Doug's 1st Movie
Encyclopedia
Doug's 1st Movie is a 1999 animated film based on the Disney
version of the Nickelodeon
television series Doug
. The film was directed by Maurice Joyce
, and stars the regular television cast of Tom McHugh
, Fred Newman, Chris Phillips
, Constance Shulman, Frank Welker
, Alice Playten
, and Guy Hadley. It was produced by Jumbo Pictures
and Buena Vista
, and released by Walt Disney Pictures
on March 26, 1999. In theaters, the Disney short "Opera Box" from the television series Mickey Mouse Works
was featured before the film, the short featured Donald
and Daisy Duck
.
", and the monster responded, so they name him Herman Melville. They show it to Mrs. Dink, who's the mayor. She tells Doug and Skeeter not to tell anyone about Herman and the polluted lake or else Mr. Bluff will kill the story. Mrs. Dink tries to come up with a plan to make sure Mr. Bluff would not interfere. But all this commotion with the monster makes Doug forget that he was supposed to meet Patti at Mr. Swirly's. When he remembers this, he runs to Swirly's as fast as he can using the quickest shortcuts that he knows. Once he gets there, he doesn't see Patti. He asks Mr. Swirly if he's seen her, and he says the she was here for a while and looked very upset, and then left with a guy who kept talking about his big plans for a dance. When Doug heard this, he knew that this guy was no one else but Guy Graham, a snobby upper classman who wants Patti. Meanwhile, Roger and the AV nerds are building a robot to kidnap Herman, but when they build the robot it acts like Roger's babysitter.
Doug then rushes to the Funkytown night club, where Guy and Patti are working on the dance. He apologizes to Patti there and she accepts his apology. But Guy cuts in and says that Doug is just a stupid little kid. Doug, very angry now, says that he has proof that Bluff is evil and is polluting the lake (Doug goes against Mrs. Dink's warning). Guy then calls Doug a liar. Doug then invites them both to the report that is being held in front of Mr. Dink's house about Herman and the pollution. Doug then leaves, but the picture of the monster falls out of his pocket without him knowing. Guy picks up the picture and realizes that Doug was telling the truth; he then calls Bluff, with whom he has connections to. The next day, Patti asked Doug to bring Guy. Doug allows it in hopes to get back at him. At the reporting, Doug sees that a news reporters camera is inflatable. He then realizes that the news company is a fake, that it is supporting Bill Bluff and trying to compensate the monster. Doug then has to tell everyone that there has been a mistake, Patti gets mad at him, thinks that he is a liar and walks away with Guy.
That night, Bluff finds the boys with Herman and kidnaps the monster. The next morning, Doug knows that this is his last chance to save Herman. He goes to the school newspaper room, hoping to find Guy who can lead him to Bluff. Hoping he can asked Guy for help and he was going to swallow his pride for nothing because Guy wasn't going to help him. Guy isn't in the room, but Doug sees a newspaper article that says that Mr. Bluff and his men blast a monster to smitherines at a school dance. Doug is at first sad and believes that Herman has died, but he then realizes that the school dance isn't until tonight and this is what is being planned to happen so, Doug and Skeeter call Roger and The Sleech twins to help. At the school dance, he has to make the biggest choice of his life, going after Patti or saving Herman. When he does that, Bluff catches the quintet in front of Crystal Lake and starts to enslave them, but is stopped by Mrs. Dink. Beebe arrives and forces her father off of the scene to defend her friends. Doug then finds Patti in front of the woods and Doug tries to tell her he is in love with her but is interrupted by Herman. With the return of Herman and a copy of the newspaper Patti sees that Doug had been telling her the truth all along and dumps Guy. Also Skeeter gives Herman the Moby Dick book for something to eat in the lake and Herman also gives Doug a flower to give to Porkchop to which Porkchop comes running out of the woods into Herman's arms. The kids say goodbye to Herman; after Herman jumps back into the lake, Doug tells Patti he likes her and Roger almost becomes friends with Doug, but is interrupted by the robot. Doug starts dancing with Patti and Skeeter dances with Beebe as the music continues in the background.
Doug closes his journal by saying he was worried about looking like a loser and he learns to do the right thing.
set out to do a Doug film in 1993, to be released by 20th Century Fox
, along with films based on Rugrats
and The Ren & Stimpy Show, but the plans fell through and the films were never produced (with the exception of Rugrats, which got a 1998 film (The Rugrats Movie
) by Paramount Pictures
).
When The Walt Disney Company
bought Jumbo Pictures
along with the cartoon, they decided to re-circle the project for the Doug film. This film was originally planned as a direct-to-video
release under the title The First Doug Movie Ever, but due to the success of The Rugrats Movie
, it saw a theatrical release. Doug's 1st Movie was released on VHS
on September 21, 1999 from Walt Disney Home Video in North America
. To date, there has been no DVD
release (this is most likely to do with copyright issues with Viacom and The Walt Disney Company). The movie is now available for rental on Amazon Instant Video, iTunes
, and Vudu.
, with 9 of a total 34 reviews being determined as positive. 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.
