Get ready for some out-of-this world fun in Rolie Polie Olie's first all-new movie, ROLIE POLIE OLIE: THE GREAT DEFENDER OF FUN, premiering only on Disney DVD and Video. It's Zowie's birthday party, and everyone's preparing for the big event -- until the evil Gloomius Maxiumus arrives! Will Olie be able to protect his sister's party from being "un-fun-erated?" This full-length adventure takes you on a zany ride through the galaxy as Olie, The Great Defender of Fun, his sister, Zowie, and the rest of the gang gear up to save Zowie's birthday and defend Polieville against the perils of gloom.
1 I have an addicted toddler!
We bought this DVD in desperation while on a LONG road trip for our 20 month old. We hooked up the laptop and played the DVD for her while on the road and it was a LIFESAVER!! We bought 4 different movies and she wanted THIS one played over and over. It really is a cute movie and I love the Olie family.
I love that the characters always remain positive and "can-do", there isn't any violence (the worst is when Gloomious takes a toy from a child), and it's all about having fun.
Now that we are home, I am limiting her to watching it once a day, but TRUST me...she could watch it completely mesmerized over and over and over....
I am now on the hunt for more Olie movies!
2 pretty good
My son has loved Olie since he was six months old. The cartoon is a very new, retro approach to entertainment with vivid bright colors. Rolie Polie Olie and his family and friends are cute and funny and together they bring great messages to life.
Usually the Olie cartoons are about five to ten minutes long, so this one is a big suprise. It is a full lenght feature...It's about Olie and his friend Billy and how they become Great Defenders of Fun to save sister Zowie's birthday!
It is a little long. It's a little repetative. It's still very cute and fun, just a little long for the little kids.
3 The Great Defender of Fun is GREAT, GREAT, GREAT!
My daughter (12 months old) loves Rolie Polie Olie and the Great Defender of Fun is no exception! She loves it and is not at all scared by the character Gloomius Maximus or any other parts of the movie. Even I love this movie! The animation is excellent, graphics are captivating and the color is crisp! Buy it you will not regret it!
4 Not in the same spirit as the TV show
My 4.5 year old LOVES Olie, but finds this movie much too scary. It has a dark side that isn't usually part of the up-beat, happy show we see on TV. I've wondered if this movie and the TV episodes were created by different writers, they're so different from each other. If your child is sensitive to gloom and doom you might think twice before getting this movie.
5 He loves it!
I just don't get it. I've seen movies twice, even three times. I've seen movies a few more times on cable. But my son has watched this movie every single day since it arrived shortly after the release date. He is absolutely riveted to the screen until the credits end, and then he wants to watch it again. Buy this video and get some peace and quiet for yourself
6 Totally acceptable to me!
My 6 1/2 month old has been watching this DVD EVERYDAY since he was 3 months old. He is captivated by the colors, music, shapes and sounds. When he's tired or needs some down time we'll put this DVD in and he'll watch the entire movie. I know it word for word -- as well as the lyrics to all the songs. :o)~
Rolie Polie Olie is a hit in my household. I've been sucked into the merchandising of it too. Dolls, books etc. I really like William Joyce as a childrens author, he's written some great books for kids. I also like Playhouse Disney, I think it's a positive educational experience for children.
I am a teacher, and am aware of all that's out there for kids. I'm glad there is some responsible programming and entertainment available for our children.
I'm happy my little guy enjoys this DVD so much, but I hope he becomes interested in something new soon because I'm not sure how many more times I can stand hearing, "It's Zowie's Birthday"... LOL
If you purchase this DVD, I'm pretty sure you'll find it worth every cent. I can honestly say I have no regrets...
7 Fun for ALL ages!!
My girlfriend and I watch this show every day after lunch and before classes (yes, we are in college) and we love the show. The movie is action packed and it holds your attention. Some people think it's wierd we watch it.. but we love it.
8 Painfully frenetic
My two-and-a-half year old loves Rolie Polie Olie, and I have to admit that I enjoy the show too. Unfortunately this DVD is so hyper that it is painful to watch, and even my son seems not to like it that much. We both enjoy the action on the TV episodes, but Great Defender of Fun does not have one single second that is not completely filled with a hundred different things tearing around the screen as fast as they could possibly make them. Moreover, the bits where Pappy's "happy gear" repeatedly breaks look like someone having a massive heart attack. To sit through this for an hour plus is headache-inducing torture.
9 My little brother likes this movie.
My little brother was waiting for this movie, and my little sister, and they think this is a great movie. So, I'll give this movie a good reivew.
10 Finally Rolie Polie Olie on DVD!
We bought this DVD for my daughter because we wanted a fresh new movie for the 6 hours of flying that we had to do on our way home from vacation. She loves this DVD! When she first watched it on the airplane, whe would take the headphones off whenever Glumious Maximous was on because she thought it was scary. She would watch it, but could not hear it and as soon as she saw that his part was over she would put the headphones back on and continue watching. It took her about 5 viewings to warm up to the Glumious charatcter, but now she will watch the whole thing through and loves it.
