Mr. Chiminy
*
Constance Shulman as Patti Mayonnaise
*
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...
as Herman Melville
*
Alice Playten as Beebe Bluff, Elmo (this would be her final role in an animated movie before her death in 2011)
* Guy Hadley as Guy Graham
*
Doug Preis
Doug Preis is an American voice actor, best known for his role as Phil Funnie, Chalky Studebaker, Willie White, Walter "Skunky" Beaumont, Bill Bluff, and Vice Principal Lamarr Bone on '' Doug''.
Roles
* '' Doug'' - Mr. Phil Funnie, Chalky Stud ...
as Mr. Funnie, Mr. Bluff, Willie, Chalky, Bluff Agent
*
Eddie Korbich as Al & Moo Sleech, Robocrusher
* David O'Brien as Quailman Announcer
*
Doris Belack as Mayor Tippi Dink
* Becca Lish as Judy Funnie, Mrs. Funnie, Connie
*
Greg Lee as Principal White
* Bob Bottone as Bluff Assistant
* Bruce Bayley Johnson as Mr. Swirly
*
Fran Brill as Mrs. Elaine Perigrew
*
Melissa Greenspan as Briar Langolier
Additional voice artists
*
Rodger Bumpass
Rodger Bumpass (born November 20, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Squidward Tentacles on the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He voices several other characters on the show as well, includi ...
as Green Police Officer
*
Paul Eiding
Paul Eiding (born March 28, 1957) is an American actor, best known for his voice roles as Colonel Roy Campbell in the ''Metal Gear'' series, Perceptor in '' The Transformers'', and Max Tennyson in the '' Ben 10'' franchise.
Early career
Eiding ...
as Red Police Officer
* Jackie Gonneau as Kid #1
*
Sherry Lynn
Sherry Lynn is an American voice actress who has played roles in anime, animated television series and video games. She portrayed Sasami Jurai in the ''Tenchi Muyo!'' franchise.
In January 2010, in terms of total film gross, she was the Highest ...
as Kid #2
* Mickie McGowan as Lunch Lady
*
Phil Proctor as Brian the A/V Nerd
*
Brianne Siddall as Kid #3
* Claudette Wells as Kid #4
Production
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
was originally making a ''Doug'' film adaptation in May 1993 when they made a deal with
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
to make films based on their properties along with films like ''
Rugrats
''Rugrats'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on a group of toddlers, most prominently Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil, and their day-to-d ...
'' and ''
Ren & Stimpy''. However, the plans evaporated when
Viacom acquired
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
in February 1994, and the deal expired in the following year. Only ''
The Rugrats Movie'' materialized in November 1998.
In February 1996, when
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
bought
Jumbo Pictures along with the cartoon, they decided to revive the project for the ''Doug'' film. This film was originally planned as a
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...
release under the title ''The First Doug Movie Ever'' as shown in trailers, but due to the success of ''The Rugrats Movie'', they decided to make it a theatrical release.
This is the last American theatrical animated film to use
traditional cels, in which the title sequence of the film used
digital ink and paint.
Release
The film was theatrically released with the short ''Opera Box'', featuring
Donald
Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinter ...
and
Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck is an American cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. She is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic white duck that has large eyelashes and ruffled tail feathers around her lowest region to suggest a skirt. She is often s ...
, from the television series ''
Mickey Mouse Works
''Mickey Mouse Works'' (also known as ''Disney's Mickey Mouse Works'' or simply ''Mouse Works'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation featuring Mickey Mouse and his friends in a series of anima ...
''.
Critical reception
''Doug's 1st Movie'' garnered a 28% approval rating on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, based on 36 reviews. The critical consensus reads, "''Doug's 1st Movie'' may entertain very young fans of its main character, but essentially amounts to a forgettable feature-length episode of his show." Critics were harsh to ''Doug's 1st Movie'' when it was released theatrically. Many noted that the film felt too much like an extended episode of the show (story- and animation-wise) and many mention that the film should have stayed a direct-to-video release. Most of the criticism came from the plot, writing, and music, though they praised the animation, voice acting and ending. Screenit.com awarded the film 4 out of 10, determining that it was mediocre and did not have "that magic or cinematic feel to warrant the big screen treatment" and it felt like the regular series.
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
gave the film 1½ out of 4 stars, quoting "''Doug's 1st Movie'' is a thin and less than thrilling feature-length version of a Saturday morning animated series, unseen by me. Chatter on the Web suggests it was originally intended to go straight to video, but was rechanneled into theaters after the startling success of ''The Rugrats Movie''. Since ''Doug'' originally started on Nickelodeon, where ''Rugrats'' resides, the decision made sense – or would have if this had been a better movie."
Box office
''Doug's 1st Movie'' opened at #5 in its opening weekend with $4,470,489, for an average of $1,971 from 2,268 theaters. The film grossed $19,421,271 in ticket sales.
[
]
Awards and nominations
The film was nominated for a Stinker Award for Worst Achievement in Animation, but lost to '' Pokémon the First Movie''.
Home media
The film was released on VHS
VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s.
Ma ...
on September 21, 1999, and on DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
as a Disney Movie Club exclusive on July 20, 2012. The VHS featured, after the movie, a "Never-Before-Seen Dougumentary" that featured the creators of the show offering trivia facts and answering questions from fans; also featured is voice actor Fred Newman who demonstrates his ability to make sound effects while doing the voice of Skeeter Valentine. The DVD used a TV edit, with fade-ins and fade-outs to make way for commercial breaks, as well as sped-up closing credits. As of 2024, the film has still not officially been released on Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
.
The film, along with ''Disney's Doug'', was released on Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
on November 12, 2019, its first day of release. This used a new transfer of the film sourced from the master print, allowing the end credits to be seen at their intended speed.
Notes
References
External links
Official website
*
*
Doug's 1st Movie
' at the TCM Movie Database
*
*
{{Disney theatrical animated features
1999 films
1999 comedy films
1999 American animated films
1999 children's films
1990s children's comedy films
1990s English-language films
Animated films based on animated series
American children's animated comedy films
DisneyToon Studios animated films
Films based on television series
Films scored by Mark Watters
Disney Television Animation films
1999 directorial debut films
Doug (TV series)