There's a reason why this version of Blinky dominates the Google image results. He's vibrant, he's mischievous, he's not too far removed from Dorothy Wall's original stories, and 90s kids grew up watching his adventures.
This movie is a bit like a longer episode of the TV series in terms of plot- in fact, the events of this movie are referenced in the opening song. Blinky's home gets destroyed due to some logging, and in the process, he gets separated from his friends and his mother. He eventually reunites with the gang, but his mother remains missing.
The story here does jump on the eco-friendly bandwagon that was all the rage, but thankfully not to Captain Planet levels. There's a disclaimer at the end specifically stating that the movie's main antagonists (if you could call them that-they're silly, but they have a family to look after) were logging illegally, and that logging done within legal limits is fine. In the end, everyone's reunited and the little wood chip shed that the gang bust Nutsy and Mrs Koala out of remains very much intact.
The animation is actually pretty good in parts. Sure, it's old, and the real life backgrounds will be a bit hit and miss for some, but the characters are nicely integrated into it for the most part. The plot tends to zigzag a bit- the flashback really ought to have been at the start, and the climax is very short- but there's still a lot of charm and heart (especially when Blinky reunites with his mum- aaaaw). One thing that feels off about the 2015 production is the lack of love for the bush, and here, you can see its billabongs, its giant trees, its wild beauty. The set of log/stump houses for Greenpatch is true to the bush; quintessentially Australian. It just reminds me of a Lawson short story.
This film doesn't pander to adults like a lot of modern animated films, but there's still a lot to enjoy for the whole family. Despite its flaws, I consider it a classic of Australian film, and an integral part of my childhood.
This movie is a bit like a longer episode of the TV series in terms of plot- in fact, the events of this movie are referenced in the opening song. Blinky's home gets destroyed due to some logging, and in the process, he gets separated from his friends and his mother. He eventually reunites with the gang, but his mother remains missing.
The story here does jump on the eco-friendly bandwagon that was all the rage, but thankfully not to Captain Planet levels. There's a disclaimer at the end specifically stating that the movie's main antagonists (if you could call them that-they're silly, but they have a family to look after) were logging illegally, and that logging done within legal limits is fine. In the end, everyone's reunited and the little wood chip shed that the gang bust Nutsy and Mrs Koala out of remains very much intact.
The animation is actually pretty good in parts. Sure, it's old, and the real life backgrounds will be a bit hit and miss for some, but the characters are nicely integrated into it for the most part. The plot tends to zigzag a bit- the flashback really ought to have been at the start, and the climax is very short- but there's still a lot of charm and heart (especially when Blinky reunites with his mum- aaaaw). One thing that feels off about the 2015 production is the lack of love for the bush, and here, you can see its billabongs, its giant trees, its wild beauty. The set of log/stump houses for Greenpatch is true to the bush; quintessentially Australian. It just reminds me of a Lawson short story.
This film doesn't pander to adults like a lot of modern animated films, but there's still a lot to enjoy for the whole family. Despite its flaws, I consider it a classic of Australian film, and an integral part of my childhood.