11 My 2 1/2-yr-old loves it...isn't that enough?!?
I find this DVD to be "cute", but not in the sickening way that Barney or the freakin' Teletubbies are cute. I was not surprised to learn that the Rolie Polie Olie series was made in Canada...things seem to be neater and cleaner north of the border (see 'Canadian Bacon' if you don't know what I mean). for some reason the 'Leave It To Beaver' lifestyle still thrives up in the Great White North.
But the bottom line here folks is my 2 1/2-yr-old loves this DVD, and you can't trust an adult critic to understand what this movie is all about. I am amazed at the accent James Woods puts on for Gloomy, I thought it was Bob Hoskins! The characters are cute, the plot interesting enough to hold a young child's imagination and attention, and overall I think (and my youngest son seems to agree) that this is a great kids movie. It just proves that you don't need to be sugary-sweet or overcompensate with glitzy special effects to win kids over. A well thought out plot, a positive attitude, and some bright colors will do the trick. Ranks up there with 'Veggie Tales' for family entertainment
12 A little too busy
A real effort went into this production, to be sure. Perhaps too much. There's just too much going on here to take in - the story is too complicated for Rolie Polie - too many characters. Great Defender lacks the sweet simplicity that makes the episodes so special.
13 A great deal
We love Olie & Zowie. Because of them my husband & I can get ready for work in the morning with almost no interuptions. My daughter never makes a peep while they are on. I saw that the movie was out & thought I could use a little of that quite while making dinner (that & I think my hubby is just as taken with the show as my daughter. I've caught him singing the theme song in the shower more than once). I love the movie & so does my daughter. What is great about the movie is you don't have to watch the whole thing all at once. It's broken down nicely into acts that have conclusions of there own. Gloomy is just scarey enough for the bots to stand up to & come out hero's. (My daughter has seen through this movie that somethings scarey can be overcome with family, friendship, and a little humour) We don't watch much TV at our house but I am happy to know when we do we can visit with the Polie clan. (and who can resist a grin when Uncle Giz comes to visit)
14 Great
My 4 year old son and my 1 1/2 daughter love this movie. It has lots of action, color and fun. It keeps their attention and is clean fun. Both of my kids love Rolie Polie Olie and they love this film. If your children like Rolie Polie Olie - they will like this movie.
15 Happy ending
My almost 3 year old son has been a big fan of Olie and the gang for a while now. I didn't hesitate to buy the movie for him. The first time we watched it together he was a little unsure of Gloomius but by the end of the movie he liked the guy. I did too. The favorite parts for him I think are the songs. He runs around singing It's Zowie's Birthday party...
16 disappointing
My 5 year old eagerly awaited this video but was very disappointed when he watched it. The villian was "too scary" for him and it seemed to drag on and on for me as an adult. I don't recall the TV show as ever having villians like that. It was always a light hearted sweet show. Needless to say we won't be viewing this one more than once.
17 Too edgy for my taste as a Mom
My 27 month old loves Rolie Polie Olie, but this feature is a departure from the sweet robots on tv. The villain looks like something Tim Burton (Nightmare Before Christmas) cooked up. There are also frowning characters with baseball bats in their hands floating in space. Plus the action and sound is, just like another reviewer said, frenetic. I wanted to run to the tv and turn it off.
If I had screened this video, I would not have purchased it. It's just not what I like for my child. Of course, if you don't mind that sponge on Nickelodeon, this probably won't bother you either.
18 Fun!!
My 4 year old who is a Rolie Polie Olie fan was very excited when this came out and has watched it numerous times now with great enthusiasm. Lots of fun action and story line! Good music and a Stanley story at the end makes this a good buy.
19 Our kids enjoy it...
We purchased this movie and watched it with our 4yr old son and 2.5yr old daughter. We were concerned because there is a pretty long stretch of dark or scary stuff. The kids watched, looked a little concerned a couple of times, but they never got scared. My husband decided it was definitely not one of his favorites. It turns out that it IS one of our kids' favorites. They love it and ask for it every day. They play out the movie with each other when we won't let them watch it. They love pretending to be Gloomius and Pappy.
20 Rollie Pollie Ollie Great Fun
My two daughters ( age 5 and 1) loved this movie. But for adults it does kind of seem to drag on forever. Thus the 4 instead of 5 star rating.
21 Sweet little show has gone Hollywood
This first feature-length Olie video will obviously please children who are fans of this show; it's reminiscent in its plotting of the old Rankin/Bass Christmas specials, with a bad guy who sings to explain the roots of his badness and really just needs cheering up. (Instead of Paul Frees, he's voiced by no less than James Woods.)
Adults may feel slightly disconcerted that the very qualities that make the show so suitable for toddlers-- the simple 3-D graphics (more geometric yet no less versatile than Toy Story), the child-sized cast of characters (the Polies live in a world of about 10 people, just like a child does), and the low-key, kid-manageable stories and conflicts-- have been blown up to Hollywood size in a story that's busier, noisier and just generally more dramatic than the TV series. Rolie Polie Olie has often been a refuge for my family from that kind of kid video. And then there's the truly bizarre fact (as several people have noted) that the studio dropped the animation's frame rate from a video 30 frames per second (like the TV series) to a film-like 24 fps-- a common enough trick for digital video independent films to make them look more like film, but something that will presumably be lost on most three year olds! Unfortunately, it means that this video doesn't quite have the seamless look of the TV series itself.
