Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala
| Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala | |
|---|---|
 Blinky Bill poster | |
| Directed by | Yoram Gross |
| Produced by |
Yoram Gross Sandra Gross (executive producer) Tim Brooke-Hunt (executive producer) |
| Written by |
John Palmer Leonard Lee Yoram Gross |
| Starring |
Robin Moore Keith Scott |
| Music by | Guy Gross |
| Cinematography |
Frank Hammond Paul Ozerski |
| Edited by |
G.Y. Jerzy Lee Smith |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Beyond Distribution |
Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala is an Australian animated movie animated by the Sydney-based Yoram Gross Film Studio in 1992. It was released in Australia on 24 September of the same year.
The film tells the story of Blinky Bill’s childhood with his animal friends in the Australian bush. The peace and charm of their existence is shattered by the destruction of their homes by humans. Blinky Bill rallies his friends, in a series of exciting adventures, as they battle to protect their homes from destruction and as he rescues his mother from captivity. The animation is superimposed over live action footage of the Australian bush.
A new Blinky Bill CGI movie called Blinky Bill the Movie was released on 17 September 2015.[1]
Plot
The local woodlanders are carrying with their everyday life as normal until the next morning, when two men Harry and Joe start to take down the entire forest with their tractor. The animals evacuate as many trees fall down, and more trees are cut down including Mrs Koala's home, and a tree knocks Blinky Bill unconscious.
At sunrise nothing is left of the bush and every animal is left homeless. They move out of the grounds to search for a new home, including Mr. Wombat. Blinky Bill, dazed and confused, calls for his mother, but she is nowhere in sight. Blinky rescues a young female koala named Nutsy from a cluster of fallen trees. They both run into Mr. Wombat. Nutsy tells him that Blinky has amnesia and Mr. Wombat explains to him about his life so far.
Blinky was a very mischievous sort causing trouble and receiving a scolding from Mayor Pelican, his teacher Miss Magpie and his mother for his many antics. He once encountered and escaped Ms. Pym at her general store. His mother then disciplines him and cries about the grief he is causing her. By the end of this story, Blinky is feeling very guilty about the trouble he caused his mother, so decides to find her.
Blinky Bill and Nutsy make their way towards a riverbank where they meet up with a hard of hearing Granny Grunty Koala. Down the river, they meet up with Splodge and his family who tell them about what happened to Mrs Koala who refused to evacuate out of pride of her own home. Blinky and Nutsy make their way to the waiting line where Mayor Pelican is assigning all the woodlanders to their places. Blinky Bill approaches the mayor who is less than pleased, and orders Nurse Angelina to take the children to the leaking North Cave. Unfortunately Blinky's mother isn't here.
Blinky asks Ruff's mother for directions to the woodchip mill. Ignoring the fact there is danger there, Blinky goes to find his mother at the mill, and Nutsy follows him as they make their way though a rampaging river and the woods. They finally make it to the mill. The wood chip mill is home to the very woodcutters that felled their homes.
Next morning Blinky and Nutsy witness the woodcutters reducing the animals former homes into sawdust, narrowly escaping the circular buzz-saw. Then they stay in hiding till night time, but as they try to escape, they alert the dogs. When Blinky slingshoots the security light, Harry's wife Joan urges her husband to investigate. Blinky manages to slip out of the place, but Nutsy is trapped and makes a run for it, climbing into the bedroom of the family's daughter Clara.
Blinky tearfully goes back to the tell the others about the tragic news. Blinky's gang form a rescue party, forcing Marcia to join them. Blinky has Jacko para-drop Marcia down the chimney of the woodcutters' house taking notes of the house layout and items. Meanwhile, Nusty climbs into Clara's bed who wakes up happy to find a real koala in her bed and manages to get her parents to let to her keep the koala temporarily.
Blinky's gang sneak up to the house at night, then break into the house, but then they start up a commotion. Clara immediately hides herself and Nutsy in her bedroom cupboard. Splodge manages to fend off both the dogs and Joe, while Blinky keeps Harry and Joan locked in their bedroom. In the chaos that follows, the wood chip machines starts up. Blinky gets Nutsy out of the house and they both fight off Harry. The chain of chaotic events against Harry and Joe end them up in a water tank. Blinky locates his mother and they all leave the place in the woodcutters' truck, while Clara waves tearfully goodbye to her new-found koala friends.
Characters
Animal characters
- Blinky Bill - a young koala and the titular movie character.
- Nutsy - a female koala and Blinky's adoptive sister. She was by taken in by mistake by Clara, Harry's small daughter, who likes koalas.
- Splodge - Blinky's best friend. he is a kangaroo, who lives with his parents.
- Marcia - One of Blinky's friends. She is a tomboyish marsupial mouse.
- Flap - A brown platypus and one of Blinky Bill's friends.
- Mrs Koala - Blinky Bill and Nutsy's mother. She was kidnapped by Harry and his assistant Joe.
- Mr Wombat - Blinky's mentor. He doesn't like when Blinky calls him "Wombo".
- Miss Magpie - Blinky's school teacher.
- Mayor Pelican - The Greenpatch mayor. He hates it when Blinky gets up to mischief.
- Mr Emu - Mayor Pelican's helper.
- Jacko - A spoiled kookaburra, who often laughs.
- Nurse Angelina - A wallaby, who wears a nurse uniform.
Humans
- Harry - a fat woodcutter, Joe's boss, Joan's husband and Clara's father.
- Joe - Harry's assistant.
- Joan - Harry's wife and Clara's mother.
- Clara - Harry and Joan's six-year-old blonde daughter, who loves animals unlike her parents.
- Ms. Pym - a shopkeeper, who has a dislike for koalas.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Robyn Moore | Blinky Bill, Nutsy, Marcia, Mrs Koala, Miss Magpie, Nurse Angelina, Joan, Clara, Ms. Pym |
| Keith Scott | Splodge, Flap, Mr Wombat, Mayor Pelican, Mr Emu, Jacko, Harry, Joe |
| Ross Higgins | Frogs |
Soundtrack
All music is composed and produced by Guy Gross. All lyrics are instead written by John Palmer except "You and Me" and "Nutsy's Ballad", where lyrics are by Mattie Porges. Finally, all songs are performed by Robyn Moore and Keith Scott except where indicated.
- "You and Me" - Robyn Dunn and Geoff Robertson, with backing vocals of Kevin Bennett
- "I’m Old Man Wombo"
- "I’m Blinky Bill"
- "Arithmetic Song"
- "Gribbet" - Ross Higgins and Guy Gross
- "I Am the Mayor"
- "Nutsy’s Ballad"
- "Motherhood"
- "How I Hate Koalas"
- "Snakes are So Superior"
- "Country Girls"
- "Don’t Try to Sing Underwater" - Guy Gross
- "Home"
- "Who’s on the Menu Tonight"
- "Whistle Song"
- "Sleep, Bush Baby Sleep" - Julie Anthony
Box office
Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala grossed $1,903,659 at the box office in Australia.[2]
References
External links
- Blinky Bill at the Internet Movie Database
- Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala at the National Film and Sound Archive
- Blinky Bill at Screen Australia
- Blinky Bill ; songs from the movie at Music Australia
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