The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000) Review:

What is it about cartoons failing financially at the movies? What is missing in the transition from the TV to the big screen? Is it the lack of substance? Or could it be that a cartoon's charm is only limited to a twenty-minute time slot? I'm not quite sure myself but it is disappointing that most adaptations to the big screen end being a flop. Thankfully there are some that try really hard to stick to the old and not involve the characters in a non-cartoony plot.

A movie that can mirror this kind of description would be The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Sure this movie has not gained a whole lot of appreciation but for the fans who truly respect the original series, you can see why this movie is one of those live action cartoon movies that stands out from the others. How come? Because the film uses its goofiness from its original episodes and uses it throughout the film. This movie is similar to The Muppets (2011) movie plot. Over a certain length of time, Rocky and Bullwinkle have been forgotten in the past until they are needed again 35 years later.

Karen Sympathy (Perabo)

So has anything really changed character-wise in this movie, absolutely not. Rocky, Bullwinkle, Fearless Leader, Boris, Natasha and even the narrator are all in this movie. Even the screenplay between all live action characters are like the original. After a misunderstood conversation between Rocky and Bullwinkle, the narrator states, "Yes even their word play had become hackneyed and cheap" and then Bullwinkle replies to the narrator, "No, it was always like this". Oh how right you are Bullwinkle!

Rocky, Fearless Leader (DeNiro),
Boris (Alexander), Natasha (Russo),
& Bullwinkle Moose

Aside from the main cartoon characters, Piper Perabo who plays Agent Karen Sympathy is given the assignment to get the daring duo out of the cartoon world and into the real world. The mission: to stop the nefarious Fearless Leader played by Robert De Niro. De Niro is actually a wise choice for the role of Fearless Leader. I truly can't imagine another actor playing that part. Fearless Leader is a difficult cartoon character to mimic verbally and physically so I give De Niro credit for that. Jason Alexander and Rene Russo team up as the Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale. They too both mimic their cartoon characters fairly well.

So what is there about this movie that makes it a good cartoon adaptation? Well besides the main cast, there are many famous actors that make cameo appearances. A couple that come to mind are John Goodman, Billy Crystal and Don Novello. Some play multiple characters while others play only one. Either way, this movie has a lot of star power.

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle may look like another worthless cartoon adaptation but it sticks to its roots and gives all that it has. Thanks to a good cast of actors, not only are the cartoon characters supported but it also makes its cheery screenplay work well too.

Points Earned --> 8:10