Doug’s 1st Movie

I’ve been getting quite an education about Saturday morning television since becoming a film critic. First I got to see The Rugrats Movie, panned by most critics but a winner at the box office.

Now we have Doug’s 1st Movie from the cartoon series. "Doug" started on the Nickelodeon channel in 1991, moving to ABC and Disney in 1996.

Doug is Doug Funnie, a 12 year old dork with features that look like he has been carved out of a potato with a dull knife. He has dots for eyes and is missing an eyebrow.

Doug lives in Bluffington. His parents are Ozzie and Harriet types. He has a dog named Porkchop and a best friend named Skeeter, whose face is the color purple.

The "plot" (for lack of a better term) revolves around the discovery of a blue monster in Lucky Ducky Lake. Doug and Skeeter take the monster home and name him Herman Melville. The story goes on with an environmental message about pollution caused by the bad guy industrialist named Bill Bluff.

All this takes place in 73 minutes. I fell sound asleep during the proceedings, only to be awakened by the usher for having my feet draped over the seat in front of me. Next time, I’ll bring a sleeping bag.

Doug’s 1st Movie is harmless stuff for young children. Parents are advised to load up on caffeine or other stimulants.