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
version of the Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
television series Doug
Doug
Doug is an American animated sitcom created by Jim Jinkins and co-produced by his studio, Jumbo Pictures . Doug centers on the surreal and imaginative exploits of its title character, Douglas "Doug" Funnie, who experiences common predicaments while attending middle school. The series lampoons...
. The film was directed by Maurice Joyce
Maurice Joyce
Maurice Joyce is an Irish director and animator. Joye was born in Dublin, Ireland and was formerly based in New York. He has worked on television shows and movies including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Beavis and Butt-head Do America....
, and stars the regular television cast of Tom McHugh
Tom McHugh
Thomas McHugh is an American voice actor. He is probably best known for his role as Douglas Funnie during its years on ABC as Disney's Doug, and its full-length film, Doug's 1st Movie, following Billy West's departure from the series. He has also played various characters on animated series...
, Fred Newman, Chris Phillips
Chris Phillips (voice actor)
Chris Phillips is an American voice actor, writer and singer. He studied at Stella Adler and attended Emerson College in Boston, Ma.Chris might be best known as the voice of the Face mascot on Nick Jr. Face ran from 1994 until 2003...
, Constance Shulman, Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
, Alice Playten
Alice Playten
Alice Playten was an American actress and singer.-Life and career:Born Alice Plotkin in New York City, Playten began her career in the Broadway musical Gypsy...
, and Guy Hadley. It was produced by Jumbo Pictures
Cartoon Pizza
Cartoon Pizza is an animation company located in New York City. It was co-founded by Jim Jinkins and David Campbell as the successor to Jinkins' former company, Jumbo Pictures, Inc. Cartoon Pizza's logo is a picture of a pizza with a face in front of a globe and under the logo is the company's...
and Buena Vista
Buena Vista (Walt Disney Company)
Buena Vista is a brand name frequently used for divisions of The Walt Disney Company, whose primary studios and offices are located on Buena Vista Street in Burbank, California. It was originally created by Walt Disney in 1953 after the release of Peter Pan to distribute his film and television...
, and released by Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
on March 26, 1999. In theaters, the Disney short "Opera Box" from the television series Mickey Mouse Works
Mickey Mouse Works
Mickey Mouse Works is a television show that features the cartoon character Mickey Mouse and his friends in a series of animated segments. It is somewhat of an update of Mickey's Mouse Tracks....
was featured before the film, the short featured Donald
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
and Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck
Daisy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1940 by Walt Disney Productions as the girlfriend of Donald Duck. Like Donald, Daisy is an anthropomorphic white duck, but has large eyelashes and ruffled tail feathers to suggest a skirt. She is often seen wearing a hair bow, blouse, and shoes...
.
Plot
Doug and Skeeter discover a monster that lives in Lucky Duck Lake. At first they are scared of him, but they later on find him to be nice. But, the monster is proof that Bill Bluff is polluting the lake which created this monster. The Monster almost eats the book Moby Dick, but Skeeter stops him and says, "Stop! You almost ate Herman MelvilleHerman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
", and the monster responded, so they name him Herman Melville. They show it to Mrs. Dink, who's the mayor. She tells Doug and Skeeter not to tell anyone about Herman and the polluted lake or else Mr. Bluff will kill the story. Mrs. Dink tries to come up with a plan to make sure Mr. Bluff would not interfere. But all this commotion with the monster makes Doug forget that he was supposed to meet Patti at Mr. Swirly's. When he remembers this, he runs to Swirly's as fast as he can using the quickest shortcuts that he knows. Once he gets there, he doesn't see Patti. He asks Mr. Swirly if he's seen her, and he says the she was here for a while and looked very upset, and then left with a guy who kept talking about his big plans for a dance. When Doug heard this, he knew that this guy was no one else but Guy Graham, a snobby upper classman who wants Patti. Meanwhile, Roger and the AV nerds are building a robot to kidnap Herman, but when they build the robot it acts like Roger's babysitter.
Doug then rushes to the Funkytown night club, where Guy and Patti are working on the dance. He apologizes to Patti there and she accepts his apology. But Guy cuts in and says that Doug is just a stupid little kid. Doug, very angry now, says that he has proof that Bluff is evil and is polluting the lake (Doug goes against Mrs. Dink's warning). Guy then calls Doug a liar. Doug then invites them both to the report that is being held in front of Mr. Dink's house about Herman and the pollution. Doug then leaves, but the picture of the monster falls out of his pocket without him knowing. Guy picks up the picture and realizes that Doug was telling the truth; he then calls Bluff, with whom he has connections to. The next day, Patti asked Doug to bring Guy. Doug allows it in hopes to get back at him. At the reporting, Doug sees that a news reporters camera is inflatable. He then realizes that the news company is a fake, that it is supporting Bill Bluff and trying to compensate the monster. Doug then has to tell everyone that there has been a mistake, Patti gets mad at him, thinks that he is a liar and walks away with Guy.
