Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala

It's been ages since I last saw this and I'd almost given up hope on finding a way to watch it in its entirety after all the years. Well, I lucked out and found a way to watch it again. I remembered many things about it, and finally having seen it again, it's still enjoyable, but not as good as I remember it being. The animations, for one, don't quite hold up, though I still find it neat that they blended animation with real backgrounds. I actually kinda miss the time Australia used to do that with all of their animated films. As far as the story goes, well, yes, it's environmental propaganda, which was so common in the 90's. But, what makes this film slightly better than a lot of those other environmental films is that this one put its focus where it matters: on the characters. See, my biggest issue with films like this is that they spend so much time on the message and the visuals, they forget that unless the characters are interesting, it's hard for the audience to get invested in the moral it's trying to get across. This movie actually focuses more on characters and their interactions, and that's a major plus. The only issue I do have with the story is that the intro is kind of rushed, but once we get to the flashback, the pacing improves immensely, so it's alright. As for the songs, well, they're fun, they're energetic, but I have two issues with them. First issue is that they stop after the first half. This is something that bugs me, when a musical stops being one halfway through. No, if you make your film a musical, you spread the songs out more otherwise it doesn't feel like one. The second issue... um... can anyone point out one song that actually contributed to the story? No, really, there isn't a single song in this film that felt necessary to the plot. Say what you will about the songs in Ferngully and Once Upon A Forest, at least most of them helped to tell the story in some way or another. Every song in Blinky Bill feels like it was added for the heck of it. But on the whole, this movie's enjoyable. It's not great, but it's still fun and for that, I give it a small recommendation. That said, though, the show is better.

Old School animation movie with a good story. The story is a great lesson for kids. It's all about to protect the environment and the massive deforestation, explaining the way this can be a sad battle for some animals... The simplicity of the movie is one of the best points compared to the movies nowadays... I watched it first time in a VHS tape when I was a kid and still a great memory today! I remember to feel a bit sad about it, but this was one of my favourite! If You born in the 90's you may catch some nostalgic vibes related to this!

I feel sorry that the movies are not this pure anymore.

Am very much familiar with Yoram Gross' animation work, and mostly like it very much (though to me 'The Magic Riddle' hasn't held up and didn't do much for me). Particularly the Dot films, well all but one ('Dot in Space), with the best being 'Dot and the Smugglers', 'Dot and the Whale' and 'Dot and the Kangaroo'.

'Blinky Bill' isn't as good as most of the Dot films, especially the best ones, and is quality-wise uneven, but it has its heart in the right place and clearly meant well. Children will love it and even adults will appreciate what 'Blinky Bill' tried to do even if the execution doesn't always work. As an adult myself, despite the flaws being more apparent through young adult eyes than when younger, there is a soft spot for the film (no this is not nostalgia talking, nostalgia by rule never clouds my judgement).

Do agree with those that say that the animation isn't great. Some nice colours here and there, but the character designs are pretty rough and scrappy, some of the characters look permanently embarrassed or bashful and the backgrounds, done in a way that is typical of Gross' animation (live action) has been much more detailed and smoother before, compared to something like 'Dot and the Whale' some look on the clumsy side.

The story mostly works but has its uneven moments, with the introduction needing more time to breathe, a climax that felt even more rushed and a flashback that should have been placed in a different part of the film. Also agree that the songs are not necessary, and are not particularly good on their own.

However, the script is fun, poignant and affectionately heart-warming, with some nice conflict that avoids being too dark that target audience or tone would be called into question. Much of the story has a lot of charm, a good deal of energy and while parts may make one feel good others will have you reaching for tissues.

In terms of the messaging, it's an important message/subject handled tactfully and not with the didactic heavy-handedness it could easily have done. The characters are engaging, cute and fun, nobody's annoying and everyone has a personality. The voice acting is above serviceable and at least fit the characters.

Overall, worth a look and well-intended but quality-wise 'Blinky Bill' is uneven. 6/10 Bethany Cox

By today's standards of animation, Blinky Bill is pretty dated, the animation is not as good as what younger audiences today expect. I watched this film with my niece and she seemed to like it, especially Nutsy. The film is about a bush community of animals whose lives are threatened by loggers, Blinky and his friends work together to save his mother and their families. My niece was already a fan of the TV show but hadn't seen the movie so it was interesting for her to watch. As an adult, the film was quite entertaining and easy to watch for the 90 odd minutes.

I just watched this movie for the first time after ten years. When I saw it for the first time as a kid I loved everything about it and began watching the TV series because of it. The best part is the flashback, which is pretty much at the beginning of the movie. In it you get the idea what kind of character Blinky is (his personality reminded me a little bit of Bart Simpson). The other characters are great and even fun for adults, my favorite ones are Marcia and Flap (who talks like Tiny Toon's Plucky, at least in the German version). The music is also an important part of it, since the theme song makes the film. The only thing I didn't like about the animation is that the character's cheeks are getting red when they're giggling, sometimes it seems that they are embarrassed all the time. But after all this is a cute kids movie with a positive message. Don't let the cheap-looking animation fool you. If you saw "Blinky Bill" as a child you will remember it for the rest of your life.