Doug's First Movie MPAA Rating: G Entertainment: +3 Content: +2

Doug Funnie (voiced by Thomas McHugh) is a daydreaming young teen who fantasizes about things like being a superhero called Quailman with his trusty sidekick Quaildog, a super version of his real dog Pork Chop. In this animated film, he and his friend Skeeter (Fred Newman) discover a sea monster that has escaped from the polluted Lucky Duck Lake. They end up befriending the amiable beast and naming it Herman Melville. In order to save the monster from being destroyed by Bill Bluff (Doug Preis), a rich industrialist who is polluting the lake, they have to hide Herman from their parents, the press, and their friends. The problem is that Doug really likes Patti Mayonnaise (Connie Shulman) and wants to impress her by telling her about the monster. But if he reveals his discovery to her, the bad guys will find out about it and destroy Herman. Doug ultimately learns that doing the right thing sometimes means that he has to give up his pride and stop trying to impress others. Dougs First Movie should prove to be a hit with elementary kids, especially fans of ABCs Saturday morning cartoon from which it's been adapted.

A few scenes in this film may scare very young viewers. The monster is initially frightening until we find out it is harmless and kind of cute. In one of Dougs daydreams, the monster terrorizes the town, swallows him, and spits him back out. Doug also has a scary nightmare where Mr. Bluff has an evil laugh. And later Mr. Bluff has an angry outburst and yells in Dougs face. Other potentially frightening elements include an ominous scene with a robot, police storming a house and kicking down the door, a chase scene with the monster where its captured with a net, given an injection, and subdued with a harness. The presence of armed guards who use ray guns several times, once to mangle and destroy a robot, is the most questionable element for this G rated film. A boy asks a girl to kiss him, but they do not kiss on screen, along with other mild boy/girl flirtations in the film. The Valentines Day dance is at a place called Funkytown with rock music and disco dancing. The message that you should do whats right rather than trying to impress others is encouraging, but Doug has to practice some deception with parents and friends in order to help the monster and expose the pollution at the lake. The animated violence and several scary elements makes DOUG'S FIRST MOVIE moderately questionable for younger viewers. However, with this precaution, we can recommend it for family viewing.

Preview Reviewer: Cliff McNeely
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures, 3900 Alameda Ave., Burbank CA 91521