Down-on-his-luck race car driver Jim Douglas teams up with a little VW Bug that has a mind of it's own, not realizing Herbie's worth until a sneaky rival plots to steal him.Down-on-his-luck race car driver Jim Douglas teams up with a little VW Bug that has a mind of it's own, not realizing Herbie's worth until a sneaky rival plots to steal him.Down-on-his-luck race car driver Jim Douglas teams up with a little VW Bug that has a mind of it's own, not realizing Herbie's worth until a sneaky rival plots to steal him.
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations
- Policeman on Bridge
- (as P.L Renoudet)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDean Jones personally requested to play the hippy at the drive-in. The director originally turned him down, but after Jones proved that he could convincingly take on the persona, he was immediately given the part.
- GoofsThere are two cars used in the Lamborghini scene. The first one in which Jim drives up is, in fact, a Lamborghini, but the car that gets destroyed by Herbie moments later, is a red Jaguar.
- Quotes
Carole Bennett: Help! I'm a prisoner! I can't get out!
Van Hippy: We all prisoners, chickee-baby. We all locked in.
[Van Hippy looks over at his hippy partner, as Carole hits the window, with both palms]
Van Hippy: Huh, a couple of weirdos, Guenivere.
- Crazy creditsAt the end of the end credits, the words "The End" turn into an animated bug which drives away from the screen.
- Alternate versionsWhen originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure a 'U' rating. All cuts were waived in 1986 when the film was re-rated with a 'U' certificate for home video.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Green Fog (2017)
Mystic-minded hippie-type Tennessee Steinmetz (Buddy Hackett) argues that this is the case when his roommate, down-on-his-luck race driver Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) acquires a Volkswagen Beetle that frequently refuses to comply with its driver's demands. Tennessee claims that the car is alive, and names it Herbie. Jim doesn't believe this for a second, but that doesn't stop him from using the car's unusual speed to bring success to his previously undistinguished racing career. Meanwhile, Peter Thorndyke (David Tomlinson), the snobbish and hot-tempered owner of the dealership where Douglas bought the car, is having fits over Douglas' inexplicable winning streak. A race driver himself, Thorndyke becomes Jim's (and Herbie's) primary rival, resorting to increasingly sneaky tactics to prevail on the racetrack. Jim believes his own driving skill deserves the credit for his newfound success, but finally comes to believe the truth about Herbie in time for the final climactic race.
By far the funniest and best of Disney's Herbie series, The Love Bug is silly fun that's still smartly written enough to be fun for all ages. The special effects are somewhat dated and primitive, but they suffice. It's not easy to make a car show emotion, but here it's done with surprising effectiveness. It also doesn't hurt that as a car, the VW Bug has a lot of personality to start with. The human actors do well too; Dean Jones makes for a likeable hero, and Michele Lee the love interest. However, the real comic gold comes from Buddy Hackett as the offbeat Tennessee, who in Jim's words is `just in off a flying saucer,' and David Tomlinson as British rival Thorndyke, whose angry outbursts are deliciously over-the-top without crossing the fine line into obnoxious overacting.
- kbyerly
- May 12, 2000
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Car-Boy-Girl
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $51,264,000
- Gross worldwide
- $51,264,022
- Runtime1 hour 48 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.75 : 1
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