Magic Roundabout

Advantages: A magical adventure that children of all ages will love
Disadvantages: Some people will hate it as its not the original.

...OK hands up who remembers watching the Magic Roundabout. Lots of you then. I remember it all to well. As I got older I heard the rumours about how it was secretly all about drugs. Then watching it again in a whole new light. Was it about drugs? I dont know, but looking at the animation and even some of the stories its obvious that the writers and animators were on something....lol. Well I did often wonder if it would ever be brought back. The answer is yes. But what a comeback they have made. Gone is the stop motion animation and the charming stories. Instead we have a roller coaster ride of thrills, spills and CGI animation. I knew as soon as my wife heard that this film was being released we would be going to see it in the cinema. After all i am married to a woman who is 26 going on 6. So I shouldnt have been shocked by it...

ian4552 09.08.2005 (23.08.2005) · Read review
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Review of Magic Roundabout (Animated) (DVD)

The Magical Magic Roundabout

Advantages: Good Clean Family Fun
Disadvantages: Having to watch it again and again with my 2 year old

..."DOUGIE" She of course meant The Magic Roundabout. We took it home as it was the first DVD she had ever wanted. I was very reluctant to see it. Then I noticed who was playing the voices. Robbie Williams was Dougal " a hairy dog with a penchant for sugar lumps and causing trouble" Ian McKellan plays Zebedee " a red Headed body on a spring with magical powers" Joanna Lumley plays Ermintrude " a pink cow with a hat who thinks she can sing" Bill Nighy plays Dylan " a laid back rabbit who has some surprises up his sleeves" Jim Broadbent plays Brian " a snail with a big heart and desperate to prove himself. " Kylie Minogue plays Florence " A pretty kind hearted girl who loves her pet dog Dougal" Tom Baker who plays Zeebad" and evil meglamaniac who is also on a spiring as you do" Ray winstone plays soldier sam " a loyal hard working...

brandit2001uk 02.03.2006 · Read review
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Review of Magic Roundabout (Animated) (DVD)

Sex, Drugs, and Rock n Roll

Advantages: Enjoyable for kids and adults
Disadvantages: Each episode is only 5 mins long

...familiar, it’s simply because the scripts were completely rewritten for the British audience. Pollux became Dougal, Flappy was to be re-named Dylan, Ambroise was Brian and Margote became Florence. Along with Mr. Rusty, the delightful Ermintrude and last but not least Zebedee, Le Manege Enchante took a literary transformation and was delivered to our screens as The Magic Roundabout. Eric Thompson, father of award winning actress Emma Thompson was responsible (although some may say irresponsible) for the goings on of the loveable characters in a garden filled with flowers and some quite unusual happenings. The only similarity of Serge Danot’s Le Manege Enchante with Eric Thompson’s The magic Roundabout was the visual side of things. In the innocent eyes of children, Dougal was simply a rather energetic shaggy dog...

wiggglypufff 16.04.2001 · Read review
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Review of The Magic Roundabout

Playing Chicken on the Azadi Roundabout, Tehran

Advantages: Spectacular iconic architecture
Disadvantages: Not somewhere I'd be rushing to at the moment

...out onto the side of the road with just one challenge ahead of us; how to get across six lanes of speeding traffic between us and the tower. I'm pretty brave; I've crossed roads all over the world almost always without fear (though maybe not in Ho Chi Minh City). As road-crossing challenges go, this was a big one. Normally crossings are tricky because they involve 27 different types of vehicle all moving at different speeds, all different sizes and mostly driven by people who are looking the other way. Dodging camels, donkey carts, bicycles, rickshaws, mopeds and car on a busy street is tricky but the chances are that nothing's moving very fast and you won't get hit very hard. Getting to the monument was very different because it stands on manicured lawns in the middle of a very large roundabout. It's not a roundabout where people slow...

koshkha 01.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Azadi Tower, Tehran

The Magic Roundabout Of Life

Advantages: Gripping, fast paced, very enjoyable film.
Disadvantages: Disturbing.

...liked films with a gripping story line. You know something that's a bit meaty? Something with a twist in it. I'm often disappointed by the lack of originality in a film, but this film definitely did not disappoint me. It made for excellent viewing on so many different levels. It really is a story that you get completely involved with. An innocent guy, lovely wife, loads of money and it all changes for the worse. The guy is riddled with a hatred that is stronger than any hate he has ever felt before and revenge is for the taking. The way he gets his revenge is something like a magical roundabout which if you have seen the film you will understand. This film has more twists than a magical roundabout. I never expected half the twists that were in this film, but it certainly surprised me. The pursuit Denis goes on requires him not...

