Blinky Bill the Movie – movie review

A cavalcade of big Aussie names has lined up to voice a quintessential Aussie animated adventure for the kids. Ryan Kwanten is Blinky Bill, Toni Collette voices a pair of gossipy emus called Sheryl and Beryl, David Wenham is a manic frill-necked lizard and Deborah Mailman Blinky’s kind, sensible mum. Richard Roxburgh has a vocal role as Blinky’s adventure-loving father, Barry Otto is a tyrant and Barry Humphries is given Wombat duties. Robin McLeavy is Blinky’s best friend Nutsy and Englishman Rufus Sewell a treacherous feral cat, Sir Claude.

Blinky Bill is a koala with a big imagination. An adventurer at heart, he dreams of leaving his little town of Green Patch and following in his explorer father’s footsteps. Dad went missing in the Outback more than a year ago and Blinky is the only one who believes his father is still alive.  When Blinky discovers a mysterious marker that hints at his dad’s whereabouts, he embarks on a journey that takes him beyond the boundary of Green Patch and into the wild and dangerous desert. He quickly makes friends with Nutsy, a zoo koala, and Jacko, a nervous frill-necked lizard. Pursued relentlessly by a vengeful feral cat, the trio must learn to work together if they are to survive the rugged Australian landscape, let alone the chance of finding Blinky’s father.

Blinky Bill The Movie is based upon the classic 1933 Australian book series by Dorothy Wall, from an original screenplay by Fin Edquist (Maya the Bee Movie). It is directed by Deane Taylor (art director of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas) and co-directed by Alexs Stadermann (director of Maya The Bee Movie), Alex Weight (animation supervisor of Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole) and Noel Cleary (a director of Tashi). Blinky’s character appeals to our spirit of optimism and mateship. For Blinky, friends and family are everything.

From the best-selling pages to the big screen, in the early 1990s Blinky’s legacy blossomed with the release of his first feature, Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala. Then came the TV series, The Adventures of Blinky Bill. Continuing the story of Blinky, Nutsy, Wombo and friends, the TV series ran for three seasons from 1993 to ‘95 and inspired several spin-off features. And now, after a hiatus of more than a decade, we have a new movie story, which is upbeat and fun.

It gets off to a cracking start with a pair of kookaburras calling the cricket and paying homage to Richie Benaud. I couldn’t have imaged a better intro. It is the rich and colourful characters and the adventurous flavour of the story that turn this into an eminently watchable yarn. Blinky may be naïve, clumsy and cheeky, but he is also spirited, bold and fearless. He is not afraid to give anything a go and he won’t take “no” for an answer.

One thing I particularly appreciated is how well developed each of the central characters was. Each has clearly distinguishable personality and traits that are used to great effect throughout the screenplay. With such a young audience in the screening I attended, I was pleasantly surprised at how intently they watched. It said to me that they were absorbed by the warmth and humour of the movie, as was I.

Blinky Bill The Movie is simple but good kids’ entertainment, with something there for parents to smile about too.

Rated PG, it scores a 7 out of 10.

Director: Deane Taylor
Cast: (Voices of) Ryan Kwanten, Toni Collette, Robin McLeavy, Rufus Sewell, Barry Humphries, Richard Roxburgh, Deborah Mailman
Release Date: 17 September 2015
Rating: G

Alex First