davekeanu When it comes to live action Disney films I am not impressed but The love bug is by far one of my favorite Disney movies of all time. The characters are a likable and funny Herbie is my one of my favorite Disney characters of all time. He makes me laugh and cry. I really wish Disney would make another sequel to the Herbie series as I really enjoyed this movie and its sequels as well But I guess this is why it such a classic film. I was so happy when Disney finally released this movie on blue ray for the first and along with its three sequels. I have blue 1969 Volkswagen beetle and I love it very much and sometimes I feel like its alive like Herbie. This movie is defiantly masterpiece for a car film worth watching

SnoopyStyle Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) is a struggling race car driver. He and his mechanic friend Tennessee Steinmetz (Buddy Hackett) work out of a former fire house in San Francisco. Carole (Michele Lee) works for car dealer Thorndyke. The strange little Volkswagon Beetle takes a liking to Jim and follows him home. He's forced to buy it when Thorndyke threatens to have him arrested. The car has a mind of its own and Jim starts winning with it. Thorndyke wants the car back.Jim could be nicer especially to Carole and Tennessee in the first half. Once he finally recognizes Herbie, the team is pulled together. It becomes more fun like the big car race. It's a classic Disney live-action joyride.

Jackson Booth-Millard I had seen the modern Lindsay Lohan/Michael Keaton remake of the classic collection of films about the living car, Herbie: Fully Loaded, and it was right I should see the first of the old ones, from director Robert Stevenson (Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks). Basically down on his luck racing car driver Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) and his friend, occasionally drunk mechanic Tennessee Steinmetz (The Little Mermaid's Buddy Hackett), live together in an old run down fire house. One day Jim goes to a luxury car dealership and wants something in a rather low price range, but mean dealer Peter Thorndyke (Mary Poppins' David Tomlinson) has no interest in helping him. Then Jim spots a strange car, an old Vauxwagen Beetle, and after managing to take it away with him, it proves to be an unusual car, it has a mind of its own driving where it wants to. He believes Thorndyke planted the car on purpose, but dealer assistant Carole Bennett (Michele Lee) proves the car is a good purchase, only to discover the car is living as well, and Jim has found a love interest. After being fixed up Jim, and given the name "Herbie" by Tennessee, the car is more controlled by its driver, and with a high speed they start racing to be champions, against Thorndyke, who wants the car back. After Thorndyke sabotages one race to win, the big race called the "El Dorado" is on the way, and there is a point when you wonder if Herbie will go to it, but after the apologies, he does. So the two lap gets started, with Thorndyke seeming to cheat his way to the lead, but Jim, Carole and Tennessee in Herbie manage to catch up and eventually win the race. Also starring Joe Flynn as Havershaw, Benson Fong as Mr. Wu, Andy Granatelli as Association President and Joe E. Ross as Detective. The car doesn't have as much personality as perhaps the remake version does, Tomlinson makes a reasonably mean villain, like a live version Dick Dastardly, and the jokes are alright, it is something the family will enjoy, an alright comedy. It was number 94 on The 100 Greatest Family Films. Good!

glenxxvi i first saw this film in 1989 when i was 8. i enjoyed it immensely and having taped it off TV i would watch it on a regular basis. Now, most things that i liked as a child i can't stand now but i do still like this. i liked it as a child and i still like it now at 25. probably one of the few things that have stood the test of time with me, i usually go off things very quickly. this is quite superior to most of Disney's other films in that it is good for adults as well as children, in fact this was probably the only Disney film i liked as a kid (bedknobs and broomsticks is an exception) i usually preferred Disney's cartoons as opposed to their films i have to give this a 7 out of 10 far better than it's three sequels, although Herbie goes to Monte Carlo is nearly as good