The Magic Roundabout (2005)

Directed by: Dave Borthwick, Jean Duval, Frank Passingham | 85 minutes | animation, family, adventure, comedy, fantasy | Original voice cast: Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Ian McKellen, Joanna Lumley, Tom Baker, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Lee Evans, Ray Winstone, Daniella Loftus, Ediz Mahmut, Jimmy Hibbert

Dougal (voiced by Robbie Williams) is a bit of a sucker. Although he means well, something always goes wrong. Yet it is difficult for anyone to remain angry with him for long. Even when his gluttony threatens to turn the whole world into ice, his friends stand by his side. These friends are a weird bunch together. There is the extremely relaxed rock rabbit with electric guitar Dylan (Bill Nighy). He thinks it’s worst that there will soon be no more grass when the world is frozen and he prefers to sleep off his intoxication.

There is also the opera cow with star appearances Ermintrude. This singing cow is voiced by Joanna Lumley, aka the drug-using nymphomaniac Patsy Stone in “Absolutely Fabulous”. Friend Brian (Jim Broadbent) is madly in love with her and although he is not the smoothest he is after all a snail, his love for Ermintrude brings out an unprecedented heroism in him. Unfortunately, Dougal’s best friend and owner Florence (Kylie Minogue) can’t go on an adventure. She is trapped in the frozen merry-go-round at the hands of Dougal. But the fur ball on legs is determined to save his girlfriend.

The good wizard or rather half sorcerer/half coiler Zebedee puts them on the right track. The voice of Zebedee is provided by Sir Ian McKellen, who, of course, played the wizard Gandalf in the ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. In his warm voice, he tells the friends to look for three magical diamonds. When his evil twin brother ZeeBadee (Tom Baker) gets his hands on it, he has enough power to freeze even the sun. Given a map, they set off in a talking steam train (Lee Evans) to rescue Florence and the other children.

The above characters originated from the fantasy of Frenchman Serge Danot. In 1964 he conceived a children’s television series about a furry dog ​​and a merry-go-round. The original dolls for Le Manège enchanté were designed by Ivor Wood, who would later also make Pieter Post. The French images quickly became a big hit in Great Britain. Eric Thompsen made up completely different stories from the images he received from the French creators. ‘The Magic Roundabout’ gained a sort of cult status due to the typical English humor and puns. This second level made the series fun for adults too. In the Netherlands, the animated series was broadcast under the name “De Minimolen”.

Also in the movie ‘The Magic Roundabout’ there are many hidden jokes that will probably pass completely by the younger viewers. There is even a reference to a text by Bruce Willis in ‘Pulp Fiction’; Zeb’s dead baby, Zeb’s dead. The references to rabbit Dylan’s drug use are also funny. Furthermore, the childish animations are accompanied by tasty Brit-pop and old cock rock.

Although the makers of ‘The Magic Roundabout’ clearly intended to make a film suitable for everyone, the film misses the mark. It’s pretty fun to watch, but it’s still a children’s film, with the occasional adult joke and good music. The English version draws much of its power from celebrity voices. It is better not to go and see the Dutch version.