If you're (the parent of) an Olie fan, you will surely add this to your video collection, but if you don't know the show, you're probably better off checking out some of the actual episodes before seeing this bigger, louder, Hollywoodized version.
22 the whole family agrees
our whole family (daughter 12, son 2) thoroughly enjoyed "the great defender of fun". we're long time olie fans - the characters and animation style have always been favorites - and the movie didn't let us down one bit. (we thought we recognized several names from the tv show.) james woods was great. thanks to all involved.
23 Luv it!
I luv rolie polie olie! i am his biggest fan! this movie is so good, the storyline everything! I think this is the best gift my parents gave me for my 13th birthday! It was good fun. My brother who is always away on buisenes trips watch it over and over and over. The only thing was i was scared of Gloomius Maxmius and i sometimes had to fast foward it. get it!
24 As good as the show and more
I disagree with the person who found the frames choppy. I found the animation somewhat smoother and the 3D rendering more developed than the TV version.
We love Olie at our house. The characters are vivid and unique, the old-fashioned/futuristic style is great, and the music is terrific. Our daughter loves this and wants to see it every day. She's 2 and a half and hasn't been scared by "Gloomy" as she calls him. We think this film is excellent.
25 Great fun
My 3.5 yr old daughter, who has loved Rolie Polie Olie forever, and who owns all the videos, loved the movie. It didn't scare her at all. I thought that Spookie Ookie was a more frightening character than Gloomius Maximus, but neither ever bothered her. This from child who won't watch Toy Story 2 because she's afraid of Zurg.
The quality of the graphics looks different, almost like they filmed it instead of using video - if that can make sense. It's not as crisp, but it's just fine for a toddler (remember, it's not made for us digital freaks!) :-)
I read comments regarding the style of the writing/story line. Nothing like that was readily apparent to me, just as it wasn't to my daughter (at least she didn't make any such observation - that'd really be something! and she can read some - so she's no dummy). :-)
I say that, if your child is a Rolie Polie Olie fan, they'll like the movie. You may not want to invest in a DVD since the quality isn't really as good as typical digital video, but you could also just keep that in mind.
Enjoy! :-)
26 Great Fun
This movie hits the spot - My 4 year old daughter loves it and wants to play it over and over again - We love the music and the story and are glad that the gang finally made a full length movie
This is quality entertainment!!!!!!!
27 Olie Olie Olie
My soon to be 3 year old loves Rolie Polie Olie since the first time he the show on Playhouse Disney. The picture quality of the movie was great but the frames were too choppy and it gives your eyes a workout just to watch. The evil gloomius didn't scare my son too much but he was wondering who he was because this character was not introduced before. When he mentions him it is always who is the green scary guy? Overall, I think this movie was ok.
28 My daughter loves it!!!!!!!!!
My 4 year old wants to watch "The Great Defender of Fun" over and over again. The animation is outstanding and the songs are delightful. This is quality kids entertainment
29 PLEASED BEYOND EXPECTATIONS
My grandson and I were both thrilled with this video. It was so much more fun that I had thought it would be and exceeded my expectations.
He absolutely loved it and we have already played it at least a dozen times.
Thanks again Amazon for keeping us up-to-date!
30 Olie to the Rescue !!!!
My kids and i love to watch Playhouse Disney in the morning
were Rolie Polie is pretty much are morning entertainment. I
was happy to see Rolie Polie put to a full feature presentation.
I'm glad to see it was a hit with my kids, they've watched it at
least four times already. I was at first a little worried It
would take a detour from the family qualities of the morning show, but it did'nt in my opinion. At times Gloomius could seem
frightening but it was done in a light hearted way. When happy
bubbles come from a gun to make you feel good inside is alright
with me...! Good Show
31 Evil in Rolie Polie Olie
Sensitive young children will be scared by this movie. They have introduced an evil character that wants to destroy the world and almost does. It is disappointing that Rolie Polie Olie is not a safe haven for kids. I have watched the TV show with the kids many times and don't recall the sinister plots like those in the movie.
The DVD was produced well. Too bad about the movie.
The best part is the Stanley cartoon extra feature.
32 what a disappointment
If you are looking for what we've come to expect from the "Rolie Polie" gang, look again. My 2-1/2 year old is a big fan of "Rolie Polie Olie" and was very disappointed in this movie. The animation, for some reason, has lost its computer-generated fluidity and is a jittery headache to watch and the usual slow-paced and charming writing is gone and been replaced with your standard good guy/bad guy conflict and lots of frenetic racing around. Everytime "Gloomius Maximus" came on, my daughter asked me to fast forward it because he scared her. Eventually, my daughter picked up one of her books and wandered off... Hmm...
