Woody Woodpecker DVD Review

Universal Pictures; PG; 94 minutes

Yep! There's a Woody Woodpecker movie! Don't worry if you have never heard of it before, because most of us haven't. The live-action/3D animated film was released to theaters in Brazil last fall. It skipped the theaters in the United States and instead it's being released on DVD, Digital, and On Demand today from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on February 6th.

Directed by Alex Zamm, the film stars Timothy Omundson, Jakob Davies, Thaila Ayala, Graham Verchere, Jordana Largy, Emily Holmes, and Eric Bauza voices Woody Woodpecker.

Created by Walter Lantz and Ben Hardaway, Woody Woodpecker first appearance was in the 1940 animated short Knock Knock. The character's last appearance was in the short-lived animated series The New Woody Woodpecker Show (1999-2002).

The new Woody Woodpecker movie centers on Lance Walters (played by Tim Omundson), a lawyer who was recently fired from his job. To make some quick cash, he decides to travel to the Pine Grove forest in Pennsylvania, where he had inherited some land from his late grandfather. He plans on building and flipping a modern designed mansion. He travels to Pine Grove with his much younger girlfriend Vanessa (played by Thaila Ayala) and his son Tommy (played by Graham Verchere), who he got stuck with at the last minute after his ex-wife convinces him to spend more time with their son.

Let's just say the locals and the park ranger, Samantha Bartlett (played by Jordana Largy) don't care for the construction zone in their forest. And one the forest's inhabitants, Woody Woodpecker, doesn't care for the fact that the construction zone is near his home, and he will do everything it takes to protect it.

Special Features include:

Guess Who? The Evolution of Woody - Woody Woodpecker is one of the world’s most iconic animated characters. In this featurette, we explore how Woody’s look and personality have changed since his introduction in 1940.
The Making of Woody Woodpecker - Filmmakers and cast discuss why this version of the Woody character is so appealing and how his brand of physical humor translates across audiences.
Working with Woody - Filmmakers, cast and crew reveal the specific challenges of filming a movie whose main character is CGI.

Final Thoughts

Wow! I haven't seen a Woody Woodpecker cartoon since the original shorts aired randomly with the Looney Tunes shorts during the early 1990s on TNT (or was it TBS), but I do remember Woody's crazy antics. I guess you could say that I cringed a little when I heard about the new animated/live-action film, as these cartoons are never adapted correctly for the big screen (or direct-to-DVD). After watching the film, I do have some good things to say to about (and some bad things).

The good news is that Woody Woodpecker is the came character from the original shorts. The character hasn't been changed; though the voice is slightly different, but that's to be expected as all the original voice actors have passed away; well, except for Billy West who voiced the character in the 1999-2002 animated series. Eric Bauza, a.k.a. - Woody's new voice, does a pretty good job providing the voice for the film. Woody's crazy antics from the cartoons are used throughout the movie, as he tries to get rid of Lance Walters, the man who's building a mansion in Woody's forest.

The bad news is that the film has some bad acting in it. I don't know if this was intentional, but many of the scenes come off as a little too goofy, even for a children's movie. The plot is really thin and many of the gags & jokes feel a bit stale.

Overall, Woody Woodpecker is a silly family-friendly comedy that will probably appeal to a younger audience. Personally, despite the film's many flaws, I thought it was a cute a movie.