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      Hugo the Hippo

      G 1976 1h 30m Kids & Family Musical Animation List
      Reviews 100% 50+ Ratings Audience Score A little boy tries to save a pink hippopotamus from extinction in old Zanzibar. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      alice b It is a masterpiece. I am not sure why it did not become classic. It has all the right attributes: intriguing plot, strong characters, cute animation and songs. The plight of the hippos is also surprisingly relatable. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Not all animated films need to follow the standards set by Laika, Disney, Pixar, Aardman and Ghibli to be great There are times an animated film can be great on it's own terms like Moomins on the Riviera and Mark Osborne's The Little Prince for example Hugo The Hippo is a film is a film i like to call "So campy, It's great" There are elements of camp like the OST comprising of tunes mostly sung by Jimmy Osmond, Marie Osmond and Burl Ives and of course, Paul Lynde's recognizably camp voice being used as the voice of the film's evil vizier, Aban-Khan but however what make the film stands out is the animation and the visuals itself Sure, The plot is a bit murky at times because of the song numbers but the soundtrack add to the charm While this can be compared to say "Yellow Submarine" because of the trippy visual aspect but the film is great on it's own and i highly suggest y'all see this film... it's really good Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member para quien le gusto el submarino amarillo con los bitles, deberia de ver esta obra paicodelica hecha en hungria podrucida por la marca de perfumes faberge y con musica de los osmond Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member I can imagine that a great many drugs were consumed during the creation of this film, so I would expect that it is comprehensible only when utterly baked. As a child we had the scholastic book, published in 1976, and it was pretty strange, but the film is truly one of the most bizarre things that I've ever seen. Hearing Paul Lynde utter the line "In the name of Allah, what are you doing?" is a totally surreal experience, and I would ask the filmmakers the same question... If you like bad movies, then this is a film for you. It's pretty spectacular... from the monkeys playing cabbage basketball over the Harlem Globetrotters' signature tune "Sweet Georgia Brown", to the attack of the killer asparagus, to sharks in leather-bar drag, to the young titular hippo witnessing the massacre (seriously) of his entire tribe, including his parents, it's hard to over-emphasize this film's cruelty, unfortunate racial stereotypes and bizarre visual style. Then there's the music! Burl Ives cheerful song about Hugo's imminent starvation is one thing, but it's almost impossible to listen to Marie Osmond's opening song without collapsing with laughter, disbelief, or both: Do you know the way to tell a story that's true From the stories that never took place? Well, when a story's so strange that if it never happened No one could ever think it up Then it is true A story so strange no one could ever make it up has to be true Has to be true Now, you ask what difference does it make in the end If you believe a strange story or no If you accept a strange story told to you as true Then a certain enlightenment comes to you It comes to you A certain enlightenment comes when a story that's told to you Is really true This story is really true It's really true 'Nuff said. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member I saw the Hungarian version and while it was indeed weird to see how the voice actors features were seeping into the character design, I found the movie rather interesting and deep. While at first the darkness and design style (yeah yeah yellow submarine) is daunting the storyline engulfs you. The moral message is strong and it leaves an impact on young children. The animation itself is not brilliant but the character designs are interesting. The fantasy scenes are engaging and the songs...Well the songs are American, and that is certainly out of place in an African-themed movie. Also there are obvious Asian design elements that are rather strange. But above and all I found it a beautiful piece. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Shane Burridge rec.arts.movies.reviews Its YELLOW SUBMARINE aspirations are obvious, its Marie-and-Jimmy Osmond songs just bewildering Aug 1, 2005 Full Review Phil Hall Film Threat This is a weird movie. Rated: 2.5/5 Feb 11, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A little boy tries to save a pink hippopotamus from extinction in old Zanzibar.
      Director
      William Feigenbaum
      Rating
      G
      Genre
      Kids & Family, Musical, Animation
      Original Language
      English
      Runtime
      1h 30m