That night, Bluff finds the boys with Herman and kidnaps the monster. The next morning, Doug knows that this is his last chance to save Herman. He goes to the school newspaper room, hoping to find Guy who can lead him to Bluff. Hoping he can asked Guy for help and he was going to swallow his pride for nothing because Guy wasn't going to help him. Guy isn't in the room, but Doug sees a newspaper article that says that Mr. Bluff and his men blast a monster to smitherines at a school dance. Doug is at first sad and believes that Herman has died, but he then realizes that the school dance isn't until tonight and this is what is being planned to happen so, Doug and Skeeter call Roger and The Sleech twins to help. At the school dance, he has to make the biggest choice of his life, going after Patti or saving Herman. When he does that, Bluff catches the quintet in front of Crystal Lake and starts to enslave them, but is stopped by Mrs. Dink. Beebe arrives and forces her father off of the scene to defend her friends. Doug then finds Patti in front of the woods and Doug tries to tell her he is in love with her but is interrupted by Herman. With the return of Herman and a copy of the newspaper Patti sees that Doug had been telling her the truth all along and dumps Guy. Also Skeeter gives Herman the Moby Dick book for something to eat in the lake and Herman also gives Doug a flower to give to Porkchop to which Porkchop comes running out of the woods into Herman's arms. The kids say goodbye to Herman; after Herman jumps back into the lake, Doug tells Patti he likes her and Roger almost becomes friends with Doug, but is interrupted by the robot. Doug starts dancing with Patti and Skeeter dances with Beebe as the music continues in the background.
Doug closes his journal by saying he was worried about looking like a loser and he learns to do the right thing.
Cast
- Tom McHughTom McHughThomas McHugh is an American voice actor. He is probably best known for his role as Douglas Funnie during its years on ABC as Disney's Doug, and its full-length film, Doug's 1st Movie, following Billy West's departure from the series. He has also played various characters on animated series...
as Doug Funnie, Lincoln - Fred Newman as Skeeter Valentine, Mr. Dink, Porkchop, Ned
- Chris PhillipsChris Phillips (voice actor)Chris Phillips is an American voice actor, writer and singer. He studied at Stella Adler and attended Emerson College in Boston, Ma.Chris might be best known as the voice of the Face mascot on Nick Jr. Face ran from 1994 until 2003...
as Roger Klotz, Boomer, Larry, Mr. Chiminy - Constance Shulman as Patti Mayonnaise
- Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
as Herman Melville - Alice PlaytenAlice PlaytenAlice Playten was an American actress and singer.-Life and career:Born Alice Plotkin in New York City, Playten began her career in the Broadway musical Gypsy...
as Beebe Bluff, Elmo - Guy Hadley as Guy Graham
- Doug PreisDoug PreisDoug Preis is an American voice actor. He is best known for his roles in Doug, ThunderCats, and Silverhawks. He also voiced commercials including the Lucky Charms leprechaun and the Vlasic Pickles stork.-Filmography:...
as Mr. Funnie, Mr. Bluff, Willie, Chalky, Bluff Agent - Eddie KorbichEddie KorbichEddie Korbich is an actor, singer, dancer. He was born in Washington, D.C. but grew up in Shamokin, Pennsylvania.-1980s:He graduated from the Boston Conservatory with a B.F.A...
as Al & Moo Sleech, Robocrusher - David O'Brien as Quailman Announcer
- Doris Belack as Mayor Tippi Dink
- Greg Lee as Principal White
- Fran BrillFran BrillFrances Joan "Fran" Brill , is an American actress and puppeteer, best known for her roles on Sesame Street.Brill was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Linette and Joseph M. Brill. Her father was a physician...
as Mrs. Perigrew
Production
NickelodeonNickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
set out to do a Doug film in 1993, to be released by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, along with films based on Rugrats
Rugrats
Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series premiered on August 11, 1991, and aired its last episode on June 8, 2004....
and The Ren & Stimpy Show, but the plans fell through and the films were never produced (with the exception of Rugrats, which got a 1998 film (The Rugrats Movie
The Rugrats Movie
The Rugrats Movie is a 1998 American animated film, produced by Klasky Csupo and Nickelodeon Movies. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures and first released in theaters in the United States on November 20, 1998....
) by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
).
When The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
bought Jumbo Pictures
Cartoon Pizza
Cartoon Pizza is an animation company located in New York City. It was co-founded by Jim Jinkins and David Campbell as the successor to Jinkins' former company, Jumbo Pictures, Inc. Cartoon Pizza's logo is a picture of a pizza with a face in front of a globe and under the logo is the company's...
along with the cartoon, they decided to re-circle the project for the Doug film. This film was originally planned as a direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
release under the title The First Doug Movie Ever, but due to the success of The Rugrats Movie
The Rugrats Movie
The Rugrats Movie is a 1998 American animated film, produced by Klasky Csupo and Nickelodeon Movies. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures and first released in theaters in the United States on November 20, 1998....
, it saw a theatrical release. Doug's 1st Movie was released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
on September 21, 1999 from Walt Disney Home Video in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. To date, there has been no DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release (this is most likely to do with copyright issues with Viacom and The Walt Disney Company). The movie is now available for rental on Amazon Instant Video, iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, and Vudu.
Critical reception
The film garnered a 26% approval rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, with 9 of a total 34 reviews being determined as positive. 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.