This entry in the series marks a change in direction from the previous three entries; Robyn Moore (who voiced Funnybunny in the previous Dot and the Bunny (1983)) takes over from Barbara Frawley as Dot, giving her a more lively and spunky voice with far more emphasis on the Australian accent , unlike Frawley's soft and well- spoken portrayal; The animation style differs from the previous three entries in that the characters are drawn in a more caricature type style (rather then the previous more real life style proportions), whilst Dot herself is given slightly longer hair and less cherub like features, though her trademark yellow dress and bare feet remain; The humans are portrayed by anthropomorphic animals rather than actual humans, albeit they and the animals interact with each other's worlds as though they are all the same species; Though still using live action backgrounds for the animated characters, they are far less prominent, with many live scenes enhanced with drawings, or occasionally with fully drawn backgrounds.; The film uses only two voice actors in Robyn Moore and Keith Scott, whilst the previous entries had used a whole ensemble of well-known or regular Australian voice actors.
This is the last Dot wore lipstick.
Dot and the Koala (1985) was released on VHS by Family Home Entertainment (FHE) in the 1980s. Thus far, that release on VHS is the only trace of its existence in the United States. However, it did surfaced on DVD at its home country.