Mickie26 21.01.2006 · Read review
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Review of The Escapist (DVD)

The Magic Roundabout

Advantages: Facilities pretty good.
Disadvantages: Location.

...of a roundabout... certainly an odd place for a hotel. Its actually not that far from Leicester town centre, certainly within walking distance. Or taxi distance, dependant on laziness factor. You've got a fair few shops, bars and dubious kebab shops nearby, so despite the random roundabout its not a bad location. I'm at the roundabout.... HOW DO I GET IN!!! --------------------------------------------------------- If you haven't got a compass, you won't find your way in! The entrance is well hidden, and you have to walk through the adjacent NCP car park to get in. Confusing. Alright, I've got my compass. I'm in. ------------------------------------------- The first thing that hits you once you step through the massively oversized revolving doors (that actually stop if you go near them... strange... possibly the most useless invention since...

rickyshah 27.11.2004 · Read review
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Review of Holiday Inn (Leicester)

SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS.

Advantages: Independence.
Disadvantages: Lack of incentive.

..."I wish......." and then go into a list of things they wish were different about their lives, but what they fail to see is that if they were happy within themselves, then all the little niggles they find in a relationship would seem like just that, little niggles that can be dealt with. On the other side of the coin, I hear single friends talking about loneliness, and I have suffered terrible loneliness in my life, until I discovered that loneliness is created by me. Being alone and being lonely do not automatically go hand in hand, and if you make the effort to understand this, then life can be every bit as rich for people who are single as it can for people who have family and kids. Let's face it, we can always enjoy other people's children and we have the added benefit of being able to give them back !!! SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS...

thingywhatsit 30.10.2004 · Read review
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Review of Is It Better Being Single? The Pro's and Con's

Not just roundabouts !!

Advantages: lots of places to go
Disadvantages: the city centre can be expensive..

...What I am reviewing is Milton Keynes in general. I moved to Milton Keynes three years ago for my job relocation for NatWest bank, I didn't know anything about Milton Keynes and I had never been here before in my life. The company was offering me a good deal to put me up for six months in a flat for me to think about staying so I thought why not. My first impression after leaving the motorway was "my god there are a lot of roundabouts !" I noticed that all the roads are labelled H (horizontal) or V (vertical) with their numbers next to them (e.g V7) I found this totally confusing and luckily I had a map. Milton Keynes is made up of different estates, and when you get used to it the H and V roads do make life easier as they go through Milton Keynes to lead to various estates in the north, east, central, west and south. With these...

IanM73 21.08.2006 · Read review
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Review of Milton Keynes in general

A nice little slot for kids

Advantages: Gentle show for kids. Lots of memories. Simple and bright set.
Disadvantages: None

...I regularly watched The Magic Roundabout with my kids when they were little and didn't know anything about the drug-relationship that others have spoken of. I must have been quite naive. All I saw was a shaggy little sheepdog going around in circles ( I thought he was chasing his tail much the way that my own did) named Dougall, Ermintrude the cow, Zebedee - who bounced on a spring and had kind of a Fu Manchu looking moustache - plus two children Dylan and Florence. It was very bright and colourful (yes, now the word "pschedelic" does come to mind) which was appealing for children, with quite a simple layout. I actually bought my son a Magic Roundabout train layout, which had a wind up train that went around an outside oval and there was the roundabout at one end and the character pieces could be positioned in the train...

poet831 25.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of The Magic Roundabout

Zeegood or Zeebad?

Advantages: familiar old lovable characters
Disadvantages: none really although original animation was great

...The Magic Roundabout was created by Serge Danot in 1965 and there were over 500 episodes made. The translations were done by Eric Thompson (father of Emma) who worked as a presenter of Play School although he actually ended up making up his own stories to go with the pictures shown. Newer versions of this old show have Nigel Planer taking on the narration and adaptations - people will recognise his voice from playing Neil in the Young Ones. There were many opinions at the time these came out that it was all drug related and that Dylan's magic carrots were an alternative to magic mushrooms as he was always spaced out. Dougal sugar rush was compared to speed and the whole brightly coloured roundabout scene was meant to be similar to the flower power world of the drug filled 60s. In this new version the characters are still lovable...

belfin 14.09.2005 (06.12.2005) · Read review
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Review of Magic Roundabout (Animated) (DVD)