Blinky Bill the Movie (2015)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Crappy film

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This reviewer missed the plot completely. The bush is a noisy place, a cacophony of sound. The chatter and crackle go on and on at a dizzy place. Normally, we humans only hear a small part but if we listen carefully there is a lot going on and the film makers captured this wonderfully. I was returned to a child's place as I watched this move in wonder and awe. So many obvious cliches were avoided brilliantly and this made me grin. I'm sure I missed a lot as there was so much going on so I will be sure to watch this again and again. Yes, the cat was overdone but the Lyre bird was fabulous A great Aussie movie for young and old.

Being somebody who does have a fondness for Yoram Gross' work, most of which are good representations of Australian animation apart from the odd disappointment. The Dot film series and Blinky Bill are notable examples.So when hearing that there was an animated film from 2015, part of me was enthused and was interested into seeing it. After watching it, it is watchable and has its likability, but it was rather disappointing as to how unremarkable the overall film felt at the end of the day. Those who grew up with Blinky Bill may find themselves disappointed at 'Blinky Bill: The Movie' missing an opportunity to bring back the original voice cast even for a short appearance or doing it in hand-drawn animation, which would have made it feel closer in spirit.Nothing is done terribly in 'Blinky Bill: The Movie', but not much is done exceptionally at the same time. The most consistent aspects are the music and voice acting. The music is rich in energy and robust as well as with times where it's pathos-filled and understated. The voice acting is very good all round from the likes of Ryan Kwanten, Toni Collette, Rufus Sewell, Richard Roxburgh and Barry Humphries, with the only regret really not bringing the original voice actors back even it was just for a short appearance.Even though they don't have much depth to them the characters are cute and likable, with Blinky showing easily identifiable traits (apart from the lying to his mother). The Australian stereotypes can be pretty cringe-worthy however.Animation in 'Blinky Bill: The Movie' is a mixed bag. Done in CGI rather than traditional hand drawn animation, there has certainly been far worse-looking CGI (looking at you Video Brinquedo and Spark Plug Entertainment) but far better as well (Pixar for example). The colours are bright and colourful and the characters mostly well modelled but the backgrounds can lack detail and fluidity, they don't look that vivid and transitions can look choppy and unfinished.Writing is also mixed. There are some amusing moments, the film certainly has its heart in the right place and does have a lot of heart and charm and the messaging of perseverance amongst others are sincerely presented. It is cliché ridden however, with some crude adult humour and language too that really doesn't belong with the rest of the film, just felt like a clumsy attempt to draw in a wider audience.Story is one of the weaker assets, despite having a lovely idea that actually is not that far off in spirit to Gross' Blinky Bill outings. It does have parts that are bright and breezy and there is heart and charm. Other parts are rather pedestrian and the film never shakes off its constant and at times excessive predictability.Overall, watchable but unremarkable. 5/10 Bethany Cox

I watched this film together with my four old year girl and wife. My girl watched this film to the end that is why I gave it a 5 star in the rating. Nothing more. For adults, which I believe adults should also have fun in watching animations, this film is quite boring. The plot does not make sense. There is something/lots of things missing in the story, characters, development of the events. Characters do not have real depth, they are shallow and not familiar with you and do not connect with you. In line with that, the dialogues are sloppy and full of clichés. Not recommended for adults, not recommended for children over 6-7 I guess.

I had to walk out of the theaters and stop watching this movie. Why? Because of the constant NOISE. There are no peaceful breaks in between dialogue, no slow emotional talk, none of that. This film is constant fast paced noise, talking, music and sound effects. Just imagine a nice scene like Joy crying from Inside Out, and replace the calming silence with loud crying and phoned in sad music. Seriously, even Pink Elephants on Parade was not as fast paced as this movie. The CG was not exactly Pixar, but it was not horrible. Its a cartoony style, which can appeal to children. The character designs were decent, but the so called "house cat" looked way too exaggerated. The characters themselves were bland because the film replaced character development with more and more fast paced noise. To top the crap icing, they replaced flap, a cute platypus from the original cartoon with a lisp, with a Liar Bird that, you guessed it, specializes in noise, as if the film was too frikken quiet without him. The plot was okay, generic and predictable. Seriously, I walked out of the theatre halfway through the film and I was correct when I told someone (who saw the full film) what I predicted what the ending was. The jokes were clever, but were ruined by the constant noise. The film did not allow us to take in and enjoy the joke it just gave us, which is a real shame. The dialogue... Dear god... It was nothing but Aussie slang. There is nothing wrong with slang, but they kept pushing it in our faces as if they were trying to remind us this was an Australian film. Some sentences even made no sense, such as "Don't get your pouch in a twist" (seriously, were they too afraid to say "knickers" in this film or did they think changing the slang to make it Marsupial related was clever? Because it was not. It was stupid.) One could say that its for kids, and that its supposedly "okay" and my review is pointless. But the thing is, most, if not, all the people familiar with Blinky Bill are teens and/or adults now, since we grew up with his books and cartoons. In fact, kids nowadays probably do not even know who Blinky Bill is until they see this movie. So no, "its for kids" is no excuse, because they were also targeting the older audiences. One could say I am blinded by nostalgia, and this is also not true. While I loved the old cartoons as a kid, I always noticed the flaws in that too, even as a kid. So when I saw the trailer, I was exited to see them bring Blinky Bill back in a new style, I really did think it would have been an improvement from the old cartoons. But at least the old cartoons gave their characters some kind of character, well paced plot and a decent balance of quietness and loudness. So yeah, those low budget cartoons with constant unnecessary misanthropy and animation mistakes? Those were better. I have aspergers, and I am sensitive to noise. Most films are kind on me and allow a good combination of fast paced noise and quietness when both are needed. But without a break from the racket the movie was screeching out at me, I had to walk out of the cinema in order to avoid anxiety from an annoying koala who would just not shut up. If your child is sensitive to noise, I do not recommend this film at all. Bad idea. Buy them a copy of the original cartoon or better yet, buy them a real animated movie by Disney, Dreamworks or Blue Sky Cenima that does not rely on waving keys in their faces to provide them with "entertainment". If your kid is not sensitive to noise, this film could be a good time waster for them (its just the cost of your sanity to sit through this with your kid). But I do not recommend it because its an insult to your children's intelligence by thinking that kids always need to have keys being waved in their faces in order to stay interested. All in all, I give this film a 1/10. All good qualities in it are ruined by the noise and nonstop dialogue.